State Takes Over Milwaukee County Programs
This smells like a blatant political move.
The state will strip Milwaukee County of its role in administering food stamp, child care and medical assistance programs over unfair benefit denials to poor people, state Health Services Secretary Karen Timberlake announced today.
“Milwaukee County has demonstrated a sustained inability to successfully provide services to its (poor) customers,” Timberlake said in a letter to County Executive Scott Walker.
She disputed Walker’s assertion that the problem has been the state underfunding the operation, or due to the souring economy.
The state “has in fact expended millions of additional dollars and thousands of hours of staff resources to assist your county over a period of years,” Timberlake wrote to Walker. “Despite these efforts, Milwaukee County’s performance fails national and state standards and is failing the people of the county.”
The move includes a state takeover of the county’s public assistance call center, the focal point of recent criticism about delayed and bungled aid applications.
The state move also is aimed at settling a class-action lawsuit, accusing the state and county of shortchanging poor families.
The state will manage the operations using county employees, but by substituting state managers, Timberlake said. Walker on Monday invited the state to take over the county aid programs, but using state rather than county employees. That would have provided relief for the county’s strapped budget.
[...]
Timberlake and Michael Morgan, Gov. Jim Doyle’s top aide, personally delivered the news today at the courthouse to county supervisors, meeting with them in small groups behind closed doors. They did not meet with Walker, but informed him by letter of the decision.
Hmmmm…. a year before the election a Doyle Administration official takes over the county programs but refuses to accept Walker’s reasons. Furthermore, they do it in a way that gives the state control, but still leaves the cost on the county. Yeah, Doyle is setting up Walker for the election. This is NOT about the quality of the services.
Well, actually, there’s another reason: this way the AFSCME retains (or grows) its membership, too.
Posted by dad29 on February 03, 2009 at 2047 hrs
Actually it is the same mix of county and state funding that other counties operate under Owen, well counties that have responsible Co. Execs that properly fund their programs I should say. But I know that you, like Walker, would prefer a full state take over allowing the county to cease their funding of the program and so Walker can claim he cut the size of county government to boot.
When it comes to Scott “don’t worry about it the county board will fix my bs budgets” Walker I don’t think you should accuse others of playing politics.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on February 03, 2009 at 2112 hrs
Owen, I can’t believe you are that gullible.
Walker wanted to partially privatize the call center. (State and federal requirements call for only government workers to utilize the Income Maintenance systems. He wanted to have only 10 UWM workers, who got paid much higher than the county workers, to do the computer work, and have 24 private agency workers to do nothing but answer the phones.
The County Board proposed to have 30 county workers staff the call center. Those workers would have been able to answer the phones AND do the computer work immediately.
The County Board’s proposal also was $42,000 cheaper than Walker’s.
So much for being a fiscal conservative.
What isn’t political is the fines issued by the state and the feds. What also isn’t political is the multimillion dollar class action lawsuit filed against the State and the County due to Walker’s ineptitude. (Or would you prefer purposeful sabotage?)
The only thing political was Walker’s grand standing when he dared the State to do the job he wouldn’t or couldn’t do.
So which is it? Is Walker an incompetent boob, or is he a malicious weasel?
Posted by capper on February 03, 2009 at 2148 hrs
And Doyle lets MPS off the hook…
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on February 03, 2009 at 2222 hrs
Let me get this straight, because if I’m reading this right, this is the most ill-informed piece of hackery I’ve seen from you in a while…
Walker whores himself around yesterday and talks about what a “terrible partner” the state is in managing these programs and how he’d rather the state take them over. So the next day (a day when you apparently bother to read the MJS website), Doyle gives Walker what he asks for and has Karen Timberlake b-slap Walker upside the head for being an idiot. And you want to sit here and criticize Doyle for being political but not Walker?
Classic! Doyle does what Walker asks him to do and Owen blames Doyle for being political. Doyle was just responding to a terrible, terrible bluff by that college dropout of a County Exec Milwaukee parades around.
Oh, and trust me when I say that nobody in Team Doyle is worried about Scott Walker. He’s a one-issue charlatan from Milwaukee County who got lukewarm to terrible reviews outstate when he tried running against Green two years ago. If the GOP is dumb enough to run Scott Walker, Jim Doyle is coasting into a fourth third.
Posted by Recess Supervisor on February 03, 2009 at 2250 hrs
oopsie. That should read “third term.” I must have been pondering TGT briefly.
