It’s mid-December. Why not break out the golf clubs?
Four Milwaukee County Parks golf courses, including Grant, have reopened, weather permitting, according to the Milwaukee County Parks system.
Learn more here, including course conditions. Rain is expected later this week, so you might want to get in a round on Tuesday …
Filed under Milwaukee County
As I’m sure you heard, the Milwaukee County Board successfully overrode most of County Executive Chris Abele’s 2012 budget vetoes last week.
The end result: A county property tax levy increase of 2.15%, with still-steep cuts in certain areas like the Sheriff’s Department.
Probably the biggest direct local impact is the looming reduction in funding (albeit less of a cut after the County Board’s action) the county provides to municipalities (like South Milwaukee) who operate paramedic service. How we deal with this remains to be seen.
You can learn more, including see a list of who voted for what, in this press release. And check out the Journal Sentinel story here.
I also asked South Shore Supervisor Pat Jursik for her opinion. Here is what she sent me …
I am proud that we were able to preserve some funding of Emergency Medical Services. I also advocated to preserve the EMS contract which includes a funding distribution formula important for our communities.
I voted to preserve public safety by lessening cuts to the Sheriff’s Department. The Sheriff’s Targeted Enforcement Unit has worked to keep negative activity out of Grant Park, Sheridan Park, and our other wonderful parks in the South Shore. We have made great progress, so this program must continue. I did not support the board’s wellness initiative because it would have added to the tax levy; I do think we need to look at a wellness program, but I’d like to see a strong review by our entire benefits team and then design an appropriate program, not just design one from the board’s review.
Thanks again to Supervisor Jursik for her responiveness on this and every issue, and for her continued diligence in watching county spending — while also trying to fund core county services.
Of course, this is only the county portion of your tax bill. Don’t forget that the city budget public hearing is set for Monday, Nov. 28, with the City Council expected to vote on the budget the next night. And I’ll be posting something on the school budget and levy soon.
Filed under Milwaukee County
Update: Here is the Journal Sentinel story.
Finally!
College Avenue from Pennsylvania/Nicholson to Howell will reopen Friday. The new, four-lane road includes a roundabout west of Nicholson and an overpass to accomodate the lengthening of the major north-south runway for Mitchell Interational Airport.
The ribbon cutting is set for 11 a.m. Friday at the new overpass, followed by a reception at the former site of the 440th Air Reserve Station at 300 E. College Ave.
Learn more in this press release from Milwaukee County Supervisor Pat Jursik here. From it:
“College Avenue is the new front door to the MKE Regional Business Park which is emerging from the former 440th facility,” said Supervisor Jursik. “College Avenue is a key corridor for economic development along the South Shore and Aerotropolis area.”
Filed under Milwaukee County
The Milwaukee County Board passed its 2012 budget on Monday.
Barring vetoes, it would increase the county property tax levy 2.3% while requiring employees to pay more their health care and significantly cutting funding to the Sheriff’s Department, cultural institutions, parks and other programs.
For the South Shore, it brings some measure of (relative) good news, as it maintains bus service to South Milwaukee and restores some funding to local communities (like ours) that operate paramedic service.
Still, the cuts are deep. And the levy increase is not the 0% County Executive Chris Abele proposed.
The vote was 12-7, and South Shore Supervisor Pat Jursik voted no. I asked her for her thoughts on the budget, and here is what she wrote me:
I did not support the budget due to the increase of 2.3%. I voted against many amendments that added unnecessary spending. I am awaiting the county executive’s budget vetoes to see what will ultimately survive. The county executive does have a line item veto.
This being said, I did support retaining a number of sheriff deputies. The targeted enforcement unit which was gutted in the county executive’s budget has been very important to Grant Park in terms of rooting out drug use and vandalism as well as other south shore parks. I also supported the emergency medical services restoration which was 1.5 million. This money helps to subsidize the EMS for South Milwaukee who also serves the City of Cudahy. I supported transferring early debt payments to the funding for a facilities assessment that was part of the Strategic Planning directives. This necessary assessment should allow the county to ultimately reduce the ownership of vacant or partially-vacant buildings and determine what the county should sell.
The final tax levy in a total budget of about 1.3 billion is $275,805,499.
The good news regarding transit was the grant money from the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality grant funding which allowed us to retain all of Rte. 15, all of the school routes and the para transit rides county-wide. All of the senior centers will continue to be funded and the county continues the mental health redesign which seeks to serve more citizens in the community and reduce the need to house patients in the mental health hospital. The bad news is the Parks dept. took additional cuts of about 3M and lost some seasonal employee hours.. The cultural institutions such as the museums, zoo and others received 15% across the board cuts.
Our county employees took the greatest burden of the cuts. A full 22 million was realized by reductions in health care benefits and requiring employees to pay more for their pensions. The sheriff’s union agreed to also take cuts (this remains as one of the few bargaining units regarding work rules and other non-salary items). This concession by the sheriff’s union will additionally allow the county to retain a number of deputies that would have been laid off. As of this writing, no number is currently available but will be finalized by the end of the year.
