It looks to be another big week for the shared revenue and education spending "tentative deal" Gov. Tony Evers (D) and Republican legislative leaders announced late last week.
Under the agreement, Milwaukee, Milwaukee County and other communities would get big increases in state shared revenue, and the city and county would have an easier time creating and raising local sales taxes to stave off major fiscal problems by 2025.
Also, public and taxpayer-funded voucher schools would get a lot more money under the plan.
In perhaps his first spoken public comments on the plan, Evers touted it Saturday night at the State Democratic Convention.
"After asking our communities to do more with less, just this week, I announced a tentative deal with Republican leaders that will make historic, transformative investments in our communities of every size across the state. And that's not all. I also secured a historic increase of more than $1 billion —that's with a b —for K-12 public schools," Evers said to cheers.
But Evers' deal with Republicans also requires the Milwaukee area to give up some local powers. Milwaukee U.S. Representative Gwen Moore phrased it this way in her convention speech:
"Right now, the city of Milwaukee, Milwaukee County, from where I hail, they are under threat of going under — unless we pass critical legislation. But the critical legislation has come with those racist tropes," Moore said.
Moore also praised some of the Evers' other accomplishments in her remarks. But she said conservatives are demanding the city and county drop diversity and inclusion efforts.
A press release Friday night from seven Black Milwaukee alderpersons went into greater detail, saying the city would be prohibited from using the revenue to fund positions to promote diversity, equity and inclusion, as well as being prohibited from using race as a factor when issuing contracts.
Fire and police policy-making power would move from an independent commission to the respective chiefs.
And, say the alders, the city may not use the new money on what one Assembly leader believes is "frivolous things such as street cars."
Monday afternoon in Madison, a State Senate committee is expected to hold a public hearing on the shared revenue issue. Liberal groups plan a State Capitol news conference to condemn various parts of the tentative deal, including requiring police officers in 25 Milwaukee Public Schools and the lack of a referendum on sales tax increases.
But already Tuesday, the legislature's Joint Finance Committee may take action on the shared revenue and school spending proposals.
And at least one house of the legislature could act on the legislation on Wednesday.
State Democratic Convention audio provided by Wisconsin Eye.
