Republican lawmakers failed to achieve substantial support to vote on a bill Wednesday that would slash the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors’ budget and limit the leader’s authority.
During a state Assembly session, Democratic representatives pushed a vote on the contentious legislation to May, according to the proposal’s author Rep. Joe Sanfelippo, R-West Allis.
In the 57-39 decision, GOP representatives needed seven more votes to achieve the two-thirds quorum permitting legislators to vote on the bill during its second hearing.
Sanfelippo’s bill would reduce the County Board’s budget by two-thirds, reduce the board chair’s term from four years to two and, if voters choose in a possible referendum vote next April, split each supervisor’s salary in half. Aside from the potential financial hit, the proposal would also limit the Milwaukee County Board’s authority.
The board would no longer be able to control or manage Milwaukee County departments, sign county contracts or collectively bargain with county employees if the legislation passes next month.
Sanfelippo said in a press conference before the Assembly session these reforms have been considered for more than a decade because Milwaukee County is the “exception, not the norm” in operating in a way that conflicts with state stature.
“We see a pattern here where the board sees itself as above the law,” he said. “Time and time again, they just don’t care. When this board wants something, they take it, whether it’s legal or not.”
He added taxpayers will benefit from the legislation because Milwaukee County currently receives $51 million in state shared revenue, which is more than the next 14 counties combined.
Most importantly, Sanfelippo said the law will give citizens a say on their level of representation through referendum by allowing them to vote to reduce pay rate of supervisors to $24,000 a year with no insurance or benefits.
However, Democrats argue the bill debilitates the power of local government and the amount of the legislation Milwaukee residents can vote on is insignificant.
Rep. Christine Sinicki, D-Milwaukee, said the bill is not up to referendum when only a fraction of the bill’s language mentions this.
“When I read the bill, I realized just one small piece is going to referendum,” Sinicki said. “You’re selling this as a referendum and it’s not a referendum. This is one small piece of a referendum.”
Another Assembly member cited the legislature adds 458 lines to the state statute, but the one section that will be voted on is only 21 lines, or approximately 5 percent of the bill.
Rep. Fred Kessler, D-Milwaukee, said it is unfair and discriminatory to hold the vote in April, which in 2011 had less than half the voter turnout of last November’s general election, according to Government Accountability Board statistics.
“This is hypocrisy,” Kessler said. “This is an attempt to steal the election. This is a flagrant violation of the Voter Rights Act. This is an attempt to make sure African Americans don’t get the right to vote.”
He added polls show African Americans are “clearly” one of the groups that strongly oppose the bill.
Rep. Sandy Pasch, D-Shorewood, said the bill represents an attempt by Sanfelippo and other Assembly Republicans to distort potential voting next April.
“If there’s any way to skew elections, this is it,” she said.
