La Follette School Workshop Reports 2007

PA 869: Public Affairs Workshop, Domestic Issues

Associate Professor Donald P. Moynihan

Complying with Act 141: Renewable Electricity Consumption at State Facilities

Prepared for Robert G. Cramer, Administrator, Wisconsin Department of Administration Division of State Facilities, by Jennifer Blonn, Erik Johnson, Hy Matz, and Nicholas Sayen

Act 141 specifically calls for the Wisconsin's government to acquire 10 percent of its electricity from renewable resources by December 31, 2007, and 20 percent by December 31, 2011. This report advises the Wisconsin Department of Administration in complying with these targets. The authors recommend that the Department of Administration purchase renewable electricity from local utilities that have invested in in-state state resources to meet Act 141's target. Presentation slides

Milwaukee’s Community Development Block Grant: Connecting Youth Services and Economic Development
Prepared for the City of Milwaukee, Budget and Management Division, Department of Administration by Nina Carlson, Julie Fitzgerald, Kevin Murphy, and Bethany Shore

The City of Milwaukee uses federal block grant funds to contract with community organizations for youth services. The Milwaukee Budget Office asked the authors to review CDGA’s Youth Services grant process to determine the effectiveness of Youth Services grants and to explore the possibility of better linking Youth Services programming to economic development. The authors conclude that though CDGA’s Youth Services grantees provide quality programming, the agency should adjust its reporting and monitoring systems to yield better performance data to reflect these efforts, and that shifting more money toward youth job training and placement would not result in stronger economic development outcomes relative to other uses of those resources. Presentation slides

Transportation Utility Fees: Possibilities for the City of Milwaukee
Prepared for the City of Milwaukee Budget and Management Division, Department of Administration by Deven Carlson, Bill Duckwitz, Karen Kurowski, and Lamont Smith

Using four evaluation criteria, this report evaluates whether Milwaukee should implement a transportation utility fee (TUF) to fund the operation and maintenance of transportation infrastructure in the city. Under a TUF, transportation infrastructure is treated as a public utility and fees are assigned according to usage. Based on the results of quantitative and qualitative analyses, the authors recommend the adoption of a TUF ordinance in Milwaukee. Such an ordinance would provide an additional revenue source for the City and more equitably distribute the burden of funding transportation infrastructure. Presentation slides

Vehicle Use by Employees of the Milwaukee Department of Neighborhood Services

Prepared for the Budget and Management Division of the Milwaukee Department of Administration by Kristen Grill, Erik Larson, and Tim Steiner

This report is a classic cost analysis. The Milwaukee Budget and Management Division charged us with the task of evaluating the costs associated with alternative means of vehicle provision for the City’s Department of Neighborhood Services. While cost was the primary criterion used to evaluate the vehicle use alternatives, we utilized other criteria, such as productivity, equity, safety, and feasibility, to evaluate and make a final recommendation. Presentation slides

 

Professor Karen Holden

Justice Alternatives for Wisconsin: Reducing the Costs of the Criminal Justice System

Prepared for the Wisconsin Joint Legislative Council by Kate Battiato, Callie Gray, Patrick Mueller, and Angela Witt

Wisconsin's incarcerated population has grown quickly in recent years, along with the attendant costs. Many people charged or convicted of crimes have drug or alcohol abuse problems which may drive their illegal behavior. The authors examine policy alternatives for reducing the costs of incarceration for some members of this population – typically first-time offenders accused or convicted of non-violent crimes. Their report recommends that the Council study further these policy alternatives as well as the specific implementation options they offer in order to reduce the costs of incarceration in Wisconsin. Presentation slides

The School Property Tax and Homestead Credits: Accuracy, Equity, and Contribution to Overall Fiscal Relief

Prepared for the Wisconsin Department of Revenue by Vanessa Allen, Danielle Fumia, Kelly Krupa Rifelj, and Matthew Steinberg

Property taxes are a visible and vital component of state and local government in Wisconsin. The authors contribute to the discussion of whether income tax credits designed to give property tax relief are accurate and equitable, and how the credits contribute to overall fiscal relief for median- and low-income Wisconsin residents with median-valued homes. The report analyzes the credit formulation; the distribution of relief among renters and between renters and homeowners; and the makeup of overall fiscal relief since 1991(92) through the credits and assistance to local governments. Presentation slides

Does Mental Health Parity Make Economic Sense for Wisconsin? An Evaluation of the Effects of Mental Health Parity in the Commercial Insurance Market

Prepared for Office of Policy Initiatives and Budget, Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services, by Christina Enders, Rachel Moskowitz, Michael Pancook, and Carrie Schneck

Insurers in Wisconsin are not required to cover mental health services at the same level as physical health services. This discrepancy in coverage may prevent people with a mental illness from accessing the treatment necessary to function at their highest potential. This report explores the impacts of passing a mental health parity mandate in Wisconsin, which would prohibit separate cost-sharing requirements and benefit limits for insurance coverage of mental and physical health care within the state’s commercial insurance market. The analysis applies existing cost estimates from prior research of parity to the Wisconsin insurance market, identifies the benefits of parity for state residents, employers, and the government, and explores the political feasibility of passing the mandate. Presentation slides

Retirement Benefits and Unemployment Insurance: What Creating Offsets for Social Security Retired-Worker Benefits Would Mean for Trust Fund Balances and Older Workers
Prepared by Kate Clark, Liz Elwart, Sam Hall, and Tommy Winkler
In response to the strain on Unemployment Insurance (UI) systems during the economic recession of 1973-1975, some states began reducing an otherwise eligible worker’s UI benefits if that worker was simultaneously receiving Social Security retired-worker benefits. However, the national trend over the past 20 years is one of states steadily eliminating the use of these UI offsets. The analysis finds that offset implementation has a negligible impact on states’ trust fund solvency, hurts workers older than 62 who are eligible for both UI and Social Security retired-worker benefits, and has uncertain effects on employers. To improve trust fund solvency, policymakers might consider moving states to counter-cyclical UI financing systems, implementing a solvency tax surcharge, or indexing the UI taxable wage base to states’ average weekly wages rather than implementing offsets.