A state lawmaker says there’s a crisis looming in the UW System’s infrastructure. A Legislative Fiscal Bureau memo released by Representative Gordon Hintz (D-Oshkosh) shows that 7 capital budget items that went unaddressed in the 2015-17 budget have now increased in cost.
“The Republicans keep saying the state has issued its lowest level of debt in 20 years as a way to cover up their increased borrowing for roads. But they did it by not doing a capital budget,” Hintz said.
“There are projects are projects that are going to be delayed, and we’ve already seen that those projects are going to cost $30 million more now than they would have two years ago,” said Hintz, who serves on the legislature’s Joint Committee on Finance.
Hintz said that’s due to the Governor Scott Walker’s decision to put a halt to the capital budget in order to pay for roads.
“The idea that you can just skip having a capital budget and expect to be able to meet the needs of the UW System doesn’t work,” he said. “It’s going to end up costing taxpayers and students more.” The UW Board of Regents meets Thursday. Hintz said Regents need to get behind UW System President Ray Cross’ budget request, which he calls “pretty modest.”