Menomonee Falls board authorizes public hearing notice for proposed 2026 operating budget

Menomonee Falls Village Board of Trustees on Oct. 20 authorized the village manager to publish a public hearing notice for the proposed 2026 village operating budget, scheduling the hearing for Monday, Nov. 17, 2025.

Village Manager Mark Fitzgerald said the draft budget shows a 2.3% increase in total spending and a 5.8% increase in the levy. "That would create a, a tax rate for 2026 of $4.05. That's what we agreed to, last Tuesday evening for an 18¢, increase over, the the tax rate, that is currently, on the books for 2025," Fitzgerald said. He told the board the package includes a 14¢ increase designated for street resurfacing, which he said "is now, a million dollars." Fitzgerald estimated that would fund about "1 and a half to 1 and 3 quarters miles of of resurfacing in 2026."

The budget summary included a stated $112,000 net decrease in general operating costs while creating the dedicated $1,000,000 resurfacing allocation. Fitzgerald said the resurfacing funding is temporary and tied to the village's broader capital plan: as debt service grows to cover a planned…