MADISON — Milwaukee city and county leaders were at the state capitol Thursday pushing to let voters decide whether to approve a 1% sales tax increase.
Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele said it would generate $160 million a year for critical services and maintaining facilities, but this proposal needs the approval of the state legislature. Republicans leadership has vowed to vote against it.
"I have had to start the year and put together a budget by deciding how I'm going to cut on average $25-30 million," Abele said.
From cuts to Milwaukee County parks and public transit to fewer Milwaukee police officers, city and county leaders made their case to lawmakers as to why they believe voters should decide whether to raise their sales taxes.
"Our tax levy is $291 million for last year," Mayor Tom Barrett explained. "Our budget for the police department is over $300 million."
In 2017, Milwaukee County and its municipalities received $144 million less from the state in shared revenue than it did in 2009.
"Cuts that are coming are going to be a lot more impactful," Abele said.
Abele said this sales tax increase proposal would essentially making up that difference while 25% of the revenue gains would go toward property tax relief.
"I would question on the other side, the influx of state aid that comes into the K-12 education system is what? Close to $1 billion now in the city?" asked Rep. Robert Wittke of Racine.
The 1 cent per dollar sales tax increase wouldn't include necessities such as groceries or prescriptions, but the pushback was plentiful from lawmakers who will decide the proposal's fate.
"Why, as a business person in the state of Wisconsin, would I ever want to invest in Milwaukee then?" questioned Rep. Kevin Petersen of Waupaca.
"I don't want to close libraries. I don't want to cut back on the important work that's being done to clean up the neighborhoods, so we have to find ways to work with the state to reset the button for the relationship between the city of Milwaukee and all of local government and state government," Barrett said.
The assembly committee that held the hearing didn't take a vote on Thursday. Supporters of the plan said the soonest it could get on Milwaukee County ballots is likely sometime next year.
