STUDY SAYS ALLOUEZ PRISON REMOVAL WOULD ADD JOBS, INCREASE REVENUES
A study from St. Norbert College regarding the economics of replacing the aging Green Bay Correctional Institute in Allouez has found that the current plan could add more than 1,000 jobs and rake in an additional $1 million in property tax collections.
The plan would turn the original 1898 Wisconsin State Reformatory into a mixed use property, including a museum, offices, and restaurants, and develop the remaining land on the 14 acres of waterfront property into apartments, condos, shops, cafes, and a "boutique hotel."
But the plan is far from approved. Leaders in Brown County will need to convince the state legislature to replace the massive prison elsewhere. One area lawmaker, Rep. Dave Steffen has proposed that a private company build a 1,300 inmate facility, and then lease the property to the state to operate. The theoretical new development could bring in an annual $1.56 million in property taxes, with nearly half going to the Green Bay School District, and the rest divvied up between Allouez, Brown County, and the Northeast Wisconsin Technical College.
The momentum on the plan comes at a time when corrections and state prisons are front and center in the gubernatorial race. Governor Walker has question the democrats' plans to reduce the prison population by half, saying that their plan would lead to violent criminals being released back into the state.
But another high profile Republican has his doubts about prison expansion, or at least his role in the prison building boom in the 1990s. Last week, longtime Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson said he regrets his role in the building of prisons while hew as in office, and he now believes that some prisons should be turned into vocational schools to train inmates for jobs and an early release from incarceration.
"We lock up too many people for too long, and it's about time we change the dynamics, and I want to be on the- I apologize for that. I want to be on the front end of changing that," Thompson said.
MILLERCOORS TO CUT HUNDREDS OF JOBS
MillerCoors is planning to cut 350 salaried employees across the entire company, which includes 200 jobs currently filled.
Chicago-based MillerCoors CEO announced that the corporation would be undergoing a restructuring plan, the first of its kind for the company since 2013. In an e-mail to staff and other associates, he said "we are moving quickly and decisively to get our business back on track. To accomplish this, we know we need the financial flexibility to invest in our brands and solutions at the right level..."
According to BizTimes, the company has seen its volumes drop by 5.5 percent in the first six months of 2018, which is equivalent to 1.6 million barrels of beer, along with a drop of 8.5 percent in profits.
While a spokesperson said it would be too early to comment on the impacts the cuts would have in Milwaukee, the company has recently invested $50 million in expansions in the city, which added 65 new jobs.
STATE WITHHOLDING MONEY FROM LOCAL ROADS
Federal funds granted to the State of Wisconsin for transportation purposes are being withheld from local governments, including nearly $900,000 in Eau Claire, $3 million in Green Bay and Appleton, and $23 million in Milwaukee.
According to a report from WEAU News, local officials were informed of a change in federal Service Transportation Block Grants, but have no idea where the money is going instead. This changes their funding models for five year plans to four year plans, causing havoc in the budgeting process, and leaving local leaders scrambling to find ways to find other funding mechanisms.
Some local governments are now having to divert local funds for these projects, which take away from other ongoing needs in the areas, according to another official.
In the WEAU report, Steve Grenier, the Vice President of Brown County's Municipal Planning Organizations (MPO) policy board said; "Essentially what it boils down to, the way it's been explained to us, there's one year's of STBG funding that is no longer available to MPOs. So if the numbers I've seen are accurate on a statewide basis, that comes out to about $45 million. And right now, you, no one knows where that $45 million is going? That is correct."
This news broke around the same time that it was announced Wisconsin would be receiving an additional $91 million in road funding from a federal program, which is "far more than it typically receives." The usual amount is around $34 million through a redistribution plan, but last year the state also received about $66.4 million.
According to a state DOT spokesman, the money could go toward projects including Highway 20 in Racine County, I-94 in Waukesha County, or I-39 in Dane County.
STATE RANKS 4TH FOR STUDENTS BULLIED AT SCHOOL
A recent report and analysis from WalletHub ranked Wisconsin 7th on a list for states with the biggest bullying problems, and 4th for number of students being bullied at school.
WalletHub compared 47 different states and Washington DC, using 20 different metrics that ranged from truancy costs for schools for bullying online, to bullying incident rates. Wisconsin ranked 8th overall for bullying prevalence and 36th for bullying impact and treatment, but 3rd for anti-bullying laws.
According to the report, WalletHub said that a child is bullied at school in the United States every sevel minutes, but only 4 in every 100 adults will intervene, and only 11 percent of peers will intervene.
Number one on the list was Louisiana, and Massachusetts came in last at 48th.
