State Rep. Warren Petryk

Earlier this legislative session, I joined with my area Assembly colleagues at Altoona City Hall to announce that we would prioritize assisting our local community governments this session. The plan was to assist our communities in dealing with the rising cost of inflation by diverting a portion of Wisconsin's sales tax revenue to community governments and increasing state support for most community governments by at least 20%.

Later that year, I was proud to stand with my colleagues again and announce that we had voted to approve and fund the largest investment in local aid in over a generation. Almost all communities in the 93rd Assembly District received at least a 20% increase in aid, with the majority receiving significantly more. This increase means that, for the state budget, community governments in my Assembly District will receive nearly $12 million in additional new funding. Furthermore, as part of the Milwaukee Brewers lease agreement extension, a portion of each dollar spent there will be diverted to our area thru increased sales taxes.

Also this session, I was proud to vote to repeal the state's personal property tax law. This obsolete and complex tax required community governments to collect an annual property tax from businesses. This meant that businesses would have to calculate the value of all of their assets, such as cleaning supplies, chairs, and tables, calculate depreciation, and then determine if they qualified for an exemption. Then governments would need to shuffle an amazing amount of paperwork to collect this tax. With this tax repeal, business and community governments can now focus on other tasks, while the state will compensate for every lost dollar in revenue to hold governments harmless.

Furthermore, community governments will be able to apply for an innovation grant to help them streamline their operations. This new innovation fund will encourage governments to work together to provide more efficient services by covering the costs of new initiatives that show they will save at least 10%. The new law also prioritizes grants to help save money on public safety, fire protection, and emergency services, as long as those services are maintained at an appropriate level.

In addition, I voted this session to provide significant support to our community's public safety professionals.  Because much of the 93rd is rural, our EMS must cover vast areas of land. As a result, the votes I cast increased funding for new ambulances, medical equipment, and supplies. It also includes additional funding to assist governments in upgrading their 911 systems, as well as a doubling of the amount paid by the state for law enforcement training. This money would help to ensure that our communities' police, fire, and EMS workers continue to receive adequate services.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any further thoughts, questions, or concerns at Rep.Petryk@legis.wisconsin.gov. You can also sign up for my E-Update at www.RepWarrenPetryk.com to stay up-to-date on what's happening in Madison.