There is no reason why the electronic sign of “do not turn on red” is on from 3pm-7pm on Saturdays and Sundays on the Howard off ramp on I-94 North/West bound ramp.  The traffic on the weekends does not warrant it.

Also on the same off ramp, there is a tree/bush that is inside the fenced in area which blocks your vision looking left/west.  With this tree/bush removed you can see the traffic better and would not have to creep forward almost into the Howard traffic. This is very dangerous.

My response to comments to County Supervisor Patricia Jursik’s response to my post was too long and too important to leave as a comment, so I have made it a new post.  And yes it is another long post, but I think it is very worthwhile. To catch people up I have included Patricia Jursik’s comment to my original post, “The People Have Spoken!”.  Since the comments came in after I posted a new article and people may not have gone back to read comments on older posts it could have been missed. 

Jay Weber’s Pod Cast on this

I am sorry for the mixing of persons and the shift between talking directly to her and the readers.

“Patricia Jursik   

Randy: Thanks for following this story.  The quote you attribute to me is one that is taken out of context.  My full quote stated that there must be enabling legislation in order for this matter to come back to the county board.  I am committed to property tax relief and would only support any further referendum if it provides this relief.  I obtained the final numbers and your are incorrect; My number indicated that Cudahy voted Yes, 2940; No, 3240. I'd also like to point out that you failed to give some important data.  While about 300 more Cudahy voters voted "NO" than yes, over 3,000 Cudahy residents that voted did NOT answer the referendum question at all.  Finally, a Regional Transit Authority (one that includes Kenosha, Racine and Milwaukee, RTA) may totally co-opt the county board on this issue as they voted to include a .5% sales tax for transit.  Hopefully they will also include the property tax relief by removing transit from our tax bills.  It looks like the Gov. will be including the RTA proposal in his next budget bill.  The Milwaukee referendum, if it ever sees the light of day, will likely change before I ever get the chance to tell my constituents whether I am supporting it or not.  Patricia Jursik”

County Supervisor Patricia Jursik, thank you for responding.  You are our elected official, one who must voice the concerns of your constituents!  I am sorry I didn’t respond to you at the same time as you replied, but I was looking for information on the subject.  I wanted to be as correct, consistent, accurate, honest and through as possible. 

The facts and figures that I used, are what was posted by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel the day after the election and I looked on MJS online for a retraction/correction and didn’t see one.  I also looked on the Milwaukee County Election Commission website and they do not list any numbers nor do I see any results on the City of Cudahy’s website. 

I also included you in an email asking the Cudahy Clerk as to where the numbers can be obtained.  When I was emailed the results, they were the same as the ones I posted.  Spot on! The numbers you obtained were not the final numbers as you stated they were.  They in fact are false!

Update – Cudahy results have been added on the city website at

http://www.ci.cudahy.wi.us/CityDepartments/Clerk/2008PresElecResults.pdf

I included Patricia Jursik in my CC’d email list while requesting the results from the Cudahy City Clerk.

While waiting for the results, I received an email from County Supervisor Patricia Jursik included here from my request for results:

“You might ask the city clerk;  I got my numbers from the county election commission; I had to go to the office and physically obtain some.  I look forward to your factual reporting.  Pat Jursik”

Odd that if Mrs. Jursik would have looked in the address to whom it was sent to, she would have seen that I did ask the Cudahy City Clerk.  Must have been an oversight on her part.

If we look at your (Yes, 2940; No, 3240) numbers they are wrong and I will be waiting for your apology.  It is scary that you do not have a grasp on the facts.  This oversight on your part puts into question other things.”

***I delayed posting this until Mrs. Jursik’s response to my last email arrived.  It did not come, so I posted this without a response from her on that the numbers she held in high regard which in fact were false!***

You can also notice that each breakdown (not sure if they are polling places since there is more than the five districts but that is my guess) voted “NO” as the majority and at each place.  Cudahy does NOT want the sales tax increase PERIOD! 

