The mayor of Wisconsin's biggest city says this is crunch time, and he's pushing state lawmakers to give him a budget.
Local governments throughout the state are required by state law to get their budgets done by a certain time, but Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett says they have no idea what resources will be coming to them from the state. The Intergovernmental Cooperation Council is introducing a resolution urging the state legislature to responsibly and quickly resolve the budget impasse.
"Now with budgets due, in fact our budget is going to be going to the printer within the next eight days, it makes it very difficult for us to put our budgets together, not knowing what the budget situation is coming out of the state legislature."
Mayor Barrett says the absence of a state budget makes it difficult for cities, towns, villages, counties and school districts in putting together their budgets, because local governments are dependent on the state budget.
"We don't know what the gap is, we don't know what to expect. Do we go with the Joint Finance Committee version? Do we go with the Senate version? Do we go with the Governor's version? Do we go with the Assembly version? It makes it very difficult for us to have an accurate and predictable revenue stream."
Wisconsin's legislature is the only one in the nation not to have passed a budget.
NOTE: The Intergovernmental Cooperation Council is a regional organization of the mayors and town administrators from the 19 municipalities in Milwaukee County.
AUDIO: Jackie Johnson report (1:19 MP3)
