Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers proposes 4% increase into local funding for public safety 5 weeks before election

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Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, just five weeks before he is up for reelection, announced Monday that if he wins he will propose a 4% increase in funding for local governments each of the next two years.

Evers said the money, totaling more than $91 million over two years, could be used to pay for public safety priorities. His plan includes $10 million in funding for local governments to be spent specifically on police, fire and emergency services costs.

Evers also announced that he was immediately providing nearly $3.5 million in federal COVID-19 relief money to the Wisconsin State Patrol and campus police departments.

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Republican Tim Michels has made crime a central focus of his campaign against Evers, arguing that the Democrat has failed to keep communities safe.

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers announced that he plans on increasing funding for local governments if he is reelected. The election is in five weeks. (AP Photo/Andy Manis, File)

The next governor will submit a state budget proposal to the Legislature early next year. Even if Evers wins, his proposal must be approved by the GOP-controlled Legislature, which has gutted much of his past two budgets.

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Evers has tried to deflect some of the criticism from Michels by trying to lay blame with the Legislature for refusing his calls to increase state aid to local communities and cutting funding he proposed to bolster law enforcement.