LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND SHARED REVENUE
For too long, the state has asked local communities to do more with less, forcing local partners to make difficult decisions to cut critical services, including fire and EMS. While the revenue Wisconsin sends back to our communities had been held flat for years, costs to operate local governments have increased. Local partners should have the resources they need to meet basic and unique needs alike. This budget, in combination with 2023 Wisconsin Act 12, finally addresses the dire need for increased shared revenue and funding to local emergency services. • 2023 Wisconsin Act 12 is a historic piece of legislation that reflects a bipartisan compromise to address the dire need for increased shared revenue and funding to local emergency services. This budget funds the funding structure that was created in Act 12 and provides a $275 million boost to state aid to localities by funding the supplemental county and municipal aid program. This momentous investment in local communities across Wisconsin includes a $68 million increase in aid for counties and a $207 million increase in aid for municipalities in fiscal year 2024-25, representing a 36 percent increase over current county and municipal aid entitlements. • The legislation provides additional aid to counties and municipalities in fiscal year 2025-26 and beyond by linking both current and supplemental county and municipal aid to the growth rate in the state sales tax.
• The legislation seeks to incentivize local governments to provide the most efficient and cost-effective ways to deliver county and municipal services by providing up to $300 million in innovation grants.
• The budget provides $173.8 million in aid payments to local governments to hold them harmless from Act 12’s repeal of the burdensome personal property tax.
• The budget provides $4 million to boost utility aid payments to counties and municipalities for the presence of production plants that generate power using alternative energy or are located on or adjacent to brownfields.
• The budget improves our emergency services network by increasing funding for the Department of Military Affairs’ Public Service Answering Point (PSAP) grants by $12 million in fiscal year 2024-25. This budget also increases funding for the Next Generation 911 GIS grants by $4.5 million in fiscal year 2024-25.
• This budget increases funding for Department of Justice law enforcement training grants by $2.3 million by providing $8.8 million annually from the new Local Government Fund.
• When a crisis occurs, we need our ambulance service providers to respond quickly and have all the necessary equipment to provide lifesaving care. This budget increases the Department of Health Services’ emergency medical services funding assistance grant program by $22.8 million by providing $25 million annually from the new Local Government Fund.
o The budget also expands the eligibility for the Department of Health Services’ emergency medical services grants to include emergency medical responder departments and allows the use of grants to include nondurable and disposable medical supplies, equipment, and medications.
• The budget provides $3.6 million in the Joint Committee on Finance supplemental appropriation to compensate counties and, as a result of a partial veto, municipalities impacted by a 2022 federal court decision that exempted from property taxes property within certain reservations owned by a Tribe or Tribal member, regardless of any prior non-Tribal ownership.
TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE
The 2023-25 biennial budget makes key strategic investments in our state’s critical infrastructure while wisely managing our state finances to save taxpayers money. From increased support for local roads to new investments in important roads used for agricultural transport to bolstering transit funding, the 2023-25 biennial budget will ensure Wisconsin’s infrastructure is more resilient and reliable. Specifically, this budget:
• Invests $555.5 million from the General Fund to the Transportation Fund to fund transportation projects underway or under development, reducing Transportation Fund debt service payments into the future and saving Wisconsin taxpayers money.
• Supports the Transportation Fund with transfers of $39.3 million in fiscal year 2023-24 and $55.1 million in fiscal year 2024-25 from the General Fund calculated by estimating the sales tax revenue generated by the sale of electric vehicles. Since electric vehicle drivers do not buy gasoline for their vehicles and thus do not pay the gas tax, this innovative solution will help to improve the sustainability of the state’s Transportation Fund and enable future road improvement projects as electric vehicle adoption continues to increase.
• Provides a 2 percent increase in general transportation aids (GTAs) for municipalities and counties in both calendar year 2024 and calendar year 2025. GTAs help local governments pay for road construction, maintenance, traffic operations, and critical support for local Wisconsin communities, and the investments in the 2023-25 biennial budget result in the largest amount of funding for the program in the state’s history.
• Provides a 2 percent increase in mass transit aids funding to assist local transit systems in operating costs, which lowers local tax burden. The budget also provides a 4 percent increase in paratransit aids funding and increases funding for specialized transit aids for seniors and persons with disabilities, ensuring these Wisconsinites have equitable access to public transportation needed to travel to work, receive healthcare, or get an education.
