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County government outlines state budget priorities, seeks large state share for courthouse project
Summary
The Office of Government Affairs presented Milwaukee County's state budget priorities, including a request for roughly $250 million in state funding toward a public safety/courthouse complex and funding increases for transit, highway patrol and human services.
On Jan. 31, 2025, Alec Knutson, director of the Milwaukee County Office of Government Affairs, briefed the county Intergovernmental Relations Committee on the county's state budget priorities for the 2025 session. The presentation outlined capital and operating requests, funding targets and the office's process for developing the county executive's budget priorities.
Knutson described the office structure and the budget‑setting process, saying the office uses departmental input, established county priorities and coalition support to develop a prioritized packet for state advocacy. "The office structure ... lists that one individual represents and reports to the county executive, and one individual represents and reports to the county board," Knutson said, explaining the staffing and review steps that produce the county's state request list.
Among the highest‑cost requests presented was a state partnership contribution for a public safety building and courthouse complex. Knutson said Milwaukee County is seeking approximately $250,000,000 from the state — roughly half of the project's estimated cost before interest. Other high‑cost priorities included additional funding for the county highway patrol (about $32,000,000 over the biennium, according to the presentation) and increased support for bailiffs (approximately $29,000,000).
Operating and human services asks included a requested 10% annual increase in mass transit aids (totaling roughly $20,000,000 over the biennium), an increase in Medicaid funding for community support programs ($14,000,000 statewide allocation referenced in the packet), a $5,000,000 annual increase for adult protective services, and support for the Birth‑to‑3 mandated program (a $15,000,000 statewide allocation referenced in the packet). The packet also identified a request for flexible rental assistance, gap financing for affordable housing projects, and additional paratransit and local road improvement funds.
Knutson said the county aims to prioritize items that strengthen the state–county partnership, address underfunded state mandates and reduce local property tax pressures. Committee members asked questions about coordination with the Wisconsin Counties Association and how supervisors can support advocacy with state legislators; Knutson said the county had rebuilt relationships with the association since 2019 and encouraged supervisors to participate in tours, meetings and legislative conferences to reinforce county priorities.
Supervisor O'Connor noted overlap between Milwaukee County priorities and Wisconsin Counties Association priorities — mental health, transportation and transit, conservation, and courts — and asked how supervisors could join meetings with legislators. Knutson encouraged supervisors to coordinate with his office and participate in scheduled tours and events; he identified the Wisconsin Counties Association legislative conference in late February and the National Association of Counties conference in early March as opportunities for engagement.
The committee did not take formal action on the informational report. Knutson's packet and the oral presentation will inform the county's advocacy at the state level during the session.
