Another unelected board raises taxes on Wisconsinites

As if this economy is not bad enough, a Milwaukee County District Board, not elected or unaccountable to the people, raised taxes in Milwaukee County.

Beginning July 1, consumers will pay a little more for food and beverages purchased in Milwaukee County.

As expected, the Wisconsin Center District board voted Wednesday to raise the tax from 0.25% to 0.50% in order to meet its own debt-service obligations. But the board also said it was interested in retiring the tax increase as soon as possible.

The district's taxes - it collects four in all - have not been raised since the district was formed in 1994, according to Franklyn Gimbel, the board's chairman.

The vote to approve the tax was 10-2. Voting against the increase was Wauwatosa Mayor Jill Didier and Jim Villa, the head of the Commercial Association of Realtors. The following board members voted in favor of the tax: Gimbel; restaurant owner Jack Weissgerber; Milwaukee Aldermen Willie Hines, Ashanti Hamilton and Terry Witkowski; W. Martin Morics, Milwaukee city comptroller; Joel Brennan of Discovery World; John J. Burke Jr., of Burke Properties; James Kaminski of Kaminski Consultants; and Stephen H. Marcus of the Marcus Corp.

Curious questions...Where does this money go? What is the debt obligation? What have these folks borrowed the money for? Who put these people in a seat of power allowing them to increase taxes?