The Governor's Commission on State-Local Relations and Financing Policy was named the “Wallace Commission” after chairman Harry L. Wallace. The commission was created by executive order on October 17, 1975 and was directed to evaluate the relationship between state and local government in Wisconsin and the system of providing and financing public services. The commission's report, published January 1977, made recommendations on education, health, and transportation services, organization of local government, state and local revenue sources, and local growth and development. The Wallace Commission found that the problems encountered by local governments relate substantially to changing technology, population patterns, environmental concerns, and local demands for governmental services and concluded that a flexible system for delivering services was necessary to respond to the problems.
The Governor's Blue Ribbon Tax Reform Commission was created by Executive Order 52, and was known as the “Knowles Commission,” as it was chaired by Sate Senator Robert P. Knowles. Staffed by the Department of Revenue's Research Division, the commission's mission was to carry out a complete reexamination of Wisconsin's personal and corporate income tax, sales tax, inheritance tax, and property tax, and to offer recommendations for improvements.
