The Milwaukee County Board recently adopted a $1.4 billion budget for 2010, which includes a 2.18 percent increase of the tax levy to $263.3 million.
The budget will result in an increase of the Milwaukee County portion of the tax rate to $4.13 per $1,000 of the value of a property, up from the $3.95 tax rate this year. But despite the tax rate increase, declining property values are expected to result in lower property tax bills for city of Milwaukee residents, County Board spokesman Harold Mester said.
The County Board overturned 21 of the 34 vetoes by County Executive Scott Walker, who said the vetoes were necessary to avoid any increase to the tax levy.
Three of Walker’s vetoes that were upheld by the board will result in the privatization of the county’s housekeeping work. One of those vetoes also will result in the outsourcing of security services at the county’s city campus facility at 27th and Wells streets. Those vetoes will result in a $2.7 million savings for the county.
A Walker veto to privatize security services at the Milwaukee County Courthouse was overturned by the board.
‘The vetoes cut the tax levy by allowing the county to contract out for services (in areas like housekeeping) that will save the taxpayers millions,” Walker said. “These are things done by many companies and even by other governments.”
Some members of the County Board were critical of Walker’s desire to outsource county jobs and said privatization will result in lower wages and benefits for those workers.
“I am disappointed that a number of jobs are being outsourced to contractors likely to pay workers less and not provide health coverage,” said County Board Chairman Lee Holloway. “This will be extremely damaging and contribute to the already negative conditions facing low-income and minority neighborhoods in the city of Milwaukee. Let the record reflect that Scott Walker, motivated by his campaign for governor, is killing jobs and the quality of life in Milwaukee County.”
Other Walker vetoes that the board failed to override resulted in: a $635,000 savings by eliminating the Milwaukee County Transit System’s information call center, elimination of $200,000 in funding for a youth sports authority, elimination of $67,500 for an office of sustainability and a $3.1 million savings by increasing the number of furlough days for Milwaukee County workers.
Holloway said the veto cutting funding for the youth sports authority is a mistake.
“This will affect the lives of hundreds, if not thousands, of kids in our community,” he said. “This program keeps our children out of trouble for just $200,000 a year. This program pays for itself because it costs the county nearly $100,000 to send just two juveniles to state correctional facilities. The county will end up paying more in the long run because fewer of our youth will be involved in enriching competitive sports.”
Walker thanked supporters who called County Board members urging them not to override his vetoes.
“Your contact with members of the County Board made a big difference,” he said. “Your voices helped us reduce the tax levy increase proposed by a majority of the County Board.”
Walker also claimed victory by pointing out that Milwaukee County’s 2.18 percent tax levy increase is lower than the 2.8 percent tax levy increase passed by the Waukesha County Board and the 4.1 percent tax levy increase for the City of Milwaukee budget.
For the city budget, Mayor Tom Barrett issued only one veto, which increased the number of furlough days for Milwaukee Police Department employees. The Common Council budget called for 1 furlough day for all police department employees. Barrett’s veto increased that to two furlough days for police officers and 4 furlough days for civilian employees.
Barrett, a Democrat, and Walker, a Republican, are both running for governor, and Walker wants voters to see him as the better candidate to keep the state’s taxes down.
Former congressman Mark Neumann is also a Republican candidate for governor.
