Crowley Signs $1.3 Billion Budget Without Vetoes

County Executive David Crowley. Photo by Sophie Bolich.

Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley signed the county board’s 2026 budget without any vetoes.

Crowley released his recommended budget for next year in late September. After a month of budget meetings in October, the county board adopted a budget on Nov. 8 with nearly two dozen amendments. Crowley signed the budget the next day.

The 2026 budget marked the first time in five years that county policymakers had to close a significant budget gap. Crowley’s administration had to close a $46.7 million projected budget deficit before handing the budget off to the county board. The budget includes spending reductions across county government, including service reductions in Behavioral Health Services and the Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS).

Until now, the county board was buoyed by federal stimulus funds received during the COVID-19 pandemic, and then an influx in sales tax revenue following the implementation of a new 0.4% sales tax authorized at the state level by 2023 Wisconsin Act 12.

“As we move Milwaukee County forward, my administration is working to balance fiscal responsibility, service delivery, and community needs,” Crowley said in a statement Friday after signing the budget. “The 2026 Adopted Budget does just that in protecting essential services, investing in critical infrastructure, and maintaining stability in the face of shifting financial realities.”

Crowley’s budget included approximately $16 million to continue planning and designing a new county criminal courthouse, replacing the dilapidated Safety Building, 821 W. State St. The board voted down an amendment by Sup. Justin Bielinski that sought to peel off $1.3 million to save MCTS route 28. Crowley and administration officials argued against removing any courthouse funding during the budget process, citing a handshake agreement between the Crowley administration and the state Legislature to use a new state aid for the Milwaukee County Sheriff‘s Office (MCSO) on the courthouse project.

Route 28 was among six bus routes MCTS planned to cut in 2026. In the face of a $14 million projected budget deficit, the system was planning 15% service cuts. The county board adopted an amendment by Chairwoman Marcelia Nicholson Bovell that added $4.7 million back into the MCTS budget, to reduce service cuts. MCTS will go before the board in December with its new service plan for 2026. The funding in Nicholson Bovell’s amendment, however, does not come from a steady source of revenue and will likely increase the transit system’s 2027 budget deficit by the same amount.

“We listened to our constituents and delivered a budget that reflects their priorities—strengthening public transit, expanding food and housing resources, and propping up early childhood programs,” Nicholson-Bovell said in a statement after Crowley signed the budget.

The $1.39 billion budget will increase the property tax levy by 3.5%. The property tax increase is primarily driven by debt payments for the new Nature & Culture Museum of Wisconsin, 1310 N 6th St.,  and the new Forensic Science Center. The county issued approximately $108 million in debt for the projects and will begin making payments next year.

“In the spirit of partnership and collaboration, we must act responsibly in responding to the challenges ahead,” Crowley said. “As we continue navigating fiscal limitations and addressing projected deficits, I am proud to sign a budget that improves the quality of life for working families, upholds our commitments, and protects the future of Milwaukee County for generations to come.”