Waukesha - The Waukesha County Board Wednesday unanimously approved an advisory referendum Nov. 2 that seeks to stop legislative transfers from the state transportation fund for other general budget purposes.
The question on the November ballot throughout Waukesha County will read: 'Should the Wisconsin Constitution be amended to prohibit any further transfers or lapses from the segregated transportation fund?'
Ultimately, a state constitutional amendment would require passage by the Legislature in two consecutive sessions and then a binding statewide referendum - a process that would take at least through 2013.
Other counties in Wisconsin are taking a similar tack, pushed by a coalition of groups including the Transportation Development Association, the Wisconsin Transportation Builders Association and the Wisconsin County Highways Association.
Waukesha County Executive Dan Vrakas proposed the referendum.
The Legislative Fiscal Bureau has reported that since 2003, the governor and Legislature have approved $1.2 billion in transfers from the transportation fund for schools and aid to local governments. The state borrowed $800 million to make up for the loss, leaving a net drop in the transportation fund of $434 million.
The fund is financed primarily from the state's gas tax, vehicle registration fees and federal aid.