Waukesha County panel refuses to endorse Walker bill

March 14, 2011

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By Laurel Walker of the Journal Sentinel

March 14, 2011 0

Waukesha - A divided Waukesha County Board leadership committee on Monday refused to endorse the controversial budget-repair bill already passed by Republicans and signed by Gov. Scott Walker last week.

Supervisor Robert Hutton of Sussex had proposed a resolution stating the Waukesha County Board's support for Walker's bill, which strips most collective bargaining rights from public employee unions. The pending law also requires public employees to contribute 5.8% of their pay to the state pension fund and, if they're in the state insurance plan, 12% of the premiums. His measure failed on a 3-4 vote in the Executive Committee.

County Board Chairman Jim Dwyer said the County Board is scheduled to take up the resolution at its 7 p.m. meeting March 22.

Dwyer offered an amendment so that any savings resulting from employee benefit contributions imposed in the state legislation would be used to reduce property taxes "and not to subsidize state funding cuts or shortfalls." That language failed 2-5.

Explaining his own vote against Hutton's resolution, Dwyer said, "Why would I have a resolution after the fact and when I don't understand the ramifications to the county regarding the delivery of services?"

In addition to Dwyer of Menomonee Falls, those opposing the resolution were Supervisors Patricia Haukohl of Brookfield, Jean Tortomasi of Waukesha and Duane Paulson of Waukesha. In favor were Supervisors David Swan and Fritz Ruf, both of the City of Pewaukee, and Janel Brandtjen of Menomonee Falls.

About Laurel Walker

Laurel Walker covered local, school and county government for 20 years -- the last half of that at the Milwaukee Journal and Milwaukee Journal Sentinel -- before she was named Waukesha County columnist in 1997. Today she writes about the people, places and events around metropolitan Milwaukee with a broad suburban focus. She was the youngest of nine children raised on a central Wisconsin farm before leaving the nest for journalism studies at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and a masters degree at the University of Oregon. She has spent the last half of her life in Waukesha County, where she and her husband raised two sons. Though she has a fondness for life in Waukesha, she eagerly partakes in the culture of the big city to the east and the recreation of the forests to the west. With sons in the arts, she has a special fondness for symphonic music concerts and art museums. She finds peace in a good book at a Northwoods getaway weekend, adventure in family visits to the east and west coasts, and satisfaction in a column well-written that reaches readers.