Milwaukee saved from bankruptcy through bipartisan deal and shared revenue funding.

Wisconsin lawmakers have reached a bipartisan deal to save Milwaukee from bankruptcy by allowing the city to raise sales taxes without voter approval as part of a larger local government and K-12 schools funding plan. The GOP-controlled Legislature agreed to spending an additional $1 billion on K-12 schools, along with increasing payments to families whose children attend taxpayer-funded private voucher schools. The plan would increase funding to counties, cities, towns, and villages with under 110,000 population by at least 20%. The bill would also cut aid to communities that reduce the number of police officers and firefighters and ban public health officials from ordering businesses closed for more than 30 days.