No Runny Eggs

(H/T – Jessica)

Lost in the revelation that Jim “Craps” Doyle (WEAC/Potawatomi-For Sale) had his campaign lawyer instruct the State Doylie Elections Board on how to kneecap Mark Green via e-mail (and thus traceable), and the chutzpah of the Doylies to once again seek to retroactively change the rules to grab even more of Green’s money, is this little gem from the Journal Sentinel – MMSD proposes 30% budget increase. They’re looking at a 3% levy increase, and are proposing tapping $500,000 out of the $13.5 million user stabilization fund (no word on how much they’re sticking the non-Milwaukee County suburbs for in fees). Let’s take a look at the tax time bomb that is MMSD, the Crappy Water People™:

• Total proposed budget for 2007 – $352.9 million (up 30.5% from 2006)
• Capital improvements – $285.4 million (up 37.9% from 2006, even though the non-Milwaukee County portion of paying for that that is decreasing $1.4 million to $22.6 million – Houston, we have a consistency problem here)
• “Low”-interest state loans in 2007 – $108.7 million (or 30.8% of the total budget)
• Bonds and “expected” federal/state aid – $67.8 million (19.2% of the total budget; not broken down in the story)
• The Milorganite market, which barely breaks even on good years, is drying up.
• Despite being ordered to sink another $900 million (in addition to the billions spent on the almost-somewhat-not-quite-Deep-enough Tunnel, designed to make the suburbs pay for Milwaukee’s and Shorewood’s unwillingness to separate their combined sewers, the top cause of sewage dumping) on dumping mitigation, MMSD still faces lawsuits from both the state (which negotiated that $900 million settlement) and envirowhackos to spend even more.

When half of what you spend (math lesson of the day – 30.8 + 19.2 = 50.0) is borrowed or gifted from an uncertain source of aid, it’s no surprise when the acting comptroller warns that the butcher’s bill will come due in 2008. Gee, I wonder why the board is sort of holding the line this year; could it be because fellow ‘RAT Craps doesn’t need yet another massive increase in property taxes from MMSD (4.0% increase last year) and its kind like what happened last year?

While Jessica reminds you the not-so-gentle reader (you may be gentle if you read her blog, but you’re definitely not gentle if you’re here) that the Legislature killed a bill to make these non-elected taxing authorities elected instead of appointed, I’ll remind you once again that Craps specifically exempted non-elected taxing authorities from his Craps Anti-Freeze. They’re setting up for the mother of all sublimations next year.