Governor Tony Evers’ proposed $3.8 billion state building projects were rejected by Republicans on the Building Commission. They deemed the overall price tag too high, with Rep. Rob Swearingen of Rhinelander calling it reckless spending. Swearingen suggested Republicans would approve a plan that is half or less than half of what Evers proposed, leaving plenty of room for other projects. Swearingen expressed support for funding UW-Madison’s new engineering building and UW-Eau Claire’s science building, calling them “musts.” The Building Commission’s rejection doesn’t necessarily doom the projects but sends them to the Legislature’s budget-writing committee, which is controlled by Republicans. Governor Evers criticized Republicans for preferring politics to meaningful discussions about the project’s benefits. Rep. Jill Billings said that approving projects according to the typical timeline provides a sense of certainty to the institutions and donors involved.
Republicans reject Gov. Tony Evers’ $3.8 billion plan for building projects, but it’s not over yet. Here’s what happens next..
The Building Commission of Wisconsin failed to recommend any of Governor Tony Evers’ $3.8 billion proposed state building projects. The Republican lawmakers on the commission voted down each project, and the Democrats considered it a “power grab.” The price tag was deemed too high by the Republicans.
Although the deadlock doesn’t necessarily mean that the projects are doomed, it will pass to the legislature’s budget-writing committee, which is controlled by the Republicans. They will later create their own list of statewide building renovations, upgrades, and expansions to fund in the next two-year state budget.
Governor Evers criticized Republicans in a statement for showing a preference for playing politics rather than having a meaningful discussion about the projects’ benefits.
The History of the Vote-down-every-project Approach
Republicans have voted down every project approach in the past two state budgets. It’s worth noting that this happened before Evers’ tenure. The Building Commission typically approves worthy projects in a collaborative manner. However, since 2019, the four GOP lawmakers on the eight-member commission declined to approve any part of Evers’ plans. They first requested no recommendation, and then voted against all the projects later on.
Senator Robert Wirch, D-Somers, called it a Republican power grab after Thursday’s meeting. He further added that there are many worthwhile projects, and there is surplus money. Republicans claim this surplus is only one-time money. Wirch argued that the projects are also one-time money and suggested that now is the time to fix the infrastructure with the state surplus.
What building projects did Evers propose to fund?
Evers’ plan aims to renovate the Cream Puff Pavilion at State Fair Park, fund the new Wisconsin History Museum, and establish several juvenile correction facilities across the state, including one in Milwaukee County.
Almost half of the money in Evers’ plan will be allocated to the University of Wisconsin System campuses. The $1.8 billion will finance a new engineering building at UW-Madison, expand and renovate two dorms at UW-Oshkosh and complete a science center at UW-La Crosse.
Why did Republicans vote against the projects?
Republicans voted against the proposed projects due to their high cost. However, unlike Evers’ previous budget requests, the governor suggested paying for approximately half of the projects with cash from the state’s more than $7 billion budget surplus, instead of relying heavily on borrowing.
Republicans Worried About Evers’ Nearly $4 Billion Plan
Governor Tony Evers’ $3.8 billion plan worried Republicans, with Rep. Rob Swearingen, of Rhinelander, calling it “reckless spending.” He noted that the amount is nearly double what the governor requested in the previous state budget. Swearingen suggested that Republicans would probably approve of a plan that’s half or less than half of what Evers has called for, leaving a lot of room left for many projects.
Swearingen’s Project Preferences
Swearingen supports funding for UW-Madison’s new engineering building and UW-Eau Claire’s science building, which he called “musts.” He also likes the $285 million project for UW-Madison to demolish and replace the Camp Randall Sports Center with a new indoor practice field. The project is funded with athletic program revenue and not tax dollars.
The Building Commission and the Future
The other Republicans on the Building Commission — Sen. Joan Ballweg of Markesan, Sen. André Jacque of De Pere, and Rep. Robert Wittke of Racine — declined interview requests. Wittke said in a statement that sending the unrecommended projects on to the budget-writing committee “affords us a deeper dive into each recommendation.”
Rep. Jill Billings, D-La Crosse, said that the state usually approves projects in March instead of later in the spring. She believes that approving projects according to the typical timeline provides a sense of certainty to the institutions and donors involved. She stated that “now everything is up in the air again, so they have to continue advocating in the Capitol for their projects. This is not the norm.”
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