Transit riders should know about an far-reaching proposal to be announced today. A bill will be unveiled today by State Rep. Joe Sanfelippo [brother of American United (Red) Cab magnate Michael Sanfelippo] to drastically curtail the abilities of the County Board of Supervisors.

This bill would cut the budget of the Milwaukee County Board by 85%, cut the pay of supervisors to $15,000/year and reduce the board to a part-time status. This could make our mission of fighting for expanded transit much harder, since the County has the responsibility over routes, fares and the other on-the-ground details of the transit system. A part-time County Board may not have enough time to make these decisions. Getting a hold of your County Supervisor to may become hard as well.

Sanfelippo, a former County Supervisor, brought forth a similar measure at the County level in 2011 that failed to gain enough support. In a move that has been described as a slap in the face to local control and democracy, he will be introducing this bill at the State level today.

We’ll keep you posted on further developments on this bill. Details are expected to be released mid-day today.