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Milwaukee County comptroller warns structural deficit will average $34.3 million annually over five years
Summary
Comptroller CJ Paul presented a five-year financial forecast showing expenditures growing faster than revenues, driven by wages, benefits and a 2026 debt-service spike tied to new bonds; county leaders discussed trade-offs between spending cuts and limited revenue options.
CJ Paul, financial services director in the Milwaukee County Office of the Comptroller, told the county finance committee that “the key takeaway really is that even with recent state law changes, expenditure growth continues to exceed revenue growth at the county.” The forecast, which covers fiscal years 2026–2030, projects average annual expenditure growth of about 3.5% while revenues grow about 1%, producing an average structural deficit of $34,300,000 per year over the five‑year period.
Why it matters: The gap is driven primarily by higher salary and overtime costs, health‑care inflation and a large debt‑service increase in 2026 tied to recently approved capital projects. Paul said the 0.4% sales tax enacted in 2024 provided…
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