The following is sponsored content, as Ted Chisholm vies to become the next Milwaukee County Treasurer. The partisan primary is August 13, and Ted is running as a Democrat in a field without a Republican candidate on the ballot. In-person absentee voting is open now. Details here.
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What does the Milwaukee County Treasurer do?
The Milwaukee County Treasurer is an elected constitutional officer responsible for several core functions: managing Milwaukee County’s banking, cash flow, check issuance, and accounts receivable functions; investing Milwaukee County’s surplus funds; and collecting delinquent property taxes in 18 of Milwaukee County’s 19 municipalities, including the City of South Milwaukee. The County Treasurer leads a ten-person staff responsible for these functions.
How does the Milwaukee County Treasurer impact the City of South Milwaukee?
The County Treasurer collects late property taxes owed by City of South Milwaukee property owners who have not made their tax payments (due on January 31) by July 31. After this date, Milwaukee County makes the City whole for the outstanding tax balance. From this point forward, the outstanding balance is owed by the property owner to Milwaukee County, not to the City of South Milwaukee. This means that on one hand, the County Treasurer is in a position to help homeowners who have fallen behind on property taxes due to financial emergencies. The County Treasurer can offer assistance by offering manageable payment plans. On the other hand, the County Treasurer has the power, working with Milwaukee County’s lawyers, to take action against vacant and abandoned properties that are in tax delinquency for years, foreclosing on these properties and making them available for reuse or redevelopment.
What qualifies you to serve as County Treasurer?
I have the hands-on financial management experience to serve as an effective, engaged, and highly informed County Treasurer. I am the former Senior Administrator for Management, Finance, and Strategy in the Milwaukee County Clerk of Circuit Court’s Office, where I managed a $42 million budget and oversaw accounting, purchasing, and contract services for a 300-employee county department. I increased annual return rates on court-invested funds and was actively involved in managing Milwaukee County’s contract for court-ordered collections, and am prepared to oversee investment and collection services in the Treasurer’s Office, as well. I was previously the chief of staff to former Milwaukee County Sheriff Earnell Lucas, helping lead a 700-employee law enforcement and corrections agency, and oversaw a $49 million budget process in this role.
What is your vision for the County Treasurer’s Office?
I am committed to transforming the County Treasurer’s Office into a more dependable partner for our municipalities, including the City of South Milwaukee. If elected, I will work with our municipal partners – mayors, village presidents, city council members, building inspectors, and economic development personnel – to take more decisive action on vacant and abandoned properties in tax delinquency. Rather than allow these properties (like the one at 1208/1210 Milwaukee Ave in South Milwaukee) to sit delinquent for years, I will work with local partners to create real plans for reuse and redevelopment, then take appropriate foreclosure action to restore these properties to the tax base. Conversely, I will do everything in my power to intervene early when residential homeowners and small business owners fall behind on property taxes, offering manageable payment plans that prevent the risk of sustained delinquency and foreclosure. I also plan to modernize the office, improve its customer service, and establish a regional service model that assigns dedicated support staff in the office to meet the needs of taxpayers and municipal partners in each geographic region served by the Treasurer’s Office.
When is the election for County Treasurer?
This year, only two candidates are on the ballot for Milwaukee County Treasurer and we are both running in the August 13 Democratic primary. This election will decide which candidate will advance to the November general election. I hope to earn yours and your readers’ vote on or before August 13th.
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