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Menomonee Falls board approves $300,000 shift from library levy to police budget
Summary
The Village Board unanimously authorized the village manager to reduce the 2026 library tax levy by $300,000 and raise the general levy by the same amount to support police staffing, drawing sustained public comment opposing the cut.
The Menomonee Falls Village Board on May 19 unanimously approved a resolution authorizing the village manager to reduce the proposed 2026 library tax levy by $300,000 and increase the general levy by $300,000 to support additional costs and personnel in the Menomonee Falls Police Department.
The resolution, moved by Trustee Tono and seconded by an unspecified trustee, directs the village manager to reflect the change in the village manager’s 2026 budget proposal and also consolidates two separate library funds into a single operations and maintenance fund.
Residents and library advocates urged the board to reject the change during the public-comment period. “This is not a budget adjustment. This is a blatant political statement,” said Andrew Guss, a Menomonee Falls resident. Michelle Kramer, who said she serves on the library friends board but spoke as an individual, warned that reduced funding could mean “decreased hours of operation, decreased staff, decreased programming.” Steve Heeser, identifying himself as a Menomonee Falls resident and director of the Milwaukee County Federated Library System, said cutting $300,000 “will undoubtedly result in fewer hours, fewer programs, staff reductions, and an erosion of services that benefit every resident.” Ian Dickman told the board, “If Village Board members are so obsessed with firing librarians, just say so and be transparent with the community.”
Board members framed the resolution as a response to police staffing shortfalls presented in quarterly reports. Village Manager Mark Fitzgerald and trustees described staffing numbers: the board discussed an authorized sworn force of 65 officers, 61 currently assigned, with roughly 52 fully trained and available after accounting for training, orientation and leaves. Trustees said recruiting and training take time, and the $300,000 reallocation is intended to help address overtime and short-term staffing needs; one trustee said training a new officer takes about a year.
During discussion trustees reiterated that the village’s library funding would remain above the minimum standards adopted by the Waukesha County Board of Trustees. Trustees noted the village exceeded the county minimum by roughly $600,000 in the most recently referenced budget year and said the $300,000 reallocation would not reduce the budget below that statutory floor.
The board voted verbally and recorded the measure as passing unanimously. The resolution also repealed Resolution 35 R-2 and directed the village manager to combine two library funds for simpler bookkeeping.
Next steps: the village manager will incorporate the $300,000 shift into the formal 2026 budget proposal submitted to the board; the board did not specify line-by-line cuts to library staffing or hours during the meeting.
