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Mayor presents 2026 proposed budget; city proposes $2.65 mill rate and new road-borrowing plan
Summary
Muskego's mayor introduced the 2026 proposed budget to the Committee of the Whole, proposing a $2.65 mill rate, a two-step annual COLA plan, a new biennial $5 million borrowing approach for roads, and scheduled final adoption on Oct. 28 after a public hearing.
Mayor (presenter) introduced Muskego’s proposed 2026 budget to the Committee of the Whole, laying out revenue assumptions, staffing priorities and a proposed borrowing plan to accelerate road repairs.
The mayor said the proposed budget is balanced and “proposes a mill rate of $2.65,” one of the lowest in southeastern Wisconsin according to the presentation. The budget summary shows net new construction growth of 1.17%, an equalized value of $5,573,000,000 and a general fund expenditure increase of 0.51 (about $95,000) compared with 2025. The mayor said the plan budgets a 2% cost-of-living adjustment for non-represented employees in January and another 2% in July; police union negotiations were ongoing.
A major structural change in the proposal is a capital approach to roads: rather than funding smaller annual amounts from operations, the city would borrow $5 million every two years to create a $2.5 million annual road program through a revised capital improvement plan. The mayor presented an estimated long-term homeowner impact in 2022 dollars: roughly $17 in 2027 and about $22 in 2028–2030 for the median home under the borrowing plan. The mayor also said health insurance renewals initially projected at 9.5% were reduced after plan adjustments to a 1.22% decrease compared with 2025, saving about $32,000.
The mayor said the fire department’s volunteer budget request is shown as a $50,000 (7.69%) increase in the proposed budget and that final budget adoption was scheduled for Oct. 28 following a public hearing. Committee members asked clarifying questions about the proposed borrowing cadence, whether the council would be locked into specific borrowing amounts (the mayor replied that each borrowing would be approved by council at the time and could be adjusted), and which financial advisers the city would use for debt issuance.
The committee did not take final action; the mayor asked alderpersons to review line items, consult department heads with questions and be prepared to return for further discussion before the Oct. 28 adoption.
