By: Rep. Thomas A. Michalski – Wisconsin State Assembly, District 13
This is an opinion column.

Recently, I attended a Wauwatosa Senior Forum. As the lone conservative-minded person at the table, I was profoundly struck by the progressive left’s response to two seemingly unrelated items.

In the first item, Wauwatosa School District Superintendent Dr. Means briefly discussed the School District’s two referendums: a $60M Capitol Budget referendum and a $64M Operating Budget referendum. The operating referendum would increase the School district’s operating budget by 64% over four years.

I wasn’t given the opportunity to talk about the two referendums. Still, after listening to Dr. Means, I couldn’t help but notice that the School District intentionally used most of its $40 million in reserves on operating budget items, such as increasing salaries by 30% over three years. This happened while losing control of their budget and overspending somewhere between $4 and 8 million. My initial thought was, why would anyone approve of giving an additional $124 million to an organization that clearly lacks proper monetary control? My second thought was that the referendum(s) vote would be on November 5th, while the actual amount of overspending would be known only after the audit is completed in December. It would be best to wait until you’ve received that audit, allowing you to make an informed decision. The school District can revisit the referendum during the spring elections.

The second item that caught my attention was a discussion about what to do with the State’s Budget surplus. I was surprised when Senator LaTonya Johnson immediately responded, “Spend it, spend it, spend it.” At the same time, my opponent had a long list of ongoing programs for which she wanted to spend the surplus money; increasing their budgets.

Here’s the situation: Whether you refer to it as “reserves” or “surplus,” it’s a limited amount of money. Once you spend it, it’s gone. If you spend the surplus on increasing the operating budget or expanding ongoing programs, you’ll find yourself in a position where you only have two options: Either reduce the programs or raise taxes. Reducing an established program is nearly impossible, and numerous studies have consistently shown that high taxes harm economic activity within a community, ultimately leading to a decline in overall prosperity. Both options are painful, and I do not want to lead the State of Wisconsin into the same dire financial situation as Wauwatosa Schools. We must consider the long-term implications of our fiscal decisions.

Yes, spend it. Because once the rainy-day fund is full, hoarding money does no one any good. But we must be strategic in how we spend your money. I suggest using a portion of the funds for capital projects to lower the government’s operating costs and investments in workforce development to grow the economy. Then, return the rest to the taxpayers by reducing the tax rate on the middle class. As your representative, I am always mindful that the money belongs to the people I represent. Strategic spending is the key to a prosperous future for Wisconsin.

Wauwatosa residents: Your vote matters. By voting “YES” on the School referendums, especially the operating budget referendum, before you’ve received and digested the audit, you essentially indicate that fiscal responsibility is unnecessary. Yes, your vote does matter; a vote for Tom Michalski is a vote to make the State Government more efficient, grow the economy, and put more money back into your hands by decreasing taxes. I’ve already voted three times to reduce your taxes; my opponent voted against these decreases. I have many years of experience balancing budgets at home and in local and County government. A vote for Tom Michalski is a vote for a commonsense fiscal approach over reckless spending.

Rep. Thomas A. Michalski
Wisconsin State Assembly, District 13