Milwaukee Co. Board adopts nearly $1.4B budget; vote shifts millions to MCTS

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- The Milwaukee County Board on Thursday voted to adopt a $1.38 billion budget for 2026 after considering a series of amendments to County Executive David Crowley's budget.

The board voted 17-1 to adopt the amended budget, with Supervisor Deanna Alexander the only member to vote against it.

The liveliest debate revolved around how much money the board would shift to the Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS). While supervisors were on board with moving funding to save some routes, there was sharp disagreement over how much is enough.

MCTS is losing between $4 million and $10 million a year because of riders not paying fares. The board was blindsided this summer when the transit department's budget hole came to light months after it should have. 

To fill the gap, several routes are in danger of being cut. Supervisors specifically mentioned wanting to save the 28 route, which runs north-south primarily along Highway 100, as well as the 55 bus, which goes east-west, mainly on Layton Avenue.

The board approved an amendment shifting $4.7 million to MCTS, choosing to put off some debt service payments and cutting back on some employee benefits. 

Supervisors also passed an amendment that removes $570,000 from a plan to replace all surveillance cameras in the county courthouse and jail and instead move that to MCTS. 

However, some supervisors maintained that was not enough. They pushed to give MCTS another $1.2 million, moving it away from designing a new Public Safety Building. 

Others pushed back, saying such a move risked angering the Republican-led state Legislature, which gave Milwaukee County nearly $20 million in additional funding to account for how the county doesn't receive help policing freeways from the State Patrol. The understanding was Milwaukee County would use that money for public safety.

"It's playing chicken with the state- the state Legislature," Supervisor Steve Taylor said. "Which is still controlled by Republicans and will be controlled by Republicans when we need to go to them in the early part of next year and say, 'Can you help us with transit?'"

Supervisor Justin Bielinski said the board should not operate out of fear of what the Legislature might do. He maintained GOP lawmakers might go back on their word anyway, and it'd send a bad message if County Executive David Crowley vetoed their amendment to preserve an agreement with the Legislature.

"I know the county executive has higher ambitions," Bielinski said. "But how can he expect to be taken seriously by a Legislature if he's acting this cowardly right now? They will not respect him. I know these people."

Ultimately, the amendment failed, 12 to 6. After the vote. Bielinski largely stood by his comments, telling CBS 58 he didn't plan to invoke Crowley but believes county leaders should not trust legislative Republicans.

"I think that you have to stand up to bullies," he said. "And the Republican Legislature's been bullying Milwaukee for a long time. If you don't stand up to them, they don't take you seriously."

After the vote, Board Chairwoman Marcelia Nicholson said she still planned to lobby for transit aid from Madison. What would she tell skeptics who saw what happened this summer and don't trust MCTS with more money?

"At the end of the day, transit is something everyone uses," Nicholson said. "Whether they live in Milwaukee County or visiting Milwaukee County from across the state or outside of the state."

Board approves FoodShare relief

Before taking up the amendments, supervisors passed a resolution that moved $150,000 in contingency funds to the county's health services department.

That money will then be used to provide some relief to county residents enrolled in the Wisconsin FoodShare program, which is how the state administers federal food stamps.

With the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program funding for November held up amid the federal government shutdown, county leaders said they wanted to provide some measure of relief.

"We're hoping that we can provide thousands of families with at least a bag or two of food that can get them through the holiday season, Thanksgiving," Nicholson said.

Nicholson added the county had additional contingency funds it could give FoodShare recipients in November if the federal benefits still haven't gone out. A federal judge ordered the Trump administration Thursday to release SNAP funding for November.

Property taxes to increase. Will they affect you? It depends.

The board-approved budget would collect about $309 million in property taxes; that's a 3.5% increase over last year's levy, although it's slightly less than the 4.1% increase in Crowley's proposed budget.

The 2025 adopted budget called for $298.6 million in property tax collections. Crowley's budget penciled in $310.7 million in tax revenue.

The increase might not necessarily relate to higher bills, although it will for anyone whose home has been assessed at a higher value.

Both the 2025 and 2026 budgets will tax $2.92 for every $1,000 of assessed value. Homeowners' property tax bills also include what their city or village has levied, as well as the tax rate of their local school district.

Despite the increase, Milwaukee County's property tax collections still project to be 1.1% less than in 2023; that was the last year before the Legislature allowed Milwaukee County to increase its sales tax rate from 0.5% to 0.9%.

That agreement was part of a large compromise that changed how the state gives aid to local governments and also put new restraints on how Milwaukee and Milwaukee County are allowed to spend tax revenue.