• Provides additional, one-time funding for local roads through two programs:
o First, the budget provides a new round of supplemental funding for the Local Roads Improvement Program (LRIP) at $100 million in fiscal year 2023-24. LRIP assists local communities by paying for up to 50 percent of local projects that improve deteriorating county highways, town roads, and city and village streets, and this $100 million supplement to the program will enable more local communities to complete more critical projects.
o In addition, the budget includes $150 million to fund the new Agricultural Roads Improvement Program (ARIP) created via 2023 Wisconsin Act 13. ARIP will enable local communities to make targeted investments in eligible projects that support agriculture that would likely otherwise not receive funding from other state aid programs. • Provides bonding authority and funding levels adequate to keep the following high priority projects on schedule:
o The Blatnik Bridge replacement project in Superior in partnership with the Minnesota Department of Transportation;
o The replacement of the I-94/90/39 bridges over the Wisconsin River;
o The expansion of I-41 in the Fox River Valley;
o The expansion of I-43 in southeast Wisconsin; and
o The expansion of I-94 East-West in the city of Milwaukee.
• Allocates $50 million for a third, southern bridge over the Fox River in Brown County, which will help ease traffic congestion and spur economic development for the region.
• Continues to invest in our Harbor Assistance Program to fund harbor improvements, such as dock reconstruction, mooring structure replacement, dredging, and construction of facilities to hold dredged material.
• Allocates funding to the Airport Improvement Program for aeronautics air traffic control system upgrades, as well as $7 million to the Appleton International Airport to support a terminal expansion.
STATE BUILDING COMMISSION
• The 2023-25 capital budget includes $2,384,186,200 in funding or bonding authority for a robust state building program.
• Historically, the state funds these projects with a mix of bonding authority, existing agency funds, and contributions from gifts and grants. With the state’s historic surplus due to sound financial management, over $1.2 billion of the General Fund’s existing balance is used as an investment in the state’s capital needs. This investment avoids nearly $500 million in future interest costs as borrowing won’t be necessary for projects funded with this money.
• This budget provides $32.6 million from the state’s historic surplus and $45.8 million of existing General Fund supported borrowing to build a Type 1 Juvenile Corrections Facility in Milwaukee County, which would allow justice-involved youth to be housed in a facility closer to family, setting them up for better outcomes when they return to our communities.
STABILIZING OUR JUSTICE SYSTEM
Department of Corrections
• In a historically tight labor market, the state has struggled to recruit and retain enough employees, especially at the Department of Corrections, which has grappled with low pay and high vacancies for many years. This budget:
o Increases the starting wage for correctional security positions to $33 per hour to reduce staffing vacancies,
o Supports the continuation of the $5 per hour add-on at high vacancy facilities,
o Increases the maximum-security add-on to $3 per hour, and
o Creates a $1 per hour medium-security add-on.
• Additionally, one specific way the Department of Corrections is working to combat opioid use is through medication-assisted treatment, which uses medications, in combination with counseling and behavioral therapies, to treat opioid use disorders. This budget provides $4,683,300 over the biennium to expand a medication-assisted treatment program.
• The Opening Avenues to Reentry Success (OARS) is a voluntary program that supports the prison-to-community transition of persons in the care of the Department of Corrections living with a serious and persistent mental health illness who are medium to high risk of reoffending. The program has been a success to aid in reentry for people in the department’s care. This budget builds on the success of OARS and invests $2,272,300 over the biennium in the program.
District Attorneys, Public Defenders and Courts
Our justice system relies on honest, hardworking staff in district attorney and public defenders’ offices across the state. Adequately staffing the different components of the justice system is vital to ensuring reasonable caseloads, reducing burnout, and meeting constitutional protections for justice-involved individuals. This budget:
• Provides $8,121,200 in each year for market-based salary adjustments for assistant and deputy district attorneys, providing a competitive starting rate of $36 per hour.
• Provides $2,104,500 to allow a one-step pay progression for assistant and deputy district attorneys to increase retention of experienced attorneys.
• Provides $926,200 to increase compensation for elected district attorneys, beginning with their new term in 2025.
• Provides an additional 4.4 FTE assistant district attorney positions across the state over the biennium.
• Provides market-based salary adjustments for assistant state public defenders to increase retention of experienced attorneys. This would result in $8,148,600 in fiscal year 2023-24 and $10,260,200 in fiscal year 2024-25. The funding would be sufficient for a starting rate of $36 per hour and a one-step pay progression in fiscal year 2024-25.
• Improves the State Public Defender’s ability to recruit and retain private attorneys by providing $8,797,200 in each year to increase the private bar reimbursement rate. This funding would be sufficient for a private bar rate of $100 per hour and a travel rate of $50 per hour.
• Provides $2,469,400 in all funds over the biennium and an additional 8.0 FTE positions to support the creation of four additional circuit court branches beginning in fiscal year 2023-24.
• Provides $2,644,200 over the biennium to implement new and ongoing cybersecurity initiatives and related maintenance for the court system.
Department of Justice
We know we can keep our communities safe by holding offenders accountable, reform our justice system, and save money, all at the same time by using evidence-based practices to help us make better decisions throughout the justice system. This budget:
• Invests $1 million to expand Wisconsin’s Treatment Alternatives and Diversion (TAD) program, which reduces recidivism and costs by working with individuals outside of the traditional criminal justice system to receive treatment and care in a supportive, encouraging environment designed to accommodate specific needs.
