Brown Deer staff preview 2026 budget: rising shared-service costs and potential health funding gap cited
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Summary
Staff warned trustees that shared-service costs — especially fire and public health — and possible reductions in federal public-health grant funding will complicate the 2026 budget and could raise the levy. Staff outlined timeline and requested board guidance on priorities.
Village staff presented an early framework for the 2026 budget and asked trustees for priorities and parameters to inform upcoming hearings and CIP discussions.
Tyler (staff member) and Derek (staff member) told the board that shared services — notably fire protection — accounted for a large portion of last year’s general-fund increase and could again drive up costs because Brown Deer’s share grows with increased call volume. Staff said call volume for fire has increased and includes many non-fire responses such as medical or assist calls tied to an aging population.
Staff also flagged a potential reduction in federal public-health grant assistance that could reduce the health department’s funding by roughly $200,000; staff said the village’s public-health officer is exploring options to sustain services if those grants are reduced. Staff explained that every $10,000 equates to roughly a 0.1% levy impact and used that metric to show how grant cuts would translate into levy pressure.
The presentation reviewed state programs that affect municipal budgeting: shared revenue has not changed, but the expenditure restraint program provides roughly $300,000 when the village complies with program rules; staff said a sustained low CPI would make it harder to meet expenditure-restraint calculations. Staff outlined a tentative schedule for CIP presentations in upcoming meetings and said department heads will present project requests in late summer and early fall.
Trustees asked questions about the timeline for public engagement, the potential effects of the village switching to a self-insured health plan and the time horizon for realizing savings from self-insurance. Staff said year 1 of self-insurance will be conservative with limited savings and that any meaningful savings could be visible in one to two years but would depend heavily on claims experience.
No formal board action was taken; staff requested trustees provide budget parameters (for example, maximum acceptable levy increase or service priorities) to guide drafting of the proposed budget. Staff said a draft proposed budget will be published in September, with formal public hearings prior to final adoption.