Delay on state budget continues into October

As most of us know, the state budget – promised to us and due this past summer – is now 12 weeks late. Earlier this month, there were more “promising words” when we were told that despite differences, lawmakers would likely have something by the end of September. Now we learn that is not meant to be either.

With today being the last working day of the month, it is also the deadline state public school leaders had established in order to prevent a property tax increase. According to this report from WISC-TV.com state education officials have said they must start calculating funding at 426 school districts so they can inform the districts how much state aid they are receiving by mid-October. Districts then set their tax levies, on which property taxes are figured, no later than early November, WISC-TV reported. It’s not just school districts being inconvenienced by the delays. Cities, villages and townships across the state need to know where they stand also in order to finalize their budgets.

In addition to months of negotiating on the specifics of the budget, lawmakers are said to have spent four days working with Gov. Doyle and his staff at the governor’s mansion, but to no avail. While the status of the budget debates is unclear, one thing is clear: Lawmakers seem to have no appreciation for the difficult position they put local governments – and the state’s people as a whole – in with their constant arguing over budget matters. Equally disturbing is that we don’t even know where they’re at in their discussions because the meetings are held in private. And why is that, anyway. If they’re doing the people’s business they should be doing it in public.

The Oshkosh Northwestern was right when earlier this year it opined in favor of a “No Budget, No Pay” approach to solving the budget stalemate between Republicans and Democrats. Hold up their money and I bet we’d see some results lickety-split. In the meantime, according to Jay Heck, executive director of Common Cause Wisconsin, Wisconsin is the only state in the country that has not passed a spending plan for 2007 and the year is more than three-quarters over. Way to go, Madison; you’re a real credit to your job as public servants.