Madison 2008-09 Budget, Part One

Wisconsin as a state has been somewhat immune to the economic downturn experienced in the rest of the country over the past several years.  Dane County in particular has seen growth in certain business sectors and rapid growth in housing upstarts until now.  But now the state faces a budget deficit of $650 million.

The landscape is looking grim. Let’s not kid ourselves, times have been tough for many. The proverbial financial belt has been tightening. Today, housing starts have dropped, energy and gas prices have increased, and the economy is definitely at a slowdown.

Not understanding today’s financial situation in the MMSD, along with the national economic downturn, could prove to be disastrous. This is especially true for an institution that depends on a great amount of planning, support and stability.

I see a need to revisit our fiscal forecast and strategy, especially in this year of relative “ease� due to the one time release of TIF money from the city. Next year, we are pretty much guaranteed a $9 budget shortfall if every service stays the same.

Part of the proud tradition in Wisconsin governance is local control. And today, school districts practice this age-old tradition with pride. We’ve slid back at times. I would posit that in some ways we are entering a new era, like the transition from “one room school house� to schools preparing students to work in factories.

We must balance rising costs and increasing societal demands on the schools with access to new ideas, web-based learning and alternative learning programs. Right or wrong, the city and county depend upon us to do more, but not more of the same.

No single action will solve this predicament. Our growing fiscal crisis is compounded by the shift in workforce demand for high tech, bio-medical and “green� industries. At no time in this decade have we experienced this kind of rapid socioeconomic and demographic change in our communities.

These factors suggest it is time for change and for greater, focused collaboration.

In this budget, under a one-year reprieve from TIF, some things should not be left unsaid.  The 2009-10 budget starts off with a $9 million deficit. No longer can we afford our budget to be a year-to-year financial plan.

This budget, every budget, is a living document. Though we pass a working budget in May, we should be approaching this as the first step in a five-year plan. We have an obligation to ask where we are going.

Our obligations rest with our children and the community. Right or wrong, they demand more, they deserve more. No longer can we be satisfied with how things used to be.  Instead, we should be looking for what can be.

Stay tuned…