Common Council adopts amended 2022 City budget

Today, the Milwaukee Common Council adopted an amended 2022 City of Milwaukee budget in the amount of approximately $1.75 billion. The budget addresses many of the key Council priorities for the city, including public safety, public health, and implementing long-term fiscal sustainability. The budget will now head to Mayor Tom Barrett who will have until the close of business on Tuesday, November 16 to sign the budget or issue any vetoes.

Finance and Personnel Committee Chair Alderman Michael J. Murphy thanked his colleagues, who he credited for working on two budgets at the same time – the 2022 city budget and the funding allocations for more than $170 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds. “It has been an intense past several weeks for the Council, and I want to thank my colleagues for putting together amendments and proposals that will keep our essential services in place while also helping to improve the quality of life for our constituents,” he said. “These past 18 months have been very difficult for our citizens, and through both of these budgets we have funded measures that will continue to help our city recover from the pandemic. We added 195 police officers to help offset retirements, there are no fee increases and a slight tax levy decrease in what the Mayor proposed, and I am extremely proud of what we have accomplished.”

“These efforts wouldn’t be possible without the hard work and dedication of the budget office, legislative reference bureau, and countless other support staff who assist us along the way. I want to commend all of those who contributed,” Ald. Murphy continued.

All amendments to the 2022 city budget can be viewed here along with previous department information and presentations. In total, the Council passed 15 amendments to the

Mayor’s proposed budget. The 2022 tax rate will be $10.20, a $0.11 increase from 2021. The levy total will be $305,103,039 which is a 2% increase from the year before.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.