State Building Commission ties on major capital budget items; dozens of project enumerations fail 4-4

Governor Tony Evers called the State Building Commission to order at 1:03 p.m. on March 23, 2023, to consider the Governor's recommended 2023-25 capital budget and dozens of agency project requests. Commissioners repeatedly debated whether to enumerate projects or defer them to the Joint Committee on Finance.

The meeting produced a striking pattern: motions to approve (enumerate) the Governor's recommendations for individual projects and programs were frequently moved, seconded and then recorded as failing by 4-4 vote splits. In many of those roll-call notes the transcript records Senators Joan Ballweg and André Jacque and Representatives Rob Swearingen and Robert Wittke voting No, and Governor Evers, Senator Robert Wirch, Representative Jill Billings and Ms. Barb Worcester recorded as the Yes votes on the motions that carried the affirmative mover and second. Those 4-4 outcomes kept the commission from approving a large portion of the proposed enumerations during the single-session meeting.

The commission considered projects across state agencies including the Department of Administration (memorialized requests for the State Industry and Labor Building renovation, Capitol sidewalk and storm piping, and fiber and cable upgrades), the Department of Corrections (juvenile correctional facility projects and facility renewals), the Department of Health Services (center and institute renovations and utility improvements), the Department of Military Affairs (readiness centers and infrastructure), the Department of Natural Resources (park and trail repairs and accessibility projects), the Department of Transportation, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Wisconsin Historical Society, a set of non-state agency requests and many University of Wisconsin System proposals. For most of those items, motions to adopt the Governor's recommendation (often labeled option #1 in the agenda text) were moved and then recorded as failing on tie votes.

Votes at a glance: the transcript records repeated motion outcomes in this meeting as follows (amounts are the requested totals shown in the agenda and vote text):
- State Industry and Labor Building renovation and garage repairs: $141,407,000 — motion to enumerate (option #1) failed, 4-4.
- State Capitol sidewalk and storm piping replacement: $6,400,000 — motion to enumerate (option #1) failed, 4-4.
- DOA total requested: $198,060,000 — multiple item motions related to DOA projects failed to achieve a majority.
- DOC package including Type 1 juvenile correctional facilities and health services units (total requests in the transcript: $473,266,000): repeated enumeration motions failed, 4-4.
- DHS projects including Central Wisconsin Center food service renovation ($56,002,000) and Mendota utility improvements ($56,000,000): enumeration motions failed, 4-4.
- DMA readiness centers and infrastructure (examples include Madison AASF and Black River Falls readiness center): enumeration/planning motions failed, 4-4.
- DNR park and infrastructure projects (multiple items totaling $181,729,000 requested): many motions to consider as All Agency or to enumerate were recorded as failing, 4-4.
- All Agency Program (2023-25 All Agency totals presented): motion to enumerate the program and All Funds allocation was moved and recorded as failing on a 4-4 vote in the minutes.
- Other Business: the Governor's recommendation to increase project thresholds by inflationary adjustments across specified statutory sections (Wis. Stats. § 13.48 and related sections) was moved and failed in subcommittee and on the full commission by a 4-4 vote.

Commissioners who moved or seconded multiple affirmative motions for enumeration in the minutes were most frequently Senator Robert Wirch (mover) and Ms. Barb Worcester (second). The record in many vote notations identifies the No votes as Senator Joan Ballweg, Senator André Jacque, Representative Rob Swearingen and Representative Robert Wittke.

The meeting adjourned at 1:34 p.m. after the commission recorded the repeated tie votes and with many of the Governor's recommendations left without a commission majority to enumerate them; the minutes were submitted by Naomi De Mers, Secretary, and are noted in the transcript as subject to ratification at the next State Building Commission meeting.