I pick on Franklin, a lot.

It’s a very nice community, otherwise I wouldn’t choose to live here.

But Franklin is the typical “B” student. It tries, oh how it tries to be the best, but it just can’t do get to that level. Franklin comes up short, all the time.

Why?  Because the city is its own worst enemy. Franklin is not, as our mayor loves to place blame, having problems because it’s the state’s fault.

The community is strange in this regard.

Too much traffic? Something criminal must be going on. More apartments, even if they’re luxury? We can’t have those people living here.

Someone set chairs up to save a spot for the parade on the 4^th of July? Arrest them!

But obscene taxes and more tax and spending increases?

BOHICA.

Apathy reigns.

That’s why it’s somewhat remarkable to see Franklin residents get so passionate about this particular tax issue.

It occurred back in April.

Voters in Milwaukee County including Franklin were being asked to approve a 100% tax increase.

That’s right. A potential 100% tax increase.

Almost totally forgotten in the spring election was is an advisory referendum for Milwaukee County voters on whether they liked the county executive’s idea to raise the county’s $30 wheel tax to $60. Here’s the exact wording:

Do you support County Executive Abele’s proposal for a $60 Vehicle Registration Fee (wheel tax) to provide designated funding for transit and transportation-related projects?

The math is quite simple.

Though the referendum is advisory in nature, should it pass, you know darn well the County Board and Abele would have fought tooth and nail to enact a $60 wheel tax. That’s a whopping 100% increase.

How did we get there? The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported on a Milwaukee County Board meeting last November:

On a 10-7 vote, the board approved a $30 vehicle registration fee ordinance during its annual budget adoption meeting.

Earlier in the meeting, the board on a vote of 17-1 approved a package of amendments to County Executive Chris Abele’s recommended budget that uses revenue from a $30 wheel tax.

Supervisor John Weishan voted no.

“My constituents have told me loud and clear they don’t want a wheel tax,” Weishan said.

Check out this next sentence:

On the subsequent vote for the ordinance establishing the $30 fee, however, six additional supervisors joined Weishan in opposition even though they approved a spending plan dependent on its revenue. The other supervisors voting against the wheel tax include Deanna Alexander, Eddie Cullen, Michael Mayo Sr., Dan Sebring, Anthony Staskunas and Steve Taylor.

You decide if that makes any sense. It doesn’t. The spending plan dependent on the wheel tax revenue approved by Deanna Alexander, Eddie Cullen, Michael Mayo Sr., Dan Sebring, Anthony Staskunas and Steve Taylor included the ridiculous BRT, Bus Rapid Transit.

In my view a vote on any plan that relied on revenue from the wheel tax is an automatic NO.

Steve Taylor voted Yes. So did my supervisor, Dan Sebring.

Getting back to the referendum. But Kev, it’s only advisory.  BS.

Approve this referendum and you’re looking at a tax that probably with good odds looking down the road will go up 100%.

100%.

The question once again:

Do you support County Executive Abele’s proposal for a $60 Vehicle Registration Fee (wheel tax) to provide designated funding for transit and transportation-related projects?

The math was quite simple. Voters were being asked to approve a 100% tax increase and they resoundingly rejected the idea, with 72% voting NO, 28% voting YES.

The beatdown of the referendum was even greater here in Franklin.

Voting YES: 1,008, or 17.32 %

Voting NO: 4,811, or 82.68%
(Source: Franklin City Clerk)

Chris Abele wasn’t listening.

In his 2018 budget request, Abele proposed a $60 annual registration fee as a dedicated source of funding for transit and road and bridge repairs.

The County Board shot down that idea.

Now if only Franklin taxpayers would react the same way to city and local school tax increases and spending.

Unfortunately, BOHICA.

THE TOP 10 FRANKLIN STORIES OF 2017

1) ?
2) ?
3) ?
4) ?
5) WHEEL TAX WAKES UP FRANKLIN TAXPAYERS
6) LOYAL VOLUNTEER DUMPED
7) SODA BOMBS ARRESTS
8) FRANKLIN’S AWARD-WINNING JEWEL
9) POLITICAL BULLYING
10) CHAIRGATE RETURNS