La Crosse area legislators talk state funding for local needs, during Chamber of Commerce forum

Wisconsin’s Legislature started a new session, with an available budget surplus of around $4.5 billion.

La Crosse area legislators would like to see some of that money used for tax breaks or to help pay for public projects.

State Sen. Brad Pfaff (D-Onalaksa) and Assembly Reps. Jill Billings (D-La Crosse) and Tara Johnson (D-Shelby) spoke about legislative matters on Monday, during a La Crosse Chamber of Commerce forum at the Cappella Center.

Billings has a goal of getting state approval for Phase 2 of the UW-La Crosse Prairie Springs Science Center.

“Prairie Springs is No. 1, coming out of the Board of Regents this year,” Billings said. “When we had our budget discussion with the governor, that was the No. 1 thing that I talked about, and he is a 100% supportive, as he has been in the past.”

Last June, Republicans shot down the option of finally starting the project, which has been delayed now over six years and increased in price by over $100 million.

Billings also told the forum audience that she didn’t support some tax break proposals offered in the last session, because they didn’t seem sustainable.

Pfaff noted that local communities in Wisconsin have approved billions in school referendums, because those districts aren’t getting enough state funding.

“We can find out what the root cause of that is, maybe there isn’t enough money going for public education,” Pfaff said. “Some would say that’s the case, but what’s happening is these property taxes, taxpayers are picking this up.”

La Crosse School District residents voted last election for a property tax increase to build a new elementary school and update State Road Elementary to the tune of $53.5 million.

Pfaff added that he hopes the state will pay for cleaning up PFAS pollution of groundwater near the La Crosse Regional Airport. He pointed out that many French Island families have been using bottled water for four years, because PFAS chemicals are in their private well water.

As for Johnson, who was just sworn into District 96, she discussed the excitement of her new post, and the “weight” of the work in the legislature, comparing it to “drinking from a fire hose.”

Johnson joined WIZM’s La Crosse Talk before the forum and discussed the committees she has been put on (health and agriculture) as well as some of her priorities in the upcoming session.

La Crosse Talk PM airs weekdays at 5:06 p.m. Listen on the WIZM app, online here, or on 92.3 FM / 1410 AM / 106.7 FM (north of Onalaska). Subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts here, Spotify here or subscribe to La Crosse Talk PM wherever you get your podcasts.