Snow Plowing Could Be Scaled Back Due To Budget Cuts

Just before we are about to face the first one-two punch from Old Man Winter, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is reporting that there could be massive cut backs in snow plowing and road maintenance next year:

The money will cover plowing for this winter, but could come up short after that, Takerian said. Unless extra cash is found, the county could be forced to lay off as many as 24 of 56 full-time and 28 seasonal workers who work on state highways in mid- or late 2010, he said.

"This is a domino that's going to fall next year," Takerian said.

Fewer workers would mean longer routes for each plow operator and increase the time it takes to clear state roads in Milwaukee County, Takerian said. State roads in the county include I-43, I-94 and many major thoroughfares such as W. Brown Deer Road, Loomis Road, Forest Home Ave., Appleton Ave. and parts of Green Bay Road and Capitol Drive.

This will come into play during the next year, since this is exactly the same type of approach Scott Walker has taken in his county budgets, cutting the County's costs only to make the municipalities raise theirs to cover the slack.

And you know Walker would do the same thing if he somehow managed to stay in the race long enough to win the governor's seat. After all, he voted to do the same thing time after time as a state legislator.

He's even proposed the same thing when he talks about dismantling county government.

It's kind of ironic how he doesn't like to be on the receiving end of his own management style.