Mayor Kennedy: "Fair Deal would help county and cities solve a real problem"

There is wide bipartisan support for the Fair Deal proposal in Governor Evers's 2021-2023 budget proposal. It's backed by business leaders like Tim Sheehy and philanthropic leaders like Julia Taylor - and suburban leaders like Glendale Mayor Bryan Kennedy are also rallying behind it.

In addition to serving as mayor, Bryan chairs the Milwaukee County Intergovernmental Cooperation Council, comprising the 19 mayors and village presidents in Milwaukee County, along with County Executive David Crowley. He is also a Commissioner on the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District Commission.

Bryan and I both support the Fair Deal proposal asking the Wisconsin State Legislature to provide counties with the opportunity increase the sales tax by 0.5% (and municipalities with a population of more than 30,000 could do the same) - to provide residents with much-needed property tax relief and continue delivering constituent services. Voters would have to approve any increase in a referendum. 

(If you've never heard of the Fair Deal, head over to MoveForwardMKE.com and learn more. Long story short, local governments have very few options to raise local revenue to support local priorities, due to state law. This is why Wisconsin communities have historically relied heavily on revenue from property taxes to fund services. The Fair Deal effort aims to change that.)

Without further ado, here is my conversation with Mayor Kennedy.

As the ICC Chair and as the Mayor of Glendale, why are you supporting this initiative? How might this proposal benefit your residents? What’s the risk if it isn't approved by the state legislature?

BK: Glendale has a large commercial and manufacturing sector in the city. Thousands of people pass through Glendale everyday to work, shop, have medical appointments, get their cars serviced, go to the bank, etc. They utilize our infrastructure yet do not contribute to our city budget. Being able to share in sales tax revenue will benefit my municipality by capturing some of the money spent here. In addition, Milwaukee County struggles with cuts in programming and services every year because of revenue constraints. Most of our peer municipal areas around the country already have local sales taxes.  

What kinds of feedback have you heard from your neighbors about this proposal?

BK: Most of my constituents that I have talked to about the sales tax proposal have been pretty supportive. They have said that they would vote for it. My city has voted overwhelmingly in favor of school district referenda. We believe in paying for what we ask government to do. I think a sales tax referendum would also win a vote in Glendale.

The work group analyzed a number of proposals. In your view, why did this solution emerge to the top of the list?

BK: I was in the work group. We needed a solution that met everyone’s needs and could win both legislative and election victories. This solution had the most winners—the County got significant revenue, the City of Milwaukee could address some major concerns, and the suburban municipalities also received a share.

The work group included a wide range of voices from across the political spectrum. In a time of such political discord, why do you think a bipartisan group was able to come together on a solution on this?

BK: Having been in that work group, I recall the conversations. We all recognized that we had a revenue problem. It didn’t matter who was talking—business leaders, interest groups, or elected officials—we saw that there is a real problem. Since we all agreed on the problem, it became a conversation about the best way to fix it. There are so many societal problems today that the Left and Right cannot even agree there is a problem, let alone figure out how to fix it. It was refreshing to see that this was NOT one of those issues.

How has the current COVID economic environment impacted the need for this proposal, if at all?

BK: We will likely see revenue declines in 2021 and 2022 as business properties lose value, people struggle to make property tax payments, and others are unemployed and struggle to make mortgage and rent payments. Municipalities will be struggling to maintain programming. Sales tax revenue will help fill a portion of the those budget holes.  

What are the best ways for residents to join us and voice their support?

BK: Educate themselves on the proposal and why we need it, and then lobby their state legislators to vote for the change in state statute. 

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Help us pass the Fair Deal.

Ready to contact your state legislators and urge them to support the "Fair Deal?" It's easy to get involved.

1) Find Your Legislator - Open the Wisconsin state legislator search tool, enter your address in the search box, and the interactive map will find your State Senator and Representatives.

2) Contact Your Legislator - Here's a helpful message to get you started on an email or a phone call:

• My name is <Name> and I live at <Address>. I am <calling / writing> to encourage your support a local option sales tax for Wisconsin counties. This legislation will give county voters a voice in deciding how best to reduce property taxes and address the funding challenges facing the county and its municipalities. I support this legislation because <insert your specific reasons / beliefs (for example: enhancing our parks and parkways, lowering property taxes, promoting better health outcomes, etc.>. This legislation is about providing local funding for local priorities and as my elected official, I urge you to support it.

To learn more, visit Moveforwardmke.com.

Sincerely,

Shawn Rolland

Milwaukee County Board Supervisor - District 6, representing neighborhoods in Wauwatosa, West Allis and Milwaukee's westside