If the county election commission where Mrs. Jursik received her numbers from is wrong, “why” should be the question we all should be asking!  Are they trying to twist the truth when convenient, mislead on purpose to push an agenda?  Are they trying to water down the results or is it just incompetence on behalf of the county election commission?  Laziness or was the problem from Cudahy’s end?  Either way it doesn’t inspire confidence all around in country government now does it?

While the numbers differ that Mrs. Jursik provided, the result doesn’t.  I understand that you can wonder how those people that didn’t vote on the subject might have voted and one could say the same thing about those that did not vote in the first place and stayed home.  This is called speculation and is not factual.

In all, 74.9 percent, or 9,592, of Cudahy's 12,805 registered voters cast a ballot Nov. 4.  http://www.cudahynow.com/watch/?watch=28&date=11/4/2008&id=48263

I also would like to point out that while she may have felt that I failed to point out “how many didn’t vote on that subject” (which she most likely would have questioned the number on) didn’t vote on it, I also didn’t claim otherwise.  NO disclaimer was made either in the MJS article!  I do not possess ESP nor would like to assume something that is not a fact when it comes to the reason people skipped the question.

It is obvious that she is not happy with the results, but they are what they are!  If they fell her way, it would be easy to vote “yes.”  But they didn’t, the vote was “NO” from the Cudahy people.  She is in a hard place, does she vote against her districts people’s wishes of “NO” and go along with the county or does she vote “NO” as the people have stated? 

A smart person listens to advice.  A wise person takes the advice.

At some point, one must end speculations and deal with the facts we know.  One must surrender to the facts.  Fact (we will use her wrong, invalided, misguided, numbers) Yes, 2940; No, 3240 

Net result is “NO!”  That is what the people that voted said.  That is what the people she represents want her to say on their behalf.  This is why we were asked the question in the first place!

I also listed the source to which her quote came from and a link to it as well.  If I implied something that she felt I took out of context, I am sorry and that was not the intent, but I included all of what she said in the MJS article in that paragraph.  If the MJS misquoted she can ask for a retraction from that party.

While the people still have spoken and even if by one vote, the outcome was “NO” that is the wish and will of the people.  THAT also has not changed!  “NO” was the word Cudahy people spoke with their votes!  It could not be any clearer!

We cannot forget that South Milwaukee, St. Francis and Oak Creek all said “NO” and those are County Supervisor Patricia Jursik’s districts (In Oak Creek just two districts).  The voices of her area DO NOT WANT THE SALES TAX INCREASE!

History teaches us that the sales tax switch-a-roo/scam failed to produce the result the claim of property tax savings in the past.  Didn’t the .5% tax increase that County Executive Dave Schulz in 1991 gave us with the promise that it would bring property tax decrease not help?  Yes, and in the end it didn’t deliver on the property tax savings!  Not one dime!

http://www.jsonline.com/news/milwaukee/29291089.html 

“First, history shows that when the County Board enacted a 0.5 percent sales tax in 1991, the resolution stated that it was for “property tax relief,” but the property tax levy went up 55 percent from 1992 to 2002.”

http://milwaukee.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/stories/2008/10/27/editorial4.html

The more tax money you give the government the more they spend.

I am a suburban voter who is seeing the bigger picture that raising taxes is not and never is the answer!  The taxpayers don’t bleed green, they bleed red.  We have reached the tipping point and the people pushed back with a loud “NO”!  I am taxpayer hear me roar “NO”!

Taxes are the seed of greed and have been unwisely used.  The taxpayers are not the answer everytime someone thinks we need more money.  How about being fiscaly responsible with what we have already given!

The Milwaukee County sales tax advisory referendum asking for a tripling of the county sales tax to 1.5%.  We cannot ignore the fact that sales taxes are no longer credited against federal income taxes.  The same holds true for all those creative fees, which have been inflicted on us like garbage and such!

“The advisory referendum is being pushed by well-intentioned county leaders concerned with funding for transit, parks and emergency services.

Unfortunately, those good intentions cannot eliminate the harsh reality that, while this referendum can promise a $130 million tax hike that makes Milwaukee County a high sales tax island, it cannot promise much else.

