Help us create a recovery plan for Milwaukee County

Dear friends and neighbors,?

I have exciting news: I am humbled to share that County Board Chairwoman Marcelia Nicholson has selected me to co-chair Milwaukee County’s American Rescue Plan Act Task Force. In the coming months, this task force will solicit input from the community and create a recommendation to strategically?allocate the $183.6+ million in federal funding that Milwaukee County received as part of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. This is a once-in-a generation opportunity to make forward progress on key goals, and I promise to do all I can, working alongside my colleagues, to invest these funds wisely.?

I’m interested in your thoughts. How should Milwaukee County make investments to drive economic recovery, provide relief to struggling families, invest in housing and infrastructure, and improve its financial situation??

Please join Chairwoman Nicholson and me for “A Recovery Plan for Milwaukee County” virtual town hall meeting on Tuesday, July 20 at 7 pm. Share what matters most to you, and the ideas that you believe can make Milwaukee County a healthier place to live for everyone. To register for the virtual town hall, please visit: https://tinyurl.com/RecoveryPlanTownHall.??

If you’re unable to join this event – no worries. You can always email me ([email protected]) or join a task force event in the future. Stay tuned for more event details in the weeks and months to come.?Below, you’ll find other updates to keep you in the loop.

It’s an honor to represent you on the county board. Please, don’t ever hesitate to reach out and let me know how I can be of service to you. Go Bucks! Go Brewers!?

Sincerely,??

Milwaukee County Supervisor Shawn Rolland – District 6, representing neighborhoods in?Wauwatosa, West Allis and Milwaukee’s westside??

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A MORE EFFICIENT AND EFFECTIVE COUNTY

As a county supervisor, I spend a lot of my energy thinking about our county’s systems – how things work and why things work – and seeking ways to make things work faster, better or more efficiently. This is my passion: good governance. Not sure what I’m talking about? Here are a few recent examples:?

The hypothesis: Virtual court can make our county safer and strengthen our budget.

As you may have read in the newspaper, the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) budget has exceeded its overtime budget by millions of dollars every year for a long time. When it exceeds its overtime budget, MCSO needs to either cut within its budget or it can force cuts within Milwaukee County’s budget, reducing the amount available for human needs, infrastructure improvements, and more.?

A big chunk of MCSO’s overtime is caused by its support for the county court system. According to state law, two sheriff’s office deputies must be present as bailiffs in each courtroom to provide security. All of that work can lead to a lot of overtime expenditures.?

But in virtual county court, there is no need for bailiffs to provide security, because no one is in physical danger in virtual court. During the pandemic, many of the county’s court cases have been virtual. And anecdotally, we’ve heard that it’s much easier for most people to participate in virtual court proceedings than to show up in-person in court.?If we shifted more county court hearings to virtual court post-pandemic, imagine if many of our county sheriffs could be redeployed away from this bailiff workstream to do other meaningful work in our neighborhoods. What if they could patrol our understaffed parks to keep us safe? What if this one move could help our county save hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions of dollars, in expenditures and overtime expenses? What if this shift could lead to even better outcomes and a fairer system of justice for us all??

That’s why I’m working with Supervisor Sylvia Ortiz-Velez, Supervisor Anthony Staskunas, Chief Judge Mary Triggiano, Sheriff’s Office Chief of Staff Theodore Chisholm and others to see what efficiencies and service improvements we can deliver without negatively impacting the credibility or the accessibility of our judicial system. Specific plans are not yet laid, but I hope to be able to share more about our progress in the weeks and months to come.??

The hypothesis: Our county’s strategies to collect community feedback may be flawed, inconsistent and in need of change. ??

In recent months, a few constituents raised concerns about the way our county collects community feedback. They say that special interest groups can and do promote participation in Survey Monkey surveys to drive the survey results in their groups’ favor. Residents also say that survey respondents do not reflect Milwaukee County’s demographics (with too many or too few respondents of a certain age, race, gender, etc.). ??

It’s important that policymakers receive credible intelligence to shape their opinions. That’s why I sponsored file 21-532, a resolution requesting an audit of Milwaukee County’s surveys. This audit, which the county board passed unanimously, will enable us to see what surveys are being done, how they are being done, who is responding, and if the results reflect our county’s demographics, or not.?

That’s also why I sponsored file 21-554, a resolution asking our county’s parks department to document its community feedback strategy. My hope is that this effort will eliminate inconsistencies, ensure good processes, and deliver better outcomes to our county – especially to everyone who loves or lives nearby a Milwaukee County park.?

If you see an opportunity to improve Milwaukee County’s systems – to make something work better, faster or more efficiently while delivering a great experience – please know that you have an advocate on your side. Don’t hesitate to reach out to my office.??

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HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY?

I hope you had a happy Independence Day weekend. My family had a great time walking in the Wauwatosa Independence Day Parade on July 5 alongside my friends from the Wauwatosa School District – kudos to the organizers for another great event.?

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TOP NEWS ABOUT MILWAUKEE COUNTY AND MY OFFICE?

One of the things I’m most proud of is the way our county board is working together, getting things done and not bickering. That’s good news, because the county faces big external challenges that we need to overcome in the days and years ahead. See below for some of the biggest news items of the last month.?

From July 3 fireworks to Summerfest bus service, a worker shortage has Milwaukee County struggling to pull off beloved events, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, July 3, 2021?

Program gets green light, Milwaukee County renters facing eviction have access to free legal counsel, TMJ4, July 1, 2021?

Sheriff Projects $3.9 Million Overtime Deficit, Urban Milwaukee, June 30, 2021?

Passenger capacity limits will be lifted Thursday on Milwaukee County buses,??Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel,?June 29, 2021?

State Cuts to County Transit Go Deep, Urban Milwaukee, June 29, 2021?

Milwaukee County Zoo Appoints New Director, Wauwatosa Patch, June 29, 2021?

'The Model Is Broken As It Currently Stands': Milwaukee County Parks Director On The State Of Parks Funding, WUWM, June 28, 2021?

Board Approves Mental Health Crisis Team, Urban Milwaukee, June 25, 2021?

"Sup. Shawn Rolland argued against cutting the [sheriff] deputy positions. “My sense, big picture, is that at the end of the day we all want a CART team that can rapidly respond to a person in crisis,” Rolland said. To that end, the deputies on CART should be dedicated to that task, he said, and not have to be pulled from other duties for a CART response. "

CommunityWithin The Corridor project could be catalyst for rebuilding Milwaukee’s 30th Street Industrial Corridor, Milwaukee Biz Times, June 22, 2021?

With Increased Funding During The Pandemic, Milwaukee County Has Seen A Drastic Decrease In Homelessness, WUWM, June 21, 2021?

MCTS Bus Rapid Transit construction breaks ground, FOX 6, June 10, 2021?

Milwaukee bucks nationwide increase in homeless population, TMJ4, June 3, 2021?

'They deserve to be treated with dignity': As Wauwatosa seeks to address panhandling, community leaders don't want Band-Aid solutions, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, June 3, 2021

"Shawn Rolland, a Milwaukee County Board supervisor representing Wauwatosa, said this is an opportunity for the city to think outside the box. "Big picture, if we want things to be different in our communities, then we have to be willing to be different and open our minds to doing things differently," Rolland wrote in an email. "I encourage these leaders to imagine if this is a spot where they could lead from the front, try something new and drive change in a positive way for all of us: police officers, neighbors and people in need," he also wrote. "

Murphy’s Law: No More County Government Bickering, Urban Milwaukee, June 2, 2021?