Supervisor Deanna Alexander Advances Reforms to Strengthen Transparency, Accountability, and Community Investments

MILWAUKEE – Milwaukee County Supervisor Deanna Alexander announced a series of bipartisan budget amendments she led or co-authored to strengthen public accountability, improve transparency in County government, and direct investments into neighborhood-based amenities that residents rely on.

Supervisor Alexander is the lead sponsor of Amendments 12, 13, 17, and 18, and a cosponsor of Amendments 11, 14, 15, and 16 introduced during the County Board’s 2026 budget deliberations.

“These amendments focus on what matters most — restoring trust in government, protecting taxpayer dollars through transparency, and ensuring that every neighborhood has safe, accessible public spaces,” said Supervisor Alexander. “We can make Milwaukee County stronger and more accountable through smart, strategic action.”

Amendments 15, 17, and 18 strengthen Milwaukee County Parks by ensuring that activity-based revenues are reinvested where they are generated — including dog parks, disc golf courses, and necessary upgrades to Cooper Park. The amendments propose:

• Ensuring dog park revenue is reinvested in dog parks — supporting safety, maintenance, parking, seating, and accessibility improvements. Ensuring disc golf revenue directly supports disc golf course maintenance and enhancements. These changes help ensure the county uses the extra fees paid for parks usage are invested in the ways parks users expect.
• Providing $118,000 for safer, accessible parking at Cooper Park — supporting community events, beer garden visitors, and polling access for local voters, and protecting county taxpayers from the risks of potential litigation.

“These amendments reflect what residents have told us: Parks should get better — not smaller — and fee payers should know the truth about where their money is intended to be used,” Alexander said.

Amendments 12, 13, and 14 introduce reforms designed to make County government more transparent and responsive, notably advocating for:

• Clearer budget reporting so residents can easily understand the difference between tax levy and other revenues.
• A review of the independent redistricting process to strengthen fairness ahead of the next redistricting cycle.
• Direction to the Ethics Board and Office of Corporation Counsel to draft a County Board Code of Conduct — improving decorum, complaint resolution, and public confidence.

“These reforms will help ensure that government works openly, ethically, and in the public interest — always,” said Alexander.

Amendment 11, cosponsored by Supervisor Alexander, directs multiple departments to jointly address chronic staffing shortages, excessive overtime, and recruitment challenges within the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office and Community Reintegration Center. The amendment calls for a detailed Staffing Stabilization Initiative Report aimed at identifying solutions to reduce burnout, improve hiring timelines, and ensure safer working conditions.

“Supporting the people who keep our facilities and community safe must remain a top priority,” Alexander concluded.

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.