Local governments preparing for state aid cuts

It has been a waiting game for many local government officials.

"I hope they come to some conclusions soon," said Appleton Mayor, Tim Hanna.

That is because Governor Scott Walker has yet to release the details of his full budget. Walker has said his budget will include deep cuts in state aid to local governments.

"There's a lot of unknowns," said Hanna. "For the time being the best we can do is to continue working on the things we've identified that have potential savings for the city regardless of what happens in Madison -- centralizing purchases, centralizing inventory."

The cuts are part of Walker's plan to balance the $3.6 billion shortfall he says the state faces during the next two years.

"But unlike those other states that are cutting funds for schools, for university systems, for other governments, we're ultimately pushing forward with this plan to make sure local governments have the tools to accommodate for those reductions in state aid without hurting their core services," said Walker.

While Walker has not been specific about all of the "tools" local governments will be given, he has said it will give them more autonomy over how they manage their own budgets. That is expected to include increased contributions to pension and benefits by employees, as laid out in Walker's budget repair bill that is still being debated in the state Legislature.

Some local government bodies say it will be hard to know what they may have to cut or how they will adjust until the final numbers are released.

"People have been saying that we have a list," said Greg Maass, the superintendent of Green Bay Area Public School District about possible cuts. "There's no list. What I've been saying to people to a certain degree, is the emotion is so high that I don't think doing a list right now is appropriate."

Walker is scheduled to release his full budget proposal next Tuesday, March 1.