Public Safety Referendums Mostly Fail At Wisconsin Ballot Box

Matty Ring (CC BY 2.0) Voters in municipalities around Wisconsin rejected public safety referendums Tuesday that would have increased police and fire staffing in their communities, Referendums in the cities of Muskego, New Berlin and Plymouth all failed to win voter support. The measures would have increased the annual property tax levies to help pay for more police officers or firefighters and paramedics. Voters rejected similar measures in Grand Rapids, Hayward and Waldwick. In Muskego, a referendum asked residents to increase the annual property tax levy by $5.9 million to fund 16 full-time and 36 part-time fire department and emergency medical services positions, along with five additional police officers and an additional dispatcher. But just 35.6 percent of voters supported the plan, according to the unofficial results. In New Berlin, voters were asked to increase the annual property tax levy by $3.12 million to fund 12 firefighter and paramedic positions, as well as three police