A packedroom at the Washington Park Senior Center gave all 19 Milwaukee Countysupervisors an earful for more than three hours on Monday night about the tight2010 county budget, taxes and critical services for the needy.
If passed inits current form, the supervisors' amended budget would increase the propertytax levy 0.43%, the lowest increase in six years, and add a $20 vehicleregistration fee for county car and truck owners. Without the extra fee,property taxes would increase 3.85%.
The countyboard estimates that a city of Milwaukeehome, assessed at $150,000, would see the county's portion of the property taxdecrease by $12.83 compared to last year, if the fee is included.
The Financeand Audit Committee deliberated for weeks to fill a $32 million hole in thebudget presented by Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker, who structured hisbudget around $41 million of wage and benefit concessions that had not beennegotiated by his administration and union employees.
The clearmajority at Monday's budget hearing was in favor of preserving critical countyservices and employees, as well as the vehicle fee, which was approved by theFinance and Audit Committee last week.
That fee,set to begin March 1, 2010, is expected to generate $9 million per year. Thatextra revenue must be used for cash-starved transit and paratransit services,but it would free up funds for other county operations.
The boardintends to repeal the fee if the state authorizes another dedicated fundingsource for county transit.
In areferendum last November, Milwaukee County voters hadapproved a 1-cent sales tax increase to cover transit, the parks and culturalassets and provide property tax relief. Gov. Jim Doyle favors a half-cent salestax increase for transit only, but that has not been approved by the stateLegislature.
BarbaraBeckert, director of Disability Rights Wisconsin, supported the fee, saying itwould cost drivers less than $2 a month, or “pennies a day” for vital services.
Speaking inopposition to the fee was Jim Tolkan, president of the Automobile DealersAssociation of Mega Milwaukee Inc. (ADAMM), who said the fee was “extremelyregressive” because it would apply to car owners no matter what their income.He said it would have a negative impact on auto sales, sales tax, income andincome tax for auto dealers.
Carefor the Needy
Testimonyfrom advocates for seniors, the poor, the disabled, the mentally ill,ex-offenders, public transit and the parks and pools urged the supervisors tomaintain the safety net for the county's neediest residents during a severeeconomic downturn.
Mary Ryan ofHunger Task Force received a huge round of applause when she stressed the needfor the farm at the House of Correction, which produces 350,000 pounds of foodper year for the hungry.
“You feedthe baseline first,” Ryan said.
Manyspeakers mentioned the essay written by John Gurda in Sunday's Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, in which hepraised previous generations of Milwaukeeans who supported the public good overprivate gain, and chastised those who “demean” or “demonize” public employees.
“The critics of local government crow whenevertax rates are cut or payrolls are reduced,” Gurda wrote. “In my view, that'slike bragging about how much you haven't fed your child or cheering while yourhouse burns down. These are our sidewalks and sewers, our police officers andfirefighters, our parks and pools that suffer when budgets are cut.”
Patty Yunk, director of public policy atDistrict Council 48 of AFSCME, called on supervisors to heed Gurda's warningand provide wise leadership on the budget.
“Do you county supervisors have the courage?”she asked. “We hope so.”
Wageand Benefits Concessions
In additionto the $9 million to be generated by the vehicle registration fee, the Financeand Audit Committee had approved $15 million in wage and benefits concessionsto be negotiated with county unions. The supervisors noted that the proposedconcessions would be “a more credible approach for labor negotiations” than the$41 million package proposed by Walker.
Thesupervisors propose eliminating step salary increases for 2010, adopting eightfurlough days, decreasing pension contributions, changing overtime rules, andrequiring employees to pay more for health care coverage.
Like Walker's proposals, thesupervisors' concessions have not been approved by the major county unions.Yunk told the Shepherd on Tuesdaythat AFSCME has not even received a request to meet to discuss them and thatthe county has asked for an extension until Nov. 30 to formulate its proposal.
Monday'sbudget hearings come on the heels of last week's layoff drama. After finding a$3 million deficit in the Behavioral Health Division budgetwhich hadn't beenreported by administrator John Chianelli until last weekWalker announced that up to 200 employeeswould receive layoff notices by the end of the week. But department heads cameup with enough money to keep those employees workingat least for nowand thelayoff notices were rescinded just hours after they were sent on Friday.
The county'sFinance and Audit Committee will hold its final budget meeting on Wednesday andthe full board will vote on it next Monday. It then goes to Walker for his approval.
Walker did not attendMonday's public hearing. Instead, he held a rally in Pewaukee for supporters ofhis gubernatorial run.