CITY MAYORS ARE IMPLORING LEADERS TO ALLOCATE MORE FUNDING FOR MUNICIPALITIES KNOWN AS SHARED REVENUE.

RAI RAISIN -- THE RACINE MAYOR SAID NOW THE TIME TO FUND POLICE AND ESSENTIAL SERVICES.

THE MAYOR JOINS US NOW.

THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.

>> MY PLEASURE, THANKS FOR HAVING ME.

>> WE EXPECT WHEN HE ROLLS OUT HIS TWO-YEAR BUDGET GOVERNOR TONY EVERS WILL PROPOSE SENDING 20-PERCENT OF THE STATE'S SALES TAX BACK TO LOCAL COMMUNITIES IN SHARED REVENUE.

WHEN YOU HEARD HIM ANNOUNCE THAT -- WHAT WAS YOUR REACTION?

HAVE YOU DONE THE MATH?

WHAT WOULD THAT MEAN FOR RACINE?

THE GOVERNOR'S SHOWN REAL LEADERSHIP.

WE HAD FUNDS TO LOCAL SERVICES FROZEN MORE THAN A DECADE.

FOR THE CITY OF RACINE WE GET LESS THAN A DECADE AGO AND THAT MAKES IT DIFFICULT TO MAINTAIN SERVICES WHEN COSTS CONTINUE TO RISE.

THE GOVERNOR COMMITTING THAT KIND OF A FUNDING SOURCE IN TERMS OF INCREASE AND ALSO ITS SUSTAINABLE GROWTH IN THE FUTURE OBVIOUSLY MYSELF AND MAYORS ARE EXCITED TO HEAR ABOUT THAT.

>> HAVE YOU DONE THE MATH ON THAT AND WHAT THE NUMBERS MIGHT MEAN OR COULD MEAN?

>> THAT'S WHERE THE DETAILS WILL COME OUT BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY THERE'S DIFFERENT LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT HAVE DIFFERENT IDEAS HOW THE INCREASE WOULD BE BUT AN ADDITIONAL HALF BILLION BACK TO LOCAL GOVERNMENT.

HOW THAT'S DISTRIBUTED THROUGH CITIES, VILLAGES AND TOWNS AND COUNTRIES IS A DIFFERENT CONVERSATION.

A GENERATION AGO HALF WENT TO THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND KNEW WE GET 5% WITH NEED INVESTMENT.

>> Frederica: WHAT THAT HAS MEANT IN TERMS OF LOCAL SERVICES?

>> THERE'S REAL STRESS ON LOCAL SERVIC SERVICES AND HEALTH CARE COSTS GROUP 10%, 15% A YEAR IF REVENUES REMAIN FLAT IT'S A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE THERE'S REAL TENSION BETWEEN GIVING WORKERS THE RAISES THEY DESERVE TO MAINTAIN THEM AND MAINTAIN SERVICES IF YOU HAVE BUDGETS FROM 10, 12, 15 YEARS AGO.

>> THERE'S THE LEVY LIMITS AND THE ONLY WAY UNDER THE LEGISLATIVELY IMPOSED LIMITS IS TO GO TO A REFERENDUM FOR TAX DOLLARS.

RACINE PROPOSED THIS BUT ARE YOU READY TO SUPPORT THAT.

>> WE'RE IN NEGOTIATIONS BUT THE RAISES ON THE TABLE EXCEED OUR ABILITY TO MAINTAIN THOSE FUNDS IN THE FUTURE.

WE HAVE TO PUT REAL OFFERS ON THE TABLE THOUGH BECAUSE WE NEED TO MAINTAIN A POLICE FORCE AND EMS AND FIRE FIGHTING FORCE.

IT'S AT A CRISIS POINT FOR COMMUNITIES LIKE RACINE.

WE KNOW THERE WERE DOZENS OF PUBLIC REFERENDUMS.

80% PASSED UNFORTUNATELY OURS WAS ONE THAT DIDN'T.

THOSE ARE TWO OPTIONS GOING TO REFERENDUM OR GETTING THE STATE TO REINVEST IN ITS COMMITMENT TO FUNDING LOCAL SERVICES.

EVERYBODY AGREED FUNDING A POLICE WAS A PRIORITY.

EVERYBODY AGREED ABOUT THAT.

THIS IS THE OPPORTUNITY FOR THE LEGISLATURE AND GOVERNOR TO MAKE GOOD ON THE COMMITMENT THE GOVERNOR LAID OUT BEFORE US.

>> Frederica: HAVING SERVED IN THE LEGISLATURE YOURSELF WHAT IS YOUR EXPECTATION HOW THE REPUBLICAN MAJORITY TO REACT.

>> IT DEPENDS ON WHEN THEY PASS IT IN THE BIANNUAL BUDGET AND I DO KNOW IN CONVERSATIONS THE LEGISLATURE IS HAVING CONVERSATIONS ABOUT THE MODEL ABOUT THE 20% SALES TAX GOING.

SO IF THE GOVERNOR AND LEGISLATURE AGREE ROUGHLY ON THE FRAMEWORK AND WHAT THEY NEED TO DO IS NEGOTIATE WHAT THE DETAILS ARE I FEEL MORE OPTIMISTIC ABOUT SHARING REVENUE THIS YEAR THAN I HAVE IN A LONG TIME.

>> Frederica: WHAT IS YOUR MESSAGE NOW TO BUDGET WRITERS AT THE STATE CAPITAL?

>> IF YOU WANT SAFE AND HEALTHY COMMUNITIES YOU HAVE TO INVEST IN LAW ENFORCEMENT AND PUBLIC SAFETY.

THEY KNOW THAT.

THE CITY OF RACINE AND COMMUNITIES ALL OVER THE STATE NEED THE RESOURCES AND NEED THE STATE TO MAKE GOOD ON ITS COMMITMENT TO FULFILL IT'S RESPONSIBILITY TO FUND LOCAL SERVICES.

AT THE END OF THE DAY EVERYBODY AGREES TO THAT AND I'M HOPING WITH THE NEW FRAMEWORK LAID OUT BY THE GOVERNOR UNDER HIS LEADERSHIP THE LEGISLATURE WILL FIND A MODEL WE CAN AGREE ON BUT THEY CAN'T KICK THE CAN DOWN THE ROAD FURTHER.

IT'S GETTING TO PROVIDING BASIC SERVICES IS BECOMING HARDER AND HARDER FOR COMMUNITIES LIKE MINE AND MANY OTHERS ALL OVER THE STATE.