4.27.2006

WCDP Press Release - TABOR/TPA Bad for Oshkosh, Winnebago County and Wisconsin

Winnebago County Democratic Party

Winnebago County Democratic Party * 224A Scott Avenue * Oshkosh, WI 54901

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Jef Hall 920.203.6883
April 27, 2006 jef@jefhall.com

TABOR/TPA Bad for Oshkosh, Winnebago County and Wisconsin
OSHKOSH – As Republicans in the State Legislature debate writing fiscal policy into the state constitution, leaders in Winnebago County have already made it clear that TPA/TABOR is bad for Oshkosh, Winnebago County and Wisconsin. On April 5, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh Chancellor Richard H. Wells testified against TABOR citing its negative impacts on the economy:

“After three TPA biennial budgets, UW Oshkosh could shrink 27% smaller instead of growing 12% larger as needed.....Citizens and elected officials together have cared for and defended and supported public higher education in Wisconsin for over a century. The TPA threatens to undo this public good, and it would be a great misfortune to let that happen on our watch. True taxpayer protection means protecting the public goods, such as the UW Universities.”


On March 4, Winnebago County Executive Mark Harris said in the Appleton Post Crescent:

“The revenue limits will be so tight that few local governments could afford to issue bonds at all. The impact of this provision is that no significant investment in infrastructure could occur without a referendum.....The inevitable decline in infrastructure would quickly make Wisconsin unattractive to businesses that might otherwise locate here. The slow continued degradation of roads and streets will prove frustrating to community residents.”


On April 16, Oshkosh City Manager Richard Wollangk discussed the negative impact TPA would have on development in the Oshkosh Northwestern:

Wollangk has called the TPA bad news since word of it first aired. It also limits a city's ability to borrow money for development-spurring projects like sewer extensions and new street construction. That debt would count against state-imposed revenue caps.

Bottom line – many officials fear the changes could bring vital, tax-generating development to a screeching halt.

"If that TPA amendment would see the light of day, and is approved by the voters of the state, you could be sure it would tie the hands of development," Wollangk said.


And on March 31, leaders from area human service agencies ADVOCAP, Clarity Care, and ARC Arc-Winnebago Disability Association raised concerns with the amendment to area legislators at a legislative forum sponsored by Clarity Care.

“Any legislator or candidate running for the legislature who is listening to leaders in Winnebago County should be against this irresponsible gimmick designed to allow legislators to avoid having to make tough choices” said Winnebago County Democratic Party Chair Jef Hall. “Government is a tough business. We elect people to make tough choices on public priorities. If our current representatives can’t do the job, it is time to elect someone who can, which is what we are going to do this November.”

Hall continued “There will be some clear choices for area voters this fall. Are we going to elect people who have already committed themselves to supporting race-to-the-bottom gimmicks like TABOR/TPA? Or are we going to get behind candidates such as 54th Assembly District candidate Gordon Hintz, who believes in making the smart choices on health care and corrections spending that save the state money, while investing in education and job creation. The choice for Oshkosh, Winnebago County and Wisconsin is clear.”

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Aditional Note: Gordon Hintz's potential opponent has declared herself a TABOR Supporter.

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