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New Ordinance Aims To Increase Racial Diversity In Milwaukee County Functions

Screenshot of Milwaukee County Daily Update on Covid-19 Zoom meeting.
Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele signing the ordinance.

Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele signed one last ordinanceinto law Wednesday before leaving office at the end of the week. The measure reaffirms the county’s commitment to racial equity and eliminating health disparities.

This comes a year after the county declared racism a public health crisis.

Abele says the ordinance will impact a variety of decisions the county makes. According to a press release, the county will initially focus on:

Building a more diverse and inclusive workforce in which employees reflect the diversity of the community at all levels and where differences are welcomed and valued. Ensuring a diverse array of Milwaukee County employees at all levels are involved in designing equitable programs and services that meet the needs of the community. Designing Milwaukee County services to meet residents’ needs, rather than asking residents to fit their needs into existing Milwaukee County services. Tracking and analyzing data to better understand the impact of County services and find solutions accordingly. Generating new sources of revenue and implement additional efficiencies to address the structural deficit and make needed investments that advance racial equity.

Abele vows that the plan will result in more racial diversity sprinkled into county functions, including, he says, “how we make budgeting decisions, what firms we contract with, what appointments we make."

Abele decided not to seek reelection this spring. His successor is state Rep. David Crowley, who will be sworn-in on Monday as the county’s first African American county executive.

>>A Historic Win: David Crowley Is Milwaukee's First Black County Executive

Crowley says he applauds the budgeting apparatus that’s built into the ordinance.

“We’re going to use a tool — the racial equity budgeting tool, which is structured to look at everything through a racial equity lens — for departments to use to critically assess the impacts of budget decisions on communities of color,” he says.

Crowley says the budgeting tool will use racial equity as the key guiding principle for important decisions regarding investments. He says he hopes the ordinance will put an end to what he calls the institutional problem of racism that exists throughout all levels of government. 

Marti was a reporter with WUWM from 1999 to 2021.