Top Stories Milwaukee

When Scott Walker was Milwaukee County Executive, he complained about programs that were mandated by the state without the necessary funding.  The state got the credit for addressing an issue – - whether in the justice system or social services – - but the County, his budget and property taxpayers got the tab.

Now that he’s Governor, Walker is proposing through his budget a variation in that credit vs. consequences game: he wants to cut the state’s financial contribution to sewerage treatment projects that always come with large capitol costs.

The state had contributed to relieve local property taxpayers of some of the burden, and because as clean water ways help the state, too.

It’s similar to his budget plan to remove state aid to local transit systems and make them compete with other programs for a shrinking pot of dollars: in the end, the service will be cut, or the local property taxpayer will be asked to pay more, or both.

Walker’s reduction in state funding for clean water projects will have one of two results at the local level:

*  Projects will delayed, cut back or canceled.

*  Projects will proceed, but with local governments, sewerage districts and property taxpayers picking up more of the tab.

Walker gets credit for reducing the state budget – - press release verbiage – - but he’s simply creating a problem and sending the fix downhill.

Don Behm at the Journal Sentinel has a fuller explanation.

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