Others said that type of mandate is what the commission should avoid. Instead, taxpayers should decide for themselves what level of government they want. At that point, the commission adjourned for a lunch break. In the discussion that followed, he outlined how towns and counties cooperate in maintenance and how much privatization is being done for highways. He urged nothing drastic be done without a plan in place for changing services.
Some towns work well and have counties do the work.
In other places, it doesn t work as smoothly, he said. Some commissioners quickly noted that much of the need is out of their hands since it is based on court decisions. Others said the need is based on the economy and geography, especially in a large area like Milwaukee. Ultimately, one noted, it is a question about what is a core service and what is discretionary. One commissioner warned against having the state take over social services as a monumentally bad idea.