by Benjamin Yount
The people who lobby for local governments in Wisconsin are once again talking about more state money.
The League of Wisconsin Municipalities on Thursday said the wave of local tax referendum questions show the need for funding “reform.”
“Public safety is a top priority in Wisconsin, and our local communities cannot rely on temporary Band-Aids and referendums to fund critical local services any longer,” The League’s Jerry Deschane said in a statement.
Deschane said before the election that local governments across Wisconsin haven’t been able to keep up with the cost of core services.
He said on Election Day voters approved 17 of the 20 tax-hike questions earmarked for public safety.
“Municipalities are turning to the ballot for short-term relief due to long-term, flatlining state support for public safety services,” Deschane added.
The 20 tax increases on this month’s ballot came after voters saw 17 other referendum questions in the spring or August elections.
The League blames “years of stagnant state support to local government” for the need for communities to turn to referendum questions.
Deschane continues to push for funding “reform,” but he’s not saying exactly what the League wants.
“We remain committed to working with the legislative and executive branch to address the broken system of funding local governments and providing a sustainable solution,” Deschane added.
Much of the conversation about local government funding from the state centers around shared revenue. That’s the money sent from the State Capitol to local governments across the state. There is about $1 billion in state tax dollars that are shared with cities and counties across the state. The Legislative Fiscal Bureau said shared revenue dollars have been just below $1 billion since about 1993.
Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu said just about two weeks ago that local governments should use the referendum process to find new dollars. LeMahieu said local voters should be the ones to decide if their local governments deserve more money.
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Benjamin Yount is a contributor to The Center Square.
Photo “Wisconsin State Capitol” by Lectrician2. CC BY-SA 4.0.