No County Board can bind the hands of a future board with regard to how tax revenues are used.  As such, there is nothing standing in the way of this new sales tax money simply becoming a county spending slush fund.” 

http://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/stories/2008/10/06/editorial5.html?ana=from_rss

Therefore, no matter what the promises are, without them spelled out, it will not happen.  While I am happy to hear Mrs. Jursik state, “I am committed to property tax relief and would only support any further referendum if it provides this relief” how can we the taxpayers be assured of that? 

Also, she said “any further referendum”, does that mean this one or a different one?  Are they going to try another one to get a more favorable result for them?

The language in the referendum was broad and vague at best.  That might have been done as part of the design (now I am speculating).  While I do not dispute that the sales tax money would start out for the parks, what guaranty do we have that it would not be raided at a local level like the Governor has done with state transportation funds?  The RTA already wants to raid it before it is even passed.  See how easy it would be of the money to be funneled elsewhere!

Why is the solution always spend, spend, spend?

We have all learned, if we'll admit it to ourselves, that lower tax rates increase revenue collections since they stimulate the economy.  Let us keep more of what we earn, and we'll find ways to earn even more than we were before, and tax collections increase.

There can be no new taxes and there must be spending reductions instead.

By the way, the idea of reducing expenditures when income lags is something that just about everyone of us has had to do at one time or another.

I feel that her response is typical political double-speak.  Classic politics of politicians.

Will she vocally oppose the Dem Governor and the RTA tax? 

Is it OKAY to raise a sales tax at DOUBLE, TRIPLE the amount of the promised property tax relief?  Again, the answer is “NO” much like what the voters in Cudahy said!

If it passes - We will be watching the next property tax levy and see if Mrs. Jursik makes the “damn you people are stupid” remark that “we reduced taxes” when the levy is still raised to just slightly below where is was BEFORE the sales tax was increased.  Slight of hand!  The devil is always in the details.

The (Tax) "Rate" means nothing, the (Tax) “Levy" means everything.

It is not the percent or rates that matters but the levy!  The levy is everything!  We will not fall for the common trick because people are becoming empowered and informed!

As far as the RTA and the Governor, my article was not that.  I could have speculated that the Governor will raise the state sales tax itself to make up for the budget shortfall, but again my article was not that.

On the changes that may be made to the use of the sales tax money, for if there are changes to it, those changes would no longer be valid or in line to which the referendum stated that the people voted on.

My article was on that there is nothing in the referendum that promises or guarantees that the sales tax increase will go to lowering property taxes and the results of the vote.

By her reply that “The Milwaukee referendum, if it ever sees the light of day, will likely change before I ever get the chance to tell my constituents whether I am supporting it or not” speaks volumes that she will not follow the will of the people.  If her intent was to follow the people's will, she would not be on the fence weather or not she is supporting it, because she would know that she is NOT!

In the end, it would be her duty to follow the will of the people as it stands.  To say “NO” to the sales tax increase!  To stand up to her fellow Milwaukee County pals and say “My constituents do not want this!”

On a side note, County Supervisor Patricia Jursik, when people want to clean, paint and volunteer to keep up with the Milwaukee County Parks in Cudahy they are told they cannot because those are county union jobs and only the county union workers can do them.  We have plenty of people wanting to make the parks better, but because of bureaucracy the people who can and want to help are pushed away.  Even members of the Patrick Cudahy Park Friends, who have the resources and donations, are told no.  But their sales tax money would be just fine!

I am not trying to be mean or harsh, but ‘WE” the people need to stand up and make sure the people that represent us in government follow the will of the people.  Some times that means ruffling feathers or heavy-handed talk to get them to listen!

Silence is complicity.  Only by standing up for what's right and never letting down can we say we are doing our part.

If we don’t make phone calls or emails voicing our opinions, then, to them, this means everything is OKAY and going smoothly.  I have said this before “Character is doing the right thing when nobody is watching”!

I will end this with a few Ronald Reagan quotes that are true and apply.

Don't be afraid to see what you see.

Entrepreneurs and their small enterprises are responsible for almost all the economic growth in the United States.

