Crowley’s Parking Fee Increase is DEI in Action

Policy decisions based on race are not the way to equity.

It's never good when a speech about money starts with a disclaimer.

"This is not an easy budget," said Milwaukee County Executive and Democrat gubernatorial candidate David Crowley before presenting his 2027 budget proposal calling for a 2.55 percent tax levy increase. He said the same thing last year, only this time, the ask was bigger. Crowley has requested $7.9 million in additional spending while taking to the airwaves in ads commiserating with voters that times are hard and he is the lower-taxes guy.

That’s not true at all. Since his first budget in 2021, Crowley has increased the tax levy by 4.25 percent, from $304 million in 2021 to his $317 million ask for 2027. And that is not the only way he dips into your pockets. Crowley uses fees to extract more money from the public.

Fee: A Nicer Way to Say Tax

Crowley announced that Milwaukee County Parks will expand its existing parking revenue collection program at some lakefront locations and in the area around American Family Field where the Milwaukee Brewers play. According to the department’s budget, they plan to charge "fair market value" for parking. Baseball fans often park for $4 on county park roads and walk to the stadium. Stadium parking ranges from $35 to over $160.

It’s upsetting to find parking or user fees at any public park. Your tax dollars have already paid for the park's land and maintenance, and now, to use it, the county wants more money. This hurts young families and anyone who counts on public parks as the most affordable option for wholesome recreation. We can’t ignore the racial element here.

Remember when Crowley said park revenues "come from activities that those with discretionary funding can afford like golf, the marina, and beer gardens. These activities are traditionally and predominately supported by white users. This racial inequity is born from a history of systemic racism and injustice."

You may as well add attending baseball games to the list of discretionary things people do. Add parking to the cost of tickets and concession snacks; prices have become too prohibitive to take the family to a game.

What this means for the department is that staff time and resources must continuously go toward supporting the services that raise revenues, limiting the energy available to make the necessary changes to achieve racial equity. We are doing everything we can to change this.

— County Executive David Crowley (@DavidCrowleyWI) December 13, 2021

With his budget, Crowley has a remedy for his complaint by charging more from what he might call the "white parks." Let’s break down exactly what he said in his budget address.

"The revenue generated from our beer gardens, our golf courses, and dog parks helps us maintain our beautiful green spaces and beaches. However, as costs for mandated services continue to climb, non-mandated services like parks face growing financial pressure," Crowley said.

These popular parks already generate revenue, but not enough. He may be hinting that these parks are next for parking fees.

"To help close that gap, my budget introduces a creative solution: a paid parking pilot program at high-demand locations such as the Lakefront. This proposal creates a more sustainable funding model by asking those who choose to park in our busiest locations to help fund those costs."

Crowley estimates parking fees at select parks could generate $670,000 a year for the county. And he essentially admits the fees will stop some folks from using the parks.

"Beyond creating a new revenue stream, this program aims to improve parking availability, reduce vehicle congestion, and manage demand with environmental impacts in mind."

Then Crowley threatens consequences if the parking fees don’t happen.

"Without this pilot, our parks department will be facing difficult cuts, including the possibility of closing one pool and 15 splash pads, along with a $300,000 reduction in seasonal staffing."

The Parks Department has prepared the Milwaukee County Parks Equity Index, which scores each park for racial disparities based on tree canopy and walking distance. On a scale of 1–10, a park with a higher equity index score needs more equity.

The parks department notes in its annual Racial Equity Budget Tool that the 2027 budget includes "additional revenue from the Milwaukee Parks Foundation donations of $600,000. These funds will be allocated using the Park Equity Index and in consideration for achieving racial equity throughout the parks system. …Service level reductions within the parks system will impact disadvantaged communities, but Parks will continue to use the Park Equity Index to make decisions that help mitigate these impacts." Spending will be determined by equity.

Perhaps some of the additional parking fee revenue will go to fund the parks department’s plan to add "multi-lingual signage in targeted areas and multi-lingual options for external communications and processes."

Park staff could be freed from their desks to go work in the parks instead of crunching racial numbers in the equity index. But as Restoration News previously reported, Crowley has spent a bundle on a nonprofit advising every department in the county to study racism, write reports, and change policies to achieve more equity.

Not Easy

Crowley is right to say it’s not an easy budget. It’s a greedy budget. Crowley has increased Milwaukee County spending by 28 percent while in office. His first budget spent $1,180,526,340 ($1.2 billion) in 2021. While some municipalities try to keep spending flat, Crowley has shown no self-discipline. For 2027, he asks to spend $ 1,507,515,790 ($1.5 billion).

That is 326,989,480 ($327 million) in additional spending over six years. Crowley’s cumulative spending increase alone is enough to cover the entire city budgets of Green Bay ($143.9 million) and Kenosha ($106.4 million), with enough left to cover $4 parking fees for 19 million cars.

If elected governor, Crowley will turn the equity police on the entire state, searching for ways to increase taxes and fees on the people he thinks can most afford it based on skin color.

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