>> AT THE STATE CAPITOL THIS
WEEK, LAWMAKERS FROM THE SENATE
CONSIDERED THEIR VERSION OF THE
SHARED REVENUE BILL TO INCREASE
FUNDING TO LOCAL GOVERNMENTS AS
THE VERY SURVIVAL OF THE BILL
HANGS IN THE BALANCE.
THE TIPPING POINT, WHETHER OR
NOT TO BRING A REFERENDUM
QUESTION BEFORE MILWAUKEE VOTERS
TO INCREASE THE SALES TAX BY 2%
FOR THE CITY OF MILWAUKEE AND
BY.375% FOR THE COUNTY TO PAY
FOR OUTSTANDING PENSION
OBLIGATIONS THAT HAVE BEEN
GROWING FOR YEARS.
LAST WEEK, ASSEMBLY SPEAKER
ROBIN VOS SAID THEIR VERSION OF
THE BILL REQUIRES THE REFERENDUM
AND THEY ARE DONE NEGOTIATING.
SENATE MAJORITY LEADER DEVIN
LeMAHIEU TOOK ISSUE WITH THAT,
CONCERNED THAT THE REFERENDUM
COULD FAIL.
SPEAKING BEFORE THE SENATE
COMMITTEE THIS WEEK WAS
MILWAUKEE MAYOR KAVA A LOT OF CR
JOHNSON.
HE JOINS US.
THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
>> SO FROM YOUR UNDERSTANDING,
WHERE DOES THIS SHARED REVENUE
BILL STAND AS OF THIS MOMENT?
IS THERE ROOM FOR NEGOTIATION?
>> FREDERICA, I WOULD IMAGINE
THAT THERE IS ROOM FOR
NEGOTIATION.
LOOK.
I'VE NOT HAD THE ABILITY, THE
PRIVILEGE TO SERVE IN A
BICAMERAL LEGISLATIVE BODY SUCH
AS WE HAVE IN OUR STATE
LEGISLATURE, BUT MY
UNDERSTANDING, THOUGH, IS THAT
ONE HOUSE CREATES A BILL, AND IF
THERE'S ANY DIFFERENCE WITH THE
OTHER HOUSE, THEY COME TOGETHER,
THEY CONFERENCE THE BILL.
THAT'S NEGOTIATION.
AND SO I WOULD SUSPECT THAT
THERE STILL WOULD BE ROOM FOR
BOTH THE ASSEMBLY AS WELL AS THE
SENATE TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY
TO HAVE A CONVERSATION AND PUT
FORWARD A BILL THAT CAN PASS
BOTH HOUSES THAT CAN GET THE
SUPPORT THAT IT NEEDS IN THE
LEGISLATURE THAT CAN ALSO BE
SIGNED BY THE GOVERNOR.
>> WHAT ARE YOU SPECIFICALLY
LOBBYING FOR?
>> LOOK.
IN THE BILL, THERE ARE A NUMBER
OF THINGS THAT I'VE BEEN
LOBBYING FOR.
YOU MENTIONED THE ISSUE ABOUT
WHETHER IT'S A REFERENDUM OR
WHETHER IT'S ENABLING
LEGISLATIVE ALLOWING FOR BOTH
MILWAUKEE COUNTY COUNCIL AS WELL
AS MILWAUKEE COUNTY BOARD TO
PASS LEGISLATION GOING TO BE
SIGNED BY THE EXECUTIVES IN
THOSE JURISDICTIONS, MYSELF
BEING ONE OF THEM.
LOOK.
I'D LIKE FURTHER TO BE
CONSISTENCY HERE.
WHEN THE STATE OF WISCONSIN
ALLOWS LOCAL GOVERNMENTS TO
IMPLEMENT OR INCREASE A TAX,
WHETHER IT'S A COUNTY SALES TAX,
.5% SALES TAX, THAT'S 68 OF OUR
72 COUNTIES HAVE IMPLEMENTED,
THOSE HAPPEN BY A SIMPLE
MAJORITY OF THE LEGISLATIVE
BODY.
