(UW-Whitewater submission, March 10) The Joint Committee on Finance announced today that the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater will host the first of three locations chosen for in-person public hearings on the next state budget.

“First, I want to thank the Joint Committee on Finance for choosing UW-Whitewater for one of these important meetings. It is such an honor to host a meeting in which committee members will seek feedback from people across Wisconsin on the priorities for next state budget. This is a critical part of the budget process,” Chancellor Dwight C. Watson said. “This is also a great time for members of the legislature and the state to get to know more about our amazing university, and to see their financial support of UW-Whitewater at work. This is simply a wonderful opportunity for UW-Whitewater and our community.”

The format will be similar to past hearings and attendees will be asked to fill out a form upon arrival to be added to the queue to testify. Those attending in-person will be required to wear a facial covering and practice social distancing as part of campus COVID-19 protocols.

The event, on Friday, April 9, will begin at 10 a.m. and conclude at 5 p.m. The location on campus will be announced in the coming days.

The other in-person hearings will take place in Rhinelander and Menomonie.

A virtual public hearing is also scheduled, and pre-registration will be required for the virtual hearing. The registration process and details are in development and will be released as soon as possible via the new JFC website, which is also a portal for constituents to provide input: www.legis.wisconsin.gov/topics/budgetcomments. The JFC has also developed a dedicated email address for input only: budget.comments@legis.wisconsin.gov.