Facts are stubborn things.

Government does not solve problems; it subsidizes them.

Government is like a baby.  An alimentary canal with a big appetite at one end and no sense of responsibility at the other.

Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it.  If it keeps moving, regulate it.  And if it stops moving, subsidize it.

Governments tend not to solve problems, only to rearrange them.

It has been said that politics is the second oldest profession.  I have learned that it bears a striking resemblance to the first.

Man is not free unless government is limited.

No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size.  Government programs, once launched, never disappear.  Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth!

Republicans believe every day is the Fourth of July, but the democrats believe every day is April 15.

Status quo, you know, is Latin for 'the mess we're in'.

The most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government and I'm here to help.

The problem is not that people are taxed too little, the problem is that government spends too much.

The taxpayer - that's someone who works for the federal government but doesn't have to take the civil service examination.

There are no easy answers' but there are simple answers.  We must have the courage to do what we know is morally right.

We might come closer to balancing the Budget if all of us lived closer to the Commandments and the Golden Rule.

When you can't make them see the light, make them feel the heat.

Government always finds a need for whatever money it gets.

Milwaukee County Sales Tax Advisory Referendum Passes Yes 51% No 49%

Milwaukee County Sales Tax Referendum By The Numbers

Source Milwaukee County Election Commission municipal clerks

Votes Cast

Municipality              Result                  YES                 NO

Bayside                    NO                     1123                1294

Brown Deer             NO                     2866                3395

Cudahy                    NO                     3881                4489

Fox Point                 NO                     1881                2031

Franklin                   NO                     6534                10560

Glendale                YES                    3884                3711

Greendale               NO                      3066                4975

Greenfield               NO                      7332                10342

Hales Corners         NO                      1599                2528

Milwaukee              YES                     107550            79692

Oak Creek              NO                      6313                9169

River Hills                NO                      431                  596

St. Francis               NO                      2082                2469

Shorewood             YES                     3949                3361

South Milwaukee     NO                      4596                5448

Wauwatosa              NO                     11991              14304

West Allis                 NO                    11924              15195

West Milwaukee   YES                    759                  721

Whitefish Bay           NO                     3801                4192

Total                                                   185562            178472                       

Yes 51% No 49%

So let us review what the ballot question said: The yes or no advisory referendum question read,

"Shall Wisconsin grant Milwaukee County the authority to provide property tax relief of at least $67 million by levying a 1% use and sales tax to be used to remove the following three items from the property tax levy: parks, recreation and culture; transit; and emergency medical services?"

First, notice it was an “Advisory Referendum,” not a binding referendum!

Next, notice it states, “Shall Wisconsin grant Milwaukee County the authority to provide property tax relief,” they already had the authority to give property tax relief at any time.  No additional authority was needed.

It started out with a promise of property tax relief and yet legally, there’s nothing in the referendum that promises or guarantees that the sales tax increase will go to lowering it. 

We let the public weigh in on whether the sales tax should be increased and as a county it did pass, but County Executive Scott Walker has vowed to veto it as it comes to his desk again.  This places the County Supervisors in a tight corner.  Do they vote against your districts people’s wishes of NO or go along with the county?  Do they work for the district people or county government!

http://www.jsonline.com/news/milwaukee/33947279.html

Some 57% of city of Milwaukee voters voted yes on the sales tax measure and largely offset the suburban vote margin against the plan, a Journal Sentinel review of unofficial vote tallies found.

Remember from the list that only 3 suburban cites passed it.  Glendale, Shorewood and West Milwaukee were the only suburbs where a majority of voters favored the sales tax.

Now comes the part that bothers me and should you as well.

“Supervisor Patricia Jursik said the city-suburban split in voting should not discourage suburban supervisors from supporting the effort to gain state and further county approvals.  The sales tax plan would benefit the entire community, she said.”

So Supervisor Patricia Jursik doesn’t want to listen to what her constituents want and voted against.  The people’s vote doesn’t matter in the end or at all? 

To me, Supervisor Patricia Jursik is saying; do not be discouraged that the voters said NO, we need to vote YES!

