The “reform” of Milwaukee County Government: Massive power transfer to county executive

Attachments: Milwaukee County “reform” bill, Milwaukee County Board Reform Memo

We have received the text and attachments of the Milwaukee County government “reform” bill that is now circulating in the state legislature. Please read through these documents carefully.  The bill would have a binding referendum in April 2014. While most people would be happy to cut elected official’s pay and benefits, there are a lot of things that you would not vote on, but would take effect with bill’s signing.

What I would like to point out to you is the total transfer of power that this bill would perform. The County Board would be strippe of virtually all powers to interact with county departments, be they Transit, Parks, the Airport, Highways, Dept. of Aging, Human Resources, etc. Every request for contact would have to be approved through the county executive’s office. Every single one. So if you wanted a change to Humboldt Park, while right now you would call my office, under this, I’d have to grovel before Abele. If you have a problem with a bus stop, I couldn’t touch it. I’d have to grovel before Abele. You would lose your voice in the county government. It would all be run by the unaccountable executive.This is akin to the president of the United States getting a bill that would remove Congress’s oversight and checking of executive power. The president would have unchecked power to control the government. Think back to grade school, when we learned about the three branches of government, each helping check the other’s grasp on power. This would tip the County government way, way, way to the executive’s favor. Your would lose your way to be heard on these matters that directly affect you.

Collective bargaining is another thing that would be granted exclusively to the executive under this bill. While Act 10 has stripped most public employees of the right to collective bargaining, fire dept. and sheriff’s deputies still have bargaining rights. Currently, it’s done through the nine-member Finance Committee. Under this, it would all be at the behest of the county executive. If Act 10 was overturned, this would still be in effect, so all 4,000-some employees would be under his thumb.

You could lose your voice in county government through this bill. There would be no accountability for the executive, save for at election each four years. This is a transfer of power away from a body of 18 supervisors onto one executive. It’s a threat to the democratic principles that made this state great so long ago, but have since been thrown to the wolves.I ran for office to do something for the people who elected me. This bill would take that power away.

Jason Haas

Milwaukee County Supervisor, District 14

(Proudly representing the Airport, Bay View, Copernicus, Holler, Humboldt, KK River Parkway, Morgan, Saveland, Tippecanoe, and Wilson Park neighborhoods.)

October 23, 2012 County Budget Blast

Here’s what happened at today’s 2013 budget amendment hearing:

For Immediate Release October 23, 2012
Contact:  Velia Alvarez, Public Information Manager
414/278-4230 or velia.alvarez@milwcnty.com

COUNTY BOARD 2013 BUDGET BLAST: OCTOBER 23, 2012

Milwaukee – The Milwaukee County Board’s Finance & Audit Committee is holding a series of budget hearings throughout October on the County Executive’s 2013 Recommended Budget.  On Tuesday, October 23, Wednesday, October 24 and Thursday, October 25, 2012, the Committee will consider budgets amendments of specific functional areas of the Recommended Budget.

Today, the Committee approved the following: 

Health and Human Services

 · Amendment approved 5-4 (No: Schmitt, Romo West, Jursik, Alexander) to restore $397,569 on the tax levy to fund staff positions of Behavioral Health Division’s Community Support Program (CSP) Downtown. The amendment eliminates outsourcing of the CSP Downtown services by a community provider.
· Amendment approved 9-0 to realign County employee staffing at front desk and mailrooms at the BHD complex. The amendment seeks to maintain safety within the BHD facility in a cost-effective manner.

Parks, Recreation and Culture

· Amendment approved 9-0 to create one, unpaid position of Crowdfunding Coordinator Intern to be in charge of fundraising via online campaigns, as well as other local campaigns, to develop Parks improvements.
· Amendment approved 7-2 (No: Haas, Romo West) to prevent Milwaukee County land sales from funding the purchase of new public art. The amendment maintains that land sales funds may only be used to repair or refurbish existing public art owned by Milwaukee County.
· Amendment approved 9-0 to direct the Department of Parks, Recreation and Culture to prepare a request for proposals (RFP) to solicit interest in operating beer garden concessions at various Park locations. Any and all revenues generated from the beer gardens would be placed in the newly created Parks Amenities Matching Fund to fund Parks deferred maintenance.
· Amendment approved 7-2 (No: Schmitt, Romo West) to provide free admission at the Washington Park Pool for 2013. The amendment also calls for swim lessons and other programming for children and adults at Washington Park Pool.

