The majority of Milwaukee County residents have a favorable view of the services provided by the Milwaukee County government, but many also believe the government should be restructured, according to a new public opinion survey conducted for the Wisconsin Public Policy Forum.

Meanwhile, two-thirds of the respondents in the new survey are in favor of creating a regional transit authority.

An executive summary for the report, issued today, stated, "'Milwaukee County ain't broke, but it does need fixing,' concluded a 1996 report by Milwaukee County's Commission for the 21st Century. Twelve years later, in a comprehensive survey of

residents' views on county government, the citizens of Milwaukee County are saying essentially the same thing."

The new survey marks the first comprehensive measure of public opinion on county government since the eruption of the pension scandal in 2002.

The survey also comes on the heels of business executive Sheldon Lubar's call for the elimination of the county government.

According to the survey, African-American residents, as well as low-income respondents, are less positive about the county, and a higher proportion of them support county government restructuring.

Key findings from the survey included:

• Perceptions about Milwaukee County in general - Most respondents say the county is a
  
  good or excellent place to live, a good place to raise a family, and a place with good
  
  government and good elected leadership.


• Views on county services - A solid majority say county government provides good service overall. In regard to specific services, highest-rated were the zoo, airport, expressway patrol and parks, while the lowest rated were mental health, food stamp/Medicaid eligibility and long-term care for the elderly and disabled.


• Minor vs. major change - One third of respondents say county government needs major
  
  restructuring and another half support minor restructuring; less than a fifth say it is fine the way it is.


• Changes in governance of county programs – Despite general satisfaction with county
  
  government and general opposition to the notion of eliminating it entirely, roughly half of
  
  respondents are open to various options for governance change, such as a regional parks
  
  authority, a state takeover of social services and creation of a governor-appointed fiscal
  
  oversight board. Meanwhile, close to two-thirds support a regional transit authority.


• Layers of government – More than half of respondents feel there are too many layers of
  
  local government and slightly less than half say their ability to access government would
  
  suffer if some of those layers were eliminated. Close to three quarters say it doesn't matter which level of government is providing critical services such as fire, police and social services, as long as those services are provided efficiently.

The Milwaukee-based Public Policy Forum, established in 1913 as a local government watchdog, is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to enhancing the effectiveness of government and the development of southeastern Wisconsin through objective research of regional public policy issues. Funding for the survey was provided by the Argosy Foundation.