Property Tax Freeze Bill Advances
At a public hearing Feb. 1 on the property tax bill [AB 58, SB 28], a proposal would freeze local property taxes for three years, limiting municipal levy increases to the full amount of new construction. It will also allow technical colleges and school districts to increase their levies by 2.6 percent each year, which is the statewide average growth in new construction.
The Joint Finance Committee approved the plan 12-4, Republicans for the limits and Democrats against them, after amending it slightly to make the limits more strict than the original proposal.
The plan would have to pass both houses of the Legislature and be signed by the governor to become law.
Committee Hears Debate on Voter I.D.
Assembly Bill 63 would require Wisconsin’s voters to present a valid photo I.D. when registering or voting. State. Rep. Jeff Stone, one of the bill's main sponsors, said Wisconsin voters want to know "that we have fair, accurate elections."
The Assembly's Committee on Campaigns and Elections heard testimony at a hearing on Thursday in a packed room at the Capitol. Supporters raised concerns that the current system is open to fraud, but opponents say the new requirement would disenfranchise voters.
Under the proposal released Monday, voters would have to present a valid identification card issued by the military or the state or a Wisconsin driver's license before casting a ballot or registering on Election Day. Under the bill, those who could not afford the $9 state-issued ID card would get one for free.
Ethanol Bill Prompts Six Hour Hearing
On Feb. 3, the Assembly Agriculture Committee held a six hour hearing on ethanol. The topic for the sometimes lively hearing was Assembly Bill 15, which would mandate that automotive gasoline contain about 10 percent ethanol. There would be an exception for fuel at airports, marinas and racetracks.
Generally, the ethanol industry and farm community supported the bill, with petroleum and other business groups testifying in opposition.
An emerging issue vetted at the hearing was that increased emissions associated with ethanol may impact Wisconsin’s attempt to reach ozone attainment. Tom Darlington highlighted the preliminary findings of a study by the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments.
That study, which Darlington’s firm authored, found that blending conventional fuel with 10 percent ethanol, as would be required under AB 15, will substantially increase emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and oxides of nitrogen (NOx). VOCs and NOx form ozone and are the primary targets for controlling ozone in Wisconsin’s nonattainment areas.
WMC’s Jeff Schoepke noted that if those findings prove valid, the increased emissions would lead DNR to recommend additional reductions from industrial sources in nonattainment areas. (All the eastern counties on Lake Michigan, from Door south to Kenosha, are currently designated nonattainment for ozone.)
DNR Permit Backlog Eliminated
Governor Doyle recently announced that the backlog of 342 Title V Air Operating Permits has been eliminated, a goal he set when he took office in January 2003. In addition, water permits have been expedited and plans are under way for streamlining the Air Management Program in Wisconsin.
The permit backlog was eliminated mainly through reallocation of resources. DNR staff previously responsible for compliance was given authority to write permits as well.
The ongoing plan for improving and streamlining the permit processes includes:
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Replacing the individually negotiated approach with simplified permits for smaller sources with fewer emissions.
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Holding additional public hearings on draft rules to implement the expanded use of general permits and to establish registration permits, with the final rules to be developed in early 2005.
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Developing a proposal to expand permit exemptions for smaller sources and providing the legislature with recommendations for developing a consolidated permit process, which combines the functions of operation permits and construction permits, in early 2005.
State Highway Costs Off Track
According to a recently released report by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, costs for major highway projects have exceeded estimates given when the projects were approved. 27 active “major” highway projects were examined, with the current estimated cost for design services, real estate, construction and other related expenses totaling $1.36 billion more than the original estimated cost of the projects at the time they were recommended to the Transportation Projects Commission (TPC) and the Legislature for enumeration.
Of the $1.36 billion increase, some $573 million or 42% can be attributed to inflation alone over the 15-year time span covered in the report. Other factors affecting the estimated cost increases include:
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Real estate costs ($207 million or 15%)
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Construction labor and materials ($216 million or 16%)
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Design costs ($212 million or 15%)
Arrowhead-Weston Line Proceeds Despite Douglas County No Vote
County supervisors voted 15-11 Wednesday night not to allow American Transmission Co. to build the power line across county property.
As a result of this decision, officials for ATC say they are forced to move a portion of the project in Douglas County onto private land.
Wednesday's vote reaffirmed a 17-4 vote in opposition to the line that supervisors took more than five years ago. |
