Green Bay…Earlier this week, the state Assembly and Senate approved a new two-year (2019-2021) spending plan for our state. It now goes to the Governor for his signature. State Representative John Macco (R-Ledgeview) released the following statement:
“The WISCONSIN Budget keeps moving our state forward while maintaining good stewardship of taxpayer money. Not only does it take care of needs statewide, it also takes care of needs in the greater Green Bay area. I would like to thank the Joint Finance Committee for addressing those needs and including several that I requested. I am pleased that the Assembly and Senate approved this bill. Now, I call on Governor Evers to sign it,” said Rep. Macco.
The following are funding priorities that will benefit the greater Green Bay area:
Be Great, Graduate Program
The Green Bay Boys and Girls Club was the first in the state to put in place the BE GREAT, Graduate program, which is a program that helps at-risk students to stay in school and graduate. In the previous budget, Representative Macco expanded this successful program to Oshkosh, Appleton and Milwaukee. At his request, this budget includes $2.8 million in funding over two years to fund these existing clubs and expand this successful program statewide.
UW-Green Bay
Rep. Macco also requested the legislature’s Joint Finance Committee restore $247,500 in annual funding from the Oneida Tribe to UW-Green Bay to provide much needed dollars for community programming.
There is also funding in the budget to develop preliminary plans for the Cofrin Library renovation project, as well as for exterior repairs to Cofrin Hall/Wood Hall.
Interstate 41 Interchange and Widening
This bill requires the Department of Transportation to construct an interchange in De Pere at Southbridge Road. It also expands Interstate 41 from four to six lanes for the 23 miles between Highway 96 in Outagamie County to County Highway F in Brown County. The bill includes $4 million in the first year of the budget and $2 million in the second year of the budget to help pay for the required environmental review studies and the interchange report. Constructing an interchange on I-41 near Scheuring Road is a critical first step towards the construction of the Southern Bridge.
Funding for Schools
This budget increases funding by $604 per student over the 2019-2021 budget. This translates into the following increases in funding for school districts in the 88th Assembly District:
Green Bay Area Public School District
- $4.78 million in 2019-2020
- $12 million in 2020-2021
De Pere School District
- $825,301 in 2019-2020
- $1.78 million in 2020-2021
Denmark School District
- $339,434 in 2019-2020
- $747,024 in 2020-2021
