Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett announced this morning that the Federal Omnibus Budget Bill that was signed into law this week includes a provision to spend the $91.5 million that has been on hold since 1991 on transportation in Milwaukee.

The provision for Milwaukee dedicates spending 60 percent of the remaining $91.5 million to for Barrett's downtown streetcar rail project and 40 percent of the funds for new energy-efficient buses to operate on Milwaukee County's bus rapid transit routes.

The funds had been allocated for Milwaukee but could not be spent because the federal government previously had required the Milwaukee mayor, the Milwaukee County executive and the governor of Wisconsin to each agree on how the transit dollars would be allocated.

Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker refused to compromise with Barrett on the use of the funds. So, even though the feds had allocated the $91.5 million, it could not be spent.

Barrett, a former Congressman, then bypassed Walker's objections by convincing key members of Wisconsin's Congressional delegation to alter the stipulations of the funding in the new federal bill.

"It was approximately two years ago that I said, 'It's obvious we're not going to agree on this. Let's do what kindergarteners do and cut the pie in half,' and he (Walker) said, 'No,'" Barrett told BizTimes Milwaukee today.

"Mayor Barrett made it quite clear that if the county executive would not sign off on an agreeable solution for spending the $91.5 million, the mayor would ask our Congressional delegation for assistance," said Patrick Curley, Barrett's chief of staff.

More information can be found at this link.