WAUSAU, WI (WTAQ-WSAU) — With Wausau’s brand-new Fire Station 2 as the backdrop, Governor Tony Evers signed Assembly Bill 245 into law on Tuesday.
“To me, the issue of shared revenue has always been about doing the right thing for Wisconsin. I began working on this when I took office four years ago, and that effort began for me with this simple truth: that for far too long, our local communities have been expected to do more with less,” said Gov. Evers. “Local partners for years have had to make impossible decisions, forced to choose between paying for first responders, addressing PFAS, fixing the roads, and other critical priorities that affect the health, safety, and well-being of folks across our state.
The roughly $1.6 billion in aid to local governments would be paid for by tapping 20% of the state’s 5-cent sales tax. Aid would then grow along with sales tax revenue.
Click here to see a full breakdown of additional funding communities will receive.
Among the leaders that were on hand for the bill signing included Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson, Stevens Point Mayor Mike Wiza, Wausau Mayor Katie Rosenberg, and Marathon County Board Chairman Kurt Gibbs. City leaders from both the Wausau and Stevens Point areas were also on hand.
While Evers didn’t specifically give the reason for holding the bill signing in Wausau at Fire Station 2, Mayor Rosenberg did reference the city’s recent multi-million dollar FEMA grant which allowed them to hire 12 additional firefighter and paramedic positions, which will pay for those salaries and equipment for three years. She said the one million dollar boost in shared revenue will go a long way to helping the city offset those costs.
The agreement also includes a $1 billion increase in funding for K-12 school districts in the state. That’s equal to $325 per pupil for each of the next two years.
Shared revenue to local governments has remained nearly unchanged for almost 30 years and was cut in 2004, 2010, and 2012.
