This is the first time the Shepherd has opened our issue page to a guest commentator, in this case Milwaukee County Supervisor Patricia Jursik. For the record, the Shepherd supports efforts to keep the Bucks in Milwaukee. We believe Mayor Tom Barrett’s financing proposal was creative and the proper approach to providing City of Milwaukee assistance. The city is slated to offer tax incremental financing and build a parking structure; the parking revenue will be split between the city and the Bucks. However, we believe County Executive Chris Abele’s plan to put all of the costs on the county property taxpayers is the last way a local unit of government should provide assistance. Abele’s approach is highly regressive, unfair and totally devoid of any creativity. —The Editors
There is a clear consensus that property taxes are the most over-burdened tax county residents must bear against the backdrop of years of deprived support for our parks, culture and transit services, among others. With the purported reason that property taxes are maxed out, County Executive Chris Abele saddled more property taxes on the backs of Milwaukee County residents, and only Milwaukee County residents, to fund the arena deal. Never mind that a likely majority of users come from the surrounding counties, but only Milwaukee County will pay with the property tax—not a sales tax, not a sin tax, not a user fee, but a property tax.
Even the media have failed to fairly report this tax. The county executive, as the chief architect of the county contribution, has hidden the property tax payment behind euphemisms like “debt collection” or “bad debt” or “reduced shared revenue.” Any of these euphemisms lead to increased property taxes. The county currently uses about $3.5 million of debt collection to largely offset property taxes. If you divert these resources for payment of arena debt, there is a hole to fill in the budget. State shared revenue supposedly pays the county for state-mandated services. Unless the state removes these mandates, and they have not, the county must provide the service and increase the property tax. A property tax by any other name is still a property tax.
To add insult to injury, the rules of the game were changed mid-course. Imagine giving additional fouls to the star player of the Milwaukee Bucks at halftime so that the home team hero virtually fouls out before the second half. This is what the state legislators did to Milwaukee County residents. The home team is comprised of elected supervisors, 18 players. By the second half, the review of the Park East land sale, the out-of-county majority state legislators benched Milwaukee County’s team from review of land sales.
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Even worse, the team had already held a full public hearing and played the first half without fouls. The June 2015 Economic and Community Development Committee (ECD) reviewed the Park East land sale in which the management of the Bucks fully participated and at all times were respectful to the game rules called “good faith negotiations.” At halftime, the ECD committee took their normal break and specifically requested that the county executive come and participate in the second half. A formal letter was even sent and served.
By the second half, the July ECD committee reconvened to complete its review, but the state, at the behest of the county executive, handed out fouls removing the representation of citizens (whom the home team represents) that actually pay the property taxes from review of land sales. The rules had changed, and good faith negotiations became bad faith on behalf of county citizens and their right to fair representation for fair taxation.
By the way, County Executive Chris Abele never showed up at the July ECD committee in spite of the formal letter request. He took his ball and went home.
Supervisor Patricia Jursik, an attorney, represents the South Shore communities on the Milwaukee County Board and is chair of the Economic and Community Development Committee.
