City and county officials say budget constraints and federal grant uncertainty threaten climate staffing and programs

City and county sustainability directors told the advisory board that fiscal constraints and uncertainty around federal grants may limit their ability to sustain or expand climate work.

Eric Schomburger, Director of the City of Milwaukee Environmental Collaboration Office, said the city had expanded its staff on the strength of federal grant awards but that some positions in the proposed budget depend on resolution of grant funding. Schomburger said the city considered five priority new positions (including a benchmarking coordinator, regional sustainability coordinator, communications support, data management and green housing support) but cautioned that ARPA funding and other federal sources are winding down or uncertain.

"My main priority with the budget is maintaining the people we have," Schomburger said, noting tariffs and grant cutbacks are raising costs and constraining municipal budgets.

Grant Talley, Milwaukee County's Director of Sustainability, said the county office currently has two full-time staff members'Talley and an energy program manager'and that the county is proposing only modest changes for the upcoming operating budget while prioritizing where additional resources would be most effective as implementation proceeds. Talley and Schomburger both said they would seek to leverage partners, interns and other departments to extend their capacity.

Board members asked for clearer metrics to show progress toward stated goals (for example, how many homes or buildings need retrofits to meet county or city climate targets). Schomburger said the city has program-level targets linked to specific grants but that broader climate goals require additional analysis and data staffing to translate into retrofit or job targets.