Scott Walker took the first step (via email which you've probably seen other places as well):

Do over.  Remember when you were a kid and you were playing ball and no one liked the call?  You yelled, "Do over."  That is what a veto of the entire budget does.  It makes the county "do over" the entire budget for 2007.

The budget passed by the County Board last Monday overtaxes, overspends, doesn't address the pension liability, ignores our efficiency proposals and – worst of all – puts back government jobs without paying for them.  It requires a "do over."

Adding these jobs back with only funding for about three months worth of pay based on the hope that the union will bail them out is like buying a big house based on the hope that you can pay the mortgage when you win the lottery.  If the board overrides my veto, and their budget stands, it will be $6.55 million out of balance on January 1, 2007.

In addition, the budget keeps the savings from the use of Pension Obligations Bonds (POBs) without actually doing anything to approve them.  Instead, they approve a "study committee" to review the issue next year. Without approval, it adds $6.25 million to the pension liability that they do not pay for in the 2007 budget.

Not to mention that they raise the property tax levy by nearly $9 million.  That is too much for the hardworking men and women of Milwaukee County.  I promised the taxpayers of Milwaukee County that I would not pay for the pension scandals of the past with higher property taxes and for the 5th straight budget, I have kept that promise.

The full County Board will vote on my veto on Wednesday afternoon.  Today, I am officially announcing my veto at noon at KEI (824 E. Rawson in Oak Creek).  Please join me or – at least – give your Supervisor a call at 278-4222 and tell them to "do over" the county budget without a tax increase.

Scott

And now it's up to us to put the pressure on and try to turn two supervisors so they can't override the veto:

To see his veto sustained - and the budget process restarted - he needs two supervisors who voted for the budget to switch their votes. A two-thirds majority (13) can override the veto, while a bloc of seven would sustain it.

Time is of the essence because budget adoption is required soon to allow municipal officials to prepare and send out year-end property tax bills.

So pick up the phone, send an email... make your voice heard.  Tell them that they need to do the job they were elected to do, which is to make the tough informed choices, not just rubber stamp spending because you have the opportunity to raise taxes.