State lawmakers are holding their breaths, as they prepare to hear the governor's suggestions for Wisconsin's state budget Tuesday. The only thing they can be sure of is that cuts will have to be made.
With that in mind, one local congressman has refused to take a pay raise.
"At a time when we're in a $3.2 billion fiscal crisis, and we're going to be asking state agencies and some state employees to take cuts of raises," said Representative Scott Suder (R) Abbotsford. "I just can't in good conscience take a pay rise of three percent."
Newschannel 7 asked Suder how he felt about possible cuts to the Stanley Prison, which his office worked hard to open and hopes to expand. The representative says he's willing to compromise on that issue, up to a point.
"We may have to scale back, and we're willing to do that, but that's one project that wouldn't see any cost savings if we were to cut back on the prison," Suder said. "The contracts out of state have already been negotiated and to go back and re-negotiate these contracts as a result of a delay to the Stanley Prison would cost millions."
Suder adds that it cost taxpayers $1.3 million, when the opening of the prison was delayed for just three months during the last budget period.
