City of Milwaukee - File #: 990432

• File #: 990432
• Version: 0
• Type: Resolution
• Status: Dead
• File created: 6/22/1999
• In control: FINANCE & PERSONNEL COMMITTEE
• Final action: 7/29/1999
• Title: Resolution reserving $50,000 within the 1999 Common Council Contingent Fund for the W-2 Employment Assistance Program.
• Sponsors: ALD. PRATT
• Indexes: CONTINGENT FUND, EMPLOYMENT, INTERGOVERNMENTAL AGREEMENTS, MILWAUKEE COUNTY, VETOES

Date	Ver.	Action By	Action	Result	Tally
7/29/1999	0	COMMON COUNCIL	VETO SUSTAINED; Minutes note: ALD. NARDELLI dispense with reading the Mayor's veto message. THE CHAIR put the question: "Shall the said resolution/ordinance be adopted/passed notwithstanding the objection of His Honor the Mayor?" Ayes: 9 - Ald. Pratt, D'Amato, Henningsen, Johnson-Odom, Gordon, Richards, Murphy, Hines and Kalwitz Noes: 8 - Ald. Schramm, Frank, Butler, Scherbert, Witkowiak, Pawlinski, Breier and Nardelli The foregoing resolution thereupon failed of adoption (sustaining the Mayor's veto) by a 9 -8 vote (3/4 vote required to override).	Pass	9:8
7/22/1999	0	MAYOR	VETOED; Minutes note:  July 21, 1999 Common Council of the City of Milwaukee City Hall 200 East Wells Street Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202 Dear Common Council Members: I am today vetoing Common Council File number 990432, a resolution reserving $50,000 within the 1999 contingent fund for the W-2 Employment Assistance Fund. I urge the Common Council to support my position. W-2 is significantly better than the old welfare system, but it does have problems. These problems should be fixed, and how W-2 addresses non-custodial parents (primarily men) in the system is one of those problems. Welfare and W-2 are now, and have always been, the responsibility of state and federal governments. Every taxpayer in the City of Milwaukee contributes his or her share of money to those levels of government. Despite this, the county chose to spend $100,000 for the W-2 Employment Assistance Fund, and, remember, approximately half of the county's taxes come from the City of Milwaukee. For city government now to ask our residents to hand over even more of their money for welfare and W-2 is unjust ... particularly for the low-income people of this city who are working their way out of poverty. It is certainly disappointing that the city did not have a seat at the table when the county and the Private Industry Council fashioned the W-2 Employment Assistance Program. Now, after the fact, city property tax dollars are demanded. As I previously wrote to you on November 21, 1997 regarding this legislation: "Rather than either the county and the city raising the [property] taxes of our people to take on what is a state and federal responsibility, we should instead join together to persuade the Wisconsin legislature and Governor Thompson to modify W-2 to include the men. "The state has the money. W-2 is costing a lot less than predicted. Without spending more state dollars than originally budgeted, W-2 can easily be modified to help non-custodial parents. "The City of Milwaukee has never, to my knowledge, used property taxes to provide welfare recipients of the fathers of their children with cash or work. It has always been our position that helping the poor -- providing cash to the disabled, jobs to the unemployed, child care for the working poor, and health insurance for the uninsured -- is a state and federal function. To tax property owners for services completely unrelated to property, like income maintenance or employment, does not make sense." Rather than spend scarce city tax dollars for this program, I propose we work toward a more equitable solution with the State of Wisconsin. We succeeded in playing a crucial role in the establishment of Wisconsin's Badger Care program, a quality free or low-cost health insurance plan for low-income people. I propose we use the same approach to address the needs of non-custodial parents. As an alternative to the legislation at hand, I respectfully suggest the Common Council pass a strong resolution directing Milwaukee's Department of Administration, Intergovernmental Relations Division, to actively push the State of Wisconsin to include poor, non-custodial parents within the framework of the W-2 program. The City of Milwaukee must be even more mindful of its spending in light of the costs of pension-related lawsuits. As we approach the 2000 budget deliberations this caution will become more acute, and this appropriation should be reviewed with the same sharpened fiscal restraint. However, in light of the W-2 program surplus and the city's heightened fiscal restrictions on capital investment and city employment, I urge you to join me in resisting expenditure, no matter how well intentioned. Sincerely, John O. Norquist Mayor
7/13/1999	0	COMMON COUNCIL	ADOPTED	Pass	14:3
7/8/1999	0	FINANCE & PERSONNEL COMMITTEE	RECOMMENDED FOR ADOPTION	Pass	3:1
7/6/1999	0	FINANCE & PERSONNEL COMMITTEE	HEARING NOTICES SENT
6/28/1999	0	FINANCE & PERSONNEL COMMITTEE	HEARING NOTICES SENT
6/23/1999	0	FINANCE & PERSONNEL COMMITTEE	REFERRED TO
6/22/1999	0	COMMON COUNCIL	ASSIGNED TO

NUMB:
990432
VERS:
ORIGINAL
REF:

XXBY:
ALD. PRATT
TITL:
Resolution reserving $50,000 within the 1999 Common Council Contingent Fund for the W-2 Employment Assistance Program.
ANLS:
- Analysis -

This resolution:

1. Reserves $50,000 within the 1999 Common Council Contingent Fund to fulfill the City's commitment to partner with Milwaukee County to create an Employment Assistance Community Partnership Program for Men Connected with W-2.

2. Authorizes the appropriate City officials to enter into any necessary agreement with Milwaukee County and the Private Industry Council relative to implementation of the program.

3. Authorizes and directs the Comptroller to transfer up to the reserved amount from the Contingent Fund to a Special Sub-class within the Fund, under the control of the City Clerk, for expenditure for this purpose.


BODY:
Whereas, By amendment to the 1998 Adopted City Budget, the Common Council provided $50,000 in matching funds to partner with Milwaukee County to create an Employment Assistance Community Partnership Program for Men Connected with W-2; and

Whereas, Under Wisconsin Works (W-2), the emphasis on self-sufficiency and the responsibility to provide for families through work rests with the custodial parent, who is usually a female head of household; and

Whereas, W-2 does not specifically address single men connected with W-2 who are not classified as head of household or the noncustodial parent; and

Whereas, The 1998 County Budget provided $100,000 to partner and develop other local shareholders to create a funding mechanism to bridge the gap in the W-2 program; and

Whereas, Using the County appropriation and other matching funds, the County indicated it would contract with the Private Industry Council to implement the program, and that the program's primary goal would be to connect W-2 males, including the noncustodial parent, with family supporting jobs, by promoting job seeking skills and rea...