Posted by Recess Supervisor on February 03, 2009 at 2252 hrs
Sorry…if Doyle wants to take over the programs, then he should damn well take over the costs of the employees. Even Peggy West, not a fan of Scott Walker, sees that this was a political move by Doyle. They don’t even bother to talk to Walker when they are in the courthouse.
Recess Supervisor…read what Walker suggested. This is NOT what he was asking for. Its the worst possible way to make the changes. Doyle made a deal with the unions so they don’t lose their precious pension back drops and we’re still stuck with the outrageous benefits. It’s assinine. Just another time when Doyle screws the tax payers of Milwaukee County.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on February 04, 2009 at 0848 hrs
It’s not just what the state did, it’s how it was done. Top Doyle aide dispatched to deliver the news? Check. Don’t talk to the executive? Check. Meet with supervisors in small groups so as to avoid having to have an open meeting? Check.
This has all of the fingerprints of a political move - not a sincere effort to fix anything.
Posted by Owen on February 04, 2009 at 0853 hrs
Yeah Owen, this move has nothing to do with the County’s abysmal performance managing (mismanaging is more appropriate) the public assistance programs the state just took over. After all, answering 5% of incoming calls to the county’s public assistance call center every month reeks of a job well done!
Posted by Zach W. on February 04, 2009 at 1030 hrs
I’m not saying what Doyle did wasn’t political. But it was no more or less political than Walker’s holier-than-thou schtick on Monday. If Walker was serious, maybe he should’ve called Doyle instead of holding a media availability? But I’m sure Walker didn’t think the governor would actually do anything, so he was just going to take a shot at Doyle when he could. Funny how Doyle turned that right around on him.
You have to admit it’s humorous that anytime something totally goes to hell in Milwaukee County, Scott Walker always points the fingers at someone else - the state, the feds, the County Board. Meanwhile, his complete mismanagement of Milwaukee County is an opposition researcher’s wet dream. Better find another nominee for 2010.
Posted by Recess Supervisor on February 04, 2009 at 1307 hrs
You have to admit it’s humorous that anytime something totally goes to hell in Milwaukee County, Scott Walker always points the fingers at someone else
Way more than humorous.
Scotty apparently never heard the one about being careful what you wish for.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on February 04, 2009 at 1315 hrs
So by this time next year, using the same amount of money, social workers will stop overlooking the abuse of kids, Caddies, Escalades, and Hummers will not be seen in the parking lots of food pantries and welfare offices, children will not be left out in the homeless cold and life will be good?
Please, all this talk about underfunding, understaffing, and privatization is crap plain and simple. We have a cottage industry in Milwaukee built on how to screw the taxpayers. We have a situation where as long as people can remember, there has not been a person working in the family. We have a situation where parents teach children how to not only bilk the MKE system but also the surrounding counties and until it stops there is no hope and there will be no change no matter who is in charge.
Posted by fishaddict on February 04, 2009 at 1417 hrs
I’m sure there was political points to be scored by the timing of Doyle’s announcement, but don’t forget the reality—there is a federal class action lawsuit going on. There is no disputing the county is in violation. Negotiations have been ongoing and if the state doesn’t act they, and the county, will start being fined.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on February 04, 2009 at 1614 hrs
County supervisors are the real ones to blame here. If they weren’t so focused on the number of union jobs - this would have been resolved a long time ago…
Doyle - being the political beast he is - took advantage of the inaction here to his own advantage.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on February 04, 2009 at 1740 hrs
Doyle - being the political beast he is - took advantage of
Scotty’s double dog dare you to take it over.
One point I was wondering about is who has the better benny’s?
State or Milwaukee County employees?
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on February 04, 2009 at 1803 hrs
So let’s get this straight. Walker has been putting forth proposals to try and address a multitude of MKE County financial problems while trying not to increase the tax burden on the increasingly poorer population of the county. Shut down the fish hatchery, bring in seasonal workers for the parks, shut down the pools and put in splash pads, sell a park or two or shut down or privatize a golf course or two, privatize the janatorial/cleaning staff at the courthouse? With every one of these proposals, the same group of commenters above vilify the man for not caring and being an idiot. In fact, they were all pretty good suggestions. But instead of discussing any merit in them, the County Board shoots him down and pretty much writes the budget every year. The cherry on the sundae are the unfunded mandates from the state and then the stupid “must be government worker” crap to answer a phone to keep the number of union employees up. But somehow, even though the Board wrote the budget, this is all Walker’s fault. If he would just cave in and raise taxes right?
