Waukesha County Executive introduces 2018 budget

WAUKESHA, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Waukesha County Executive Paul Farrow has introduced his 2018 Executive Budget to the Waukesha County Board of Supervisors. The budget cuts the County tax rate for the fourth consecutive year, while falling $200,000 under the state revenue cap and investing in public safety and economic development. The County Board is expected to pass the final budget in November.

“My goal every year is to create a budget that continues our legacy as a low-tax leader while maintaining outstanding services for our citizens,” said County Executive Paul Farrow. “Along with having a safe place to live and work, we want our families to be financially secure with access to the high quality of life enjoyed throughout Waukesha County.”

If the County Executive’s Budget is passed as-is, the 5-year annual tax levy change will be 0.9%. The tax rate would also drop from $1.99 to $1.95 per thousand dollars of home value.

The 2018 Waukesha County Executive Budget funds public safety priorities, including a focus on fighting the opiate crisis. The budget gives the Waukesha County Sheriff’s Department the biggest dollar increase in seven years. It also dedicates funds to the Health and Human Services Department that will be leveraged with multiple federal grants to help execute Waukesha County’s multi-tiered opiate overdose prevention and treatment work plan.

The budget continues to support the Waukesha County Center for Growth, an economic development partnership between the County, the City of Waukesha, the Waukesha County Business Alliance, and the University of Wisconsin Small Business Development Center.