by Benjamin Yount
Taxes are going up in Milwaukee County.
As expected, county supervisors on Thursday approved a 0.4% sales tax increase.
“Today, the County Board of Supervisors shaped the future of Milwaukee County for years to come by avoiding a devastating fiscal cliff that posed to threaten irreparable harm to our community,” Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley said on Twitter. “After years of advocacy, Milwaukee County finally has the additional revenue needed to avert financial disaster.”
Milwaukee County currently has a .5% sales tax, the .4% increase will essentially double the county’s take.
Crowley (pictured above) estimates the sales tax increase will bring-in $82 million next year, or about $6.8 million per-month.
Crowley said the tax increase will avoid cuts to Milwaukee County’s budget.
“Think about our Department of Health and Human Services. Services for people with disabilities, services for seniors, services for our young people,” Crowley explained earlier this week. “We’re not only going to be able to maintain, but we’re going to be able to make investments. As well as our crown jewel, or parks, all around Milwaukee County. As well as our public transit. This is really about putting our community in the best place possible to make sure that we are delivering for all of our residents across the board.”
There was just token opposition to the county tax increase.
Just three of the county’s 18 supervisors voted against the tax hike.
“This sales tax is regressive, and likely to outlive us all, but I’ll continue to fight to ensure that the dollars freed up by it are our towards actual human needs,” Supervisor Ryan Clancy, one of the three to vote against the tax, said on Twitter.
Milwaukee County’s tax increase comes after the city of Milwaukee raised its sales tax earlier this month.
The city of Milwaukee will add a 2% sales tax in January. That tax will be worth nearly twice what the county’s sales tax is worth, or $16 million per-month.
Milwaukee’s mayor said the city’s new sales tax will also avoid draconian cuts. Milwaukee had said it would make serious cuts to its police and fire departments, as well as its libraries without new revenue.
Republican lawmakers in Wisconsin cleared the way for Milwaukee and Milwaukee County’s tax increases as part of this year’s shared revenue agreement.
The tax increases, however, come with some sp[ending restrictions. Republicans wanted to ensure that Milwaukee in particular could not use any of its new money on diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, or the city’s streetcar.
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Benjamin Yount is a contributor to The Center Square.
Photo “David Crowley” by David Crowley. Background Photo “Milwaukee County Courthouse” by James Steakley. CC BY-SA 3.0.
As a former Milwaukeean, let me be clear, the problem is not a lack of revenue for the government it is a lack a discipline in spending. This 4/10 percent increase will get gobbled up just like past “needed adjustments”. Then, the city will be back to where it is right now, broke and scrambling for more money. Public safety and student education should be primary. Adequately fund law enforcement. Adequately fund the court and court officers such as the DA. If the latter refuses to do the job then cut their budget period. Return public education to core values, STEM prioritization. CRT is out, DEI is out, BLM is out. Race preference contracts are out. What is the best deal for the Milwaukee taxpayers? Skin color has nothing to do with the best contract. Teachers who feel teaching those ideologies should be dismissed without cause. Realign salaries to the market, too many public positions are grossly overpaid. Put the clamp on public bargaining u nits, follow through on what Governor Walker started. Milwaukee, you cannot spend your way out of this problem. You have to be smarter, you have to be more efficient.