Last week two independent media groups confirmed claims by state lawmakers that Gov. Scott McCallum’s plan to repair the $1.2 billion state budget deficit would hit local governments twice as hard as it hits the state government.
Cities, counties, villages and towns would have to reduce their budgets by 5.8 percent over the next two calendar years if the Legislature approves the plan to phase out $700 million in state aid, according to an analysis report from the Wisconsin State Journal.
Jim Doyle’s gubernatorial campaign has also called for the governor to be more honest about the effects of his state budget deficit proposal.
“From the first day of his proposal, people started questioning the numbers,” Thad Nation, Doyle spokesman, said. “But now an independent analysis confirms what we have thought.”
McCallum has defended the cuts to local governments, including phasing out about $1 billion a year in aid by 2004, since he outlined the budget deficit repair plan. Municipalities use the money to pay for services like police and fire protection.
Nation said there are two main discrepancies in the way McCallum has been promoting his budget deficit proposal.
“The first is that schools will not be spared,” Nation said. “The second is that local governments are being asked to cut two times as much as the state government.”
Under the governor’s plan, city governments would suffer a loss of funding with the eventual elimination of shared revenue. But the plan would also put a cap on property tax increases, which is one way for local governments to make up for the loss of funding.
Doyle’s spokesman said he does not think the governor’s proposal will pass through the Legislature without significant changes, due to the bipartisan belief that state agencies should bear more of the cuts.
“Democrats and Republicans alike believe the state government is not being asked to tighten their belt enough,” Nation said. “The Legislature is [going to be] forced to do the hard work.”
Opponents of the budget proposal have criticized McCallum’s speeches justifying the local government cuts. Doyle’s office released a statement outlining five key statements McCallum has made, which he sees as deceiving.
The governor has said:
— Budget problems are a result of the terrorist attacks on
Sept. 11
— State government is being cut more than local governments
— An increase in local spending is the reason for the state’s deficit
— There will be no cuts in education
— The governor’s office budget is being cut 16 percent
Democrats say the statements are generalizations, and could be misleading.
“However, McCallum only cuts his office’s budget by five percent the first year and leaves the 10-percent cut to the next governor after the election,” Nation said.
McCallum’s press office did not return phone calls Monday. But the governor’s office is making new efforts to save taxpayer dollars.
McCallum has asked Department of Administration (DOA) Secretary George Lightbourn to sell half of the state’s airplanes and to reduce the auto fleet by 10 percent. The planes the state bought last year for $9 million are used for travel by top state officials and sports teams, such as the University of Wisconsin-Madison volleyball team.
“I have said repeatedly that all levels of Wisconsin government must live within their means and be responsible to the people who pay the bills — the taxpayers,” McCallum said. “The state reductions I outline in my Budget Reform Bill were just the beginning. We continue to evaluate all state programs for cost savings, and at this time, owning many of these planes is a luxury, not a necessity.”
The governor has also asked the DOA to eliminate 370 state cars and to take aggressive actions to further reduce the fleet. These cuts will save the state a reported $3.3 million.
State lawmakers will begin reviewing the governor’s budget plan this week in Assembly.
