HPR - Milwaukee County BUDGET BLAST November 2, 2011

Photo L-R: Supv. Johnny Thomas, Supv. West, Supv. Mayo, Supv. De Bruin, Supv. Schmitt, Supv. Johnson

Finance and Audit
Johnny L. Thomas, Chair

Committee Members
Lynne De Bruin, Vice Chair
Michael Mayo, Sr.
Jim "Luigi Schmitt
Willie Johnson, Jr.
Peggy Romo West

Staff
Committee Clerk: Carol Mueller, 278-4228
Research Analyst: Steve Cady, 278-4347
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COUNTY BOARD 2012 BUDGET BLAST: NOVEMBER 2, 2011

Milwaukee, WI – The Milwaukee County Board’s Finance & Audit Committee held its final meeting on the County Executive’s 2012 Recommended Budget. County Executive’s 2012 Recommended Budget today. The Committee spent most of October reviewing and amending specific departments and items in the budget.

Today, the Committee approved the following amendments:

6-0 to conduct an audit of services provided to Milwaukee County by contractual service providers.

5-1 (No: Schmitt) to develop and implement a countywide policy that any contract greater than $1 million presented to the County Board shall be accompanied by a chart that lists the specific factors why that firm was selected compared to any other firm that competed for the business.

5-0 (Excused: Schmitt) to request a report including a cost benefit analysis of converting the currently deployed web, calendar, and email servers to an open source software platform.

6-0 to negotiate with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation to abandon or remove the We Energies steam and chilled water lines currently serving Milwaukee County buildings located west of Highway 45 and install central heat and chilled water facilities in these buildings.

6-0 to establish a new fee for Text Files of Indexed Real Estate Data at $1,500 per month for title companies to download data directly into their database without doing their own indexing.

5-0 (Excused: Mayo) to reflect savings from wage and benefit modifications achieved through a potential voluntary settlement with the Deputy Sheriffs’ Association that includes 2012. Any projected savings as a result of an executed agreement would fund a proportional number of positions.

5-0 (Excused: Mayo) to request a report on how the Milwaukee County Transit System intends to address transit needs specific to the elderly and persons with disabilities in the densely populated area served by Route 15 along Oakland Avenue from Whitefish Bay to Brady Street, and to report on the results of the New Freedom Initiative.

6-0 to specify that interns selected from a newly created ready to work initiative shall report directly to each of the division heads of the Department of Transportation and Public Works’ seven divisions.

4-2 to approve restoring half of the $3 million Emergency Medical Services funding and establishing a new distribution formula (replaces earlier amendment, which was reconsidered)

6-0 to investigate a pilot program of establishing a Class A liquor license in the concession operations at Brown Deer, Oakwood, Dretzka, and Whitnall Golf Courses.

To allow the contract with the Cambridge Advisory Group to expire and solicit Requests for Proposals from local, well-established and licensed insurance agencies that provide actuarial health care plan services.

3-3 (item fails) to approve Amendment No. 2 for salary changes, reclassifications, and new positions not included in the County Executive’s Recommended Budget.

5-1 (No: Mayo) to approve state exempt computer aid

5-1 (No: Mayo) to approve technical budget corrections to the budget

4-2 (No:Mayo, Schmitt) to approve a 2012 amended property tax levy of $275,357,428, a difference of $5,802,727 or 2.15% from 2011.

5-1 (No: Schmitt) to approve the 2012 budget as amended

The County Board of Supervisors, under the leadership of Chairman Lee Holloway, will adopt the 2012 Budget on Monday, November 7 at 8:30 a.m. in Room 200 of the Milwaukee County Courthouse. Any vetoes from the County Executive will be considered on Wednesday, November 16 at 1:30 p.m.

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