MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee residents and stakeholders are just four days away from learning the fate of a 2 percent sales tax increase.
One after another, Milwaukee residents aired frustrations Thursday night to alders about the sales tax decision that isn’t up to voters.
"Constituents will be watching how you vote,” Beverly Hamilton-Williams said.
"We're being micromanaged by imbeciles,” another Milwaukee resident said.
Alderman Mark Chambers is one of the city leaders who were there to hear the fierce opposition.
"I was one of the alders that was for a referendum,” Ald. Chambers said.
Instead of a ballot referendum, Ald. Chambers will cast one of the 15 Common Council votes next Tuesday.
Leading up to that critical vote, he wanted a better grasp of where a large number of his constituents stand.
"I put out a postcard just asking them, ‘Do you support it, yes or no? If you do support it, why?’” he said.
Ald. Chambers said nearly a thousand people in his north-side district replied to the survey. So far, he says it’s a 52-48 split for or against.
“Right now, we're neck and neck,” he said. "It's really a toss-up in this district."
Ald. Chambers declined to share which way a majority of the participants in the unscientific poll leaned.
“What does that say about the vote you have to make?” TMJ4 reporter Ben Jordan asked.
"It puts me in an interesting spot,” Ald. Chambers replied.
He knows the stakes are high as Milwaukee faces significant financial troubles. Under a worst-case scenario, the city warns it could run out of money to fund services by 2025 if the sales tax doesn’t pass.
If it is approved, Milwaukee would gain an estimated $190 million annually in additional revenue to prevent that from happening.
Alderman Chambers and several others staunchly oppose the strings attached to the deal struck in Madison.
“How much do you take that public opinion into your consideration for this vote?” Jordan asked.
"It's the only opinion that {matters} in that vote,” Ald. Chambers replied.
As the decision comes down to the wire, Common Council President Jose Perez tells TMJ4 that fewer than half of alders are still undecided.
“People in your district likely want to know, are you a yes or no vote on Tuesday,” Jordan said to Ald. Chambers.
"They will find out on Tuesday, July 11,” he replied.
It’s a day that could go down as the biggest decision in the history of Milwaukee’s Common Council.
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.