Then why were we asked?  If her people don’t want it, she should be voting NO.  She would risk voting against the people’s wishes in her district.

If the city of Milwaukee and the three other cites wish to raise the sales tax, so be it since they voted for it.  However, Cudahy, South Milwaukee, and St. Francis should not have to pay the price because some County Supervisors think they know better or more than the citizens did!

Please Email Patricia Jursik and tell her that the people’s voice matters and has spoken and it was NO from her district.  After all, she works for us!

County Supervisor 8th District

Patricia Jursik   414.278.4231

patricia.jursik@milwcnty.com

Please email your district’s County Supervisor and tell them to honor the people’s wishes!

http://www.county.milwaukee.gov/MapofSupervisoryDist7780.htm

Scott Walker has stated it was okay to reprint his article.

Don't fall for another promise of tax relief
By Scott Walker

Posted: Oct. 30, 2008

Milwaukee County voters on Tuesday will weigh in on this non-binding referendum:

"Shall the State of Wisconsin grant Milwaukee County the authority to provide property tax relief of at least sixty-seven million dollars ($67 million) by levying a one percent county use and sales tax to be used to remove the following three items from the property tax levy: parks, recreation and culture; transit; and emergency medical services (EMS)?"

NoIn 1991, Milwaukee County began collecting a 0.5% sales tax with the promise of "property tax relief.”  From 1992 to 2007, the property tax levy went up 70.9% - more than $100 million.

Now, the Milwaukee County Board is asking voters to approve a referendum calling for a 1% sales tax increase with the promise of property tax relief and more than $60 million in new spending.  Does the board really think we will fall for that trick again?

Here are the facts:

• The referendum calls for a $130 million sales tax increase at a time when businesses and families are struggling to make ends meet.

• Government spending will increase dramatically if the referendum plan is enacted.  The referendum claims to provide $67 million in property tax relief by shifting funding for certain programs currently funded by the property tax to the sales tax, but the County Board gives no explanation of how it will spend the remaining $63 million.

• Ultimately, there is no guarantee of "property tax relief.”  The referendum is non-binding.  It does not prevent the current County Board or future County Boards from raising property taxes.

• Passage of the referendum will make Milwaukee County a tax island, driving shoppers, businesses and jobs out of Milwaukee County. Do we want to have the highest sales tax in the region and in the state?

• County spending has outstripped inflation. Since 1992, the property tax levy has gone up 70.9%.  During that same time, our ability to pay - as measured by inflation - rose by only 38.6%.  As we've learned from the past, increasing the sales tax will only perpetuate out-of-control spending by the County Board.

• There are better options than simply increasing taxes.  My 2009 budget proposal calls for no increase in the property tax levy and no increase in the sales tax.  At the same time, we maintain all transit routes and increase transit services for people with disabilities; we add 26,000 hours of labor in the parks, build a new aquatics center and replace failing bathrooms and playground equipment; and we maintain one of the best emergency medical services systems in the country.

The choice is not either to raise taxes or to cut services.  We need to demand greater innovation from our government to maintain necessary programs and quality-of-life assets.  Implementing a parks district, seeking public-private partnerships throughout county government and exploring a lease of Mitchell International Airport to fund improved transit options that enable our residents to get to work are creative, exciting opportunities for our county and region.

Nearly 20 years ago, the County Board promised "property tax relief" with a half-cent sales tax, and the property tax levy went up 70.9%.  Milwaukee County taxpayers cannot afford more tax relief like that.

I remain committed to submitting honest and balanced budgets that continue to support our parks, transit and other essential services such as public safety, human services and infrastructure improvements.  I also will continue to advance funding solutions that don't further burden county taxpayers.

If the members of the County Board want to provide property tax relief while protecting transit, improving our parks and preserving a quality EMS system, they should pass the 2009 budget that I presented.  It protects both services and the taxpayer.

Around election time, politicians make a lot of promises.  We now have some on the County Board again promising property tax relief.  The public should remember the old saying, "Fool me once, shame on you.  Fool me twice, shame on me."

