2025 Wrap: County Executive David Crowley Reflects on 2025 Accomplishments

MILWAUKEE – As the New Year approaches, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley is reflecting on the successes, challenges, and opportunities of 2025.

“Over the past year, we worked together to deliver results for working families, maintain services in the face of shifting financial realities, and deploy investments in affordable housing, economic development, and health and human services,” said County Executive Crowley. “We know what’s good for Milwaukee County is what’s good for the entire state of Wisconsin. While I’m proud of what we accomplished in 2025, our work is not complete in making Milwaukee County the healthiest community in Wisconsin. I look forward to another year of leading Milwaukee County forward.”

Below are highlights of Milwaukee County’s notable accomplishments in 2025.

Delivering Results for Milwaukee County in Madison

Earlier this year, Governor Tony Evers signed the biennial budget that includes several priorities County Executive Crowley advocated for. For the first time in over 60 years, Milwaukee County will be more fairly reimbursed for state-mandated services. More than $38 million was allocated over the biennium for highway patrol services in Milwaukee County, a service performed by State Patrol and funded by the State of Wisconsin in every other county. Milwaukee County will also receive a more equitable share of fines and forfeitures issued by the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office, as well as witness a decreased financial impact of administering youth corrections – all saving taxpayer dollars.

Addressing Milwaukee County’s Fiscal Outlook

County Executive Crowley’s 2026 Budget protects essential services and invests in critical infrastructure. Thanks to the largest property tax cut in history that County Executive Crowley delivered in 2024, the County’s property tax levy will remain lower than it was in 2023 to limit the financial burden on residents. Highlights include:

• Increased funding for the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to add staff for child support enforcement, youth care, and housing programs.
• Additional resources for eviction prevention efforts, flexible rental assistance, and supportive services to help families remain in stable housing.
• Allocated funds for critical capital projects, including the Investing in Justice Courthouse Complex project, improvements to parks, updates to transportation infrastructure, and more.

Expanding Housing Access in Milwaukee County

Since County Executive Crowley took office, Milwaukee County has committed more than $47 million toward affordable housing developments, as well as over $7 million for a new Lead Abatement Program to reduce lead-based paint hazards in homes across Milwaukee County. In June, Crowley joined local leaders and community partners to cut the ribbon on the first newly completed home in the King Park neighborhood, as part of the County’s $6 million investment to support the development of more than 100 affordable homes in the historically underserved area. The initiative is designed to increase access to safe, affordable housing and create long-term paths to homeownership. Due in part to Crowley’s continued implementation of the Housing First model, Milwaukee County has also reduced its overall homeless population by more than 46% in five years, saving taxpayers over $30 million.

Growing the Economy and Empowering Small Businesses to Succeed

County Executive Crowley continues to highlight his Building Bridges Program that helps activate commercial corridors, grow local economies, and strengthen small businesses across Milwaukee County. In 2025, Crowley awarded $10,000 grants to 20 small businesses for facility improvements, visiting several of those businesses throughout the year. The Building Bridges Program also provides dedicated technical support and resources to small businesses across Milwaukee County to help local entrepreneurs succeed.

Responding to Extreme Flooding and Storms

In August, Southeast Wisconsin was hit with historic storms, causing catastrophic flood damage to the community. County Executive Crowley declared a state of emergency and directed County departments to swiftly respond to help impacted residents, families, and business owners. As of early November, FEMA has distributed over $143 million in Individual Assistance to more than 29,000 Milwaukee County residents and households. However, the Trump administration denied Wisconsin’s application for Public Assistance funding, which Governor Evers has appealed and the State continues to await a decision on. In 2026, County Executive Crowley will continue working with partners across the state and country to help affected communities rebuild, recover, and move forward.

Ensuring Access to Healthy Food During Federal Government Shutdown

In October, what began as an urgent response to uncertainty around federal FoodShare benefits quickly grew into a powerful community effort. In anticipation of a delay of FoodShare benefits, Milwaukee County and the City of Milwaukee launched a joint food drive in partnership with Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin and NourishMKE. Since launching in late October, the initiative collected more than $93,000 in monetary donations and over 9,000 pounds of food, helping stabilize families during a time of record demand at local food pantries. These contributions equate to more than 273,000 meals for the community. Also in November, County Executive Crowley, Chairwoman Marcelia Nicholson-Bovell, and the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors allocated additional contingency funds to provide supplemental food assistance for residents and families.

Building Up Milwaukee County

County Executive Crowley worked to advance and complete several economic development projects in 2025.