Capital Improvements 

· Amendment approved 9-0 to create a new Capital Improvements Committee, comprised of the Director of the Department of Transportation, the Fiscal and Budget Administrator, the Comptroller, the chair of the Committee on Transportation, Public Works & Transit, the Co-Chairs of the Committee on Finance, Personnel and Audit and two appointments of the County Executive, who shall be mayors or village presidents of municipalities within Milwaukee County. The Chair of the County Board shall appoint the chair of the Capital Improvements Committee. The amendment also states that the Capital Improvements Committee will develop a five-year capital improvements plan.
· Amendment approved 9-0 to replace the terminal escalators at General Mitchell International Airport during four years. Four of the five sets of escalators in the terminal mall are original to the construction of the terminal in 1982 and are in need of replacement.
· Amendment approved 9-0 to direct the Department of Parks, Recreation and Culture to work with local disc golf associations within Milwaukee County to explore the feasibility of installing disc golf courses at Holler Park, Copernicus Park and Humboldt Park.

Transportation and Public Works

· Amendment approved 9-0 to create a Facilities Assessment Team that will provide inspection services to all County-owned facilities and will return to the Committee on Transportation, Public Works and Transit in April 2013 with a report on the progress of strategically downsizing County holdings or a thorough report on alternate recommendations from the Assessment Team, based on their studies.

Click here to access the 2013 budget meeting schedule
Click here to watch live video from the meetings (available while meetings are in progress)
Click here to access the Budget Overview presented by County Board Staff 

The County Board of Supervisors, under the leadership of Chairwoman Marina Dimitrijevic, is set to adopt the 2013 Budget on Monday, November 5 at 8:30 a.m. in Room 200 of the Milwaukee County Courthouse.
The County Board’s Annual Public Hearing on the 2013 Budget is scheduled for Monday, October 29, 2012 at the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts, located at 929 N. Water Street in Milwaukee. The hearing begins at 6:30 p.m.; doors open at 6 p.m. 
Free parking, including handicapped accessible stalls, will be available in the Marcus Center structure.

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And there you have it.

We also laid over my amendment which would lower cash fares on the bus and give a $100,000 tax levy reduction. But that’ll be back on Thursday.

Who’d a’ thunk it: Hypervelocity stars, and weather on Pluto

A star moving so fast, due to who-knows-what interaction, that it has escaped the galaxy.  Daaaang!

Link.

Also, there are apparently very, very fast winds on Pluto, but that little body has so little mass, it would feel like nothing on our faces. (Assuming, of course, that we could withstand the deep-space freeze out there.)  It’s apparently got seasons, long ones to boot, and a changing geography as a result. Go figure! Hopefully we’ll be
around for the probe flyby in three years.

 

All for now.

I’m busy… on my other blog.

This one is pretty much kaput for now, but I’m going to be doing a bit more with my other blog, The Fighting 14th! 

New posts today: A new day for the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors; and Thursday April 19: Six meetings, all in a row. 

You may also want to see my crude-yet-posted Tweets from the April 16 County Board Meeting. 

Passing all the laws in the world won’t save some children

These stories being adjacent to each other makes it no more or less painful that some children have horrible lives, and sometimes, even worse, more horrible deaths.

Verona mother arrested in death of infant son

Walker signs bills he says will help protect children

It’s too bad the second item would have done nothing to prevent the first. These stories really break my heart. I think that most any parent imagines these horrible things happening to their children when they read the article. It was really hard when I had my then-very young daughter, though it is still crushing to read of someone doing this by choice to a child of any age. And now that I have a young son, it’s a direct reminder of how fragile he is. I just can’t imagine why on earth anyone would do this. That’s the one time I think the death penalty is appropriate, although that would free them of having to live with the knowledge of what they did.

Tea Party Meet With Occupy in Memphis, TN

This is telling: there are tea party groups almost everywhere in the United States, just ast here are Occupy movements almost everywhere in the United States. And to an even greater extent, Occupy has travelled and taken root around the globe.

This builds on an earlier post of mine, in which I observed the speculation about the two groups coming together. What would happen if they did? Back in the United States, down in Memphis, Tennessee, that has happened. A local tea party people asked to meet with the local Occupy people. A “balanced” yet simultaneously cloudy view of the meeting came through this Associated Press article that was posted on Huffington Post. (In turn, I found it through Talking Points Memo.) The article sets it up as young Occupy vs. older tea party, and ostensibly non-professional college students vs. professional  or retired people.  And while it builds to think there was a mutual respect found between the two groups, it ends on a sour note from a tea partier.

