Manitowoc County executive proposes 2026 budget with modest tax increase, health-premium hikes and major highway borrowing

The county executive presented a 2026 budget proposal calling for a $34,145,237 levy to support $98,219,616 in total spending and said the typical Manitowoc County property taxpayer would pay about 2.6% more in county property taxes than last year.

The proposal includes three stated priorities: a 1% across-the-board pay-scale increase for nonbargaining employees, a 20% increase in health-insurance premiums split between employer and employee, and an aggressive highway maintenance program that includes 16.6 miles of resurfacing and related projects.

Why it matters: The executive framed the plan as a continuation of long-term financial goals — holding property taxes “line” while maintaining low debt and funding capital needs. The proposal would introduce new recurring revenue from a 0.5% local option sales tax and use one-time and settlement funds to cover department deficits.

Key details

• Local option sales tax: The executive said Manitowoc County began receiving a 0.5% local option sales tax in 2025 and estimated revenues at $7.8 million in 2025 and $8.15 million in 2026. He proposed creating a special revenue fund to receive and account for that sales-tax revenue beginning in 2026.

• Levy, taxes and debt: The proposal sets the operations levy at $34,145,237 and total spending at $98,219,616; the executive said the county’s debt remains well below statutory limits (reported at under 7% of the statutory maximum). He recommended appropriating $450,000 from the projected 2025 general-fund surplus and placing the remainder into reserves.

• Employee pay and benefits: The executive…