MILWAUKEE – Milwaukee County’s 2025 adopted budget proposed by County Executive David Crowley has been unanimously approved by the county’s Board of Supervisors.
“We have worked to solve long-standing problems, preserve services, and make the tough choices to put Milwaukee County on a path to financial sustainability. While challenges remain, Milwaukee County has made significant progress in realizing this goal,” said Crowley Monday. “This budget continues the County’s track record of sound, responsible budgeting, while keeping in mind the investments needed to provide the level of service that residents and families expect. Together, we will continue to build on our progress so we can deliver services, improve the quality of life of our residents, and protect the future of Milwaukee County for generations to come.”
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Priorities set for the recommended 2025 Milwaukee County budget
The budget includes a property tax levy increase totaling 7.2 million dollars. additionally, a 13 million increase in tax levy spending for the Office of the Sheriff, Community Reintegration Center, and Court Operations will be used to address rising overtime costs within the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office, enhance recruitment and retention efforts, and maintain staffing levels in courts and judicial facilities. The sheriff’s office had previously projected a $7.06 million deficit for 2024, including a $7.6 million overtime deficit.
The budget also includes a 10 million dollar allocation of American Rescue Plan Act dollars to go towards maintaining existing Milwaukee County Transit System service. The allotment would also ensure transit security stays at current levels and help replace buses within the county fleet; in 2023 MCTS reported their buses had an average age of 7.41 years.
Notably, the budget does note include tax dollars allocated for the recently approved “Domes Reimagined” plan aimed at revitalizing the aging Mitchell Park Domes structures. While the Board of Supervisors signaled their approval to commit 30 million dollars towards the expected 134 million dollar proposal last week, the approved budget states “securing non-County funding resources will be required before the County Executive will support future tax levy spending to advance the project.”
RELATED: “We now have a path forward:” Milwaukee County Board unanimously approves ‘Domes Reimagined’ plan
In general, the Milwaukee County Parks system will receive a total increase of 2.3 million dollars in 2025, along with 10 new full-time jobs.
The budget also noted that while the passage of Wisconsin Act 12 in June of 2023 has provided the County a dedicated revenue stream for dealing with ongoing pension costs, County Executive Crowley acknowledges the funding is not a panacea for potential fiscal challenges that may arise in the future.
“To be clear, state law requires Milwaukee County to carry out these mandated services, and they are impacting our ability to invest back in the community,” said Crowley. “While I recognize the importance of the services we deliver on behalf of the state, I would prefer to use our local dollars to invest in local priorities, like affordable housing, mental health services, public transit, safer streets, and our parks.”
The 2025 Adopted Capital Budget includes 54 projects, totaling 110 million dollars in County and external funding sources.
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