Title
Resolution requesting the Wisconsin State Legislature to fully fund calculated Payments for Municipal Services as outlined in State Statute 70.119.
Body
WHEREAS, State Statute 70.119 stipulates the Department of Administration shall make certain payments for municipal services; and
WHEREAS, the purpose of payments for municipal services is to pay municipalities for municipal services provided to state facilities located in the municipalities; and
WHEREAS, the state negotiates the payment amount with each municipality based on the state’s calculation of the value of state property located in the municipality; and
WHEREAS, if the appropriation for making the payments for municipal services is insufficient to pay the full amount of all the negotiated payments in any one year, the state prorates the payments among the municipalities; and
WHEREAS, the state has not funded municipal payments in full since 1981, and the municipal services payments to municipalities has continually decreased from 2008, when 81.10% of the calculated payment was actually paid , to 2016, when only 37.95% of the calculated payment was made; and
WHEREAS, State Fair Park is located within the City of West Allis and hosts the Wisconsin State Fair, Harvest Fest, the World Beef Expo and various trade and other shows nearly weekly throughout the year; and
WHEREAS, State Fair Park utilizes West Allis police, fire, health and other services; and
WHEREAS, the Department of Administration’s prorated municipal services payment amount for the City of West Allis in the Year 2016 was $188,492.15, which is only 37.95% of the Department’s calculated payment for municipal services of $496,736.78, the value of the services provided; and
WHEREAS, fully funding payments for municipal services would remove the financial burden placed on local taxpayers, in the amount of $308,244.63 in 2016, for local resources utilized by the State; and
WHEREAS, during the 2015-2016 legislative session there were two mirrored bills, AB350 and SB273, that proposed to gradually move the municipal services payments back to 100% of the calculated payments for municipalities over a period of four years. The bills received bipartisan sponsorship from representatives and senators from across the state and passed their respective committees with unanimous support, but were not voted on by the Legislature before the end of the legislative session.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Common Council of the City of West Allis that the State Legislature is hereby requested to fully fund payments for municipal services as outlined in State Statute 70.119, thereby reducing the undue burden placed on West Allis citizens to fund these services.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this resolution shall be provided to the City’s two State Senators, three State Representatives, Governor Walker, the Co-Chairs of the State Joint Finance Committee, and the Wisconsin League of Municipalities.
ADM/ORDRES/ADVR2017.03.032117