Possibilities for Enhancing EMS Collaboration in Milwaukee County

Report analyzes options for municipal fire departments to improve services, gain efficiencies

Wisconsin’s State and Local Tax Burden Hit Another Record Low in 2024

Sales tax comprises steadily increasing share of total state and local tax collections

Arresting Developments: How and why arrests and citizen contacts are declining in Milwaukee

Road Map: Assessing and Funding Wisconsin’s Transportation Needs

Assessing Milwaukee’s ACRE Program in Cultivating Diversity in Real Estate

Program helps provide new pathways into real estate; Study also finds opportunities to improve

Act 12 Benefits Continue in 2025, But Fiscal Challenges Loom for Milwaukee County

Annual budget brief finds the county’s brief era of largely pain-free budgets likely to be short-lived

Milwaukee Continues to Reap Act 12 Benefits, But Fiscal Challenges Remain

Proposed 2025 city budget includes bright spots, but future challenges point to need to find savings

Expanded Partnerships Could Help Address Milwaukee County Parks’ Unmet Needs

Collaboration among local governments could yield mutual benefits, report finds

Metro Milwaukee Has Edge with STEM Workers; Challenges with Startups, Growth

DataTool compares Milwaukee to peer metros on metrics of innovation, entrepreneurship

Forum announces Salute to Local Government award winners

Federal Funds Give Milwaukee a Budget Reprieve, but Debt Up as Reckoning Nears

Federal monies supporting more than half of Milwaukee Fire Department positions

Wisconsin Saw Record 13.8% Increase in Property Values in 2022

Property tax levy increase statewide lagged inflation; tax rate saw largest decline since 2005

State Tax Burden Up, But Overall Burden Still Falling

Driven by rising income tax collections, Wisconsin’s state tax burden climbed in 2021 for the first time in a decade. Yet local and federal taxes as a share of income hit all-time lows during the pandemic and the total tax burden for state families and businesses is at its lowest level in at least a half century. Some taxes paid by middle-class families here remain relatively high, however, particularly the property taxes on a typical home.

Property Values Up in Wisconsin Amid Pandemic, Aided by Residential Value Boost

Updated online interactive provides data for all Wisconsin counties, municipalities

DataTool Shows Rising Property Values Strengthened Municipal Finances Pre-Pandemic

Latest update to online interactive tool provides data on all 602 Wisconsin municipalities

Degree of Difficulty: Challenges for UW-Milwaukee in a Turbulent Time

Comparison shows UWM lagging peer institutions in enrollment, revenues

Laying the Foundation: A Look at the City of Milwaukee’s Affordable Housing Programs

Report finds potential benefits from greater organization, planning, and private sector collaboration

Wisconsin Policy Forum Makes Statewide Educational Data Easy to Compare

New School DataTool Includes Enrollment, Student Performance, Other Measures

Pension Overpayment Eases Pain in 2019 City of Milwaukee Budget

The report also analyzes increased investment in lead abatement programs and services in the proposed budget.

Calm 2019 Milwaukee County budget masks fierce long-term challenges

The Forum’s 2019 county budget brief raises longer-term concerns.

Southeast Wisconsin’s property tax collections growing more slowly than property values

The region’s aggregate equalized property values totaled $194 billion in 2018.

Report: Repair Needs Grow at Milwaukee County Culture, Parks, and Recreational Facilities

WPF Warns County Lacks Financial Capacity to Address Backlog of Capital Needs

Spending in Major Wisconsin Cities, Villages Up 3%

MunicipalFacts18 Study Analyzes Per Capita Spending, Taxes, and Other Trends in 248 Municipalities

Report Outlines Challenges of Affordable Housing in Milwaukee County

County Has Sufficient Units, Moderate-Priced Rents – But Incomes Often Aren’t Enough

Wisconsin Policy Forum Report Untangles MPS Funding of Charter Schools

Nonpartisan, Independent Group Explains Complex Web of Contracts, Reimbursements

Report explores link between state property tax limits and municipal spending

Finds spending patterns vary based on new construction growth

MPS’ 2019 Budget Challenges Reflect Long-Term Structural Issues

Short-Term Fixes May Avert Major School Cuts in 2019, But Fiscal Pressures Remain

Jason Stein Named Wisconsin Policy Forum Research Director

Longtime Capitol Reporter Will Lead Nonpartisan Research Team

Teacher Ranks Have Rebounded

Post-Act 10 decline has been arrested. But more younger teachers leaving profession.