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Wisconsin Policy Forum

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Wisconsin Policy Forum

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The Wisconsin Policy Forum is a nonpartisan, statewide public policy research organization.

10/16/2026

"To meet (state) requirements, the nonpartisan policy group the Wisconsin Policy Forum says (City of Milwaukee) police would need to add 80 more police officers and at least 21 more firefighters over the following five budgets," the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel wrote. "Growth for each department is effectively a given for the city, due to a state requirements."

In the Forum's brief on 2027 City of Milwaukee budget, we found the city is managing its fiscal challenges, with limited service cuts and a sub-inflationary property tax levy increase. This is due to recent state aid increases, as well as local taxpayers shoulder new taxes and increased fees.

Still, “signs of strain on Milwaukee’s finances are building and on display in the 2027 budget.” Click the link in the comments to learn more.

10/15/2026

There's still time to register for our 34th Annual Salute to Local Government awards! This Nov. 18 event will recognize the positive impact that public sector ingenuity and excellence have on taxpayers and communities throughout Wisconsin.

This year's Salute keynote speaker will be Jerry Deschane. Deschane retired in August after 12 years as Executive Director of the League of Wisconsin Municipalities. His accomplishments included the first significant increase in state shared revenue aid to local governments in a generation. He also served on school boards for over 16 years and worked as an association management consultant and writer.

Salute award categories will showcase local governments and school districts for innovative problem solving, efforts to advance equity, and intergovernmental and public-private cooperation. We also will honor individuals for excellence and lifetime achievement.

Another award, given in partnership with the La Follette School of Public Affairs: UW-Madison, will recognize innovative performance in state government. See the event link in the comments to learn more -- and stay tuned in the coming days, as we announce our 2026 Salute to Local Government award winners.

10/14/2026

The number of people licensed to drive heavy trucks in Wisconsin dropped 8.9% from 2010 to 2025, even as more goods were shipped on state highways.

At the same time, amid the rise of large fulfillment centers, more goods are being shipped on our state's highways. Those truck drivers remaining also are older than the general driving population.

State leaders have taken steps to increase access to training driver programs. So far however, state and federal initiatives have not yet made a big impact on driver numbers. It may be worth considering if there are other barriers, such as pay or working conditions, that policymakers may wish to address.

In the long term, self-driving vehicles may eventually lead to a reduced need for skilled drivers behind the wheel. But such advances may not come fast enough to address short-term acute shortages. Click the link in the comments to read our report.

10/13/2026

“A lot of (the permanence of Act 10) depends ultimately on elections."

The Forum spoke to The Capital Times about Wisconsin's landscape-altering law that repealed most collective bargaining for public employees -- and what this election may mean for its future.

A repeal of Act 10 would not immediately result in higher pay or benefits for public employees, Forum President Jason Stein said. He said any financial impact would take time to develop and it would vary across the state.

Act 10 shifted a greater share of pension costs onto public employees. A Wisconsin Policy Forum analysis (link in comments) estimated that the increased employee pension contributions reduced state and local government costs by nearly $5.2 billion from 2011 to 2017.

A repeal would not necessarily mean those costs immediately return to the levels they were at before Act 10, and the financial impact would depend largely on how the law is repealed and what provisions are restored.

10/09/2026

"A report from the Wisconsin Policy Forum found condo construction has remained near zero in Madison in recent years, continuing a trend that began after the Great Recession."

"Sommerhauser said there are some steps state and local governments could take, including changes to liability laws, streamlining permitting and making it easier to rezone land for condo construction. However, he said larger factors such as building material costs and mortgage interest rates are outside the control of state and local governments."

Thanks to WKOW 27 for covering our recent report. It found that 15 years after the Great Recession, the production of new condominiums in Wisconsin’s largest cities remains at low levels. Yet some demographic trends point toward new market opportunities for condos. Check out the links in the comments to learn more.

10/08/2026

PBS Wisconsin featured an interview with Forum President Jason Stein on the latest installment of its weekly state news program, Here & Now (link in comments).

They discussed a major new development for schools in Wisconsin: the expiration of the state's district-level enrollment caps for the statewide private school voucher program.

Asked about the implications of this change, he said "the short-term implications are modest, but the long-term implications could be very big."

10/07/2026

The next installment of our popular Forum Friday webinar series will focus on the stubbornly high rates of chronic absenteeism in Wisconsin schools. Join us Oct. 30 to review the data and highlight solutions that may be applicable to districts around the state.

Previous Forum research found that rates of chronic absenteeism for Wisconsin students spiked in the pandemic and remain elevated. An upcoming Forum report examines chronic absenteeism in Milwaukee schools and studies solutions adopted in other cities.

As part of Forum Friday, we'll hear insights from our panelists: Michele Butler, District Administrator, Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau School District; Elizabeth Cook, Vice President for State Impact, Attendance Works; and Robert Rauh, Senior Advisor, City Forward Collective.

As always, we'll conclude with a Q&A session for registered participants. Registration is free, but required for this event. Click the link in the comments to learn more!!

10/06/2026

"The Wisconsin Policy Forum... published a report addressing a variety of questions surrounding the state's data center boom."

"Microsoft Corp. (is constructing) a hyper-scale data center campus in Mount Pleasant, while Vantage Data Centers, Oracle Corp. and OpenAI are building one in Port Washington. Outside metro Milwaukee, Meta is building a hyper-scale data center campus in Beaver Dam."

The Milwaukee Business Journal's coverage notes our finding that state law makes it challenging for local officials to protect taxpayers in the case of data center developments that require significant tax increment finance spending. Check out the comments for links to the Biz Journal story and to our report, which includes a menu of options for local & state policymakers to consider in response to the issues raised.

10/05/2026

"A recent Wisconsin Policy Forum report (cites a projection that) peak demand for all customers on the state power grid to rise from 14.6 gigawatts in 2024 to 19.9 gigawatts by 2030."

Our research on data centers in Wisconsin is cited in a recent Wisconsin State Journal report (see link in comments).

Data centers can deliver multi-billion-dollar investments and jobs to Wisconsin communities. But key issues around their development remain unresolved, including how to ensure residents are spared from increases to transmission rates or property taxes.

10/02/2026

"While much of the public debate around data centers in Wisconsin has centered around water use, (Wisconsin Policy Forum) researchers found the bigger challenge is meeting the large electricity demands of those projects while protecting existing ratepayers."

Data centers can deliver multi-billion-dollar investments as well as jobs to Wisconsin communities. But key issues around their development remain unresolved, including how to ensure residents are spared from increases to transmission rates or property taxes.

As Wisconsin Public Radio notes (link in comments): "A new report from the Wisconsin Policy Forum aims to put those issues — and Wisconsin’s data center debate — into context. Researchers examined tax incentives supporting those projects as well as their energy and water use."

Address

Milwaukee, WI
53203

Opening Hours

Monday	8:30am - 5pm
Tuesday	8:30am - 5pm
Wednesday	8:30am - 5pm
Thursday	8:30am - 5pm
Friday	8:30am - 5pm

Website

http://wispolicyforum.org/

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