THANKS FOR YOUR TIME. >> THANK YOU.
>> THE FORTUNES OF WISCONSIN'S MOST POPULOUS CITY AND COUNTY
DRAMATICALLY CHANGED THIS YEAR BECAUSE OF A LOCAL GOVERNMENT
FUNDING DEAL PASSED IN THE STATE LEGISLATURE.
ALLOWING AN INCREASE IN THE LOCAL SALES TAX IN THE CITY AND
COUNTY OF MILWAUKEE. WE TALKED WITH MILWAUKEE COUNTY
EXECUTIVE DAVID CROWLEY EARLIER THIS WEEK FOR HIS TAKE ON THE
NEW REALITY. >> COUNTY EXECUTIVE CROWLEY,
THANKS VERY MUCH FOR JOINING US. >> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
IT'S ALWAYS A PLEASURE. >> SO IN SIGNING YOUR 2024
BUDGET, YOU CALLED IT A NEW DAY FOR MILWAUKEE COUNTY.
HOW SO? >> WELL, IT IS A NEW DAY FOR
MILWAUKEE COUNTY, AND THAT IS BECAUSE OF OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH
THE CITY OF MILWAUKEE AND THE MOVE FORWARD MKE COALITION THAT
WE WERE ABLE TO SECURE OUR LOCAL OPTION SALES TAX.
AND THE REASON WHY THIS WAS A HISTORIC MOMENT FOR MILWAUKEE
COUNTY IS FOR THE PAST TWO DECADES, WE'VE BEEN OPERATING
WITHIN A DEFICIT. AND BECAUSE OF THE WISCONSIN ACT
12, FOR THE FIRST TIME IN OVER TWO DECADES, MILWAUKEE COUNTY
NOW HAS A SURPLUS, GIVING US THE ABILITY TO REALLY MAKE
INVESTMENTS IN OUR ENTIRE COMMUNITY VERSUS LOOKING AT WHAT
CUTS WILL BE LEAST HARMFUL TO OUR COMMUNITY.
SO IT IS A NEW DAY FOR MILWAUKEE.
>> SO WITH THIS FIRST BUDGET SURPLUS IN MORE THAN 20 YEARS,
WHAT ARE YOUR PRIORITIES? >> WELL, WE HAVE A LOT OF
DIFFERENT PRIORITIES FOR MILWAUKEE COUNTY.
AND SO REALLY WHAT WE'RE THINKING ABOUT IS HOW DO WE,
ONE, CONTINUE TO OPERATE WHERE WE'RE GOING TO REACH OUR MISSION
BY ACHIEVING RACIAL EQUITY, AND BECOMING THE HEALTHIEST COUNTY
IN THE STATE OF WISCONSIN. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE WERE
ABLE TO DO WAS CONTINUE TO INVEST INTO OUR AFFORDABLE
HOUSING PROGRAM ON TOP OF THE $12 MILLION THAT WE INVESTED
FROM OUR ARPA FUNDS. AND THIS IS GOING TO ALLOW US TO
BUILD MORE SINGLE-FAMILY HOMES IN THE KING PARK NEIGHBORHOOD AS
WELL, WHILE ALSO BREAKING GROUND ON OUR FIRST HEALTHY HUMAN
SERVICE BUILDING THAT'S GOING TO BE DEDICATED TO MILWAUKEE'
COUNTY RESIDENTS. THIS HAS ALLOWED US TO MAKE SURE
WE CAN CONTINUE TO HAVE OUR MILWAUKEE COUNTY TRANSIT SYSTEM
UP AND RUNNING, MAKING SURE THAT THIS CRUCIAL AND VIABLE AMENITY
IS THERE FOR EVERYONE, WHILE ALSO MAKING SURE THAT WE CAN
INVEST IN OUR MILWAUKEE PUBLIC PARKS SYSTEM.
BUT THAT'S ALSO TO SAY THAT THIS ALLOWS US TO SUPPORT OUR
CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM AS WELL, WHEN WE THINK ABOUT OUR COURTS,
OUR SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENTS AND OUR JAILS, THIS ALLOWS US REALLY
TO IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE. >> WHAT REMAIN THE BIGGEST
CHALLENGES FOR MILWAUKEE COUNTY, AND HOW TO ADDRESS THOSE GOING
FORWARD? >> IT A GREAT QUESTI ON,
FREDERICA. WHEN I THINK ABOUT MILWAUKEE
COUNTY'S FINANCIAL SITUATION, WHERE IT IS A LITTLE BIT BETTER,
WE'RE STILL NOT OUT OF THE WOODS RIGHT NOW.
