It’s amazing that the State can come up with $20+ million to fund an upgraded freeway interchange that benefits a private shopping mall and it’s investors in one of the wealthiest counties in Wisconsin, yet funding for thousands of low-income seniors, disabled folks who require special public transit needs, or money to repair our ageing existing infrastructure across the state can’t be found.
Priorities.
I live in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Milwaukee, WI with my wife Jen, our daughter Emerson, and sons Carter and Colton.
I'm the President of The Park People of Milwaukee County, President-elect of the Washington Heights Neighborhood Association, an elected official of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, a union leader, community organizer and transit advocate who is working to make Milwaukee great again. I've been writing this weblog for nearly ten years ... read more...
So, Milwaukee should just get ALL of our tax money? I mean, ALL Wisconsin residents should get a slice of the pie regardless of socio-economic stature, right – even if they are wealthy? Or just those residents that you seem to pity?
Didn’t Milwaukee just fix some of it’s existing infrastructure? Or does that not count?
Dang wealthy people. How dare they get something from the state.
You’re comparing an interchange built for a shopping mall to an interchange that provides the primary truck and tourism routes to northern, central and eastern Wisconsin? Let’s distinguish very quickly the two projects and their impact on Wisconsin.
Nearly 60% all goods shipped by highway in Wisconsin use the Milwaukee freeway system., specifically, the Marquette interchange. It carries more than 300,000 vehicles each weekday, and more than 60% of Wisconsin residents live in the eastern counties and rely on the Marquette to travel south and east.
Comparing off ramps for a private shopping mall to the states largest interstate interchange is hardly apt.
As usual, you’re missing the point. This slice of the pie isn’t going to any Wisconsin residents, it’s going to the private developers of the mall at Pabst Farms.
The beneficiaries of this proposal, Oconomowoc and the private developers who are building this shopping mall, should be the ones footing the bill for the capacity needed to build it. Otherwise I have to assume you’re for your tax dollars footing the cost of what used to be private development expenditures all across the state, and if that’s the case, I’m surprised. If it’s not, then I’m curious why you’re defending this one?
I think the funding of the off ramps seems like a good idea. It seems that there is a pretty big up-side for taxpayers in this development, and a government fund that has monies put aside for the purpose. You mention the “Thousands” of low income or low income and disabled seniors who need money for transportation. Why not present some specific facts? Who are they? Where are they? What has been done for them in the past? I know you wouldn’t just make them up, but without any facts…how can we decide? And, If it is decided that money should be spent in one way, why does that seem to imply that every other desire must also have been met? What I mean is, since everyone thinks one project or another is wasteful, would the solution be to spend no money? No. We must make individual determinations of merit. And finally, what responsibility do we have to do more for disabled people in need of transport than we already do? Isn’t food shelter fuel and clothing enough?
You’re right, it is amazing that the state is actually taking 20 million of my tax dollars and putting it towards something that is going to have a return on investment. This 20 million is set aside, with other funds, exactly for this type of development, and honestly there should be more money earmarked for projects like this. As for funding for low income seniors and disabled folks, there is a lot more money being spent on those programs (statewide) than 20 million dollars, so I think we can afford to spend the money on something that will create jobs and bolster new development.
So whenever there’s a private development firm that doesn’t want to foot the bill for capital improvements that make their investment profitable, we should all pay for it? You’re a conservative, right??
The return on investment I was speaking to was directed at the municipalities. The cities, counties, and state governments increase their tax base a heck of a lot more with private commercial development (like we have here), than any other development (especially residential). Not only will this mall pay taxes, so will all of the other shops, restaurants, and commercial building that will be built around it. Do I think that every private development should be propped up by our tax dollars? No, that’s short sighted, but there certainly are times and places where it is in the best interest of the tax payer to help with capital improvements, and I think this is a proper use of tax dollars.
Actually I believe Pabst “Farms” will be built with a TIF (how you can do that for a greenfield still is odd to me) so they won’t be adding to the tax base for something like 20 years! And creating jobs? Yea great new minimum wage jobs!