Oconto County, "this money all comes from taxpayers"

Peshtigo Times reports on what could be $742,000 Less In State Shared Revenue for Oconto County.


Everyone's in the same boat but I thought it was interesting how Oconto County looks at it.I will high lite some in red.

Headline,


Oconto Co. Expects $742,000 Less In State Shared Revenue

Peshtigo Times Wisconsin Community Newspaper:

"That’s why we have to get rid of collective bargaining,” Hamann commented. “Then you can decide what benefits to provide.” He said despite the publicity and the demonstrations going on around the state capitol in Madison there are still questions as to just which employees will be affected by the governor’s proposal to do away with collective bargaining and require certain public employees to pay a percentage of their health insurance and retirement benefits. He believes it applies to everyone except perhaps law enforcement.

Oconto County, Hamann said, will be affected immediately, since all labor contracts expired at the end of 2010. “If it (the budget repair bill) passes, we’ll have to make some big changes right away... We’ll need to eliminate retirement as of March 22....I don’t know if we can get it done that fast.”"

We need to remember that this money all comes from taxpayers,” Supervisor Gerald Gehling commented. “We’re $3 billion in debt!” He said the county cannot continue to provide the level of services that they have, and there will probably be layoffs at all levels. “Personally, I think the governor is on the right track...He’s doing what needs to be done.”

Supervisor Barbara Smith said her son had gone to Madison on Tuesday, when Jesse Jackson was there, just to see what it was like, and told her he found it uplifting. He told her the demonstrators were peaceful and friendly. There were no conflicts, in fact demonstrators on either side of the issue sometimes held signs for one another. Then she added, “Now if they’d just get those –– Democrats out of Illinois....Rockford is my hometown and they’re cluttering it up!”


Nice to live in Oconto County