Sponsors of the legislative files scheduled to be heard during today’s Steering and Rules Committee meeting are seeking transparency and additional information on the future of key budget items and what impact the city’s finances could see from proposed state Assembly Bill 245 (AB 245) – a bill to direct additional shared revenue to the city (and other local governments) and that could allow a local referendum on raising the city sales tax by 2%.
The Steering and Rules Committee files (see attached agenda), sponsored by Ald. Russell W. Stamper, II and co-sponsored by Ald. Milele A. Coggs, Ald. Khalif J. Rainey, Ald. Mark Chambers, Jr., Ald. Lamont Westmoreland, Ald. Andrea M. Pratt, and Ald. Larresa Taylor, will be heard at 1:30 p.m. today when the committee meets in room 301-B at City Hall, 200 E. Wells St.
The files’ titles are:
- Communication from the Office of the Assessor relating to the City’s Payment-in-Lieu-of-Taxes program.
- Communication relating to the permitting fees charged by the Board of Zoning Appeals.
- Communication relating to the agreements between the City of Milwaukee and World Festival, Inc., and the Wisconsin Center District.
- Resolution directing all City departments to report methods of generating new revenue and requesting other City-related agencies to do the same.
- Communication from the Department of Administration – Budget and Management Division relating to the current rate of vacancy in funded positions city-wide and the value of those positions.
- Communication from the Department of Administration – Budget and Management Division relating to the City’s current budget shortfall and the sufficiency of a recently-proposed increase in shared revenue and a proposed sales tax to cover this shortfall.
The sponsors have stated they are looking to receive detailed answers on each file, with the goal of establishing a higher level of transparency as they explore various solutions to the city’s continued fiscal challenges.
“We want to have a clear understanding of all six items and we are asking that those city officials who have worked in those six unique areas present to us today so we can get those answers or something very close. As it pertains to item 6 on the agenda, we want to know how the proposed legislation and the stipulations being offered by the state Legislature have a cost effect on the city and its departments,” the members said.
Today’s committee meeting will be streamed live on the City Channel (channel 25 on Spectrum Cable and channel 99 on AT&T U-Verse in the City of Milwaukee) and via streaming video on the city website at www.city.milwaukee.gov/Channel25.