Milwaukee Post
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/899473
DID YOU KNOW? • At YouTube Headquarters, employees can take the elevator, stairs or slide. • An Australian study in 2011 found that homework is of little to no academic value to students in elementary and junior high schools. – Source: sotruefacts.com MARK BELLING Walker's biggest asset? The Democrats Page 8 An improving future vs. a failed past COMING TO A THEATER NEAR YOU: 11 PLAYS OF CHRISTMAS – PAGE 17 CHRIS ABELE County exec: Why I couldn't sign the 2018 budget Page 9 Leaving it unsigned avoids fight with County Board MILWAUKEE COUNTY'S WEEKLY NEWSPAPER NOVEMBER 10, 2017 Local news at your fingertips Visit www.gmtoday.com Like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/MilwaukeePost By DAVE FIDLIN Special to the Post MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors this week approved a 2018 spending plan that does not increase the $30 wheel tax and results in across-the-board cuts to a range of services and programs. The board wrangled over various compo- nents of the budget Monday during a nearly six-hour meeting, including an hour for lunch. After combing through many amendments, the board, on a 15-3 vote, adopted a $1.15 billion budget mid-afternoon that includes a 0.6 per- cent increase in the property tax levy. Supervisors voting against the budget in its final form were Deanna Alexander, Dan Sebring and John Weishan Jr. The action comes at a time when relations between the board and County Executive Chris Abele have grown increasingly strained. Immediately after the board voted on the budget, Abele indicated he would not veto any component of next year's spending plan and would carry the directives out. He said he would not sign the document as a protest. "Several people have asked why I didn't just veto the budget," Abele said in a statement. "Primarily, I chose not to ... because I do not wish to fight with the County Board." In his draft submittal of the budget in late September, Abele presented a spending plan that was $16 million higher than the one the board adopted this week. To accomplish the goals set forth in his pro- posal, Abele had called for doubling the wheel tax — from $30 to $60 — but supervisors roundly rejected the proposal, cit- ing the 72 percent vote against the wheel tax increase in this spring's countywide advisory ref- erendum question. Throughout the lengthy deliberations on Monday, supervisors made last-minute pitches to tweak specific departmen- tal budgets. Weishan made multiple unsuccessful attempts at trimming funding toward transit service and instead transferring some of those dollars to other areas of the county budget. See COUNTY on Page 3 Across-the-board cuts to services expected Zimmermann's Service 360 E. Howard Ave. 414-744-9868 With coupon. Expires 11/24/17. BRAKES most cars $ 89 95 per axle. November 18 & 19, 2017 Show Hours: Sat. 9am-5pm Sun. 9am-4pm Admission: $2.00 Old Fashion Flea Market Shop Huge Variety of Quality Antique & Collectibles, Hand Crafted, DVDs, Video Games, Toys, Coins, Amish Furniture and Much More! VENDOR INFO: (414) 481-5859 258047026 Next Show Dec. 16 & 17 wirummageorama County's wheel tax to stay the same at the expense of budget cuts Weishan