Transportation Development Association of Wisconsin: Transportation fund referendum reaches milestone

CONTACT:     Craig Thompson, Transportation Development Association (TDA) Executive Director

(608) 256-7044;

Craig.Thompson@tdawisconsin.org

Measure will be on ballot in at least 51 of Wisconsin’s 72 counties

MADISON – Voters in at least 51 of Wisconsin’s 72 counties will have the opportunity to make their voices heard on the importance of keeping the state’s transportation fund intact, now that Bayfield and Iron County Boards have voted to add an advisory referendum to their fall election ballots. Specifically, the boards voted yesterday to add an advisory referendum question on whether to amend the Wisconsin constitution to prohibit the transfer or use of money in the state’s transportation fund for purposes not related to transportation. Forty-nine other Wisconsin county boards already voted to add the measure to the ballot in their counties.

“We are very pleased with the number of counties that will have the advisory referendum question on the fall ballot,” said Craig Thompson, executive director of the non-profit Transportation Development Association of Wisconsin. “Fifty was our goal, and we have exceeded it.”

Thompson’s group is part of Finding Forward, a broad-based coalition that supports amending the Wisconsin constitution to prohibit transferring money from the transportation fund to the state’s general fund or using it for purposes unrelated to transportation. Finding Forward’s grass roots efforts are supported by a diverse group of partners including private businesses, organized labor, regional planning interests, state, county and municipal officials, agricultural and housing organizations, and more.

“The breadth of support for this issue has been extraordinary”, said Thompson. “When you look at the array of groups that have decided to advocate for this referendum and then consider 50-plus county boards each voting to place this question on the ballot, there is no mistaking how deeply this issue resonates with people from all areas of the state.”

Finding Forward notes that the majority of states in the nation currently protect their transportation funds via constitutional provisions. More information about members of Finding Forward and the campaign to safeguard Wisconsin’s transportation fund is available at http://www.FindingForwardWisconsin.org.

As of today, the advisory referendum will appear on the fall election ballot in the following counties:

Adams

Ashland

Barron

Bayfield

Brown

Burnett

Calumet

Chippewa

Clark

Columbia

Crawford

Dodge

Door

Douglas

Eau Claire

Forest

Grant

Green

Green Lake

Iron

Jackson

Juneau

Kewaunee

La Crosse

Lafayette

Lincoln

Manitowoc

Marathon

Marquette

Menominee

Monroe

Outagamie

Ozaukee

Pierce

Pepin

Polk

Portage

Price

Racine

Richland

Shawano

Sheboygan

St. Croix

Taylor

Trempealeau

Vernon

Vilas

Waukesha

Waupaca

Waushara

Winnebago