Republican lawmakers release latest version of TABOR
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By JR ROSS -- Associated Press Writer
Wednesday, December 22, 2004 10:28 AM CST
MADISON -- State and local governments, school districts and technical colleges would face spending limits under a proposed constitutional amendment released Tuesday, the latest incarnation of the so-called Taxpayer Bill of Rights.
Republicans, who control both houses of the Legislature, have pledged to rein in government spending as part of their effort to move Wisconsin off the lists of the most heavily taxed states. But they have been unable to agree how to do that.
A last-minute effort to push through a different version of the amendment failed this summer, but supporters have promised to resurrect it after lawmakers reconvene in January.
State Rep. Frank Lasee, who has authored several versions of the limits, said Tuesday this draft was crafted to address previous concerns about how best to place strict limits on spending increases across all levels of government and schools.
"What this is about is slowing the growth of government spending," said Lasee, R-Bellevue.
To drive home his point, Lasee pointed to a report by the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance that property tax collections are expected to increase 6 percent in 2005, based on the bills now being mailed to homeowners. He said Wisconsinites can no longer bear that kind of tax burden and something needs to be done to give them relief.
Democrats, some local officials and educators have opposed the various proposals, saying an amendment would strip leaders of local decisions over taxes and spending and deprive them of the resources they need to deliver necessary services.
Still, Ed Huck, executive director of the Wisconsin Alliance of Cities, said Republicans have tapped into taxpayers' discontent over their rising bills and opponents needed to find an alternative.
"The reality of it is the property taxpayer is unhappy and solutions need to be provided. If local governments don't start being problem solvers instead of advocates for the status quo, they're going to find themselves with a constitutional amendment to live under."
Under the proposed amendment:
--State spending would be limited to the rate of inflation for the Milwaukee-Racine urban area plus Wisconsin's population growth.
--County and municipal spending would be limited to the same inflation measure plus new construction.
--School districts and technical college districts would be limited to the same inflation measure plus annual growth in the student body.
--Voters would have to approve through referendum in order to exceed the caps, increase taxes or issue new bonds for many projects.
--Excess revenues would have to go into a rainy day fund.
--Local governments would be protected from unfunded mandates and cuts in state aid.
Lasee could not provide figures Tuesday to illustrate how much schools and governments would have been able to increase their spending over the last several years if the amendment had been in place.
Making the proposed amendment law would require approval from two consecutive two-year sessions of the Legislature and then by voters in a statewide referendum. The new session begins in January. If it were to pass, the earliest lawmakers could approve it for a second time would be January 2007.
The proposal would not need the approval of Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle, who has vetoed previous attempts by Republican lawmakers to limit property taxes. The governor said Tuesday he hadn't seen the details of Lasee's proposal, but he could not support a constitutional amendment that could threaten education funding.
Sen.-elect Glenn Grothman, R-West Bend, has been appointed to lead the Senate's efforts at crafting an amendment that could pass the chamber. While he liked some of Lasee's ideas, Grothman said he had problems with portions of the proposal.
For example, very small municipalities often have wild swings in their spending levels because their budgets or so small. A town with a $100,000 budget can see that increase dramatically by doing a road project or purchasing a needed piece of equipment. The next year, that town's spending drops just as dramatically after the project is completed, Grothman said.
Still, he said that problem is inherent in any blanket limits the state might imposed on government spending and he would have to work with all 18 of his Republican colleagues in the Senate to reach a consensus.
"You're talking about something that will dramatically change the way government operates in the state of Wisconsin, and when you do something so significant, consensus is not automatic," Grothman said.
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