Sheriff Lucas says local option sales tax could help him make Milwaukee County safer - here's why.

I really can't underscore how much support there is for the local option sales tax proposal in Governor Evers's budget. It's supported by leaders like:

• Tim Sheehy at MMAC
• Julia Taylor at Greater Milwaukee Committee
• Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley
• Mark O'Connell at Wisconsin Counties Association
• Glendale Mayor Bryan Kennedy who chairs the Intergovernmental Cooperation Council, and
• Milwaukee County Sheriff Earnell R. Lucas.

Sheriff Lucas was elected the 65th Sheriff of Milwaukee County on November 6, 2018. He commands a staff that is responsible for safety and security at Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport, the Milwaukee County Circuit Courts, the Milwaukee County Jail and the Milwaukee County parks and freeway systems. He was born in Milwaukee's Hillside Terrace housing project and raised by his grandmother. He is a product of the Milwaukee Public Schools system and earned a bachelor's degree cum laude in criminology and law studies from Marquette University. 

Sheriff Lucas and I both support the local option sales tax 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 so-called "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. This "Fair Deal" effort aims to change that.)

Without further ado, here is my conversation with Milwaukee County Sheriff Lucas.

SR: Why do you support this local option sales tax proposal? How would this additional revenue stream potentially benefit your office? 

EL: Milwaukee County provides essential services that sustain a strong and safe community. Although many of these services derive from state statutory mandates, Milwaukee County does not receive state shared revenue proportionate to our expenditures. As an example, one of the defining functions of the Sheriff’s Office is our expressway patrol, which keeps our freeways safe for motorists and apprehends intoxicated and reckless drivers. Over 90 law enforcement officers conduct 24/7 patrols of all controlled-access highways in Milwaukee County, as mandated by the Wisconsin Statutes. Of the approximately $7.9 million budgeted each year for expressway patrol operations, only about $1.9 million comes from the State of Wisconsin. 

Over time, similar imbalances have strained Milwaukee County’s financial resources. In turn, it has proven very difficult to invest proportionate to the need in critical areas within our agency. These areas include compensation for essential law enforcement personnel, upkeep for the facilities in which we work, and funding for the equipment we require to operate a highly accountable 21st-century law enforcement agency. 

The consequences that we experience as a result of these fiscal challenges are significant. For one, Milwaukee County cannot keep pace with the highly competitive salaries offered to deputy sheriffs, correctional officers and other law enforcement professionals in neighboring counties, causing many of our staff to seek opportunities elsewhere after relatively short periods of employment. In turn, our office must expend extensive additional resources on hiring and training new personnel, and on the overtime hours required to fill vacancies in areas of the agency that operate on a 24/7 basis. 

By empowering counties to raise the sales tax by 0.5%, the State would create a viable stream of much-needed aid that would directly enhance public safety here in Milwaukee County. Not only could we invest more resources in retaining highly talented public safety professionals, but we could also invest more appropriately in state-of-the-art equipment to help ensure accountability and responsiveness. And the availability of additional resources for facility upgrades in areas that we patrol – such as the Milwaukee County Parks System – could open the door to new, highly cost-efficient strategies of crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED). 

SR: What kinds of feedback have you heard from your peers about this proposal?  

EL: Our office’s conversations with leaders in county government reflect a clear consensus in favor of advancing this proposal. Within our agency, there is great enthusiasm for anything that can be done to address the challenges we have experienced, as a county, with long-term fiscal resiliency. 

SR: The work group found consensus even though a wide range of voices from across the political spectrum were represented. In a time of such political discord, why do you think a bipartisan group was able to come together on a solution on this? 

EL: Directly or indirectly, any step taken to improve Milwaukee County’s fiscal health will improve the lives of every stakeholder who accesses County resources, including residents, civic organizations, and private enterprises. Similarly, every Milwaukee County resident benefits from appropriate investment in public safety, public health, and essential social services. As a means of bringing about that appropriate level of investment, the sales tax proposal has united stakeholders from across the professional and ideological spectrums.  

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

EL: The COVID-19 pandemic has created significant operational, logistical, and, inevitably, financial challenges for any organization engaged in direct service. The upgrades required to protect employees while maintaining operational efficiency, especially in a law enforcement agency, come with a significant financial cost. Although federal aid has proven invaluable in defraying these unanticipated expenses, an additional source of funding will assist in maximizing our ability at the County and at the Sheriff’s Office to take all necessary measures in response to the pandemic. The pandemic, and its economic toll, have only magnified the need for this proposal. 

------------------------------------------------

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