State Rep. Jesse Kremer, R-Kewaskum, has no desire for a streetcar in Milwaukee.
Under a bill Kremer circulated Tuesday, the state could not use transportation funding to support a streetcar in Milwaukee’s Historic Third Ward. The project has been touted by Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett and others as a way to boost the city’s economy.
The state is currently not projected to fund any part of the project and Kremer said such aid is unnecessary.
“I am not convinced that a $123.9 million, 2.5 mile streetcar will be sustainable,” Kremer said in a statement. “I do not feel that taxpayers outside of the City of Milwaukee should be responsible for any future operational costs that may arise.”
A spokesperson for Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel he supports the measure.
“Speaker Vos supports the bill as it protects state taxpayers from runaway costs associated with the Milwaukee streetcar project," said spokesperson Kit Beyer.
