In the city of Milwaukee, a recent act was just passed which would overrule upon contracts that have already been made with the union. This act is referred to as Act 10 and was recently followed by the city of Milwaukee in the beginning of 2011. However, the law firm, along with an attorney in the city, Grant Langley, believe that this law should definitely not pertain to Milwaukee’s pension fund.
With just about one week to decide on a budget for 2012, Langley and the firm are asking the Mayor of the city, Tom Barrett, not to follow Act 10 for the city’s pension. The mayor of the city of Milwaukee plans to meet with Grant Langley in the next few days to discuss some of the possibilities and decisions that should be made.
Barrett says, “We’re going to have to resolve this conflict with the state law and what we’re hearing from legal counsel. There’s $8.2 million here that the state law says has to be spent one way and the city attorney says has to be spent the other way.” This is a major legal issues but the mayor says he has a backup plan.
The mayor has one main concern; he does not want to violate any laws. If they do happen to violate any laws, the city could end up having to deal with serious legal repercussions. Alderman Michael Murphy says, “We need a court to give us direction on this.” He is hoping that the court will be able to help them make a final decision. He also says, “We’ve been boxed in on this one.” It can be very difficult for a decision to be made with so many mixed opinions and varying suggestions. Some agree with the opinion of Langley while others say the city of Milwaukee needs to follow the law that has already been set.
However, both Barrett and Murphy disagree. They feel as though there are too many unanswered questions when it comes to the law that has been made. With most of their questions about the law unanswered, they often wonder how they can be expected to follow such a law that they have do not have a complete comprehension of. If questions remain unanswered, legal help will be necessary for the city to decide what they should do. Barrett says, “There’s going to be tens of thousands of dollars spent on legal feels, and it’s something that could have been avoided.”The money that will be spent on legal fees could have been used elsewhere. With a limited amount of time to decide what the city should do, decisions will need to be made soon. The decision cannot be taken lightly, as this can decide the economic fate of the city.