Tax Loss in Waukesha, WI

Though supervisors in Waukesha County, WI, voted 25–9 in July to support a library tax increase, seven changed their vote August 10, unwilling to override the veto by County Executive Dan Finley. The tax increase would have raised $350,000 from property owners in 19 communities that have no libraries; they currently pay library operating costs but not construction and maintenance.

A committee established by the board of supervisors had reported that the residents in towns without libraries were not paying their share to support the 16 libraries in the Waukesha County Federated Library System. However, a local talk show host attacked the board for the tax increase, leading residents to lobby their supervisors against the measure.

Waukesha Public Library director Jane Ameel told the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinelthat Finley's veto was an "extremely shortsighted" assault on the federated library system. Finley prefers a county-owned and -managed system to a federated one that includes 16 independent libraries.

In 17 years in office, Finley has never had a veto overridden. "Given more time, library backers could probably have countered the sound bite disinformation, but with the radio attacks coming in the morning and the vote that evening, there was never a chance," observed Thomas Hennen, director of the library system (see also "The Challenge of Wider Library Units," p. 38).