Where's the money? Target 2 Investigates $46m taken from #Wisconsin local road budgets
Wisconsin has its own stinking SWAMP!
Where's the money? Target 2 Investigates $46m taken from local road budgets
TARGET 2: $46 million for roads is missing
https://www.wbay.com/content/news/Wheres-the-money-Target-2-Investigates-46m-taken-from-local-road-budgets-492641111.html
TARGET 2: State diverts road funds
VIDEO: Lawmakers want DOT to explain missing money
By Brittany Schmidt |
Posted: Thu 4:56 PM, Sep 06, 2018 |
Updated: Fri 5:49 PM, Sep 07, 2018
NORTHEAST WISCONSIN (WBAY) - Millions of dollars in federal funds are being withheld from local municipalities by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, Target 2 Investigates has learned.
Both Appleton and Green Bay are losing out on more than $3 million in funds. These municipalities don't know where that money has been diverted.
"Where is the money going? We have no idea," says Steve Grenier,
Green Bay Public Works Director.
Local officials were recently informed about a change in federal funding when it comes to Surface Transportation Block Grants. That's money that Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) request to complete transportation projects.
Steve Grenier serves as the Vice President of Brown County's MPO Policy Board.
"That's federal money that comes down from Federal Highway Administration, filters through the Wisconsin Department of Transportation and then comes to local programs," Grenier says.
A five-year funding program has been reduced to a four-year program.
MPOs across the state are missing one year of federal funding. It was money they were depending on for upcoming projects.
"Essentially what it boils down to, the way it's been explained to us, there's one year's of STBG funding that is no longer available to MPOs," Grenier says. "So if the numbers I've seen are accurate on a statewide basis, that comes out to about $45 million. And right now, you, no one knows where that $45 million is going? That is correct."......................
................Governor Walker’s and the Republicans have had total control of state government since 2011. All that time their playbook has been to cut funding to local communities and schools and forcing them to make up for the lost state funding. The results are terrible roads, dangerous bridges and schools so badly underfunded that local residents have voted to raise their own property taxes just to keep the lights on,” Hansen said. “It’s gotten so bad that now they can’t even tell us what they did with $46 million.” - State Sen. Dave Hansen.......................
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