Road Builders get Paid Off, Walker Plan By-passes Local Control and Bargain Public Employees for Costly Private companies.

Even one Republican is calling the plan a giveaway to special interests. After looking at the plan, one that doesn’t scrutinize the actual cost of privatization, it’s hard coming away with anything but a dirty feeling that this is only just the beginning. According to Democratic Rep. Peter Barca:

Assembly Minority Leader Peter Barca joined Sen. Mike Ellis in his call for the Legislature to reverse a Joint Finance Committee action to prohibit county highway departments from doing roadwork if it costs more than $100,000. The provision would force counties to contract this work out to private companies.  Barca agreed with Ellis that this would be bad for local governments and for Wisconsin taxpayers.

 “This motion is more bad news for those of us that believe in local control and I commend Sen. Ellis’ independence in seeking to reverse it,” Barca said. “We should trust local officials to make these contracting decisions and let them determine how to operate most efficiently for taxpayers … and this measure is a giveaway to special interests at the expense of the taxpayers.