Democrats in the legislature say some medium sized Wisconsin cities are getting short-charged in the shared revenue sales tax bill.
“The deal that has been negotiated certainly moves us in a better direction. The 20% minimum increase certainly is helpful to many communities including some that I represent,” state Senator Mark Spreitzer (D-Beloit) said on Monday. “But there are some folks who still get left behind including the city of Janesville.”
Spreitzer said medium sized cities including Janesville, Waukesha and Eau Claire are getting left behind, and will only see relatively minor increases in the amount of shared revenue they receive from the state.
“We’re just trying to be sure that we are listening to the, to those midsize cities,” said Senator Jeff Smith (D-Eau Claire). “This is like the doughnut hole.”
An amendment from Spreitzer and Senator Jeff Smith to address the issue was was rejected in a committee vote on Monday. The Joint Finance Committee will exec on shared revenue legislation on Tuesday.