Wisconsin is the only state with a July 1 deadline for passing a state budget that has not yet done so. In addition to the stalling antics of the elected-leaders in Madison, the legislators hammering out the crucial spending plan for the state are not making their compromises visible to those who put them in their leadership role in the first place, which is unacceptable.

Early last week, Wisconsin politicians began meeting in secret at the governor’s mansion in a Madison suburb in groups of less than three to avoid violating public meeting laws, according to an article in the Wisconsin State Journal. The politicians involved say that the secret meetings allow them to speak freely and candidly about the issues on the table, according to the article.

This system is uncalled for. Being able to meet in secret makes the public question the transparency of the government running this state.

Our legislators have collectively found a loophole in the law that allows them to work under these secretive conditions which in turn makes it impossible for the public to hold their representatives accountable for their actions.

If the legislators can “talk freely and candidly” about the issues behind closed doors and aren’t able to do so in public, they should not state their opinion at all. Under these conditions, there is no way for constituents to know how their representatives argued during the negotiation process of the budget. When the budget is finally finished, we’ll get a straight up or down vote from each legislator, which could be the only opinion on the record for them.

It is easy to see how compromises are more easily made in smaller groups, but this debate should happen on the Senate and Assembly floor, in front of the public eye.

The only thing the legislators are gaining out of their secretive tactics is a free ride on accountability.