The final decision on a proposal for the Milwaukee Art Museum's finances will be made Wednesday as Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker will either veto or approve the 2007 County Budget.

The County Board approved their version of the 2007 County Budget 19-0 Nov. 6. The budget includes the amendment made by the finance committee to restore most of the museum's grant coming from the county.

The committee reinstated $250,000 of the museum's $280,000 grant Nov. 1, after hundreds of supporters voiced their concern at a public hearing Oct. 30. The cuts would have affected the museum's educational program.

There will be no increase in county taxes because the extra money comes from an updated revenue projection for 2007 from Potawatomi Bingo Casino, which puts more money at the county's disposal than originally planned.

In the budget proposal from the county executive's office, the county proposed 5 percent cuts for arts and cultural organizations supported by the county.

The Board Finance Committee voted 4-3 in October to transfer $280,000 from the art museum to the War Memorial Corporation, the Marcus Center and other arts organizations that have a greater need for county assistance.

According to Harold Mester, public information manager for the County Finance Committee, some members of the committee believed the Milwaukee Art Museum could raise money more easily than the other arts and cultural organizations that would be affected by the 5 percent budget cuts in the county budget proposal.

According to Mary Louise Mussoline, senior director of development at the museum, the museum had not decided which educational programs would be cut, but there would have been "major cuts."

"This amount of money is quite a big deal," she said. "The grant coming from the county is one of our largest."

According to museum spokeswoman Elysia Borowy-Reeder, the museum did not decide which programs to cut because they had not gotten that far yet.

"We were busy trying to convince the county that the museum is a vital arts organization in Milwaukee County," she said.

The art museum education programs are ranked eighth in the nation of museums by the American Association of Museum Directors' annual survey and provide programs for 35,728 children from 264 schools in Milwaukee County.

The museum raises money the entire year from private donors, Borowy-Reeder said.

The Quadracci Pavilion, the new addition of Milwaukee Art Museum, was completed in 2001 and is considered Milwaukee's most famous building. Private donors paid for the Quadracci Pavilion addition, according to a release from the museum.

The museum is the largest arts institution of any kind in Wisconsin and draws 20 percent of its visitors from out of state, according to the release.

The museum does a great deal for the county, Mussoline said. Borowy-Reeder said many museum visitors come from Cook County, which encompasses downtown Chicago.

"We bring people to Milwaukee and the economic impact is huge for downtown," Borowy-Reeder said.