Wisconsin legislators opened their mailboxes Wednesday to find a letter signed by elected officials from across the state urging them to oppose the controversial Taxpayer Protection Amendment.

The letter, signed by 60 mayors and alders, asks lawmakers to reject TPA, a proposed constitutional amendment that aims to cut taxes and limit government spending.

"I applaud these elected officials for standing up and taking the lead to say this is wrong," said Andy Gussert, president of the American Federation of Teachers-Wisconsin, the professional union that collected the signatures for the letter.

While some TPA opponents point to the letter as an overwhelming indication of the public's dissent over the proposed amendment, the resolution's backers believe support is as strong as ever.

"Obviously, I'll consider anything that anyone sends me," TPA Assembly author Rep. Jeff Wood, R-Chippewa Falls. "But I can tell you, I have heard from a lot more taxpayers than government employees, and it's almost unanimous that people want some oversight over the government."

According to Wood, under the proposal, taxes cannot be increased unless approved by citizens in a public referendum, allowing people to take control over their own income.

But officials who sent the letter argued while they are equally concerned with high property taxes, TPA will pose problems for city government.

Restraining revenue, as the resolution requires, would force city officials to choose between raising local taxes through referenda and cutting vital public services, according to Marinette Mayor Doug Oitzinger.

Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz also opposes the proposed amendment and was among the 13 mayors who signed the letter to state lawmakers.

"Basically, we're seeing a bunch of state legislators that are running huge deficits … trying to tell local governments how to spend their money instead of taking care of their own problems," Cieslewicz spokesperson George Twigg said.

While government-spending limits have been traditionally known to polarize the political parties, Oitzinger and Cieslewicz are among a long list of senders who represent both sides of the aisle.

"It's interesting that these names come from many conservative Republican districts that the [legislative] leadership represents," Gussert said.

But TPA sponsors maintain their actions are in the best interest of Wisconsin citizens, who have voiced strong support for a constitutional amendment limiting government spending.

According to Christine Mangi — spokesperson for TPA sponsor Assembly Speaker John Gard, R-Peshtigo — the speaker has received a broad base of support both from his district and from across the state. Gard is of the same district that amendment opponent Oitzinger represents.

"If you take a look at some of the polling that's been done, a majority of the people support measures that control government spending," Mangi said.

However, Oitzinger argued the dispute is not over lowering taxes but rather the way in which Republican leadership is going about it — an action he called "reckless" and "radical."

"I don't think there's any disagreement from local officials that we need to do everything we can to control taxes," he said. "But that's not the issue. The issue is that … you're changing the Constitution of the state of Wisconsin."

TPA, Oitzinger added, is not a genuine attempt by lawmakers to work with local elected officials to reform government spending, calling the resolution a "partisan game."

Gussert agreed, pointing to the Legislature's ample opportunity to lower taxes without imposing a permanent amendment.

"The Assembly Republicans have been in control of the Legislature since 1992 … They should vote to keep down spending," he said. "They don't need to put that in a constitutional amendment that locks in a bad idea."

But Wood said a majority of TPA's opponents are government officials who do not properly represent the interests of Wisconsin taxpayers.

"We've heard from some people that just don't want the people to have that final oversight over the government, and not surprisingly most of those people work in or for the government," he said.

Currently, TPA is awaiting review in the Assembly Ways and Means Committee, which is chaired by Wood.