You pay taxes to the state annually, and that money should be allocated to fund our public schools. However, due to the Republican majority legislature’s 15-year underfunding of public schools (and concurrent increased support for private voucher schools), public schools are compelled to resort to property tax referendums to bridge the budget deficit. If we appropriately fund our public schools using the state tax fund, schools will no longer need to initiate referendums that raise property taxes.

-Fully fund public schools through the WI budget and not through property tax referendums.

-Raise wages for teachers.

-Responsibly end state support for private schools. District 50 doesn’t even have a charter school according to the list provided by the DPI. Most are in Milwaukee, in very affluent areas.

-Combine funding with necessary oversight that ensures that school spending is fiscally responsible. 

–Expand access to loans and grants to provide the financial foundation for starting a small business.

– Offer assistance to entrepreneurs in developing business plans and setting goals.

– Provide tax incentives for locally owned companies, prioritizing them over large corporations.

– Reduce burdensome regulations to create a more favorable business environment.

– Invest in downtown revitalization and local infrastructure to enhance the community’s appeal.

– Encourage consumers to shop locally, promoting economic growth and community prosperity.

Owning a home for many has become an unreachable goal. To address the issue we need to know the issue; the primary obstacle for most individuals isn’t the monthly mortgage payment but rather the downpayment and closing costs. To address these challenges, several measures can be implemented:

– Provide first-time buyer assistance through grants or forgivable loans to reduce the financial burden of purchasing a home.

– Implement zoning reforms to increase the housing supply by allowing more multi-family and starter homes.

– Regulate investment companies to limit their buying of single-family homes, ensuring a more balanced housing market.

– Address the soaring rent costs to alleviate the financial strain on renters and facilitate smoother transitions to homeownership.

-Smarter land use and flood control. Flooding causes the most consistent damage, so prevention starts with where and how things are built.

-Invest in green infrastructure: healthy wetlands protect us from flooding.

-Stronger building standards to protect from hail and tornado damage. Building codes are one of the most cost effective tools over time.

-Upgrade stormwater systems so they can handle heavier rainfall events.

-Support early warning and response systems. You can’t stop storms but you can reduce harm with better alerts and communication.

-Financial resilience for small businesses and farmers. Ensure access to emergency funds so one bad storm doesn’t permanently wipe out a lifetime of hard work.