MADISON, Wis. — The State Building Commission took up Gov. Tony Evers’ third capital budget proposal Thursday, and ultimately deadlocked 4-4 along party lines on every one of the governor’s spending pitches.
Gov. Evers had called for $3.8 billion in spending with major investments in 28 counties across Wisconsin. However, a big chunk of that money, roughly half, was recommended for projects on multiple UW System campuses.
Aside from a new engineering building at UW-Madison, the governor had called for investments to cover phase two of a new science building at UW-Eau Claire, along with demolishing Phillips Hall. Money for similar projects at UW-La Crosse, as well as dorm renovations at UW-Oshkosh, were also pitched.
However, Republicans rejected those proposals Thursday, which doesn’t come as much of a surprise given the same thing happened the last two budget cycles.
Unlike those previous attempts though, this time Gov. Evers called for less borrowing. Instead, the governor proposed paying for roughly half of the work in cash using the state’s projected budget surplus of $7.1 billion.
“With an unprecedented state surplus, now is not the time to let partisan posturing get in the way of our duty and responsibility to invest in the needs that have long been neglected and to build the future we want for our state,” said Gov. Evers in a statement prior to Thursday’s meeting.
According to the governor, had his spending plan been approved, it could have led to $6.8 billion in economic impact and created nearly 45,000 jobs.
Republican leaders, who are ultimately responsible for crafting the next two-year spending plan for the state, have dismissed the proposals by Gov. Evers as “massive spending and unrealistic growth.” The governor, however, believes those lawmakers haven’t listened to the needs of their constituents.
“Our capital budget addressed critical infrastructure needs across our state in a way that kept borrowing low, saved the taxpayer’s money in the long run, and created critical local jobs and economic development,” said Gov. Evers after the meeting. “While Republican leaders claim to support these goals, their action today shows that they would simply rather play politics than have a meaningful discussion about how these projects would serve the needs of the folks they represent. Despite today’s unfortunate outcome, we will continue to fight for these projects as we work to invest in and build 21st century infrastructure in communities across our state.”
Other projects the governor’s plan would have made investments in include funding to improve Wisconsin National Guard facilities, the Green Bay National Railroad Museum, and the State Fair Park Cream Puff Pavilion.
The plan now heads to the Legislature's Joint Finance Committee without any recommendations on projects.
