Fiscal Facts

The COVID-19 pandemic began causing traffic on Wisconsin’s roads to plummet even before the governor’s Safer at Home order was issued on March 24.

Among all Wisconsin local governments, its counties are likely to face the greatest fiscal challenges during this unprecedented COVID-19 crisis.

While revenues for Wisconsin municipalities will likely be hit hard by the COVID-19 economic shutdown, compared to other states local governments here may see at least some benefits from their heavy reliance on property taxes and state aids to fund public services.

The Wisconsin Policy Forum’s analysis of sectors of Wisconsin’s economy most affected by recent COVID-19 business closures shows the workers most affected include many low-wage earners, and regions most affected include those with economies that rely on tourism.

As Wisconsinites exercised their constitutional right to vote April 7, the dearth of competition for local elected offices left many voters with no alternatives in many important races.

Facing an economic downturn of stunning speed and unknown length, the state of Wisconsin’s finances is much stronger than in 2007, before the last recession.

The rapid rise of online home rentals, such as Airbnb, has brought opportunities for travelers but also challenges for governments seeking to collect taxes.

The well-funded Wisconsin Retirement System could serve as a valuable model for the city and county of Milwaukee pension plans, which must grapple with combined unfunded liabilities that, at the end of 2018, were about $2 billion.

Sharing or consolidating certain municipal functions may help local governments improve public services and possibly save costs, as aging populations, advances in technology, and economic growth increase demands for these services at a time of stagnant state revenues.

From 2013 to 2018, the motor vehicle crash fatality rate for black, non-Hispanic Wisconsinites nearly doubled on an age-adjusted basis, according to data from the federal Centers for Disease Control.