Milwaukee County Department of Administrative Services officials told the Committee on Finance they are advancing design and preconstruction planning for a replacement of the countys Public Safety Building and asked the committee to weigh funding options that would limit tax-levy impacts.

The project, described by DAS as the Investing in Justice Courthouse Complex, aims to replace the aging and functionally obsolete Public Safety Building while preserving the historic courthouse on the same campus. Director Kevin Hertzberg (title per transcript) and project staff said the public safety facility is outdated, does not meet modern court standards and has significant deferred maintenance.

The nut graf: DAS officials said nearly $23 million already has been allocated to planning and that the project ultimately will require substantial bonding. They urged using newly available state "expressway patrol" funds to reduce the countys future debt service and taxpayer impact. Committee members pressed for a clear breakdown of the $15.82 million the county plans to spend on planning and swing-space moves in 2026.

DAS staff said planning and preconstruction work in 2026 includes design, justice-policy review, relocation and early swing-space moves to prepare for demolition and construction in 2027. Officials noted the project team is coordinating program and security requirements, consultations with national courthouse-builders and public outreach.

On funding, DAS presented scenarios showing how allocating some or all of an ongoing state expressway/patrol revenue allocation to the project would lower the countys bonding need and household tax impact over the life of bonds. The department said the state has set aside an ongoing pool of funds for Milwaukee County (described in testimony as roughly $20 million per year, subject to the state budget) and the county intends to request that money be applied to the courthouse project to reduce local borrowing needs.

"This building was built in 1929 prior to the historic courthouse," DAS testified of the Public Safety Building. "The Public Safety Building...is severely outdated, functionally obsolete, has significant deferred maintenance and needs to be replaced."

Committee members asked for three clarifications: a line-item breakdown of the $15.82 million proposed for 2026 planning and swing-space work; a 20-year projection of tax and debt-service impacts for different state-funding scenarios; and confirmation of whether use of expressway/patrol funds for the project would preclude those funds from being used for other county needs. DAS and budget staff said they will provide more detailed analyses in the December report and before any major bonding decisions.

Why it matters: DAS emphasized the project will be among the largest in county history and that early planning and state funds could materially reduce taxpayer debt service. Supervisors raised concerns about long-term tax effects and the need to preserve operating budgets for other county services.

Next steps: DAS said it will return in December with more detailed cost breakdowns, swing-space plans, and modeled taxpayer impacts under multiple funding scenarios, and asked the committee for feedback on policy and program goals while planning continues.

Speakers quoted in this article spoke during the DAS capital and Investing in Justice presentations and the subsequent question period.