I thank Pat for her thoughts on this and for her continued and strong commitment to keeping residents informed on key issues. I also support her hard work in fighting to maintain vital services like our parks and transit.
Post your comments below!
Filed under Milwaukee County
Milwaukee County Supervisor Pat Jursik has published her latest eNews update, and it contains updates on the progress around the reconstruction of College Avenue and repairs on Grant Park’s Seven Bridges.
Check it out here. The long and short of it …
The update also includes some good information on the reconfigured Route 15 bus line, Hoan Bridge bike lanes and other topics.
Filed under Milwaukee County
Milwaukee County Supervisor Pat Jursik has her reaction to County Executive Chris Abele’s proposed 2012 budget in her most recent email newsletter.
Check it out here. From it:
I think the County Executive hit the correct priorities while still holding the line on property taxes, which are too high. Of course, the devil is in the details, and we will spend all of October reviewing. I do not agree with the County Executive’s proposal to remove support for Emergency Medical Services. I look forward to a productive budget session in which the Executive works with the Board for the good of Milwaukee County residents.
The newsletter contains some good updates on what Abele is proposing — and its imapct on the South Shore. It’s worth a read.
And also check out these headlines from the South Shore:
Filed under Milwaukee County
As I’ve written about, the Milwaukee County Transit System is proposing major service cuts in 2012, including several that would directly impact South Milwaukee and the South Shore.
The biggest impact locally? The end of Route 15 in South Milwaukee and all Freeway Flyers.
Learn more about what’s planned — and share your feedback — at several community meetings presented by Transit Now, a transit advocacy group. Two are on Tuesday, Sept. 13 at the Cudahy Family Library. One meeting is from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m., and the other is from 6:30 to 7:45 p.m.
Other meetings are planned Sept. 7-8 in Brown Deer.
County Supervisor Pat Jursik, Milwaukee County Supervisor Jason Haas and Kerry Thomas, executive director of Transit Now, will present at the Cudahy meetings, which are also sponsored by The Gateway to Milwaukee, South Suburban Chamber of Commerce and the Milwaukee Aging Consortium.
The goals of both meetings?
Filed under Milwaukee County, Transportation
Milwaukee County Supervisor Pat Jursik is teaming with South Shore officials to host an economic development forum on Wednesday, Sept. 7, at the Cudahy Family Library.
Hours are 6 to 8 p.m.
The event is being called “a unique, one-stop forum for constituents and the development community to hear from economic development staff and the Community Development Authorities of each city regarding the economic development plans taking place throughout the South Shore.”
According to the press release:
Jursik will provide updates on the Hoan Bridge, 794 Lake Parkway extension planning, lakefront development and College Avenue repair. The Aerotropolis concept will also be explained. Additionally, each city will staff booths displaying aerial maps, mock-ups, elevations and planning materials of current or planned projects for public viewing and inquiries in an open-house setting.
I hope to see you there!
Filed under Local Business, Milwaukee County
Milwaukee County Supervisor Pat Jursik has an update on the repair of Grant Park’s Seven Bridges in her most recent eNews newsletter …
Restoring Grant Park’s Seven Bridges Bridge repair funding was secured in May with a capital fund transfer (providing the matching funds to satisfy the FEMA funding requirements).
The Parks Department hopes to complete repair of the small bridge in August. The larger bridge may undergo a formal bidding process with construction anticipated in September.
Check out Pat’s complete August newsletter here.
Filed under Milwaukee County
Update: Here is the Journal Sentinel story on the event.
I stopped by the first of two listening sessions Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele is holding about the proposed county budget Wednesday night, and I’m glad I did.
It was a great reminder for me — and for Abele, I hope — that cuts in services, such as those being proposed at the county level, have real impacts on real people. Literally dozens of those stories surfaced in the meeting at the Kelly Senior Center in Cudahy.
Elderly concerned about cuts to senior centers. Mentally ill worried about cuts to county-funded mental health care. Disabled worried about cuts to paratransit. Commuters worried about cuts to Milwaukee County Transit Service bus service (as I wrote about the other day).
One by one, residents from around the area showed Abele, showed everyone there really, how government budgets are more than abstractions, more than numbers on a spreadsheet, more than line items, more than dollars and cents.
They fund vital services that, when threatened, force people to take notice.
It was a good lesson for me as we head into what is sure to be a tough 2012 budget process for the city. And I’m sure it was a good lesson for Abele, who is faced with having to make some painful cuts that will surely be felt across the county.
I hope he and the County Board choose wisely … and spare South Milwaukee and South Milwaukeeans some of the greatest pain. It won’t be easy.
I promise to help your voices be heard during the debate — starting with this blog. I urge you to speak out as well.
Elected officials need to hear your stories. Like those told Wednesday.
Filed under Milwaukee County
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