• Converts $1 million of program funding in each year from justice information system surcharge funding to general purpose revenue to address a current deficit of surcharge funding to ensure a steady funding source for TAD programming.
• Increases the program expenditure authority for the TAD program by $232,200 in fiscal year 2023-24.
• Provides $135,000 in fiscal year 2024-25 to create a grant to promote the protection of elders and support the elder abuse hotline to be administered by the Department of Justice.
• Provides $136,400 over the biennium and 1.0 FTE position to continue providing training and resources for prosecutors on sexual assault cases.
• Provides $155,800 in each year of the biennium and 2.0 FTE positions to serve as field prosecutors and assist with investigating and prosecuting drug-related offenses in the Division of Criminal Investigation’s Wausau and Appleton field offices.
• Provides the Department of Justice with $501,100 and 1.5 FTE positions over the biennium to investigate internet crimes against children, as well as increases expenditure authority by $250,000 over the biennium for local law enforcement supporting the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
• Provides an additional $3,404,800 over the biennium to reimburse counties for eligible costs associated with providing services to crime victims and witnesses.
• Provides $123,600 in fiscal year 2024-25 and 3.0 FTE positions for additional staff at the State Crime Laboratories to support the staffing resources needed to process samples in a timely manner.
• Extends the child in need of protection and/or services pilot program through June 30, 2025.
ADDITIONAL INVESTMENTS IN THE SAFETY OF OUR COMMUNITIES
• Provides $45 million GPR in fiscal year 2023-24 to fund the replacement costs of the WISCOM system.
• Provides $2 million GPR in the Joint Committee on Finance supplemental appropriation in fiscal year 2023-24 to provide predisaster flood resilience grants.
• Provides $1 million GPR in the Joint Committee on Finance supplemental appropriation in fiscal year 2023-24 for disaster assistance to the town of Silver Cliff.
• Provides $2 million GPR in fiscal year 2024-25 for grants for public safety interoperable communication system upgrades.
PROTECTING & CONSERVING OUR NATURAL RESOURCES
Wisconsin has a proud and rich history of conservation and stewardship—from our expansive system of state parks and trails to our freshwater lakes and rivers. I continue to be committed to protecting our environment and improving water quality because these principles are vital to both promoting Wisconsinites’ health and well-being and maintaining our economy’s momentum.
STATE PARKS
Wisconsin’s system of state parks, forests, and trails is the gem of our state, boasting over 100 protected areas and serving over 20 million visitors annually. To ensure facilities in these recreational areas are well maintained, this budget:
• Provides $29.0 million SEG in one-time funding for capital development projects in state parks and forests. This includes:
o Nearly $13.4 million SEG in fiscal year 2023-24 for state parks and forests maintenance and development projects, including $4 million SEG to improve accessibility for visitors with special needs;
o $5.6 million SEG in fiscal year 2023-24 for state forest, parks, and riverway roads maintenance and development projects; and
o $10 million SEG in fiscal year 2023-24 for facilities repair and renovation projects at state parks, trails, and recreation areas.
• Provides $1.5 million SEG in fiscal year 2024-25 as one-time funding to electrify campsites at state parks and eliminates the 35 percent cap on the number of campsites that can electrified in the state park system. This will allow the Department of Natural Resources to better respond to campsite demand from visitors.
FORESTRY
• Preserving our forestland and other outdoor spaces is not only important for Wisconsinites’ health and well-being but also key to our state’s economic success as Wisconsin’s forestry industry is a critical facet of the state’s economy. This budget increases funding for the Urban Forestry Grant program by $175,000 SEG annually to combat emerging threats in urban forestry. Urban Forestry Grants can take the form of:
o Regular grants to support new, innovative projects that will develop sustainable urban and community forestry programs;
o Startup grants for communities that want to start or restart an urban forestry program; and
o Catastrophic Storm grants that fund tree repair, removal, or replacement within urban areas following a catastrophic storm event for which the Governor has declared a state of emergency.
• Increases funding for the County Forest Administration Grant program by $200,000 SEG in each year to support salaries for county forest administrators. Up to 50 percent of the annual salary and fringe benefits for county forest administrators and assistant county forest administrators may be covered by the grant program, supporting Wisconsin counties in their forestry activities and planning.
• Increases funding for the Sustainable Forestry Grant program by $50,000 SEG in each year to support sustainable forest management projects on county forest land, such as storm-related projects or hiring temporary staff to address short-term workload projects.
• Provides $807,600 SEG in fiscal year 2023-24 and $150,000 SEG in fiscal year 2024-25 as one-time funding to acquire and upgrade fire suppression equipment at the Department of Natural Resources to more effectively combat wildfires.
CLEAN WATER
Over the last four years, my administration has worked to identify and remediate contamination in ground, surface, and drinking water and to improve water quality for all Wisconsinites. To continue building on this work, this budget:
