Governor’s budget recommendations provide a first step to address public safety challenges in Milwaukee

MILWAUKEE (Feb. 20, 2025) – Joel Brennan, president of the Greater Milwaukee Committee (GMC), issued the following statement regarding Gov. Tony Evers’ proposed 2025-2027 budget for the State of Wisconsin.

“For more than 75 years, the Greater Milwaukee Committee has convened leaders from across sectors to support innovative solutions to our region’s most pressing challenges – including challenges in our four focus areas of fiscal strength, education, public safety and infrastructure.

The 2025-2027 proposed budget features innovations and opportunities for Wisconsin communities to make real progress, including to stabilize funding for many critical services.

In Milwaukee, county government feels the strain of shouldering the burden of growing costs to provide state-mandated services – particularly public safety services. In fact, locally funded, state-mandated public safety costs have grown by nearly $61 million since 2020. Funding these efforts is critical. The safety of our state starts with ensuring safety in Milwaukee County. We appreciate that Governor Evers has identified opportunities for the state to join local partners in advancing public safety by funding Milwaukee County highway patrol services and Assistant District Attorney positions across the state.

Collaborative solutions, like those identified in the Governor’s proposed budget, will ensure Milwaukee can continue to be the economic engine of Wisconsin. While this is just the first step in the process, we hope that the State Legislature will include these and other prudent investments in the final state budget to be approved later this year.”

About the Greater Milwaukee Committee: The GMC is a 75-year-old membership organization whose members are cross-sector civic leaders. The organization focuses on the most significant community challenges and opportunities in an effort to make Milwaukee the best place to live, work, play, stay and learn for all.

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.