To know and truly understand what is happening in our world right now, we need a sense of history. Few groups have a better claim to and handle on the history of our state than the Wisconsin Policy Forum. The impending move of our Milwaukee office has opened a window into our 113-year history for me and the rest of our staff. Continue reading…
Criminal justice has been a major area of focus for the Forum in 2026. With the support of the Public Welfare Foundation, in April we published “Cross Examination,” a comprehensive review of Wisconsin’s justice system that analyzed the state’s crime rate, arrest rates, court cases, prison population, and youth justice system. Among our major findings was that the number of adults in prison for operating a vehicle while intoxicated (OWI) more than quadrupled between 2000 and 2023, driven by increased admissions and higher penalties for OWI offenses.
Our 2025-26 Norman Gill fellow, Liam Farin, followed up on this study with his forthcoming report, “Impairment to Imprisonment: Operating While Intoxicated in Wisconsin.” This report will examine Wisconsin’s legal framework of penalties for OWI and how it compares to neighboring states, as well as how Wisconsin’s OWI population has changed over time.
This comes after we released “Treatment Behind Bars” in March, which covered the availability of medication for opioid use disorder in Wisconsin’s jails and prisons. Supported by Vital Strategies, that project inspired a follow-up report (currently in progress) focusing on treatment courts for individuals with mental health or substance abuse issues.
For the first time in nearly four decades, the Wisconsin Policy Forum is moving its Milwaukee office. Effective Aug. 1, we will move to the Atlas Building, located in Milwaukee’s Walker’s Point neighborhood.
Our new mailing address will be 600 W. Virginia Street, Milwaukee WI, 53204. Our other contact information remains unchanged, as does the location and contact info for our Madison office.
We are looking for furniture for our new office, so if you have used furniture to donate, please let us know. We hope to see you at our new office soon!
The Forum saw strong attendance and participation at our second-quarter events, which included the latest installments of our Viewpoint Luncheon and Forum Friday series. At both events, recent Forum research set the stage for a policy discussion with leading experts, followed by a robust audience question-and-answer session.
The Viewpoint Luncheon, “Cleared for Construction: Zoning and Permitting of Development in Metro Milwaukee,” was held April 29 at Potawatomi Casino Hotel. More than 150 attendees joined us to discuss how to balance the need for timely housing and commercial development with appropriate levels of public oversight and community input. Panelists were: Lafayette Crump, Commissioner of City Development for the City of Milwaukee; Mark Hammond, Development Director for the City of Wauwatosa; Matt Moroney, CEO of Wangard Partners; and Angie Tabrizi, Principal of Moxie Development Collective.
More than 150 participants joined us from all across Wisconsin for the June 26 installment of our virtual event series, Forum Friday. The discussion focused on our state’s child care system and possible solutions to its strained economic model for providers and families. Panelists were: state Rep. David Armstrong, R-Rice Lake; Sadie Howell, President/CEO, Envision Greater Fond du Lac; Lisa Jensen, Roots & Branches Director, Frederic School District; and Jeff Pertl, Secretary, Wisconsin Department of Children and Families.
Data center impacts: This report will build on our previous analysis on this subject by examining recently finalized and proposed data center project agreements across the state. It will gauge the likely impacts of these projects on local government and school district finances, property tax levies, the level of financial risk to local governments, and their potential economic and environmental effects.
Chronic absenteeism: The Forum has previously sounded the alarm that the statewide rate of students missing at least 10% of school days has not returned to its pre-pandemic levels, putting student learning and well-being at risk. This report will focus on absenteeism levels in Milwaukee across traditional public, charter, and private schools. It also will offer potential solutions based on research into best practices and the experiences of other cities.
Treatment courts: Continuing the Forum’s analysis of drug treatment within Wisconsin’s criminal justice system, this report will examine the state’s broad array of treatment courts for people suffering from substance abuse or mental health issues. We will conduct a statewide survey of Wisconsin’s treatment courts to understand their current policies and practices, analyze case data, and identify opportunities to improve participant outcomes.
Data Tool Updates: In the coming months, we will also publish updated versions of our School DataTool, Municipal DataTool, and Property Values and Taxes DataTool, which allow users to access a wealth of data about their communities and compare them with their neighbors and peers.
In the second quarter, the Forum was excited to welcome our 2026 summer interns to our staff: Tristin McCreight and Chase Fingerson.
Tristin, our graduate intern, is pursuing dual master’s degrees in Urban Planning and Public Administration at the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Government and International Politics at George Mason University. Tristin has spent most of her life in the Milwaukee area. Her policy interests include infrastructure and transportation policy.
Chase, our undergraduate intern, is pursuing dual bachelor’s degrees in Economics and Political Science at the University of Wisconsin – Madison. Chase grew up in Hawaii before moving to Madison for college. His policy interests center on transportation, infrastructure, and economics, as well as foreign policy.
Among other work, Tristin and Chase will assist Forum staffers in preparing updates to our popular online interactive DataTools.
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| Charles Carlin Chief Strategy Officer charles@gatheringwaters.org |
Gathering Waters is Wisconsin’s alliance for land trusts. We help people protect the places that make Wisconsin special. Gathering Waters supports and strengthens more than 40 non-profit land trusts across Wisconsin that together have permanently protected more than 500,000 acres of conservation lands. We support our land trusts through advocacy campaigns, lobbying in the Capitol, legal support, technical services, and outreach to raise the profile of private land conservation work in Wisconsin.
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“Researchers at the Wisconsin Policy Forum and the reports produced by the Forum are an invaluable resource for us. They help us understand the complex ways that the state budget works, decipher funding formulas, and Policy Forum reports provide a neutral, well-respected platform that helps us, and the policymakers with whom we work, consider the pros and cons of various potential policies. The researchers at WPF are a go-to resource for us when complex questions arise about local revenue, tax abatement programs, and more. Simply put, WPF helps us engage in informed debate and to really understand how state and municipal budgets work.”
This exclusive group is comprised of individuals who generously donate $1,000 or more to the Forum annually.
Benefits include recognition on our website and in our annual report, exclusive events with sought-after speakers, and complimentary tickets to and priority seating at Forum events.
Interested in learning more? Email Elizabeth Cizinsky today!
In these polarized times, we are especially grateful for the support of our members and sponsors. Thank you for reading our research, attending or tuning in for our events, participating in our committee meetings, and maintaining your membership with us.
We are supported by hundreds of corporations, nonprofits, local governments, school districts, and individuals from across the state of Wisconsin. The following members provide particularly generous support that ensures Wisconsin will continue to benefit from having one of the nation’s most successful nonpartisan, independent public policy research organizations.
