County Executive Crowley presents 2026 recommended budget, cites $46 million shortfall and $12 million levy proposal

County Executive Crowley on Sept. 30 presented Milwaukee County’s recommended 2026 budget to the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors, saying the county faces a projected $46,000,000 shortfall and proposing a mix of new revenues, spending choices and an approximate $12,000,000 increase in the property tax levy.

"My 2026 recommended budget strives to foster a stronger Milwaukee County through fiscal sustainability," County Executive Crowley said, outlining revenue changes, program investments and capital spending included in the plan.

Crowley said the county expects to generate about $192,000,000 in sales tax revenue in 2026 as a result of shared-revenue changes enacted in Wisconsin Act 12, and that the 2026 levy is roughly $25,000,000 lower than it would have been without that reform. Despite those gains, Crowley told supervisors the county still faces rising costs for state-mandated services, reduced federal funding and growing deferred maintenance that together drive the projected $46 million structural gap.

To address the shortfall, the recommended budget includes a roughly $12 million increase in the property tax levy, additional and redirected revenues, and spending reductions…