Scott Walker is Milwaukee County executive.

Sept. 23, 2008 - Walker issues hefty raises to top Milwaukee County aides

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=798469

I have always been a Scott Walker supporter and fan!  To read the JS article that during a time when people are cutting back and the nation is in financial crisis that Scott Walker is giving 26% pay raise for his chief of staff, former Ald. Tom Nardelli nearly $20,000 raise to $95,000 a year.  Plus, seven county administrators also scored increases of up to 12.5%, was just disappointment to the ninth degree!

I can say that I have to agree with many lefty blogs that are just crushing Walker for this!  And they should! I just question their motive! I am a Conservative Republican and Walker is acting like a tax and spend Liberal Democrat.  I think the county government has gotten to him much like Cudahy's Mayor Ryan McCue; they went in as reformers and are coming out as liberals.

This will kill any chance Walker ever had to be governor.  How in God’s name does Walker think we should be giving out raises at all?  Then to make them so outlandish.  I didn’t like the fact that Walker even circumvented the decision making and approval of it.

I have to totally agree with fellow friend and blogger, Orville Seymer, field director for Citizens for Responsible Government Network, when he said the raises for Nardelli and some other Walker aides appeared excessive.

"I just think all these people are overpaid" and unlikely to command such salaries in the private sector, Seymer said.

Then to read Walkers rebuttal to this was a further slap in the face.  Jay Weber has it up on his page http://www.jaywebershow.com/

This is just a few of the low lights “The top staff at the county had not received a pay adjustment in the past six years (even as many took on additional responsibilities).  Most are still considerably less than similar positions in other parts of the county.  Most of these pay adjustments went into effect earlier this summer.”

Walker does bring up a few good points that if he didn’t raise the wage would have helped propel him like:

Finally, the newspaper did not report on the cabinet when they got their wage adjustment in the middle of the summer.  The newspaper did not report on the Chief of Staff when his issue came up last week.  So why did they wait until today?  Could it be because my budget (the 7th straight without a tax levy increase from the previous year) comes out tomorrow?  Over the past few days, we gave the newspaper early information about big things in our budget – like the expansion of FamilyCare to people with developmental and physical disabilities or the option to bid out operations of the airport.  Each of these stories was a small mention in their news digest section while this “old news” got a headline on the front page.  Do you think they have an agenda?”

Again, those would have been excellent points if he didn’t fall under the wicked spell that taxpayers are an easy way to just collect money.  Walker has done a great job of getting the budget down and keeping it, but to then raise wages as such is just idiotic!  We lost the high ground and that feeling is not a good one! 

There is no doubt that the media is biased and people are out to get Walker, but that doesn’t excuse the raise.  When the economy is this bad all Government jobs, Federal, State and local, should be frozen.  No pay increases!  The backs of the taxpayers cannot handle it.  Not when their own pay is cut and cuts doesn’t mean frozen.  It means lowered.  Many are frozen and that is not right, but it is what it is.  The pain has to be shared across and that means the government jobs as well!

I am still firmly in Scott Walkers corner, but I don’t think he made a good decision of clear mind on this.  I know some of my fellow Conservative Republicans will chastise me and tell me to just understand that in the bigger picture it isn’t that bad.  Well I just don’t agree with them and that is a big thing that separates the Right from the Left and the Conservatives from the Liberals.  We can be on the same side and still disagree!  The left is just upset because it makes Walker look bad.  When it is their side doing this, it is okay!

Another View

Referendum would be good if it asked a real policy question

By CHRIS KLIESMET

Citizens for Responsible Government believes it is proper to have citizens weigh in on honest questions of public policy.  However, the sales tax increase referendum put forth by the County Board is disingenuous at best.

This fraud of a referendum perpetuates numerous tax deceptions, including the notion that the only solution to fiscal problems is the Cornelian dilemma of increased taxes vs. service cuts.  The County Board steadfastly refuses to introduce modern quality and efficiency “win-win” measures, opting instead to kowtow to tax-consuming special interests.  An example is the board’s refusal to adopt County Executive Scott Walker’s plan to use more seasonal parks employees, which would increase parks’ resources while simultaneously cutting costs.

