Someone has to enforce the new law
Via Watch Dog
Milwaukee County taxpayers will have to spend close to $218,000 a year to create new government positions related to the county’s “living wage” under a resolution approved Thursday by the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors.
The board, by a vote of 14-4, authorized the Milwaukee County Audit Services Division to hire three officers to oversee compliance of the living wage law at an estimated annual cost of $217,369. That total, however, does not include any potential wage or benefit increases in 2015.
Several board members who voted against the proposal called out supporters of the living wage who have insisted a majority of the added costs would be absorbed by contracting companies and not taxpayers.
“This is the first expense to the taxpayers, on top of increased costs and increased costs and increased costs,” said Supervisor Steve Taylor, who called the resolution garbage.
Supervisor Deanna Alexander also told her fellow board members that some of the living wage sponsors were not being entirely truthful throughout the drafting process.
“Even though I do want the county to run smoothly, I do want the department to have the personnel they need to get the job done, I think the original legislation we passed that’s causing this, is flawed to begin with and we didn’t receive all the information we should have,” Alexander said.
A fiscal analysis by the Milwaukee County Comptroller’s Office estimates the $11.32-an-hour living wage, which applies to thousands of county employees and workers under contract with the county, will remove about $11.3 million from the tax levy through 2019.