Milwaukee County health department outlines 2026 budget, plans service cuts and shifts amid funding uncertainty

The Milwaukee County Department of Health and Human Services presented its recommended 2026 budget to the Committee on Finance, detailing program successes, funding sources and proposed service changes that officials said respond to shifting state and federal revenue.

Department Executive Director Shaquille Grama McLean introduced the presentation and said the department is “Together Creating Healthy Communities” across aging, disability, behavioral health, housing, child support and youth services. The department said it serves roughly 1,000 employees and partners with about 4,000 providers.

The nut graf: department finance staff said the 2026 plan relies on three main funding sources — about 26% tax levy, 30% direct revenue (largely Medicaid billing) and 44% federal grants — and warned that reductions in federal and Medicaid reimbursements, plus state rate changes, are forcing difficult trade-offs between mandated services and community programs.

Matt Fortman, chief financial officer for DHHS, told the committee the department aims to limit tax-levy exposure by shifting costs to state and federal sources where possible. “We—re about 26% tax levy, 30% direct revenue…and 44% federal grants,” Fortman…