Monday, November 12, 2012
Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance report puts statewide figure at $366 million in savings on retirement benefits and health care premiums after budget bill went into effect.
The controversial state law that eliminated most collective bargaining rights for school employees reduced benefit costs for the Wauwatosa School District by $2.8 million last school year, according to a report released Monday by a taxpayer watchdog group. Wauwatosa's purported share of savings was part of a statewide reduction of $366 million in school district spending on employee benefits, the study by the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance said. The report and its authors, however, instantly drew criticism from opponents of Gov. Scott Walker and Act 10, and some school districts have already pointed out discrepancies between the study's findings and their own figures. The bulk of Wauwatosa's reported savings came from reductions in the …
Friday, June 29, 2012
Wisconsin Republicans say that 5-4 ruling to upheld the federal Affordable Care Act will strengthen their resolve for to push for repeal, while Democrats praise the ruling.
In a highly anticipated ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court today upheld the Affordable Care Act, the health care reform law that President Barack Obama signed into law in 2010 and his top priority in the first two years of his administration. The high court, by a 5-4 vote, upheld the entire law. The controversial law — known as "Obamacare" to critics — expands health care coverage to millions of uninsured Americans. In Wisconsin, the reaction was divided along political lines. Republicans said the ruling would motivate them even more to push for the repeal of the law, while Democrats lauded the decision. Gov. Scott Walker, in a statement, said Wisconsin will not take any action to implement the provisions of the federal law. "I am hopeful that…
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
The board reveals taxpayers could also be on the hook for $2.2 million more due to a lawsuit loss
Wauwatosans might have to pay an additional $2.2 million for the school share of the 2012-13 property tax levy because of the city’s loss in a lawsuit over a medical center’s tax exempt status, the School Board revealed Monday. The Wauwatosa School Board put taxpayers on notice about the possible extra increase at its Monday meeting. At the same meeting, the board unanimously (other than absent member Sharon Muehlfeld) cut spending but also approved a projected 4.56 percent tax levy increase for the next school year of 2012-13 (see all figures, including a detailed budget chart, here). That’s separate from the $2.2 million. Board President Michael E. Meier stressed that whether to add the $2.2 million to the projected levy increase won’t …
Sunday, October 16, 2011
In weekly radio address, Democratic leader says governor and Republicans pushed through an "extreme agenda that has stripped away access to health care."
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Sunday, October 16, 2011
Editor's note: Assistant Minority Leader Donna Seidel (D-Wausau) last week offered the fourth Democratic Weekly Radio Address. The topic for this week’s address is Gov. Scott Walker's attack on women's health. You can view Seidel's address on YouTube or listen to a podcast of the speech. You can also find last week's radio address from Walker here. __________________________________________ Hello. I’m Donna Seidel. I represent the 85th District, the Wausau area and I am the assistant Democratic deader. Last session, I was proud of advances we made to help Wisconsin women access comprehensive, affordable health care. We made sure they could get birth control without discrimination and have insurance companies pay for it. We expanded …
Friday, August 26, 2011
$8.4 million overtaxing of Wheaton Franciscan must be paid back soon or interest will keep mounting.
The refund owed by Wauwatosa to a health care provider after a losing lawsuit over seven years of taxes will equal one-quarter of the amount taxpayers already pay in a year to support city operations. The city's options to repay nearly $8.4 million in taxes and interest to Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare will be ready for review and possible action by Common Council members Sept. 6, according to city attorney Alan Kesner. Among the options: borrowing, tapping city reserves, increasing property taxes or some combination of any or all of those possible payment sources, Kesner said. Kesner said it is in the city's best interest to settle the issue and pay Wheaton sooner rather than later, as "it costs a lot money to pay that interest" on the …
Steve ®
8:02 pm on Tuesday, November 13, 2012
We will continue the remission that Walker put on the cancer. The cancer is liberalism and a corrupt public union. Thank you Walker. Shame on the rest of you that support this cancer. more ›