Madison Reporter

The Wisconsin Supreme Court delivered a 4-3 decision against the challenge brought by two taxpayers regarding a veto made by Governor Tony Evers in the state budget. This veto, which extends the property tax levy limit for school districts by 400 years, has been upheld despite being much longer than what the Legislature intended.

Scott Manley, Executive Vice President of Government Relations for Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce (WMC), expressed dissatisfaction with the court’s decision, stating, “We’re disappointed by today’s ruling. Governor Evers exceeded his authority at the expense of taxpayers, and now our great-great-great-great-grandchildren will still be paying the price for his reckless disregard for the law.”

The WMC Litigation Center, representing Jeffery LeMieux and David DeValk, argued that Governor Evers’ use of the veto power was a breach of his authority. They contended that by changing digits to create a new number that would increase fund allocations, it went against the 1990 constitutional amendment, which restricted such actions.

Manley continued to criticize the decision, adding, “Evers’ 400-year veto goes down in the history books as an embarrassing example of executive overreach, and an equally embarrassing example of a hyper partisan judicial ruling. It’s undemocratic and a shame to increase taxes on voters for four centuries without their approval. The Governor and Supreme Court have effectively stolen the Legislature’s exclusive authority under the Constitution to write the law.”