The News Just Keeps Getting Better…

Now I know there are some folks in Milwaukee County who think County Executive Scott Walker’s the best thing since sliced bread, but I just don’t get it. A big part of Scott Walker’s campaigns has been his constant talk about fiscal responsibility in our county government, which is why I’m so floored by reports in the MJS that multiple county departments are reporting probable year-end budget deficits, to the tune of 4.2 million dollars. Now of course Scott Walker’s first response is to call for county departments to tighten their collective belts, which leaves me to wonder what Scott Walker was doing while these multiple county departments were building budget deficits.

For someone who’s touted his record of fiscal responsibility, it seems more than a bit curious that Scott Walker’s had so much trouble balancing the county’s books year after year. After all, this isn’t the first year that there’s been a budget deficit, and while I’m sure lots of folks in Milwaukee County appreciate the fact that Scott Walker’s trying really hard not to raise taxes, I’m sure a lot of folks aren’t happy that he keeps cutting county services in order to balance the books. Here’s what Walker had to say about the budget shortfall:

Walker said all county departments should immediately halt any non-essential spending, including travel and to hold off hiring whenever possible. He also asked other elected officials to take action to save money.

He blamed the worsening budget picture on unexpected increases in juvenile corrections placements, needed hiring of additional staff at the county’s mental health complex and a decline in revenue from real estate fees.

It’s typical of Scott Walker to point fingers at everyone but himself, because apparently the buck doesn’t stop with County Executive Scott Walker when it comes to balancing the county’s budget. I just hope folks in Milwaukee County will wake up and choose someone else to serve as County Executive, because we deserve better than what we’ve gotten from Scott Walker.

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2 thoughts on “The News Just Keeps Getting Better…

  1. “Walker said all county departments should immediately halt any non-essential spending, including travel and to hold off hiring whenever possible. He also asked other elected officials to take action to save money.”

    “He blamed the worsening budget picture on unexpected increases in juvenile corrections placements, needed hiring of additional staff at the county’s mental health complex and a decline in revenue from real estate fees.”

    Zach…do you know if Walker ever hired more staff at the MHC in 2007?

    1. That’s a good question, and I don’t have the answer. I believe he hired some staff, but not enough to fully deal with all the issues they’ve had there.

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