The next deception is that our parks and transportation systems can be saved only with a dedicated fund.  The County Board has the power to prioritize these functions and fund them with current revenues if truly desired.  Businesses and families are forced to make tough decisions based on available revenue each day.  Government’s lazy solution is to petition for a bigger paycheck.

The notion of dedicated funding is a farce.  This is a convenient lie told to induce voters to pass such referendums.  We have only to look to 1992 when the initial county sales tax was imposed.  At that time, the promise made to voters was that it would be used only to retire capital debt.

When Gov. Jim Doyle was threatened with legal action for his raid on the privately funded, irrevocable trust known as the Patient Compensation Fund, his defense blithely noted that anything created by a legislative body can be legally changed by that body at will.  So much for relying on the promises of politicians!

The most insidious of the County Board’s lies is the promise that a sales tax increase will provide property tax relief.  This is perhaps the most oft-broken promise in the political playbook.

The imposition of an income tax in 1911, the introduction of a sales tax on luxury items in 1962, the subsequent extension of that sales tax to cover most other goods, two rate increases that upped the sales tax by 66%, the creation of the state lottery in 1987 and the establishment of the current Milwaukee County sales tax in 1992 are all examples of legislation that expressly promised to provide property tax relief, yet failed.

By now, even a fool should understand you cannot provide tax relief by raising taxes.

With so many revenue streams in play, it is a simple matter to shift, then raise each one at a slow but inevitable rate.  Like the proverbial frog in a pot of water, taxpayers may not realize they are being boiled to death until it is too late.

The Taxpayer Bill of Rights would have ended this tax-shift shell game, but these same politicians worked to make certain that proposal never made it to referendum.  It is the pinnacle of hypocrisy to cry, “Let the people decide,” but only on questions of tax increases.  A political cynic might also suggest this referendum is being forced now, right after an election, in the hope that any tax increase will be forgotten in four years.

The only honest wording for this referendum is, “Do you wish to raise your taxes by $130 million?” as this is the only outcome that can be guaranteed.

The County Board continues to tarnish its already damaged reputation for ethics and honesty with yet another con game as transparent as its recent attempt to raise its own pay.  It should withdraw the current referendum wording and replace it with one that tells the truth.

Chris Kliesmet

Executive Administrator

Citizens for Responsible Government Network (CRG)

Milwaukee

Referendum wouldn't do what it promises

Citizens should have the opportunity to answer honest questions of public policy via referendum.  However, those who sell the proposed sales tax increase referendum as a property tax relief measure are bald-faced liars.

In 1911, Wisconsin imposed an income tax for the express purpose of property tax relief.  In 1962, a 3% sales tax on luxury goods was initiated to relieve rising property taxes.  In 1969, the sales tax expanded to include most other goods and the rate rose to 4%.  In 1982, the rate rose again to 5%.  In 1987, the lottery was sold as a tool to relieve property taxes.  In 1992, Milwaukee County added a 0.5% sales tax to relieve property taxes.  In every instance, property taxes continued to climb.

Referendum backers insult the intelligence of taxpayers.  Any sales tax increase only will clear room for the property tax to continue growing.  The Taxpayer Bill of Rights would have eliminated this dishonest tax shell game.  However, these same tax increase advocates worked against allowing TABOR to go to referendum, despite overwhelming public support.  That makes them not only liars, but hypocrites.

Funny how only tax increase proposals seem worthy to be put to the voters.

Chris Kliesmet

Executive administrator

Citizens for Responsible Government Network (CRG)

Milwaukee

While I already gave my thoughts why I do not support the Sales Tax increase, I thought it was important to post both sides of the coin.  I emailed 8th District Milwaukee County Supervisor Patricia Jursik for her reason for voting yes and she emailed me back, very quickly I may add, a link with her reasoning.  I have included District #17 Milwaukee County Supervisor Joe Sanfelippo response to why he voted no and does not support the referendum. 

