Wisconsin Republican ‘done negotiating’ in shared revenue plan

MADISON, Wis. — MADISON — The Wisconsin Assembly is on the floor debating a bill that could dramatically help Milwaukee’s financial budget problems.

Around 5 p.m. Wednesday, Republican Speaker Robin Vos said they struck a deal after tense negotiations that Rep. Bob Donovan said at times, wasn’t pretty.

The bill would increase shared revenue, money that the state gives back to the city, and for the first time allow the City of Milwaukee to raise the sales tax 2-percent, and Milwaukee County to raise their sales tax by 0.375-percent, so long that each of the sales tax increases are approved by voters . That money could be used to offset future pension obligations.

Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson warned lawmakers last week the city will not be able to fund outstanding pension liabilities by 2025 without help.

The proposed bill comes with strings attached, including requiring school resource officers with a new caveat that they have proper training at Milwaukee Public Schools, giving the police chief power to set policies instead of the Fire and Police Commission, and a requirement to not spend any revenue from the sales tax on The Hop street car.

While Milwaukee will get a 10% shared revenue bump, Speaker Vos shared an adjustment made for all other cities in the state, “You remember we guaranteed that every single community in the state of Wisconsin had at least a 10-percent shared revenue in perpetuity. The bill that we are voting on today has a guaranteed 15-percent increase for every single community in the state that was at request of Governor Evers, and one of the things through negotiations we were happy to accept.”

It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.

Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.

Report a typo or error // Submit a news tip