CONTACT: JIM GOULEE, (414) 881-8413
PAT JURSIK, (414) 744-7970.
Preserve Our Parks (POP), a nonpartisan, non-profit advocacy group, has circulated petitions throughout the summer demanding that elected leaders establish stable, secure, sustainable funding for our Milwaukee County Parks. POP has already collected thousands of signatures that it will present to the Milwaukee County Board at its annual budget hearing on Oct. 29.
After state and county government spent millions of public dollars to build Miller Park and the Fiserv Forum for privately owned sports teams, POP believes it is “Our Turn” for properly funded public parks to address deferred maintenance and inadequate staffing for parks and the 108-mile Oak Leaf Trail.
Board members from POP will address the County Board with the additional weight of citizen input that the petitions represent. POP applauds the efforts of the County Board and County Executive Chris Abele in establishing the “Fair Deal Work Group” to find ways for state government to provide adequate resources to local government. Community members will also be appointed to lobby the state for adequate funding and more funding flexibility at the local level to address public needs such as protection and enhancement of our beloved county parks.
Details of the proposed County budget can be found at:
POP believes that town hall meetings it held throughout the summer to explain the issues of inadequate funding and reduced state shared revenue to local government have been a catalyst for county government to frame the issues the work group will address. POP applauds this leadership and will offer its signed petitions, which POP will continue to collect throughout the efforts of this new work group to assist in the effort to demand that state government provide our “fair share” of shared revenue.
Milwaukee County residents can download the petition from POP’s webpage (www.preserveourparks.org) and can also sign the petition by attending the public budget hearing at the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts at 6 p.m. on Oct. 29. POP members will be available to collect additional signatures and distribute petitions to members of the public who are interested in assisting the effort for our public parks.
WHO: Preserve Our Parks Board Members (www.preserveourparks.org)
WHAT: POP to serve thousands of signatures at County Board Public Hearing on Budget
WHEN: 6 p.m., October 29, 2018
WHERE: Marcus Center for the Performing Arts, 929 N. Water Street, Milwaukee WI
