This fall, County Executive Scott Walker assured that nearly $27 million will be borrowed to pay for current pension funding obligations. Actuaries estimate that this “cost saving measure” will cost taxpayers an aditional $69 million. This one is tough to get your mind around because this amount alone is almost 3/4 of what the County usually bonds for when it comes to capital infrastructure projects.

$27 million.

The county board said no, but Walker used his veto pen to send a message to young people — many of whom aren’t even old enough to pay taxes yet.

That message? “Screw you”.

Reckless and irresponsible doesn’t even begin to describe what this scheme will do to the next generation of taxpayers. Just imagine what the County Exec, whoever that will be in about 2010 when all those bills need to be paid. It’s not like Milwaukee County can simply choose not to pay for them.

Then there’s the courts.

Walker said he was upset that they were an unfunded state mandate so he decided to underfund them. This has a high likelihood of causing a mid year crisis.

The contingency fund is a fund of money that helps to stabilize bond ratings so the county can be seen by auditors as having a rainy day fund. Walker cut this also. Now in fairness to Walker, he’s not the first Exec to raid this fund, but it is always the county board who ends up replacing the funds to maintain a good bond rating so it is always the board that takes the heat as the Exec gets the credit for keeping taxes low.