Keep in mind, when has a sales tax been reduced, and when do you say enough is enough and look at what can be done to lower the costs?

Here are two sides of the County Board Approves Sales Tax Referendum

Patricia Jursik

8th District Milwaukee County Supervisor Patricia Jursik

901 N. 9th Street, Courthouse RM 201, Milwaukee, WI 53233

Phone: 414-278-4231 Fax: 414-223-1380

E-mail: patricia.jursik@milwcnty.com

Website: http://www.milwaukee.gov/Jursik

Source

Parks, Transit & Paramedics Funding; Property Tax Relief

The County Board passed a non-binding, advisory referendum question to ask voters whether they would approve a 1% sales tax to pay for parks, recreation and culture; transit; and emergency medical services (EMS).  This would provide property tax relief by removing $67 million from the property tax levy.  It would also provide additional money to purchase buses (currently we have depleted our bus replacement program) and to care for our deteriorating parks, which have also faced cuts over the last 5 to 7 years.

It is estimated that an owner of a home valued at $150,000 would save about $165 on the property tax bill.  A 1% increase in purchases subject to the sales tax would also collect revenue from visitors who enjoy Milwaukee County’s amenities.  While I would have preferred asking the question in a different way with perhaps a ½ cent hike, I voted yes on the question to give constituents an opportunity to indicate whether they want parks and transit preserved by taking these systems off the property tax levy and paying through a dedicated sales tax.  It is my pledge to educate voters on the referendum question before the November 4 election.  I will honor the will of the voters.  It must be made clear that if we choose to say No, the Board will need to make deep cuts in both transit and parks spending.

County Board Approves Sales Tax Referendum

By Joe Sanfelippo

Milwaukee County Supervisor

Source

Last week the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors by a vote of 12-6 voted to put a referendum on the November ballot asking Milwaukee County residents to approve a 1% increase to the County Sales tax.  I was one of the six that voted against the resolution.

I cast my no vote for a variety of reasons, the first of which is the misleading wording of the referendum.  The referendum asks whether you favor a 1% county sales tax increase, with proceeds to fund parks, transit, emergency medical services and property tax relief.  On the surface, it appears that a yes vote for the sales tax increase will result in a reduction of your taxes.  On the contrary, a yes vote will RAISE taxes.

Currently, the County Tax Levy for the parks, transit system and EMS services totals $67 million dollars.  The 1% sales tax increase will cost taxpayers an extra $130 million dollars per year, $63 million dollars more than you are currently paying to fund these programs through the property tax roles.  In reality, a yes vote is a vote to RAISE overall taxes.

Second, imposing a new tax dedicated for "transit funding" amounts to double taxation.  The State of Wisconsin will collect $1.5 billion dollars in 2008 for transit funding from gasoline taxes, vehicle title and registration fees.  A reasonable estimate is that almost $200 million dollars of that tax will be collected in Milwaukee County.  Why do we need another transit tax when we already have one?

Since entering office, Governor Doyle has taken nearly $1 billion dollars out of the transportation trust fund and spent it on non-transportation items.  Rather than burdening the taxpayers with another tax, we should be working with the Senate and Assembly in Madison to stop the Governor from raiding the transportation fund, and to properly fund transit programs.  We don't need to collect more taxes, we just need to use the money already being collected for the reason it is being collected in the first place.

Third, sales taxes are regressive, meaning they hurt some people more than others.  Studies have shown that lower income people, the working poor and seniors living on fixed incomes, pay as much as five times more of their income in sales taxes than the most financially well off citizens.  Simply put, those earning the least in our County will feel the hardest hit.

If the referendum makes it onto the November ballot, and it appears that it will, please remember that a yes vote in reality is a vote for a tax increase.

Joe Sanfelippo

Milwaukee County Supervisor

District #17

Shall the State of Wisconsin grant Milwaukee County the authority to provide property tax relief of at least sixty-five million dollars ($65 million) by levying a one percent (1%) county sales and use tax to be used to removed the following three items from the property tax levy: parks recreation culture, transit and emergency medical services (EMS)?
YES
NO