$100 million would be made available for capital costs of Milwaukee-area transit projects, under a proposal in the Wisconsin Department of Transportation’s budget request. The catch is that local officials would have to get their act together on a dedicated revenue source before they could even ask for the money.
Keeping this in his budget — to be introduced later this month — would be a political win for Gov. Jim Doyle no matter how it plays out. The Regional Transit Authority wants a 0.5% sales tax to fund transit in Kenosha, Milwaukee and eastern Racine counties, but not everyone likes that idea and it still must pass legislative muster.
If that happens, Doyle goes a long way — and essentially on the cheap — to proving that he doesn’t really hate Milwaukee. If the RTA deal falls apart, Doyle can point at southeastern Wisconsin politicos, sneer and say, “See, even with a $100 million bribe they can’t get it together.”