Building Commission deadlocks repeatedly on 2021–23 capital budget recommendations

The State Building Commission met by conference call March 17, 2021, and repeatedly deadlocked on recommendations for the 2021–23 capital budget, leaving enumeration and funding decisions for dozens of projects unresolved.

Commission members considered department-by-department project lists — spanning the Department of Administration, Corrections, Health Services, Military Affairs, Natural Resources, Public Instruction, Veterans Affairs, the Wisconsin Historical Society, non-state agency requests and the University of Wisconsin system — and repeatedly moved motions to enumerate or allocate the Governor’s recommended funding. The minutes record that motions to approve the recommendations (option #1) were put and failed repeatedly; many are recorded as failing on tie votes (initially reported 2-2-0 and subsequently recorded as 4-4-0 in the meeting minutes for multiple items). Motions to approve or defer were commonly moved by Senator Ringhand and seconded by Representative Billings in the documented proceedings.

A separate motion by Representative Swearingen, seconded by Representative Wittke, to submit the Governor’s recommendations for the 2021–23 Capital Budget to the Joint Committee on Finance "without recommendation of the Building Commission" also failed in the minutes’ recorded tallies.

Key totals and patterns from the minutes

- Department of Administration (DOA): projects such as "Milwaukee — New State Office Building" showed requested totals of $163,629,000; DOA total amounts listed $167,629,000. Motions to enumerate the DOA projects were recorded as failing in the minutes. (See timeline: DOA projects presented SEG 025–SEG 042.)

- Department of Corrections (DOC): multiple projects for health services units, juvenile facilities and infrastructure were presented. DOC totals appear as $175,962,900 requested and $119,108,900 in the Governor’s recommendation column; motions to enumerate DOC projects were recorded as failing. (See timeline: DOC projects SEG 044–SEG 126.)

- Department of Health Services (DHS): Mendota Mental Health Institute expansions and other DHS projects were presented with DHS totals of $186,910,600; motions to enumerate these projects were recorded as failing. (SEG 130–SEG 202.)

- Department of Military Affairs, DNR, DPI, DVA, WHS, Non-state agencies and University of Wisconsin System: each department or requester presented multiple projects and funding requests. For almost all listed projects in the minutes the motion to approve/enumerate (option #1) was recorded as failing on tie votes; UWS totals requested were $1,309,340,000 with the Governor’s recommendation column showing $1,005,913,000. (See respective timeline entries.)

- All Agency Program correction: Minutes note an administrative correction in the All Agency program categorization (a $10,169,300 reclassification from Environmental segregated borrowing to Program Revenue–Cash) that does not change the All Agency total. The All Agency program motion is recorded as failing in the minutes. (SEG 807–SEG 826.)

Votes at a glance (representative items from the minutes)

- Separate Motion to submit Governor’s recommendations without the Commission’s endorsement — Moved Rep. Swearingen; Second Rep. Wittke — outcome: failed (recorded tallies shown in minutes). (SEG 014–SEG 023.)

- Item 1 — Milwaukee, New State Office Building — Requested $163,629,000 — motion to enumerate: failed (see minutes). (SEG 031–SEG 036.)

- DOC items (multiple; e.g., Central Generating Plant, Stanley Correctional Institution HS Unit, Oshkosh Secure Residential Treatment Unit) — motions to enumerate: failed (SEG 048–SEG 126).

- DHS Item 15 — Mendota Mental Health Institute Juvenile Treatment Center Expansion — Requested $65,955,200 total — motion to enumerate: failed. (SEG 136–SEG 142.)

- UWS systemwide and campus projects (multiple, including Engineering Building Replacement proposals and River Falls Science & Tech Center) — motions to enumerate/approve: failed; totals recorded in minutes. (SEG 562–SEG 804.)

Other business and adjournment

The minutes record an Other Business item (an amendment to insert a public-purpose statement for the Incourage Community Foundation related to a previously authorized grant under 2019 Wisconsin Act 9). That amendment was moved and recorded as failed in the same voting pattern. The meeting adjourned at 4:28 p.m.; minutes were submitted by Naomi De Mers, Secretary, and noted as subject to ratification at the next State Building Commission meeting. (SEG 828–SEG 839.)

What the minutes show and what they do not

The official minutes list each project, the amount requested, the Governor’s recommendation column and the SBC options; for the bulk of projects the minutes show recorded motions to approve the recommendations and record those motions as failing by tie votes. The minutes do not show subsequent enumeration or final approval of these projects at this meeting, and the minutes themselves state they are subject to ratification at the next State Building Commission meeting. The document also includes a technical funding-source correction in the All Agency program (reclassification of $10,169,300) that the minutes state does not change overall totals.

Next steps

According to the minutes, these items remain unresolved pending further action and ratification at a subsequent State Building Commission meeting.

Respectfully submitted,

Naomi De Mers
Secretary