The Milwaukee County Board did not have the two-thirds majority it needed this morning to override County Executive Scott Walker's veto of a proposal to hold a special advisory referendum that would have asked county residents if they would be in favor of a 1 percent sales tax increase.
Proponents of the referendum had said the tax increase would have enabled the county to provide property tax relief and would have increased funding for parks, mass transit and public safety.
The board voted 10-9 to override Walker's veto, but that fell short of the two-thirds majority needed.
In a joint statement prior to the vote, Milwaukee County Board Chairman Lee Holloway and Supervisor John Weishan Jr. said, "Plain and simple, the voters should be heard. Whether you are for or against raising the sales tax to provide funding for property tax relief, parks, transit and public safety, you should be in favor of an advisory referendum on the issue … To be clear, the Board is NOT considering an increase in the sales tax at this time. In reality, we're looking at whether to let the voters decide the issue. While the County Executive has clearly expressed his opposition to enacting a sales tax increase, he is actually partaking in a debate that should occur through the referendum - a debate he wants to forbid through his veto."
In response to the board's vote, Walker issued the following statement later this morning: "If supervisors are serious about a $120 million sales tax increase, they should run on it during the next elections. April 1 can be the ultimate referendum on a sales tax. My guess is that they know that voters don't want higher taxes because they don't believe that the funds would go to the areas promised. The public understands that the members of the county board passed a .5 percent sales tax in 1991 with the promise of property tax relief. Instead, property taxes went up 55 percent during the following 10 years. People aren't dumb. They get it. Fighting over an advisory referendum that has no legal mandate on county or state government detracts from the real debate that must occur on how to find new and innovative ways to provide core county services."
County board fails to override Walker's veto
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