The bill will get a hearing in Madison, in Room 412East of the state Capitol on Wednesday, April 10, before the Assembly Committeeon Government Operations and State Licensing.
The committee will vote on the fast-tracked bill thefollowing day.
Committee chair state Rep. Tyler August (R-LakeGeneva) refused Milwaukee Democrats’ requests to hold a hearing in MilwaukeeCounty, state Rep. Christine Sinicki (D-Milwaukee) told the Shepherd.
Committee member Sinicki opposes the bill, which shecalled “purely a power grab” on behalf of Milwaukee County Executive ChrisAbele. She said that she hoped Republicans, who are in the majority in theLegislature, would realize that the bill was an attack on local control andtherefore vote against it.
Assembly Bill 85/Senate Bill 95—largely the work ofstate Rep. Joe Sanfelippo (R-West Allis), state Sen. Alberta Darling (R-RiverHills) and the Abele-aligned Greater Milwaukee Committee (GMC)—would reduce thepay of a Milwaukee County supervisor to about $24,000 annually. That provisionwould be put to county voters in a binding referendum on April 1, 2014.
“The portion of the bill that directly affectsconstituents the most is the question of representation, that is on theballot,” stated an email from Josh Hoisington, an aide to Rep. Sanfelippo.
But the vast majority of AB 85/SB 95’s componentswould go into effect immediately—without the consent of Milwaukee Countyvoters—if or when the Republican-dominated state Legislature passes the billand Gov. Scott Walker signs it.
Therefore, state legislators could radicallydiminish the Milwaukee County board’s authority over contracts, land sales andcounty operations long before Milwaukee County voters are allowed to vote onthe referendum in 2014 to reduce supervisors’ pay.
Weakening the county board is eliminating neededoversight to prevent corruption from developing in the county executive’soffice.
“This [bill] would make the Milwaukee Countyexecutive the most powerful county executive in the state of Wisconsin,” saidMilwaukee County Board Chair Marina Dimitrijevic. “With a very weakened legislativebranch.”
County Government Would Be Concentrated inExecutive’s Office
The non-referendum “power grab” provisions wouldgive the Milwaukee County executive sweeping powers over local government.
These Legislature-enacted provisions would weakenthe Milwaukee County board in matters ranging from the oversight of land salesand contracts, to the administration of child support enforcement, work centersand fish hatcheries.
The Milwaukee County executive-enhancing provisionsinclude:
- Cutting the MilwaukeeCounty board’s overall budget to 0.4% of the county property tax levy, aroughly 80% decrease that would go into effect Jan. 1, 2014. No similarbudget-saving changes would be made to the county executive’s staff. The boardwould also be prohibited from cutting the executive office’s budget or staff.
- Reducing a Milwaukee Countysupervisor’s four-year term to two years, while the county executive’s termwould remain at four years.
- Allowing the MilwaukeeCounty executive to convene a board meeting without offering a reason, a powernot granted even to the governor.
- Giving the Milwaukee Countyexecutive legislative powers by allowing him or her to introduce ordinances andresolutions.
- Prohibiting MilwaukeeCounty supervisors from reviewing contracts under $100,000, a weakening of thecurrent $50,000 standard. The board’s finance committee could vote on contractsbetween $100,000 and $300,000 but those contracts also could go into effect ifthat committee does not vote on them within 14 days after the county executivesigns them. The board could vote on contracts worth more than $300,000 or takeup contracts rejected by the finance committee.
- Requiring Milwaukee Countysupervisors to get permission from the Milwaukee County executive before contactinga department head.
- Giving the Milwaukee Countyexecutive the authority to oversee all county departments, potentiallyincluding traditionally independent or board-reporting departments such as thecorporation council, labor relations and the Community Business DevelopmentPartners.
- Granting the MilwaukeeCounty executive the sole authority to negotiate labor agreements. The boardcould give an up-or-down vote on the contracts.
- Allowing the MilwaukeeCounty executive to sell or lease county property and only permitting the boardto give an up-or-down vote on those contracts.
- Authorizing the MilwaukeeCounty executive to solely administer the child support enforcement program,work centers, relief programs, fish and game hatcheries and harbor facilities.
- Preventing the county fromputting any other referendum question on the ballot when the board-reductionreferendum is up for a vote on April 1, 2014.
Dimitrijevic: ‘A Recipe for Disaster’
Board Chair Dimitrijevic said she was surprised bythe breadth of the governance changes in the bill, saying she’s never heardmembers of the public or other county officers seek the majority of thesechanges.
She said she was concerned about the diminished rolefor the board and the public, since the county board is required to be moretransparent and open than the county executive’s office. She said that changeopened the door to potential abuse of power by the county executive.
“This is a recipe for disaster,” Dimitrijevic said.“When you take the board out, you might as well take out the public.”
The public hearing on AB 85 will be held at 10 a.m.on Wednesday, April 10, in Room 412 East of the state Capitol in Madison.
The bill has been referred to the Senate Committeeon Elections and Urban Affairs, chaired by state Sen. Mary Lazich (R-NewBerlin) but as of this writing it has not been scheduled for a public hearing.
Sanfelippo aide Hoisington said the lawmakerwelcomed the opportunity for a public hearing on AB 85 in any location.
Abele's office did not respond in time for thisissue's deadline.
