Gov. Evers Announces State Capital Budget Recommendations
Gov. Tony Evers recently unveiled his 2023-25 Capital Budget, which proposes a $3.8 billion investment to help upgrade the state’s infrastructure and to support major state building projects in 28 counties across Wisconsin. Evers’ proposal is one of the largest state government building plans in recent memory, but it also borrows less than in recent years by tapping into the state’s budget surplus to pay for some project costs up-front.
The Governor’s 2023-25 Capital Budget Recommendations can be found HERE. Highlights of Gov. Evers’ Capital Budget recommendations include:
- Significant investment of approximately $1.8 billion for capital improvement projects through the University of Wisconsin (UW) System at campuses across the state;
- Supporting local community projects with a statewide public purpose, such as the Bronzeville Center for the Arts, Versiti Blood Research Institute, Milwaukee Iron District, Woodman’s Sports and Convention Center in Janesville, Green Bay National Railroad Museum, Children’s Wisconsin, Marquette University School of Dentistry, and the Door County Peninsula Players Theatre.
- Protecting our natural resources and improving visitor experiences through investments in state parks and forests and upgrades to Fire Response Ranger Stations;
- Honoring and caring for veterans by funding upgrades to the Wisconsin Veterans Home at King and purchasing the Veterans Museum location for future upgrades;
- Investing nearly $50 million in making restorative and infrastructure improvements to components of the State Capitol Building;
- Supporting reforms to the juvenile justice system through continued investments in correctional facilities to further work towards closing Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake as juvenile facilities, on which more information can be found here, including additional bonding to complete the Milwaukee Type 1 facility, bonding for a new Type 1 facility on Department of Corrections-owned property in Oregon, the expansion of the Grow Academy in Oregon, and bonding to study and plan for a third Type 1 facility in the Northeastern region;
- Providing $225 million to invest in health services facilities, including utility infrastructure, support services, and patient care;
- Leveraging nearly $52 million in federal support for Wisconsin National Guard facilities with a recommendation of $84 million total funds for capital improvement projects;
- Continuing support for a new Wisconsin History Museum with an additional investment of approximately $60 million, including more than $42 million in added state support, to recognize the rising cost of the project in the post-pandemic construction environment;
- Installing renewable energy capabilities in state facilities with a $25 million investment in support of Gov. Evers’ Clean Energy Plan; and
- Addressing the state’s backlog of deferred maintenance by providing the largest investment to date of $616 million for all state agencies, including the UW System, for small to mid-sized capital maintenance and repair projects across the state in the All Agency Program
The State Building Commission will meet Thurs., March 23, 2023, to vote on the governor’s recommendations. Following that vote, the State Building Commission’s Capital Budget Recommendations will be submitted to the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Finance, which will consider and vote of the plan as part of the overall state budget bill.
