Last week, I was proud to present my 2023 State of the City. If you were unable to attend or watch it live, please click here to view the address in its entirety.
One of the primary themes I discussed was ”One Milwaukee.” My role, and the role of so many other leaders here at the City of Milwaukee, is to guide Milwaukee’s evolution in ways that benefit everyone who lives and works here. That’s part of what “One Milwaukee” means: building consensus, having goals, and moving our city forward. With that in mind, I cannot overstate the importance of the July 11th Common Council vote to allow the City of Milwaukee to enact a sales tax. I am well aware at there are some concerns with Wisconsin Act 12 (the legislation that allows the City of Milwaukee to create a sales tax) and I, too, am uneasy about the bill’s associated non-fiscal policies.
It’s important to remember that whether we establish a sales tax or not, those policies are now state law. The only issue before us is the ability to generate additional necessary revenue via a sales tax. Without this new revenue, we will have no options other than laying off hundreds of police officers and firefighters, which would devastate our ability to respond promptly to emergencies. Libraries all across the city would be closed and other City services would be greatly impacted by the loss of hundreds of general City of Milwaukee employees. We would spiral into a deeper and deeper fiscal crisis. I do not want that and I am confident you do not want that either. If we want to continue to build “One Milwaukee,” we need this additional revenue source.
I commend the members of the Common Council Steering and Rules Committee, who last week debated and ultimately voted to move the sales tax legislation forward for consideration before the entire Common Council. I want to thank Common Council President José Pérez for his leadership throughout this entire process and Alderwoman Marina Dimitrijevic, Alderman Robert Bauman, Alderman Mark Borkowski, Alderman Michael Murphy, and Alderman Scott Spiker for their vote in support of enacting a sales tax.
On July 11th, I hope that all members of the Common Council will vote to affirm this vital legislation. I will continue to work in partnership with our Common Council members to try and ease any concerns they may have in the meantime. To that end, I have attached a document to this email that illuminates the dire nature of the current fiscal situation while also providing a light at the end of the tunnel if the sales tax is enacted at the July 11th Common Council Meeting.
I encourage you to contact my office with any questions, comments, or concerns.
Sincerely
Cavalier Johnson
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