Milwaukee County Board Spent $15k On Travel, Is That Too Much?

The travel bill for Milwaukee County board members and staff members totaled $15,000 last year, according to a story by the Journal Sentinel.

Daniel Bice's column highlighted trips to Washington D.C., Virginia Beach and Poland. Most of the trip Chairwoman Marina Dimitrijevic and Supervisor Mark Borkowski took to Poland to visit Milwaukee's sister city was not paid by Wisconsin taxpayers, but was funded through several grants.

A trip to the Wisconsin Counties Association conference cost taxpayers $5,000. Willie Johnson Jr. told Bice that the County typically sends three to four people to the conference, but said "county officials wanted to demonstrate a show of force in 2012" since Johnson was in the running to become chairman of the group.

According to the story:

"It is hard to believe the County Board is interested in reforming itself when they are taking trips to Poland, South Africa and sending nine people to a party in La Crosse along with other destinations like Virginia Beach and Washington, D.C.," said Orville Seymer, a longtime leader of the conservative Citizens for Responsible Government.

While many municipalities and school districts send their staff and boards to conferences held by associations, what do you think about these trips some Milwaukee County supervisors are taking?