Southeast Wisconsin
Professional Baseball Park District
Milwaukee
December 21, 2000
To the Honorable, the Legislature:
Enclosed please find the Miller Park Monthly Progress Report for the month of November 2000 for your review and consideration. As the enclosed report indicates, Miller Park continues to develop with the District Board's objectives of building the premier baseball facility in the country; scheduled for play on Opening Day 2001; within budget; and with meaningful community participation.
As always, please feel free to contact me if you should have any questions or comments regarding the enclosed report.
Very truly yours,
Michael R. Duckett, P.E., R.l.s.
Executive Director
__________________
State of Wisconsin
Wisconsin Housing and Economic
Development Authority
Madison
January 2, 2001
To the Honorable, the Legislature:
Pursuant to section 234.25, Wisconsin Statutes, the following is the Fiscal 2000 annual report of the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority (WHEDA). Please note that each of the housing programs described in the following pages are consistent with the goals, policies and objectives of the state housing plan. In addition, the report reflects Calendar 2000 data for those programs operating on a calendar year basis. The report contains the following information:
* Fiscal 2000 Program Activity
* Job Creation Report
* WHEDA Strategic Plan
* Calendar 1999 Annual Report
* June 30, 2000 Financial Statement
Should you have any questions or comments on this report, please call me or Jim Langdon at 266-3529. Thank you for your interest in WHEDA.
Sincerely,
FRITZ RUF
Executive Director
State of Wisconsin
Legislative Audit Bureau
Madison
January 9, 2001
To the Honorable, the Legislature:
As part of our ongoing audits of the Wisconsin Works (W-2) program required by s.
49.141(2g)(a), Wis. Stats., we have completed an evaluation of Wisconsin Shares, the State's child care subsidy program. This program, which is administered by the Department of Workforce Development, was created by
1995 Wisconsin Act 289 to assist W-2 participants and other low-income working families in paying for child care.
In fiscal year (FY) 1999-2000, approximately 33,000 families and 60,500 children participated in the program at a cost of $191.3 million in federal and state funds. FY 1999-2000 expenditures exceeded budgeted levels by $10.2 million, primarily because of increased program participation that was, in part, the result of changes made in the 1999-2001 biennial budget expanding eligibility and reducing family copayments.
From September 1997 through June 2000, monthly program participation increased by 83.5 percent, growing from 18,671 to 34,268. It was estimated that in 1998, approximately 14 percent of eligible children participated in the program. Given that participation rates in several other midwestern states are greater than 20 percent of those eligible, there appears to be a realistic potential for continued growth in Wisconsin if more families choose to take advantage of the program and if adequate funding remains available. However, the extent of future growth is difficult to project based on the newness of the program and the numerous changes made to it since its inception.
As part of the program, the Department also administers contracts and grants designed to improve the quality and availability of child care services. We believe that improvements in the management of these types of grants are needed to ensure that $11.4 million in increased funding that will be provided to local entities is spent appropriately. In addition, if participation increases and expenditures continue to rise substantially, the Legislature will have to consider a variety of issues related to program funding, eligibility, and benefits.
We appreciate the courtesy and cooperation extended to us by the Department of Workforce Development and staff of the local agencies we visited. The Department's response is Appendix 4.
Respectfully submitted,
Janice Mueller
State Auditor
