The "Kettl Commission," formally the (
Wisconsin
Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
) "Governor’s Blue-Ribbon Commission on State-Local Partnerships for the 21st Century," was a
bipartisan
Bipartisanship, sometimes referred to as nonpartisanship, is a political situation, usually in the context of a two-party system (especially those of the United States and some other western countries), in which opposing political parties find co ...
1999-2000
blue ribbon commission
In the United States, a blue-ribbon committee (or panel or commission) is a group of exceptional people appointed to investigate, study or analyze a given question. Blue-ribbon committees generally have a degree of independence from political infl ...
, chaired by
University of Wisconsin–Madison
A university () is an educational institution, institution of higher education, higher (or Tertiary education, tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. Universities ty ...
political scientist
Political science is the science, scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of politics, political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated c ...
Donald F. Kettl, charged by then-Governor
Tommy Thompson
Tommy George Thompson (born November 19, 1941) is an American Republican politician who most recently served as interim president of the University of Wisconsin System from 2020 to 2022. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served ...
with studying and reporting back to the governor on how Wisconsin government should be re-structured. It was instructed to think of itself as a miniature
constitutional convention.
Th
133-page final reportwas issued in January 2001, with 139 recommendations, some of them quite bold. The Commission concluded the state should provide more aid to villages, towns, cities and counties which collaborate on a regional basis to provide taxpayers better service and spur economic growth, and that the state should ultimately assume responsibility for defining and financing social service and criminal justice programs at the county level, including child welfare, circuit courts and juvenile justice. Like those of most such commissions, the conclusions and recommendations have been only spottily addressed
External links
Commission website
Government of Wisconsin
Political history of Wisconsin
1999 establishments in Wisconsin
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