MILWAUKEE — Gov. Tony Evers will put $25 million toward public transit services in Southern Wisconsin using funds from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).

The announcement came Monday as the governor held press conferences in both Milwaukee and Madison.

What You Need To Know

  • Gov. Evers announced a $25M investment in transit services in Milwaukee and Madison, which will be supported using ARPA funds

  • The City of Madison will receive $5.2M

  • Milwaukee County will get more than $19.7M

The City of Madison will receive more than $5.2 million, while Milwaukee County will be awarded more than $19.7 million.

“We have to make sure we continue to have a championship-caliber city for championship-caliber teams,” Gov. Evers said. “To do that, we have to invest in the sort of long-term investments that will help every family, every worker, every community recover, especially those that have been hardest hit during the pandemic.”

The funding aims to help keep transit services up and running so low-to-middle-income Wisconsinites can get to work, school, medical appointments, and other activities.

“Transportation is an important resource to any community, but especially to Milwaukee where we believe that community members should have connections to job centers, grocery stores, medical offices, as well as our beautiful recreation that we have,” Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley said.

Earlier this year, the Legislature's finance committee voted to cut public transit funding in Milwaukee and Madison by 50% over two years.

“In June, Republicans on the Joint Finance Committee voted to reduce transit funding by 50% and that 50% reduction was limited to two of our state's largest cities,” State Sen. LaTonya Johnson (D-Milwaukee), who also serves on the budget-writing committee, said. “Here in Milwaukee and in Madison, a 50% cut would mean $32.7 million over the next two years and less funding.”