MILWAUKEE – Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele released the following statement on the passage of AB 885, a bipartisan proposal that will fund $20 million in workforce development in Milwaukee and improve Milwaukee County’s ability to collect revenue that is already owed to the County.
“I’m grateful for the support of a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers who recognized that by improving Milwaukee County’s ability to collect revenue, we will be able to provide $1 million a year, every year for the next 20 years, for workforce development in 53206 and the neighborhoods that need help the most. We think the people who are working harder than ever before and still can’t get ahead deserve that investment in their economic security and future ability to climb the ladder of success.
“We also want to protect people who, through no fault of their own, are not able to pay their bills to the County. That’s why this law will provide significantly better protections and support for folks who can’t afford to pay than what we have in place now — we think they deserve that. Now, private debt collectors go after people who can’t pay their debts and those collectors can employ aggressive and predatory tactics, regardless of a person’s ability to pay.
“When we make it easier for the County to collect from the people and corporations who can afford to pay their taxes but don’t, we can better protect vulnerable individuals and invest more money in services that benefit everyone. The people who do pay their taxes deserve to know that we are committed to spending their money responsibly.”
