County Executive Falk Letter to Governor on World Dairy Expo

February 27, 2002
Sharyn Wisniewski, (608) 267-8823
County Executive

Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk has sent the following letter to Governor Scott McCallum, citing local capital projects the Governor includes in his budget repair bill, at the same time that he dissolves a 20-year agreement to help fund expansion of the Dane County Alliant Energy Center to accommodate the World Dairy Expo. # # # February 26, 2002 Governor Scott McCallum Room 115 East State Capitol Madison, WI 53702 RE: Broken Promise – Cutting 20-Year Partnership Dear Governor McCallum: As you are aware, Special Session Assembly Bill 1 (SSAB 1), dissolves the 20 year partnership agreement between the State, the World Dairy Expo and Dane County (Alliant Energy Center). The Thompson-McCallum Administration supported, fostered and honored this agreement with the full knowledge that the commitment was 20 years. The partnership allowed World Dairy Expo to grow and remain in Wisconsin while helping to fund the debt service on the Exhibition Hall. The State honored its commitment to this partnership throughout the years, even during the tough deliberations on the recently adopted state budget bill, which was already under tight fiscal constraints. Attached is a list of local capital projects remaining untouched in your budget on which the state will spend millions. A second list shows projects of a similar local nature which the state has funded over the past few years. There may well be excellent reasons for the state to assist in all of these projects and I am not opposed to any of them. Both lists offer more evidence that your decision to single out the Dane County Exhibition Hall from the rest of the building projects is unfair. I respectfully request that you re-consider and reverse your decision. Thank you for your consideration. I look forward to your response. Sincerely, Kathleen M. Falk Dane County Executive cc: Secretary James Harsdorf Secretary George Lightbourn Members of the Joint Finance Committee Members of the Dane County Legislative Delegation Dane County Board of Supervisors Tom McKittrick, General Manager, World Dairy Expo Greg Blaska, President, World Dairy Expo James Klauser Bill DiCarlo, Executive Director, Alliant Energy Center Local Projects Included in Current Biennial Budget as Approved by the Governor and Left Intact in the Budget Repair Bill Milwaukee Police Athletic League $1 million Youth Activities Center Swiss Cultural Center in New Glarus $1 million Discovery Place Museum in Racine County $1 million HR Academy/Youth and Family Center in Milwaukee $1.5 million Other Local Projects in Recent Budgets Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center near Ashland $4.1 million Nash Auto Museum in Kenosha $1 million