“When you have great partners, the possibilities for what you can accomplish are virtually limitless.”

MILWAUKEE, WI – Today, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley gave the 2023 State of the County Address at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM). The address highlighted Milwaukee County’s commitment to its strategic plan to achieve race and health equity, it also emphasized the importance of partnerships in improving public health and public safety throughout Milwaukee County.

“When you have great partners, the possibilities for what you can accomplish are virtually limitless,” said County Executive David Crowley. “I’m proud to have developed strong partnerships at every level of government to bring much needed resources to our area. I’m just as proud to have worked with leaders in the many communities that make up Milwaukee County to invest those resources upstream to improve health outcomes and quality of life for everyone – regardless of their zip code.”

Crowley began the address invoking the words Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. who spoke at UWM almost 60 years ago during the height of the civil rights movement. During his visit, Dr. King said “All people of good will must work together in a very vigorous and determined manner to solve this problem…” Crowley implored the audience to apply the statement to the challenges facing Milwaukee County today like opioid overdoses, the affordable housing crisis, and community violence.

“All of us with the vision to achieve race and health equity have a role to play in this work, but the only way to make a true impact in the lives of our neighbors is to work together to solve the problems ahead of us,” said Crowley to a crowd of nearly 500 attendees.

Crowley also highlighted several initiatives Milwaukee County will embark on in 2023, including:

• The first full year of operations at the Mental Health Emergency Center;
• Purchasing and installing opioid harm reduction vending machines at eligible locations throughout Milwaukee County;
• Continuing the Healthy County Challenge in 2023;
• Formally launching Community Prevention Programs & Family Supports to provide urgent supports for youth and their family;
• Launching first year of the revived Milwaukee County Youth Commission to embark on a new era of youth leadership;
• Launching the Medication Assisted Treatment Program at the Community Reintegration Center to address drug dependence and recidivism;
• Executing contracts to build affordable housing in Milwaukee County suburbs and the King Park neighborhood;
• Investing $2.5 million in federal funds in the ACTs Housing home acquisition fund to facilitate the creation of new Milwaukee homeowners;
• Launching the East-West Bus Rapid Transit System later this year and moving forward on a countywide plan to combat reckless driving.

Crowley also addressed the dire fiscal forecast ahead if an additional revenue stream is not identified for Milwaukee County during current negotiations on local government reform. By 2027, the county is projected to have zero local dollars to fund local services. In order to offer core services like housing, public safety, transportation, and other quality of like services Milwaukee County needs an additional revenue source.

“A strong partnership looks like Milwaukee and Madison working together to make sure the county can continue to fund services along the public safety continuum that improve quality of life for residents,” said Crowley before concluding his speech. “I continue to be encouraged by conversations with the state legislature and the Governor on local government reform that includes a 1% sales tax for Milwaukee County. We are ready to be a strong partner with our leaders in Madison to ensure the safety of residents living in all 19 municipalities within Milwaukee County.”

Watch the entire 2023 State of the County Address on the County Executive’s YouTube Channel. 

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.