Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley Presents 2025 Recommended Budget to Milwaukee County Board
County Executive Crowley’s budget continues track record of fiscal responsibility and sound decision making
MILWAUKEE – Today, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley presented his 2025 Recommended Budget to the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors. This budget continues the County’s track record of sound, responsible budgeting, while building on our progress and keeping in mind the investments needed to provide the level of service residents and families expect.
Guided by the County’s vision and strategic plan, the 2025 Recommended Budget maintains programs and operations that advance the quality of life of every Milwaukee County resident, while keeping property taxes low and avoiding drastic cuts to services. The budget includes a 2.8% property tax levy increase, totaling $8.2 million. However, even with this increase, the tax levy remains lower than 2020 levels and over $20 million lower than projections prior to the passage of Wisconsin Act 12.
Notably, the 2025 Recommended Budget includes a $13 million increase in tax levy spending across the Office of the Sheriff, Community Reintegration Center, and Court Operations, representing an 11% tax levy funding boost. These increases are intended to address rising overtime costs within the Sheriff’s Office, enhance recruitment and retention efforts, and maintain staffing levels in courts and judicial facilities. These are mandated service requirements placed on Milwaukee County by state law that demonstrate the difficult fiscal constraints being placed on future budgets.
Additional highlights in the 2025 Recommended Budget include directing over $10 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funding to the Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS). This will allow MCTS to maintain current route service levels, help replace the County’s aging bus fleet, and ensure transit security remains throughout the MCTS network. Also, Milwaukee County Parks will receive a total increase of $2.3 million, supported by a $2.7 million revenue increase. Additionally, the Parks budget includes 10 new full-time positions to maintain programs and services throughout the Parks.
The 2025 Recommended Capital Budget mirrors recommendations from the Capital Improvement Committee and includes 54 projects, totaling $110 million in County and external funding sources. A key budget item in the 2025 capital budget is a $6 million investment dedicated for the continued planning and design of a new facility to house courts and other state-mandated services, replacing the outdated and inefficient Public Safety Building. This will be a multi-year project that will seek community input to create a functional and innovative building to address the needs of all who seek to use the services it houses, but investments in planning and funding must continue. The longer these necessary investments are delayed, the more expensive they will become.
Prior to the passage of Wisconsin Act 12 in June 2023, Milwaukee County was facing a projected $109 million structural deficit by the end of 2028. Because of the increased revenue through Wisconsin Act 12, Milwaukee County was able to save critical services and make investments in affordable housing, transit, health and human services, and much more. Milwaukee County now has a dedicated revenue stream so growing pension costs no longer consume the property tax levy, while implementing a solution for the decades-long pension crisis.
“At the end of the day, our vision is steadfast,” said County Executive Crowley. “We will continue preserving resources for our most vulnerable communities. We will continue to make decisions to not only benefit our current reality, but to find solutions for our future generations. And we will continue to dedicate our work and resources toward becoming the healthiest county in the state of Wisconsin.”
The full 2025 Recommended Budget is available on the Milwaukee County website. County Executive Crowley’s full budget address can be viewed here.
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.
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