The Milwaukee Public Museum is getting rescued by a series of bank loans that are being guaranteed by Milwaukee County, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. In return, the museum will have to continue making staffing cuts and sell off non-vital assets. The County will continue to provide it's quarterly subsidy, but that subsidy will be paid directly to the lending institutions.
Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker deserves a lot of credit for resisting the temptation to ask the taxpayers to bail out the museum. By standing firm, Walker was able to come up with a solution to save the museum without spending more tax dollars. It may not have been the solution the Museum Board or its employees hoped for, but it is the solution the taxpayers hoped for.