• In February, County Executive Crowley celebrated the groundbreaking of a new state-of-the-art air cargo facility at Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport that will bring significant benefits to Milwaukee County, including job creation, economic growth, and zero cost to local taxpayers.
• In June, County Executive Crowley celebrated the official opening of the new Marcia P. Coggs Health & Human Services Center, a generational investment in the delivery of high quality human services through DHHS’ “No Wrong Door” model of customer care. For the first time, Milwaukee County has a building designed specifically to deliver health and human services, eliminating physical barriers, creating a warm and welcoming location, and improving access to resources and services for families and individuals across the community.
• In July, County Executive Crowley signed legislation approving a $30 million funding commitment to advance the redevelopment and restoration of the Mitchell Park Domes.
• In September, County Executive Crowley and officials from Mitchell International Airport kicked off the Concourse E Redevelopment Project, representing a $95 million investment that will create hundreds of construction jobs in the Milwaukee community and support opportunities for additional airline service.
• In December, Crowley joined local leaders at the Milwaukee County Zoo to celebrate the new Ladish Co. Foundation Rhino Care Center and Robert Dohmen Hippo Indoor Haven, completing the final phase of the Zoo’s Adventure Africa project. Together with the renovation of the Dohmen Family Foundation Hippo Haven outdoor habitat, the total cost of this final phase was $22.6 million.
• In December, County Executive Crowley praised the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors for adopting his administration’s plan to invest over $3 million in annual federal funds to support 72 critical community projects and services.

Maintaining Public Transit Services for Workers, Students, and the Community

County Executive Crowley’s 2026 Budget dedicates new resources to enhance safety, target fare evasion on Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS) buses, and ensure long-term sustainability of Milwaukee County’s public transit system. In December, Crowley and the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors approved the 2026 MCTS Service Plan that addresses the organization’s budget deficit. Crowley’s 2026 Budget will also add security on targeted bus routes to improve safety for both drivers and riders, reflecting the county’s commitment to exploring strategies that keep transit services both secure and sustainable. Under the leadership of newly appointed Milwaukee County Director of Transportation Joe Lamers and MCTS President Steve Fuentes, MCTS will pursue a rightsizing of the system to address structural financial challenges and ensure the system is fiscally sound. County Executive Crowley will also continue working to pursue new funding opportunities, collaborate with community partners, and seek out additional support from state and federal leaders to ensure people who rely on public transit in Milwaukee County can continue utilizing this important service in the years ahead. These efforts delivered results in 2025, as Crowley successfully secured $21 million in grant funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) in July to improve rider experience and public transit service operations along the MCTS PurpleLine transit corridor.

Making Roadways Safe for All

In February, County Executive Crowley signed a resolution to adopt Milwaukee County’s Comprehensive Safety Action Plan and achieve the County’s Vision Zero commitment to combat reckless driving and eliminate traffic deaths by 2037. It outlines strategies to address safety on Milwaukee County’s 25 Corridors of Concern and paves the way to unlock new federal funding to support these strategies. In March, County Executive Crowley, the Milwaukee County Department of Transportation (MCDOT), and the Milwaukee Area Safe Streets Taskforce (MASST) also launched Phase Two of the Motor Vehicle Collision (MVC) Dashboard to expand upon the County’s public-facing, comprehensive map showing fatal and nonfatal collisions throughout the community. The MVC Dashboard’s Phase Two enhancements will help policymakers and municipal partners deploy the most effective investments and solutions within targeted hotspots to address reckless driving and save lives.

Combating the Opioid Crisis

In August, County Executive Crowley signed legislation approving more than $9 million in opioid settlement dollars to fund seven projects focused on opioid use disorder (OUD) abatement, prevention, and recovery programs. In total, $34 million in opioid settlement dollars has been allocated thus far. County Executive Crowley recently hosted a roundtable discussion with community-based organizations that have received opioid settlement dollars to deliver prevention, treatment, recovery, and harm reduction services to underserved populations. In February, Crowley and the Milwaukee County Office of Emergency Management (OEM) also launched a new Overdose Dashboard aimed at providing critical insights into overdose trends and informing data-driven intervention strategies.

Saving Lives in Milwaukee County

In December, County Executive Crowley and local leaders highlighted the results from the first year of a pilot program to administer whole blood transfusions in the field for critically injured trauma patients. In its inaugural year, 38 patients across the County received whole blood transfusions from first responders following severe injury and trauma. Last year, OEM’s Emergency Medical Services (EMS) division launched this groundbreaking initiative to administer whole blood transfusions in the field for critically injured trauma patients. Milwaukee County EMS was the first in Wisconsin—and among the first fire-based EMS systems in the nation—to deliver whole blood to patients in the field.

Addressing the Climate Crisis

In April, Crowley celebrated Arbor Day and Earth Month at Tippecanoe Park by signing legislation approving the Milwaukee County Climate Action 2050 (CA50) Plan. This blueprint is aimed at achieving net-zero carbon emissions in Milwaukee County operations by the year 2050, marking a significant step forward in the County’s commitment to environmental sustainability and stewardship. In addition, Crowley took steps to reduce emissions from Milwaukee County buildings by, for example, installing new solar panels on top of the Marcia P. Coggs Health & Human Services Center. This action alone will offset the facility’s energy consumption by 11.5%.

Staying Healthy and Enjoying Milwaukee County Parks

Throughout the summer months, Crowley, in partnership with the Milwaukee Parks Foundation, once again hosted the Healthy County Challenge – an annual slate of free summer events in Milwaukee County Parks to promote healthy activities and community building. This year, residents and families across Milwaukee County participated in 11 Healthy County Challenges. These community events, which collectively attracted hundreds of Milwaukee County residents, included group bike rides, hikes throughout the parks, yoga, golf tournaments, park clean ups, community pool days, and more.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.