We passed the budget, and I’m home before 9:00.

Wow. What’s up with that? I assure you it won’t be this easy next year. Oh well. We did it. I passed my first Milwaukee County Budget (2012). Amazingly, it was finished before 5:30PM.

I’m not even going to comment on it expect to post this:

MILWAUKEE COUNTY BOARD ADOPTS 2012 COUNTY BUDGET

Board works to craft a responsible 2012 County Budget

Milwaukee, WI - The Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors adopted a 2012 County Budget at its Annual Meeting Monday evening. Board Chairman Lee Holloway released the following statement after the final budget was adopted:

“Even though we have a new County Executive, this budget reminded me of what we were handed in previous years. Because of the tax levy freeze, Supervisors were forced to do all the heavy lifting. In the end, we took a balanced approach in doing what’s best for Milwaukee County and its taxpayers.

“This budget is my last one as Chairman of the Board. I thank all Supervisors who put so much effort into this budget. In particular, I recognize the tireless efforts of Supervisor Johnny L. Thomas. He and his colleagues on the Finance & Audit Committee have done an admirable job under difficult circumstances.”

Total expenditures for 2012 are $1,301,923,862, a decrease of $726,269,759 from 2011. Under the adopted budget, the 2012 tax levy is $275,805,499, an increase of 2.3% over the 2011 levy of $269,554,701. Under this scenario, the owner of an average City of Milwaukee home would see the County portion of their property tax bill rise by approximately $3.

Rundown of 2012 Budget Amendments approved without objection:

(Click here for the full log of amendments voted upon)

17-2 (No: Cesarz, Rice) to deny the proposed consolidation of Labor Relations, the Personnel Review Board and the Ethics Board within the Department of Human Resources. (decreases tax levy by $29,690)

12-7 (No: Cesarz, De Bruin, Harris, Lipscomb, Rice, Sanfelippo, Thomas) to deny the transfer of the Courts’ Human Resources Manager from that department to the Department of Human Resources. 17-2 (No: Cesarz, Schmitt) to develop and implement a countywide policy that any contract greater than $1 million presented to the County Board shall be accompanied by a chart that lists the specific factors why that firm was selected compared to any other firm that competed for the business. 0-18-1 (Abstain: Thomas) (item fails) to create a separate and stand-alone Department of Comptroller and Finance, and retitle the positions of Controller and Deputy Controller to Comptroller and Deputy Comptroller. The position of Comptroller shall be appointed by the County Executive and confirmed by the County Board, and shall be removable from office for cause with the concurrence of both the County Executive and a majority vote of the County Board, or by a two-thirds vote of the County Board. A number of other positions are transferred from DAS-Administration and Fiscal Affairs Division to the Department of Comptroller and Finance. The comptroller shall be a position in the classified service and shall have an employment contract duration of five years, commencing January 1, 2012 and which shall be renewable for additional five year terms upon approval from by the County Board and concurrence of the County Executive. (no tax levy impact)

15-4 (No: Cesarz, Rice, Sanfelippo, Schmitt) to decrease Register of Deeds revenues by $100,000 in order to implement a free birth certificate program for up to 5,000 individuals requiring the vital record in order to obtain identification to vote. (no tax levy impact) 17-2 (No: Borkowski, Cesarz) to restore 25 Deputy Sheriff 1 and 2 Deputy Sheriff Sergeant positions for the Tactical Enforcement Unit. (increases tax levy by $1,551,991)

15-4 (No: Borkowski, Cesarz, Rice, Sanfelippo) to delay the outsourcing for inmate medical and mental health services and begin planning for a mid-year transfer of this function to the Department of Health and Human Services. Contracting for inmate medical services is denied and funding is restored for all positions in the inmate medical unit. (increases tax levy by $1,320,531)

13-6 (Borkowski, Cesarz, Rice, Sanfelippo, Schmitt, Thomas) to deny the abolishment of 15 Park Maintenance Worker In Charge positions and create 15 Parks/Highway Maintenance Workers. (increases tax levy by $459,090) 14-4-1 (No: Borkowski, Cesarz, Rice, Schmitt; Abstain: Sanfelippo) to increase Paratransit fares by $0.75, rather than the $1.25 recommended by the County Executive. (increases tax levy by $458,000)

