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.

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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.