Supervisors Alarmed About Transit’s Future

6400 series Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS) bus. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.

With significant budget cuts kicking in across Milwaukee County, supervisors are grasping for solutions to the Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS) funding crisis.

The transit system is preparing to launch a new planning project to redesign the entire bus network by mid-2027, as Urban Milwaukee previously reported. The initiative comes as the system implements approximately $9 million in budget cuts this year and projects a budget deficit at least twice as large in 2027.

Supervisors are concerned. During a meeting Wednesday of the Milwaukee County Board’s Committee on Transportation and Transit, they pleaded for routes to be restored and asked whether the transit system could sue the state for more funding.

“We are preparing for the 2027 budget, and right now it’s going to be significant because we are forecasting a deficit of approximately $17 million to $20 million based on the known funding levels that will be available to us in 2027,” Sandra Kellner, MCTS director of operations, told the supervisors on the Committee on Transportation and Transit on Wednesday.

“Estimated deficit of $17 to $20 million next year; that is just, it takes one’s breath away,” said Sup. Steven Shea, who chairs the committee.

Over the next year and a half, MCTS and a planning consultant will work with local stakeholders to answer the question, “What does our system look like that we can actually afford?” Kellner said.

Joe Lamers, the new director of the Milwaukee County Department of Transportation (MCDOT), told Urban Milwaukee, “We want to study the most efficient routes possible, whether that funding challenge goes forward or not. So we’ll look at variable options: growth network, status quo network, reduction if necessary.”

Transportation officials and the county’s government affairs office are gearing up to advocate for greater transit funding in the next state biennial budget, Lamers said. They are also gathering data to communicate the importance of public transit.

Sup. Kathleen Vincent announced during the meeting that she is drafting a resolution to restore funding for transit cuts she voted for in December. The appropriation would restore service along Routes 11, 22, 24, 80 and 88. MCTS is cutting service along segments to close the 2026 budget gap. The cut to Route 24 will stop bus service from running to Historic Downtown Greendale in Vincent’s district.

“These service reductions affect multiple districts and thousands of residents across Milwaukee County,” Vincent said.

Sup. Jack Eckblad asked whether the county was working to build a statewide coalition for increased transit funding. Lamers agreed that Milwaukee is not the only community that relies on transit funding. He said transportation officials are working with the Wisconsin Public Transportation Association and other communities to push the issue.

MCTS’ primary funding challenge is state aid, Lamers said. It is the largest source of revenue for the system and has been flat since 2010, while the cost of operating the transit system has risen annually, he said. If state aid had kept pace with inflation, MCTS would have approximately $34 million more in its annual budget, Lamers said.

“So I think that’s our biggest problem, and challenge, is that we don’t have a dedicated funding source for transit that grows with inflation,” Lamers said.

Sup. Justin Bielinski asked if the county has considered suing the state of Wisconsin over transit funding. “There’s a $2.5 billion surplus, and I’ve seen public schools sue the state for adequate funding,” Bielinski said, adding that he wants to see the transit system “fighting” for itself more. Sup. Juan Miguel Martinez echoed Bielinski’s question.

Lamers said it wasn’t immediately clear what the transit system’s case would be, but said he would follow up with the county’s attorneys.

Tom Stawicki, legislative director for Amalgamated Transit Union Local 998 (ATU), called dedicated funding for transit a “tough nut to crack.” ATU, which represents the county’s transit workers, will continue advocating for transit funding at the state level, he said. “But, just to let you know, it is really going to be an uphill battle to get money.”