SO YES, WE WILL HAVE A BUDGET SURPLUS FOR THE NEXT TWO YEARS,
BUT OUR OPERATIONS DOES -- WILL SEE A DEFICIT MOVING FORWARD
STARTING IN ABOUT 2027 OR 2026, SO IT IS MY GOAL TO CONTINUE TO
BUILD UPON THE RELATIONSHIPS THAT WE'VE CREATED WITH THE
STATE OF WISCONSIN, AS WELL AS THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, TO BRING
BACK RESOURCES. BUT ONE INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECT
THE NEXT UPCOMING YEARS IS THAT YOU WOULD LOVE TO TACKLE IN
REALLY OUR PUBLIC SAFETY BUILDING. IT OVER 100 YEARS
OLD, AND IT IS THE NERVE SYSTEM OF OUR CRIMINAL
JUSTICE SYSTEM. SO IF WE DON'T WANT JUSTICE
DEFERRED, WE WANT TO GET OUR CRIMINAL JUSTICE UP AND RUNNING
REMOVING THE BACKLOG, IT'S GOING TO BE ONE OF THOSE CRITICAL
ISSUES THAT WE TACKLE IN THE NEAR FUTURE. >> WHAT DOES THE
$500 MILLION BREWERS STADIUM FUNDING PACKAGE
MEAN FOR MILWAUKEE? >> WELL, WHEN WE THINK ABOUT THE
MILWAUKEE' BREWERS, ONE, THEY ARE A HUGE CULTURAL ASSET RIGHT
HERE FOR SOUTHEASTERN WISCONSIN AND, QUITE FRANKLY, THE STATE,
BUT THEY ARE ALSO AN ECONOMIC ASSET.
I'M PROUD THAT WE WERE ABLE TO BROKER A DEAL WITH THE STATE
LEGISLATURE, WITH THE GOVERNOR'S OFFICE AS WELL THAT NOT ONLY
PROTECTS OUR TAXPAYERS RIGHT HERE WITHIN MILWAUKEE COUNTY,
BUT MAKES SURE THAT WE KEEP THE BREWERS RIGHT HERE FOR MANY
YEARS TO COME. BUT WHAT'S VERY UNIQUE ABOUT
THIS DEAL IS THAT WHILE WE'RE ABLE TO PROTECT OUR TAXPAYERS,
WE WERE ABLE TO GET SOME FINANCIAL FLEXIBILITY FOR
MILWAUKEE COUNTY WITH THAT DIRECTLY AFFECTS OUR ACT 12 THAT
WAS PASSED THIS SUMMER. SO OVER THE COURSE OF THE NEXT
27 YEARS, THE MILWAUKEE COUNTY SHOULD BE ABLE TO RECEIVE SOME
FINANCIAL FLEXIBILITY TO THE TUNE OF ABOUT $229 MILLION,
WHICH IS DOLLARS THAT GIVES US THE OPPORTUNITY TO INVEST BACK
INTO THE COMMUNITY. WHEN WE THINK ABOUT THE
AMENITIES THAT I MENTIONED NOT TOO LONG AGO, BUT AGAIN, TO
REALLY IMPROVE THE CA QUALITY OF LIFE FOR MILWAUKEE COUNTY
RESIDENTS AND OUR VISITORS. >> AS YOU KNOW, THE REPUBLICAN
CONVENTION PROMISES TO BRING VISIBILITY AND AN ECONOMIC BOOST
TO MILWAUKEE. BUT AS A DEMOCRAT, WILL IT BE
DIFFICULT TO HOST THAT REPUBLICAN MESSAGE?
>> YOU KNOW, AS A DEMOCRAT, I WOULD HAVE NEVER THOUGHT THAT I
WOULD BE A PART OF THE PITCH TO BRING THE REPUBLICAN NATIONAL
CONVENTION RIGHT HERE TO MILWAUKEE.
BUT THIS ISN'T ABOUT RED OR BLUE WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT PARTISAN
POLITICS. THIS IS REALLY ABO UT THE DOLLARS
THAT WE NEED TO BE INFUSED RIGHT HERE IN OUR OWN COMMUNITY.
AND SO I WOULD SAY THAT MY JOB IS TO MAKE SURE THAT THIS PARTY
GOES OFF WITHOUT A HITCH AND EVERYBODY HAS AN OPPORTUNITY TO
ENJOY EVERYTHING THAT WE HAVE TO OFFER.
THIS IS THE BIGGEST PROMOTION THAT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE OUTSIDE
OF THE DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION OR OUTSIDE OF THE
BUCKS -- A BUCKS CHAMPIONSHIP WIN.
SO IT IS MY HOPE THAT IN THE FUTURE, THAT WE'LL BE ABLE TO
BRING MORE CONFERENCES, BRING MORE THINGS RIGHT BACK TO OUR
OWN COMMUNITY THAT ALLOWS US TO REALLY BENEFIT FROM THE ECONOMIC
ACTIVITY THAT HAS BEEN HAPPENING THROUGHOUT THE YEARS.
>> ALL RIGHT. COUNTY EXECUTIVE DAVID CROWLEY,