19-0 (No: Sanfelippo) to approve a substituted amendment that G4S Wackenhut will continue to provide transit security services for the Milwaukee County Transit System. (no tax levy impact) 13-6 (No: Borkowski, Cesarz, Jursik, Rice, Sanfelippo, Schmitt) to employ County security employees at secure designated security facilities, with the cost partially offset with the elimination of the current security contract. (increases tax levy by $418,183)

16-3 (No: Cesarz, Rice, Sanfelippo) to work with the Department of Audit to develop a method of collecting data on racial and gender breakdowns of all contractor employees working on Milwaukee County construction or maintenance projects. (no tax levy impact) 15-4 (No: Biddle, Haas, Harris, Weishan) to eliminate the contribution to the debt service reserve, conduct a countywide comprehensive facilities plan, and increase the Appropriation for Contingencies. (no tax levy impact)

15-4 (No: Borkowski, Johnson, Sanfelippo, Schmitt) to restore half of the $3 million Emergency Medical Services (EMS) subsidy to municipalities, disperse using a new distribution formula, and encourage municipalities to achieve functional consolidation. (increases tax levy by $1,500,000) 14-5 (No: Borkowski, Cesarz, Rice, Sanfelippo, Schmitt) to provide the Parks Department with $50,000 for parks cultural events programming which had previously been budgeted in the CAMPAC budget (increases tax levy by $50,000)

17-2 (No: Cesarz, Sanfelippo) to form a Workgroup to enter into discussions with the Hunger Task Force on the specifics of a lease arrangement that is beneficial to both parties. The proposed lease shall address all components of operating the farm and fish hatchery including, but not limited to, staffing, land utilization, commodity distribution and building maintenance and repair. (no tax levy impact)

14-5 (No: Borkowski, Cesarz, Rice, Sanfelippo, Thomas) to increase parks seasonal staff hours from 366,683 to 411,446 for an expenditure increase of $500,000. (increases tax levy by $500,000) 12-7 (No: Biddle, Cesarz, Lipscomb, Rice, Sanfelippo, Thomas, Weishan) to adopt policy that the tax levy for the Department of Parks for the next four years, 2013 thru 2016, shall not be less than the tax levy budgeted for this department in the 2012 adopted budget. (no tax levy impact)

16-3 (No: Cesarz, Rice, Sanfelippo) to decrease the proposed monthly employee premium for the family plan to $170 from $250, decrease the proposed office visit co-pay to $30 from $30, and decrease the annual out-of-pocket limit for preferred providers to $2,500 single/$5,000 family, from $3,000/$6,000 respectively, offset by a significant number of extra vacancies will occur at the end of 2011 and the beginning of 2012 due to benefit modifications (i.e. no more eligibility for Medicare

Part B reimbursement) that were approved earlier in 2011. To remain eligible for this benefit, employees must retire prior to January 1, 2012. (decreases tax levy by $388,761) 16-3 (No: Sanfelippo, Schmitt, Thomas) to restore the County’s 2012 tax levy contribution of $66,650 to the Milwaukee County Federated Library System. (increases tax levy by $9,998)

18-1 (No: Sanfelippo) to restore 85 percent of the CAMPAC (Cultural Artistic and Musical Programming Advisory Council) funds cut for 2012. (increases tax levy by $321,035)

Amendments to capital budget approved:

14-5 (No: Cesarz, Jursik, Rice, Sanfelippo, Schmitt) to develop “Ready to Work” career training and sustainable jobs within Milwaukee County in partnership with WTRP/BIG STEP, funded by $1,000,000 from future land sale revenues (2012 and beyond) for this initiative. For 2012, the first $400,000 of any land sale revenue is earmarked for the Real Estate Services Section in the Department of Economic Development. (no tax levy impact)

17-2 (No: Sanfelippo, Schmitt) to institute phase 2 of the legislative workflow and agenda management project, including streaming live audio/video of County Board and Committee meetings, offset by reduced reimbursement from the Employee Retirement System for Administrative Costs. (decreases tax levy by $57,200)

All other amendments in the blue packet were approved unanimously.