THEY ARE NOT SENT TO REFERENDUM.
WHEN STATE OF WISCONSIN ALLOWS
LOCAL GOVERNMENTS TO ENACT A
PLEA MERE RESORT AREA TAX,
PREMIER, THOSE ARE IMPOSED VIA A
BOAT OF THE LEGISLATIVE BODY.
THEY ARE NOT SENT OUT TO THE
MASSES VIA REFERENDUM.
SO I'M LOOKING FOR CONSISTENCY
HERE FROM THE STATE LEGISLATURE
IN ALLOWING US TO IMPLEMENT 2%
SALES TAX IN THE CITY OF
MILWAUKEE ALLOWING THE COUNCIL
TO BE ABLE TO VOTE ON THAT AND
THEN ME, AS THE EXECUTIVE OF
THIS GINGERBREAD, TO BE ABLE TO
SIGN THAT INTO LAW AND IMPLEMENT
IT.
THERE ARE SOME OTHER
MILWAUKEE-SPECIFIC ITEMS IN THE
BILL AND MY REQUEST HAS BEEN ON
THOSE THINGS TO ALLOW LOCAL
OFFICIALS TO MAKE THOSE
DECISIONS THAT PURELY AFFECT US
AT THE LOCAL LEVEL.
>> WHAT ARE YOUR CONCERNS ABOUT
TAKING THAT EXTRA 2% SALES TAX
TO VOTERS?
DO YOU THINK IT WOULDN'T PASS?
I HAVE GREAT CONCERNS ABOUT
WHETHER OR NOT A REFERENDUM
WOULD BE ABLE TO PASS IN
MILWAUKEE.
A NUMBER OF CONCERNS ABOUT IT.
THE QUESTION, I THINK, POSED
WOULD BE TOO LARGE, TOO OVERLY
CONFUSING, TOO OVERLY CUMBERSOME
FOR US TO BE ABLE TO EDUCATE THE
PUBLIC ABOUT THE DIRE NEED
THAT'S AVAILABLE HERE, AND THEN
THERE ARE A COUPLE OF OTHER
REASONS WHY.
I'VE GOT SEVERE CONCERNS.
IN THE CITY OF MILWAUKEE, IN
YEARS PAST, WHAT WE HAD DONE
BEFORE WE IMPLEMENTED A WHEEL
TAX, THAT'S 20 BUCKS A YEAR THAT
PEOPLE PAY WHEN THEY REGISTER
THEIR VEHICLE, WE ESSENTIALLY
HAD A REFERENDUM WHEN THE
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS WOULD
GO TO A PARTICULAR STREET IN THE
CITY TO RECONSTRUCT THAT STREET.
WE WOULD SENDS OUT A POSTCARD TO
THE RESIDENTS ON THAT BLOCK AND
SAY, HEY, WE'RE COMING TO
RECONSTRUCT THE STREET.
IT'S GOING TO COST YOU ROUGHLY
$3,000.
THAT WAS A REFERENDUM AND FOLKS
WOULD VOTE THOSE DOWN
CONSISTENTLY BECAUSE THEY
WOULDN'T WANT TO PAY THE
ADDITIONAL DOLLAR.
WHAT HAPPENED, THOUGH, WAS THEN
THAT WE WOULD HAVE A STREET AND
SEVERAL STREETS THROUGHOUT THE
CITY THAT WOULD BE REDUCED TO
GRAVEL.
SO THERE ARE THOSE SORT OF
CONCERNS ABOUT A REFERENDUM.
WE NEED THE MONEY TO BE ABLE TO
DO THESE THINGS, TO BE ABLE TO
PROVIDE CITY SERVICES, JUST LIKE
WE DID BEFORE WITH FIXING THE
STREET.
THE OTHER THING THAT I HAVE A
GRAVE CONCERN WITH IS THAT IN
MILWAUKEE, TALKING ABOUT ISSUES
AROUND PENSIONS, I THINK IT'S
TABOO.
