MADISON ? Gov. Tony Evers, together with Wisconsin Department of Revenue (DOR) Secretary Peter Barca,?yesterday?visited Racine, Eau Claire, and Wausau to highlight the historic investment in shared revenue included in the governor?s 2023-25 biennial budget. As Gov. Evers announced last week during his 2023-25 Biennial Budget Message, his budget proposal will send 20 percent of the state?s sales tax revenue back to local communities for shared revenue to fund essential local services and promote public safety. The governor?s budget announcements come as communities across Wisconsin continue to struggle to address local needs due to years of state disinvestment under previous leadership. The governor?s budget also proposes investing in recruitment and retention efforts for assistant district attorneys and assistant state public defenders, and continuing efforts to bolster Wisconsin?s emergency medical services (EMS) system.??

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In his 2023-25 Biennial Budget Message, Gov. Evers unveiled his plans to increase the state?s investments in local communities across Wisconsin: ? ?

?Our local partners have always played a critical role in our work to build an economy and workforce for the future. But let?s be frank: work at the local level over the last decade hasn?t been helped by the fact our local partners have been asked to do more with less. Whether it?s expanding affordable housing, repairing streets, ensuring clean parks and water, safety services like EMS, police, and fire, or supporting local libraries and public health, so much of the hard work in this state happens at the local level. And it?s time for the state to do its part.

?Last month, I pledged my support for a budget provision to send 20 percent of the state?s sales tax revenue back to our local communities for shared revenue. And I?m excited to share that our budget includes that proposal, providing more than half a billion dollars more per year in new resources to invest in key priorities like public safety. We have to get this done, folks.

?And we?re not just going to fund our local governments?we?re also going to invest in key programs at the state level to help local partners do important work in our communities. ?We?re going to make an unprecedented investment into supporting every level of our state?s justice workforce.

?Without providing new resources to recruit, retain, and compensate qualified and experienced professionals who are essential to ensuring our justice system functions well, our state?and our partners at the local level?will continue to face a constitutional crisis. We?re going to tackle this issue head-on in this budget. We?re investing nearly $36 million into bolstering our justice workforce, including assistant district attorneys and public defenders, among other key positions.

?Investments in our budget like these are critical. The state has to start being a partner in?not an obstacle to?our local communities? success. The way we?ve been funding our local governments isn?t sustainable. We need to change that. ?? ?

As part of statewide tour following the governor?s 2023-25 Biennial Budget Message, Gov. Evers and DOR Secretary Barca?visited Racine, Eau Claire, and Wausau in order to meet with local officials and local police, fire, and EMS providers to discuss the dire need for significant increases in shared revenue. During each of the visits, the governor and secretary?had a chance to hear from local partners about the challenges they are facing and how the governor?s shared revenue proposal would help address them?from public safety staffing shortages to ensuring clean water to supporting local public health departments. The governor and secretary were joined by Mayor Cory Mason, Chief of Police?Maurice Robinson, and State Rep. Tip McGuire (D-Kenosha) in Racine; City Council President Terry Weld, City Manager Stephanie Hirsch, Fire Chief Christian Bell, State Sen. Jeff Smith (D-Brunswick), and State Rep. Jodi Emerson (D-Eau Claire) in Eau Claire; and Mayor Katie Rosenberg, Deputy Fire Chief Jeremy Kopp, and Chief of Police Benjamin Bliven?in Wausau.?A photo of their visit to Racine is?available here, photos of their?visit to Eau Claire are available here, here, here, and here, and a photo of their?visit to Wausau?is available here. ??

According to data from the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau (LFB), since 2011, state aid to communities has been cut by more than nine percent, while public safety costs have increased by more than 16 percent. As a result, over the last decade, local communities have been asked to do more with less and have been forced to make difficult decisions to cut critical services, including public safety. Gov. Evers has been clear for four years now that the state must do its part to ensure communities have the resources they need to meet basic and unique needs alike. ? ?

Gov. Evers? shared revenue proposal would mean more than half a billion dollars more per year in new resources for local communities to invest in key priorities like local health and human services, transportation, EMS, fire, and law enforcement services, and other challenges facing Wisconsin communities, such as PFAS and district attorney recruitment and retention?the largest increase in aid to municipalities and counties in decades. This commitment will ensure communities see growth in shared revenue in the future after years of state investment not keeping up with communities? needs.? ?

The governor?s budget provisions build on his previous efforts to increase shared revenue for local governments. In both of Gov. Evers? previous biennial budgets, he proposed increasing shared revenue payments by two percent annually. Unfortunately, legislative Republicans repeatedly rejected these efforts and, in fact, passed legislation that would have further reduced shared revenue payments to counties and municipalities, which the governor vetoed. In his 2021-23 biennial budget proposal, Gov. Evers also proposed allowing municipalities with populations over 30,000 to impose a 0.5 percent sales tax to diversify local revenue sources and better empower local governments to fund public safety. This was also rejected by Republicans in the Legislature. Gov. Evers is committed to ensuring the state fulfills its obligation to fund local communities?the state, economy, and workforce depend on these investments.? ?

In addition to supporting increased shared revenue for local communities, Gov. Evers has directly invested more than $100 million in violence prevention and community safety statewide, including directing $14 million in funding to Milwaukee County to expand their courthouse operations and reduce the backlog of cases in their criminal division by increasing the number of criminal cases that can be heard by supporting staffing for the Milwaukee County District Attorney?s Office, the State Public Defender, the Milwaukee Clerk of Courts, and the Milwaukee County Sheriff?s Office. The governor has also allocated $5.5 million for the State Public Defender and $5.7 million to district attorney offices to ensure they have the staffing resources they need. These investments come as communities across the state have struggled to recruit and retain employees, including in Wisconsin?s justice system, which has grappled with low pay and high vacancies in recent years. The State Bar of Wisconsin recently noted that the state is approaching a constitutional crisis because of low compensation for state prosecutors and assistant public defenders.? ?

Finally, delivering on the promise he made during his 2022 State of the State address, since February 2022, Gov. Evers has invested more than $69 million to support and stabilize Wisconsin?s EMS systems and providers. Earlier this month, the Wisconsin Office of Rural Health reported that approximately 41 percent of Emergency Medical Service providers in the state are staffed by six or fewer people, with 21 percent being run by just two or three staff members. Additionally, according to a recent survey by the Wisconsin State Fire Chief?s Association, 10 communities reported one 911 call that was never responded to because there was no staffed ambulance to send. Between rising costs and a lack of available staffing, some communities have had to go without ambulance services, left with no other option but to hope and rely upon neighboring providers. To help address these challenges, Gov. Evers had directed funding to EMS providers across the state, especially in rural communities, for whatever they need most to continue serving their communities, including staffing support, training for first responders, or purchasing new supplies, medical equipment, and vehicles. As part of the governor?s overall investment in EMS, he directed $8 million in one-time supplemental funding for the Funding Assistance Program (FAP), as well as $32 million through the EMS Flex Grant Program to help fill the gap for those providers who were otherwise not eligible for FAP funding. Gov. Evers? 2023-25 budget proposal includes $150 million?to continue the EMS Flex Grant Program. ?? ?

A list of the governor?s proposals to improve public safety by increasing shared revenue, investing in additional resources for assistant district attorneys, assistant state public defenders, and state attorneys, and supporting EMS services in communities across the state is available below: ??

Investing in Communities??
Shared Revenue??
As previewed by Gov. Evers earlier this moth, Gov. Evers? 2023-25 biennial budget proposal will reform shared revenue and provide the largest increase in aid to municipalities and counties in decades.???