Democrat Sen. Kelda Roys, a fringe candidate for governor, blasted Governor Evers’ property tax agreement with Republican leaders Monday, calling it a “behind the curtain” deal that “almost guarantee[s] Wisconsin is facing a fiscal deficit in January 2027.
“This latest deal is the height of fiscal irresponsibility,” Roys said in a statement. “It spends a projected ‘surplus’ before it’s in the bank, even though that projection was estimated before Trump’s attack on Iran that disrupted our economy and caused gas prices to spike.
“It gives a little one-time money to public schools while permanently cementing unfairness in our tax structure. Worst of all, it blows nearly a billion dollars on an election year gimmick to send out rebates, squandering the ability of a new Democratic majority to make the long-overdue investments in our kids that they deserve.”
Earlier Monday, Evers announced an agreement that would spend $1.8 billion of the state’s $2.2 billion budget surplus on property tax relief and special education funding. Evers touted the fact that the deal calls for a 42% reimbursement in special education spending this year and a 50% reimbursement next year.
When told of Roys’ critique, the Governor literally laughed at her and then told reporters that “the Senator is angry because we didn’t involve every legislator” in negotiations.
“Making that comment right off the bat is indicating that she’s not going to support it,” Evers added. “If she’s not going to support it, my question would be how do you run for governor of the state of Wisconsin and say to your schools ‘well you know this money–up 42% to 50% for special education–I’m against that?’ That’s a tough one to run against.”
Roys’ criticism was shared by conservative Reblican Sen. Steve Nass, who also pointed out that it is spending tax revenue that the state has yet to collect. Roys, however, added a partisan dig at retiring Assembly Speaker Robin Vos as a prime reason for her opposition.
“Vos knows it’s a win-win for him–maybe this election year bribe can save a few Republican seats from flipping and, if not, he creates a budgetary crisis that Democrats will have to fix next year. The surplus–if there will even be one–rightly belongs to our kids, not Vos and the departing leaders who want to destroy it on their way out the door.”
