The stagnation in Wisconsin’s shared revenue program is so significant because the state has historically not given local governments access to the same mix of revenue sources enjoyed by their peers.
The fight has always been about how to share shared revenue. Back in the halcyon days of Tommy Thompson, the state had an extra billion dollars to distribute. It missed the opportunity to be truly charitable. But the need to move away from the property tax to fund almost everything consumed legalese then, as now. The way the dilemma was resolved was far from ideal -- but this isn’t utopia, its Wisconsin.
The fight has always been about how to share shared revenue. Back in the halcyon days of Tommy Thompson, the state had an extra billion dollars to distribute. It missed the opportunity to be truly charitable. But the need to move away from the property tax to fund almost everything consumed legalese then, as now. The way the dilemma was resolved was far from ideal -- but this isn’t utopia, its Wisconsin.