FOLKS RECALL ABOUT TWO DECADES
AGO OR SO SOME OF THE CHALLENGES
THAT HAPPENED AROUND PENSIONS IN
MILWAUKEE, AND I DON'T WANT
THOSE BAD FEELINGS FROM THE PAST
TO BE INTERMINGLED WITH WHAT WE
NEED TO ACCOMPLISH HERE RIGHT
NOW IN TERMS OF GETTING MORE
REVENUES TO US AT THE LOCAL
LEVEL SO THAT WE CAN MAINTAIN
SERVICES HERE IN THE CITY OF
MILWAUKEE, INCLUDING MAKING SURE
THAT WE MAINTAIN AND INCREASE
POLICE SERVICE, THAT WE MAINTAIN
AND INCREASE FIRE SERVICE, AND
ALSO THAT WE MAINTAIN OUR
LIBRARY SYSTEM THAT MEANS SO
MUCH TO CITIZENS ALL ACROSS THE
CITY.
>> WHAT IS YOUR MESSAGE TO THE
PEOPLE OF THE STATE ABOUT HOW
DIRE THINGS ARE FISCALLY IN
MILWAUKEE RIGHT NOW IN THE
ABSENCE OF ANY KIND OF EVEN
OVERALL BOOST IN SHARED REVENUE
FROM THE STATE?
>> WELL, FREDERICA, WHAT HAPPENS
IN MILWAUKEE HAS AN OUTSIDE
IMPACT ON THE STATE OF
WISCONSIN.
IT REALLY, REALLY DOES.
YOU THINK ABOUT THE SERVICES
THAT WE PROVIDE HERE.
THEY ARE GOOD, NOT JUST FOR MY
CONSTITUENTS, THE RESIDENTS IN
THE CITY OF MILWAUKEE; THEY'RE
GOOD FOR OUR REGIONAL ECONOMY
AND WE'VE GOT, YOU KNOW,
THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE WHO DRIVE
INTO THE CITY EACH AND EVERY
SINGLE DAY FOR WORK AND FOR
DINING AND THE LIKE, AND FROM
THE WAUKESHA, WASHINGTON COUNTY
SUBURBS.
WE, IN THE CITY OF MILWAUKEE AND
MILWAUKEE GENERALLY, WE'RE THE
LARGEST TOURISM DESTINY IN THE
STATE OF WISCONSIN, ABOUT A
QUARTER OF ALL TOURISTS WHO
INTERFACE WITH OUR STATE AND
THEN THEREFORE PAY SALES TAX
THAT GO TO MADISON AND THEN ARE
DIVERTED TO OTHER COMMUNITIES
AROUND THE STATE.
THEY COME TO MILWAUKEE.
RIGHT?
AND EXPERIENCE THE HOSPITALITY,
THE TOURISM THAT WE HAVE HERE IN
THIS CITY.
AND THEN OF COURSE SOME OF THE
MOST ICONIC BUSINESSES IN THE
STATE OF WISCONSIN ARE LOCATED
RIGHT HERE IN THE CITY OF
MILWAUKEE.
NOW, IF WE'RE NOT ABLE TO
PROVIDE ALL OF THOSE CITY
SERVICES THAT ALL OF THOSE
CONSTITUENCIES DEPEND ON, THAT
WOULD PUT NE US IN A DIRE SITUAN
WHERE THOSE BUSINESSES DON'T
COME, WHERE THOSE BUSINESSES
DECIDE TO LEAVE, AND IF THOSE
THINGS WERE TO HAPPEN, THE
RIPPLE EFFECT DOESN'T JUST
HAPPEN IN THE CITY OF MILWAUKEE.
IT HAPPENS IN THE REGION AND IT
HAPPENS IN OTHER PARTS OF THE
STATE OF WISCONSIN AS WELL.
>> ALL RIGHT.
WE LEAVE IT THERE.
MAYOR CAVALIER JOHNSON, THANKS