Milwaukee County Executive Crowley: Signs $21.9 million in fiscal health challenge initiatives

MILWAUKEE, WI – In its newest Committee of the Complete session this month, the Milwaukee County Board unanimously accepted $21.9 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to be allotted in one-time investments that present long-term value financial savings for Milwaukee County. The investments are the outcomes of a Fiscal Well being Problem spearheaded by the Workplace of Technique, Price range, and Efficiency to seek out alternatives to generate cost-savings, income enhancements, and operational efficiencies. As well as, quite a few tasks deal with deferred infrastructure upkeep wants and supply power effectivity financial savings which assist advance Milwaukee County’s local weather motion targets.

“After we started the method of allocating ARPA funding we knew we needed to method the method in a way that enabled us to protect entry to vital providers for our neighborhood and create a strong basis for Milwaukee County to proceed being the financial engine of the state,” stated County Govt David Crowley. “I applaud the Workplace Technique, Price range and Efficiency, the ARPA Taskforce, and the complete County Board for his or her give attention to investing within the monetary well being and safety of Milwaukee County. County providers – from parks, to transit, to psychological well being – are relied upon by a whole lot of 1000’s of individuals every year. Our residents depend on us to have the ability to maintain the providers and applications that goal to maintain Milwaukee wholesome, working, and transferring. By signing this laws as we speak, we assist guarantee vital providers can proceed for our neighborhood.”

The Fiscal Well being Problem offered departments the chance to submit proposed tasks that make restricted, one-time investments in methods that can impression the structural deficit attributable to an ideal storm of stagnant state aids, state-imposed limitations on income era, and elevated demand and value for vital providers.

Tasks accepted by the County Board embody:

• $1.5M for King Neighborhood Heart Constructing Enhancements: Updates to Neighborhood Heart façade not up to date since 1976, changing a leaking roof, and changing home windows and doorways with safer, extra power environment friendly upgrades. This challenge supplies funding for deferred upkeep that must be addressed within the County’s capital plan, whereas additionally offering ongoing value financial savings by way of power effectivity upgrades and decreased wants for routine constructing repairs.
• $69,300 for Boat Launch Digital Pay Stations: Set up new fee kiosks at boat launch websites to supply the flexibility to gather cashless funds and printed receipts to be displayed on buyer dashboards which the Parks Division estimates will enhance boat launch income by 20% (or roughly $7,500 a 12 months). The brand new pay stations may even present employees time financial savings by way of automation and use of recent tools.
• $6.4M for Golf Course Irrigation/Cart Path Upgrades: Replaces irrigation programs at 4 golf programs and installs new cart paths at two County golf programs. The challenge will change out of date irrigation programs with trendy power environment friendly infrastructure that may even produce employees time financial savings.  The Parks Division tasks $107,000 in annual value financial savings and $200,000 of income yearly as results of the upgrades.
• $2.7M to Convert Parkways to Bike/Pedestrian Path: Converts two underutilized and difficult-to-maintain parkways to bike/pedestrian paths. Bike and pedestrian trails will scale back infrastructure upkeep wants sooner or later, whereas additionally encouraging wholesome and energetic life.
• $1.5M for Parks System-wide Boiler Replacements: Replaces outdated and unsafe steam boilers which stay in operation at 5 Parks buildings. Presently used steam boilers require bodily upkeep each 3 days to make sure protected operations. The brand new heating programs will scale back greenhouse fuel emissions, create operational efficiencies, and supply alternative for elevated income producing exercise as a result of constructing security enhancements.
• $3M for Parks Power Environment friendly Mild Upgrades: Replaces inefficient and getting older lighting that can in flip enhance the protection of park customers inside County parks and parkways, significantly at evening and early morning. Parks Division estimates 10-40 p.c financial savings in electrical energy prices.
• $696,534 for Milwaukee County Historic Society Document Administration Enhancements: Challenge is required to assist deliver Milwaukee County in compliance with state legislation requiring adjustments to digital document administration. The change can also be wanted assist a challenge to eliminate bodily information, which can considerably defray the present value of $300,000 per 12 months to retailer information off-site.
• $125,000 for Division of Transportation Constructing Photo voltaic System: Full a feasibility research of set up of photo voltaic panels on the roof of the Transportation Constructing.
• $550,000 for Mass Spectrometer in Medical Examiner’s Workplace: Permits the lab to lower turnaround time and frees up the lab to generate income by soliciting toxicology work from different jurisdictions.
• $1.9M for a brand new Level of Sale System on the County Zoo: Invests in a brand new level of sale system to realize value financial savings, present increase fee choices and enhance revenues, and proceed the Zoo’s Major Entrance Modernization program
• $1.8M to Create Milwaukee County Onsite Well being Clinics ($1.8m): Creates three onsite well being clinics for County staff to extend entry to care and scale back prices to the County.  By means of implantation of onsite clinics, the County might see a drastic discount in medical claims by way of decreased pressing care and emergency room visits, mixed with a rise in preventative care. Advantages to staff embody worker retention, elimination of the most typical limitations of accessing healthcare, together with however not restricted to; transportation, childcare, and the flexibility to take break day to go to the physician.
• $275,000 in Parks Constructing Occupancy Controls: Installs distant constructing controls and automatic programs which can present for extra environment friendly administration of Parks amenities. Parks Division estimates $50,000 a 12 months in value financial savings on power and staffing prices.
• $1.2M to Zoo Community Improve: Improves web capability and speeds on the County Zoo. The present community has stability points attributable to getting older and broken tools.
• $227,260 for Lead Ingesting Water Testing in County Services: Advance Milwaukee County’s evaluation of lead in water provide sources in County amenities. Projected to cut back threat, legal responsibility to the County, and enhance well being outcomes.