Budget Amendments approved after failing in Finance & Audit Committee (yellow packet):

13-6 (No: Borkowski, Broderick, Cesarz, Haas, Rice, Sanfelippo) to delete one position of IT Director – Business Development (decreases tax levy by $136,540) 17-2 (No: Cesarz, Mayo) to deny the abolishment of three Deputy Sheriff Lieutenant positions and leaving these positions unfunded. (no tax levy impact) 13-6 (No: Cesarz, De Bruin, Rice, Sanfelippo, Schmitt, Thomas) to undo the reverse the departmental transfers/realignment/reorganizations proposed for the Department of Transportation & Public Works, Facilities Management, Fleet Management, Transit/Paratransit, Highway Maintenance, Transportation Services. (no tax levy impact) 12-7 (No: Biddle, De Bruin, Harris, Mayo, Romo West, Thomas, Holloway) to remove budget language relating to proposed transit service reductions/eliminations should the County not receive federal CMAQ funding for transit. (no tax levy impact)

15-4 (No: Borkowski, Cesarz, Rice, Schmitt) to reduce detox funding by $100,000 rather than the $300,000 proposed by the County Executive. (increases tax levy by $200,000) 15-4 (No: Broderick, Jursik, Schmitt, Thomas) to establish a trust account to receive future years revenue from the broadcasting towers leased to the Hearst Corporation and Weigel Broadcasting, to be used for future maintenance of the Estabrook Dam, for improvements to recreational access of the upstream areas of the river, and uses approved by the County Board. (no tax levy impact)

11-8 (No: Borkowski, Cesarz, De Bruin, Jursik, Mayo, Rice, Sanfelippo, Schmitt) to issue a Request for Proposals for a wellness program that includes a health risk assessment with biometric screening, health coaching and quarterly follow-up contacts by health professionals. (increases tax levy by $370,913)

10-9 (No: Borkowski, Cesarz, De Bruin, Jursik, Lipscomb, Mayo, Rice, Schmitt, Holloway) to appropriate $2,000,000 to repair portions of the HVAC systems at the Martin Luther King Jr. and Kosciuszko Community Centers, with financing provided via general obligation bonding. (no tax levy impact)

All other Budget Amendments approved by the Finance & Audit Committee were approved with no objection. Click here for the complete list of amendments.

Separate from the Budget file, the Board also voted:

19-0 to approve Amendment No. 2, which accounts for personnel actions through November 3, 2011 not reflected in the County Executive’s Recommended Budget. 14-5 (No: Borkowski, De Bruin, Jursik, Mayo, Weishan) to approve ordinance related to County sales tax revenue

18-1 (No: Mayo) to approve ordinance related to the Office of the Sheriff – Parking regulations 11-8 (No: Borkowski, Broderick, De Bruin, Haas, Johnson, Mayo, Romo, Weishan) to approve ordinance related to admission charges/parking fees at the Zoo 16-3 (No: Broderick, Mayo, Thomas) to abolish ordinance relating to reimbursing non-represented County attorneys for continuing legal education and membership dues in the Wisconsin Bar Association

19-0 to approve the $822,915 special levy for Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission.

12-7 to approve a 2012 Property Tax Levy of $275,805,499, a difference of $6,250,798 or 2.3% from 2011. 10-9 to approve the 2012 County Budget, as amended.

Supervisors who voted in favor of adopting the 2012 County Tax Levy (12-7):

Supervisors Eyon Biddle, Sr., Gerry Broderick, Marina Dimitrijevic, Lynne De Bruin, Jason Haas, Nikiya Q. Harris, Willie Johnson, Jr., Theodore Lipscomb, Peggy Romo West, Johnny L. Thomas, John F. Weishan, Jr., Chairman Lee Holloway

Supervisors who voted against:

Supervisors Mark Borkowski, Paul Cesarz, Patricia Jursik, Michael Mayo, Sr., Joseph Rice, Joe Sanfelippo, Jim “Luigi” Schmitt

Supervisors who voted in favor of adopting the 2012 County Budget (13-6):

Supervisors Eyon Biddle, Sr., Gerry Broderick, Lynne De Bruin, Marina Dimitrijevic, Jason Haas, Nikiya Q. Harris, Willie Johnson, Jr., Theodore Lipscomb, Michael Mayo, Sr., Peggy Romo West, Johnny L. Thomas, John F. Weishan, Jr., Chairman Lee Holloway

Supervisors who voted against:

Supervisors Mark Borkowski, Paul Cesarz, Patricia Jursik, Joseph Rice, Joe Sanfelippo, Jim “Luigi” Schmitt

The County Board will consider any vetoes from the County Executive, as it relates to the 2012 Budget, Wednesday, November 16th at 1:30 p.m. in Room 200 of the Milwaukee County Courthouse.

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