That's taken care of

Every day this week I've gone out intending to stop at City Hall either on my way to or on my way from wherever I was heading. Every day this week I've forgotten to do that, so I made a special trip this afternoon.

They've set up the city council chamber for registration and absentee/early voting. Nice to know our local council won't be working for the next couple of weeks. At any rate, they have room for quite a crowd to sit and wait, as well as five clerks on duty. There are only three official voting "booths" however - if you can call plastic counter height tables with side walls "booths".

I did get a chuckle out of the wording on the certification on the absentee vote envelope; after declaring that you are a resident of the ward and eligible to vote there, you also certify that you are "unable or unwilling" to appear at the polls on election day. I guess "unable or being pushed by a certain party to vote before I come to my senses and change my mind" didn't fit.

The single local referendum on the ballot concerns raising the county sales tax (currently one-half of one percent) by a full percentage point to provide property tax relief and funding for parks, transit and EMS services. Our current combined city-state-local sales tax rate is 5.6% or 5.85%, depending on what you are purchasing. The hypertension inducing factor here is the way in which the referendum is worded. It begins "Shall the State of Wisconsin grant Milwaukee County the authority to provide property tax relief of at least sixty-seven million dollars ($67 million)..." Most voters would read that far, think "Heck, yes!" and mark the ballot without reading the rest. If it does indeed pass, and the legislature approves it, what is to stop the county from increasing the tax again in future years, as funding needs for those three areas grow?

If you have already voted, thank you for making your voice heard, regardless of whether our choices agree. If you have not, please don't neglect your responsibility - get out there and vote!