MILWAUKEE – Governor Jim Doyle announced today a comprehensive strategy to help the Milwaukee metro area to succeed and thrive. The initiative, called Growing Milwaukee for Wisconsin’s Future, is a strategy to secure the basics, build on Milwaukee’s assets, and grow a strong middle class.
“Whether you live in Milwaukee or Marinette, the future of our state’s largest metropolitan area affects you. For Wisconsin to thrive, we need a strong and growing Milwaukee,” Governor Doyle said. “From supporting kids, to cracking down on violent crime, to creating jobs and investing in infrastructure, I ask you to join me in making an investment in Milwaukee for the sake of all Wisconsin.”
Governor Doyle’s plans to make Milwaukee stronger include improving access to affordable health care, ensuring quality education, creating good-paying jobs, enhancing the public infrastructure and reinvesting in our city neighborhoods, and making unprecedented commitments to higher education and economic and workforce development.
Quality Education
· Create the Office of the Wisconsin Covenant and increase financial aid by $44 million to prepare for the day the first Covenant scholars enter Wisconsin’s colleges and universities;
· Launch a $15 million partnership with Milwaukee Public Schools to support student math achievement initiatives, increase graduation rates, and keep kids competitive;
· Provide property tax relief to Milwaukee taxpayers by supporting 100 percent of the cost of new students in the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program; and
· Provide $500,000 to support after school programs at school-based sites of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee.
Reducing Crime
· Provide more than $4 million to put more police officers on the street and put more kids to work;
· Provide an increase of $27 million in youth aids over the biennium;
· Increase support for Milwaukee circuit courts by $3.5 million over the biennium, along with $180,000 for court interpreters; and
· Provide $1 million to Mayor Tom Barrett’s Summer Jobs Program, creating more than 450 jobs.
Focusing on Children and Families and Making Health Care More Affordable
· Streamline services for children and families by merging child welfare, child support, child care services and the W-2 program into a single, unified agency – the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families;
· Make quality health care more accessible and affordable through Governor Doyle’s BadgerCare Plus program;
· Provide $1.4 million to help pregnant women during the third trimester of at-risk pregnancies;
· Provide $750,000 to EduCare, Inc. for early childhood intervention and ensure school readiness; and
· Provide $500,000 to MetaHouse, Inc. to support alcohol and drug abuse treatment services for Milwaukee women.
Improving Housing
· Launch a new Partnership Neighborhood Initiative through the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority (WHEDA) to provide reduced interest rate loans or down payment assistance to first time homebuyers in neighborhoods throughout Milwaukee.
Milwaukee Health Care Initiative
· Improve the health of children in Milwaukee by investing nearly $2 million to help hire 24 additional school nurses;
· Ensure all eligible children are enrolled in BadgerCare Plus;
· Develop electronic health records and a health information exchange that includes schools; and
· Provide BadgerCare Plus families with educational tools to make informed choices.
Investing in Public Infrastructure
· Increase assistance for transportation for seniors, freight rail, and mass transit – including $3.6 million for public transportation in Milwaukee;
· Invest in ongoing work on the Marquette Interchange, the I-94 North-South Corridor project, and the Zoo Interchange;
· Provide $1 million for the KRM Commuter Rail;
· Seek federal funding to expand Amtrak Service from Chicago and Milwaukee to Madison.
Leading in Biotechnology and Medical Research
· Invest $8 million in UW-Milwaukee’s Research Growth Initiative;
· Provide $200,000 to the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents to study the creation of a school of public health at UW-Milwaukee;
· Direct $2.5 million to the Biomedical Technology Alliance – building on a state investment of $35 million; and
· Invest an additional $2.5 million for efforts by the Medical College and Children’s Hospital to develop a translational research facility.
Growing Milwaukee’s Tourism
· Enable the city to designate a four square-mile Premier Resort Area to raise revenues to support infrastructure and tourism in the area.
Protecting the Environment
· Provide $17 million to leverage $31 million in federal funds to revitalize the Kinnickinnic River and Estabrook Park.
Providing Property Tax Relief, Ensuring Fiscal Stability and Protecting Local Services
· Provide $21 million in property tax relief to Milwaukee residents;
· Provide Milwaukee County with the ability to extend the terms of pension obligation bonds; and
· Increase shared revenue to the city from less than $230 million in 2006 to nearly $234 million by 2008.
Workforce Development
· Double funding for the Youth Apprenticeship Program to $2.2 million.
· Invest in job training – increasing efforts from $2 million to $8 million – to help Wisconsin’s technical colleges train an additional 36,000 workers.
Economic Development
· Continue to invest in industries and companies that shape Milwaukee – and Wisconsin’s – future.
· Attract new investments by creating a $2.4 million Wisconsin Venture Center and increasing angel and venture tax credits to $23 million.
· Launch the Entrepreneurial Network to provide information and assistance to Milwaukee-area entrepreneurs;
· Create an Outreach Specialist in Milwaukee to provide assistance for minority entrepreneurs and small businesses; and
· Provide $500,000 for the Milwaukee 7 to strengthen regional economic development in Southeast Wisconsin.
For a copy of Growing Milwaukee for Wisconsin’s Future, go to: http://www.wisgov.state.wi.us/docview.asp?docid=10524
