Governor Signs Budget

Gov. Tony Evers, who has the most powerful line-item veto authority of any governor in the nation, signed the Wisconsin Legislature’s biennial state budget this week after using his veto pen 78 times.

While I don’t agree with some of the line-item vetoes made by the governor, the 2019-21 state budget is still largely the same spending plan that was vetted and approved by the Joint Finance Committee and Legislature. This is a good budget that makes significant strides in transportation, education and care for our elderly and disabled.

I am pleased the governor did not veto the Legislature’s proposal to cut income taxes for the middle class by more than $500 million. Gov. Evers was looking at a similar tax cut, but his plan would have shifted the financial responsibility onto others by eliminating a significant portion of the Manufacturing and Agriculture Tax Credit.

I am also happy the governor kept my proposal in the budget that releases $2 million to Washington Island to help the town pay for more than $4 million in damages that occurred in 2018 when ice shoves critically damaged the only submarine cable that supplies electricity to the island community. I know the residents there will truly appreciate this.

However, I am deeply disappointed in the governor’s decision to cut $15 million from the $90 million the Legislature set aside for local road projects. What’s even more disheartening is the governor’s veto also opens up the possibility for the remaining $75 million to only being spent on transportation and transit projects in Madison and Milwaukee. I've believed from the very beginning that his budget proposals have focused more on those metropolitan areas, largely to the detriment of our more rural communities.

I am also frustrated that the governor chose to eliminate funding in the budget for the replacement of the Green Bay Correctional Institution, which is more than 120 years old and has been labeled the “most dangerous place in Wisconsin.”

A state-commission study has found that the outdated maximum security facility has become too unsafe, crowded and expensive to operate. We have a moral obligation to ensure that humane conditions are maintained, and better yet, a new building would require less staff and energy. Those savings would allow us to pay off the $309 million facility in only six years. It should have been a very easy decision, and it’s discouraging the governor went this route, but we will not stop fighting for a new prison.

Even though I’m unsettled by a number of Gov. Evers’ line-item vetoes, I remain satisfied with the overall budget. After all, it still includes increased funding to fix roads and bridges with the largest new revenue source in a generation, the largest total funding in actual dollars for K-12 education, another two years of the UW System tuition freeze to keep college affordable and notable increases in healthcare services.

As you can plainly see, either side did not get everything they wanted in this budget. There had to be some give-and-take by both parties. In the end, I am glad we were able to reach across the aisle and find some common ground so we could deliver a budget that benefits all Wisconsinites. In the coming weeks, I will focus on specific areas of the budget and how these programs will be affected. 

Sturgeon Bay PRAT

Budget deliberations have come and gone, and unfortunately, my proposal that would authorize Sturgeon Bay to implement a 0.5 percent premier resort area tax within city limits was not included in the state's two-year spending plan.

I told city leaders that if the voters of Sturgeon Bay passed a referendum saying they wanted the tax to be instituted, I would do everything possible to make that happen. The referendum was approved last year by more than 71 percent of the voters.

True to my word, the budget setback doesn't mean I'm giving up. I will be introducing stand-alone legislation this session that grants Sturgeon Bay a waiver to implement the PRAT. A municipality or county may not declare itself to be a "premier resort area" unless at least 40 percent of the equalized value of the taxable property within its municipal boundaries is used by tourism-related retailers. 

Sturgeon Bay does not meet that 40 percent threshold, but the impact tourism is having on our community is too large to ignore. In all of Door County, tourists spent $366.6 million in 2018, the seventh-highest county total in the entire state. 

Sturgeon Bay provides Door County residents and travelers with larger stores and a variety of other opportunities to do business, and as a result, hundreds of thousands of people travel on our local streets each year. The PRAT would be included on specific tourist-type products and services.

The city is seeking the tax to share the costs of street maintenance and reconstruction projects with visitors who use our local transportation system. An eight-member citizens committee that was formed in 2017 determined the city needs to increase street replacement and maintenance spending by approximately $720,000 per year.

The revenue that is generated by the tax would allow for the city to change the target cycle for street resurfacing projects from 55 years to 25 years.

If you would like to check out some media coverage on my PRAT proposal, please click here and here.

CREP Enrollment Reopens

I am pleased to share with you that enrollment has been reopened for the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program, which offers both state and federal incentives to landowners who install conservation practices along waterways.

Enrollment in the program was suspended last October when the federal fiscal year ended without a new farm bill. Congress and the president enacted a new farm bill in December, but it has taken several months for the U.S. Department of Agriculture to get the new provisions in order.

Farmers who have low or wet portions of their fields next to ditches, streams, lakes or wetlands are encouraged to apply for the program. To be considered eligible, the parcel of land must have been in crop production or pasture for at least four years between 2012 and 2017. 

Landowners can enroll under a 15-year contract or a perpetual easement. ​In return for payments, farmers must install practices that make it easier for water to seep into the soil, helping reduce nutrient runoff and flood damage to farmlands. Some of the more common methods include filter strips, riparian buffers and the restoration of wetlands.

With the especially wet spring and summer we've been having, I highly recommend all farmers in our area to consider participating in this valuable program.

For more information, please click here.

Upcoming District Events

What: Sevastopol FFA Alumni Association's Dairy Breakfast
Where: Valmy Thresheree Grounds, 5005 Country View Rd., Sturgeon Bay, WI
When: Sunday, July 7, from 6 to 11:30 a.m. 
Details: "Farm fresh all-you-can eat along with live music by Modern Day Drifters, hayrides by Mayberry Carriages and petting zoo. Sunday, July 7, 2019 from 6am-11:30am rain or shine. Age 7 & up $9. Kids 6 & under FREE."

What: Rio Creek Fly-In
Where: Rio Creek Airport, E4351 CTH K, Rio Creek, WI
When: Saturday, July 6, from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Details: "Join the fun at Rio Creek Airport at the annual Rio Creek Fly-In. The day begins with their Pancake & Porkie Breakfast starting at 7:30AM, followed by lunch at 11:00AM and includes plane rides, polka music, a silent auction, kids activities and more."

What: Ghost Tour
Where: Door County Trolley Station, 8030 Highway 42, Egg Harbor, WI
When: Saturday, July 6, starting at 7 p.m.
Details: "Step aboard the 'Trolley of the Doomed' as we share tales of ghostly sunken ships, haunted lighthouses and mysterious happenings on the darker side of this spirited peninsula. Join our scary, fun, and informative filled tour that is truly one of a kind."