Wisconsin Policy Forum

There have been lots of arguments made both for and against medical marijuana. But there are flaws in claims made on both sides. That's what researchers at the Wisconsin Policy Forum found with their latest report.

It’s that time of year again when lawmakers are deliberating budget proposals from the city of Milwaukee and Milwaukee County. This year the county caught some fortuitous breaks whereas the city is struggling to cover soaring pension costs. But both are calling for raising the sales tax as a tenable way forward. 

Since it was first envisioned, there has been controversy over The Hop streetcar in Milwaukee. One of the central concerns has been about its funding: Namely, who’s paying for this and could the money be spent on a more worthy cause?

The Wisconsin Policy Forum is not picking sides in this debate. Rather, their recent report on The Hop’s funding structure is meant to clarify where its funding comes from and how that compares to similar projects in other cities.

Local governments are incredibly important to our communities. They are largely responsible for allocating money to schools, roads, and first responder services, like police and firefighters. But too many local governments can be problematic. It can mean overlapping responsibilities and potentially, a waste of taxpayer dollars.

Accessing government data can be extremely difficult. It's not only challenging to find the right reports, but parsing through data and trying to make sense of it can be an incredibly daunting task. 

From roads and bridges to aging buildings and buses, the Milwaukee area is facing a lot of infrastructure needs. When taken in its totality, the dollar amount required for those needs is enormous and far beyond the area’s financial capabilities.

Municipalities in Wisconsin are very limited in the kinds of taxes they can levy. Every kind of tax is highly regulated by the state. That includes the room tax, which is placed on hotel rooms and other overnight stays in Wisconsin. The tax has become increasingly popular in communities throughout the state. 

Wisconsin's population is aging and the demands on the area's senior centers are increasing, as well. That is presenting a challenge for many areas of the state, particularly Milwaukee County, because just as the population is aging, so are the senior center facilities. 

Gov. Tony Evers' two-year state budget proposal was released late in February. As expected, the proposal includes many of the things the governor campaigned on: increased funding for education, tax cuts for middle and low-income earners, as well as more funds for road repairs. There have been many objections from the Republican-led Legislature, and it remains unclear how much of Evers' budget will be passed.

Over the past 10 years, milk prices have been declining. Amid production increases and waning demand, Wisconsin’s dairy farmers are finding themselves in an increasingly difficult predicament.

Gov. Tony Evers will make his first budget address on Thursday. As he outlines his spending priorities for the coming two years, officials from municipalities around Wisconsin will be listening with a keen ear as they set out to create their own spending plans. But many of these budgets will rely on property tax revenue to fund their services, rather than state aid.

The Wisconsin Policy Forum examined just how dependent they are on property taxes, versus other sources of revenue, and how Wisconsin compares with other places.

Gov. Tony Evers wants to increase state special education funding by $600 million. The dramatic proposal follows a decade of flat state funding, despite rising costs to serve students with disabilities.

Right now, the main state support for special education only covers about a quarter of school districts’ costs. It’s up to local districts to make up the difference.

Earlier in January, the city of Wauwatosa was featured in a New York Times article. But instead of the flyover country narratives we're used to hearing in Wisconsin, the piece focused on a new tax avoidance tactic that has some municipalities worried.

Voters in Wisconsin made their wishes known about priorities for the state in the coming years. They elected a new governor in Democrat Tony Evers, while the legislature remains in the hands of the Republican Party. But actually accomplishing the will of the electorate may be challenging when it comes to supporting publicly funded programs. 

Over the past three decades, Wisconsin’s state prison population has increased by more than 200 percent, and it’s expected to keep growing. According to a brief by the Wisconsin Policy Forum, that growing number will also lead to a growing budget.

The Department of Corrections is asking for an additional $149.4 million in its 2019-2021 budget. David Callender from the Policy Forum says, the increase will directly impact Wisconsin taxpayers.