How many call center workers could be hired using the $9 M per year at that ridiculous fish hatchery? How many to pay for the even more moronic enhanced pension and sick pay payouts?
The only real suggestion that I ever see from the Walker-despisers is “Raise Taxes! Walker hates babies! Walker hates poor people! Raise taxes! If you don’t agree with me - you must hate babies and poor people too! Raise taxes!”
May all of you be the last left in MKE county with jobs to pay for all of it. Either that of try to come up with an original thought.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on February 04, 2009 at 1940 hrs
Owen,
Aside from your superficial analysis of the politics involved, what do you actually know about these programs and Milwaukee County’s performance with them?
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on February 04, 2009 at 2047 hrs
I know that the state taking them over a year from now with the same employees and no additional funds won’t change a damn thing. You?
Posted by Owen on February 04, 2009 at 2052 hrs
County supervisors are the real ones to blame here. If they weren’t so focused on the number of union jobs - this would have been resolved a long time ago…
The Board’s proposal was $42,000 less than Walker’s and had three times the work force. Walker was going to waste more tax dollars, provide less service, and you think that’s a good idea? You don’t have a frickin’ clue on what you’re talking about, do you?
@JJ,
Actually the unions offered a proposal that would have saved jobs and tax dollars by having park workers double as plow drivers in the winter, since they already have CDL’s. The studies came back showing it would save money. Walker rejected it. And instead of just looking at the price tag, look at what the money is buying, and then deem if it’s worthy.
Posted by capper on February 04, 2009 at 2054 hrs
Are you counting pensions and benefits in your calculation?
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on February 05, 2009 at 0746 hrs
Senator Grothman wrote -
“As fiscal estimates show, Wisconsin’s taxpayers have been extremely generous in providing funding for SE Wisconsin, but they also want some common sense and accountability to accompany their dollars. The City of Milwaukee receives $407 per person in shared revenue compared to the statewide average of $106 per person not including Milwaukee.”
It looks like we’ll be spending even more under this new program.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on February 05, 2009 at 0934 hrs
capper -
So the union proposal give the parks workers part-time jobs in the winter. How does that help get more bodies into the parks in the summer - when they really need them? How does that reduce the long-term pension liability and bennies requirement now? In this case, what should be cut to hire people to answer phones as union jobs?
You have made eloquent arguments about social services and the problems with outsourcing those. And they make sense. So how about outsourcing where it makes sense - like seasonal workers and cutting fish hatcheries to keep the important stuff in house. There simply aren’t enough people making enough money to pay for the “old” days of Milwaukee socialism anymore, where every department was overstaffed with union jobs. Those who can, are mostly leaving Milwaukee and Milwaukee county because of the high taxes, the higher crime rates and the crappy schools (some suburbs are still OK on schools, but nobody can say MPS is successful). You don’t like to admit it, but Ament f..ked all of you. Walker can’t undo that, he can only work with the steaming pile he has.
As Owen put it above, how does the State assuming control with the same people and without providing funds going to change anything?
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on February 05, 2009 at 1205 hrs
JJ
For the parks/DPW proposal, it would cut on overtime during plowing and clean the streets faster. In other words, it would make the most efficient use of all employees, without the extra cost of continually training new temps. Plus there’‘s no snow in the summer, so the parks workers can go back to doing their regular jobs.
Nothing would have to be cut to hire the workers to fully staff the call center. The money was already authorized for 25 workers throughout 2008. Walker refused to fill them. In fact, he refused to fill 717 positions throughout the county. But no one (except me) has been asking Walker where that money went to. It wasn’t spent on its intended purpose. What did Walker do with it? That’s millions of dollars we’re talking about.
The state doesn’t have to add funds, it’s already there. But like the County Board did today, they are saying it’s got to be spent on what it is supposed to be spent on.
I have no problem stating that Ament f’ed things up royally. But the union did bring it up and questioned it during contract talks, and the union was told to shut up and sign it or else. And be honest, if someone told you that you had to take a lot of money, or lose your job, what would you do?
But while Ament f’ed it up, Walker only made it worse.
Posted by capper on February 06, 2009 at 0014 hrs
Bill,
Per federal law, all municipal, county, and state budgets now have to include fringe benefits, including projected pension costs, when counting personnel costs. The law is so backasswards that it sets a minimum that is higher than most smaller governments pay.
So to answer your question, yes, that is included.
Posted by capper on February 06, 2009 at 0023 hrs
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