ICYMI: County Executive David Crowley Continues Push for Revenue Solution Ahead of Legislative Session
After bringing more than 30 Republican legislators to Milwaukee in August to discuss revenue solutions, County Executive David Crowley has spent the first two weeks of November continuing to travel the state and advocate for additional revenue tools for Milwaukee County ahead up the upcoming state legislative session.
On November 2, County Executive Crowley, and members of the Move Forward MKE Coalition, traveled to Green Bay to discuss the sales tax revenue solution with the Green Bay Chamber of Commerce.
This week, the coalition hosted a panel moderated by MMAC President Tim Sheehy and featuring Milwaukee Fire Aaron Lipski, Restaurateur Omar Shaikh, HUSCO President & CEO Austin Ramirez, NAIOP CEO Jim Villa, and VISIT Milwaukee President and CEO Peggy Williams-Smith. During the event, County Executive Crowley emphasized the critical three-month timeline the coalition is facing ahead of the legislative session.
“The next three months are mission-critical for the push to gain additional revenues for Milwaukee County and stave off a fiscal cliff forecasted for 2027. That’s why the MoveForwardMKE coalition is traveling the state and ratcheting up our efforts to educate the public and encourage individuals to call their legislators and advocate for this revenue solution,” said County Executive David Crowley.
“Now that the midterm elections are over, legislators in Madison on both sides of the aisle are putting together their agendas for the upcoming year and we’re working hard to make sure our identified revenue solution is a priority.”
The continued push comes as Milwaukee County recently passed a $1.2 billion budget for 2023. The County’s simultaneous commitment to fiscal responsibility and community investment has been applauded by budget experts and recognized by others.
For the third year in the row, the County Executive has led the way on passing fiscally responsible budgets that reflect the County’s shared values and its organizational vision of achieving race and health equity. Although there are no major cuts to public-facing services in the 2023 budget, Milwaukee County is having to do more with less year over year as the structural budget gap persists.
Budgetary analysis done by the Wisconsin Policy Forum shows the 2023 County Budget is buttressed heavily by an increase in sales tax collections. Yet still, small scale service reductions had to be made in order to close a $12 million structural deficit.
Milwaukee County has proven it can do amazing things to serve its residents if given the resources. To continue to do so, the County needs a sustainable revenue source to make the important investments that will improve quality of life in Milwaukee County.
Without a solution to its funding challenges by 2027, the County will be unable to continue the current services like parks, bus routes, emergency services, arts, senior services, public safety, disability services, and youth services.
Background
Wisconsin Policy Forum: 2023 Budget in Brief
10/14/2022
Green Bay Press Gazette: Milwaukee leaders seek support in Green Bay for sales tax, revenue fixes
11/3/2022
Hanania also writes about Middle East issues for the Arab News, and The Arab Daily News criticizing government policies in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Hanania was named "Best Ethnic American Columnist" by the New America Media in November 2007, and is the 2009 recipient of the SPJ National Sigma Delta Chi Award for column writing.
Email Ray Hanania at rghanania@gmail.com.
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