The Manitowoc County Board of Supervisors adopted its 2026 budget and property levy after extensive debate, passing the resolution 14-10.

The budget measure was introduced by Supervisor Hanson, who said the finance committee amended the county executive's proposal and formally moved to adopt the resolution for the 2026 budget and property levy. "So that being said, we have 2 resolutions tonight. The first resolution, I'm putting forward is adopting the 2026 budget and property levy," Hanson said when making the motion.

Board members spent much of the meeting discussing staffing and pay, use of one-time funds, and where borrowed funds would be applied. Supervisor Metzger proposed an amendment to reduce an additional highway incentive pay from 4% to 2% and to reallocate roughly $82,931.76 from that incentive to reduce borrowing for capital projects. Metzger argued departments should be treated equally and questioned the size of the proposed increase. Supporters of the incentive pointed to recruitment and retention problems in County Highway: "We have 5 openings at the highway department, and we had 5 candidates the other day. 3 were unqualified. 1 didn't show up, and the fifth said I'm not coming for that wage," a committee member said in explaining the wage adjustment.

The amendment to reduce the highway incentive failed when the clerk announced the motion did not carry.

Separately, supervisors debated proposed nepotism language that had been included in the budget resolution. Supervisor Metzger moved to strike the referenced lines and return any substantive policy change to the personnel committee for separate consideration; several supervisors said the provision was being introduced in the budget process rather than through personnel. The board voted to remove the nepotism language from the budget.

Board members also aired broader fiscal concerns about one-time revenue sources used in recent budgets, including opioid settlement and ARPA funds, and growing debt service. "We are just continuing to borrow against ourselves to make this happen," Supervisor Matthew Phipps said during debate, expressing concern about relying on borrowing to smooth operating costs.

Supervisor Behnke argued that much of the recent one-time revenue was already expended to backfill current operations and pointed to rising costs in departments such as public works as concrete pressures on the operating budget. Several supervisors urged improved year-round budget review and better use of tools such as monthly budget-vs-actual reports.

After amendments and discussion, the clerk called the final roll on the budget resolution. The chair announced: "The budget is adopted 14 to 10." The board discussed potential veto-override scheduling but did not take further action in the meeting.

Votes at a glance
- Resolution adopting 2026 budget and property levy: Adopted, 14 yes, 10 no.
- Amendment to reduce highway incentive pay (reduce additional 4% to 2% and reallocate $82,931.76): Failed (vote count not read aloud in transcript).
- Motion to strike nepotism policy language (lines referenced in the resolution): Passed (vote count not read aloud in transcript).

Why it matters
The adopted budget and levy set county spending and property-tax levies for 2026, and the debate shows persistent pressures from wage competition, service expectations and one-time revenue usage. Supervisors flagged the need for year-round review and planning to reduce reliance on borrowing and one-time funds.

Speakers
["Supervisor Hanson","Supervisor Behnke","Supervisor Metzger","Supervisor Behnke (second)","Supervisor Marsh","Supervisor Niles","Supervisor Hummel","Supervisor Matthew Phipps","Supervisor Klein","Supervisor Bondi","Supervisor Zimmer","Supervisor Behnke (chair commentary)"]

Authorities
[{"type":"resolution","name":"Resolution adopting 2026 budget and property levy","citation":"not specified","referenced_by":["action_adopt_2026_budget"]}]

Actions
[{"kind":"budget_adoption","identifiers":{"agenda_item_id":"action_adopt_2026_budget"},"motion":"Adopt the 2026 budget and property levy as amended by the finance committee","mover":"Supervisor Hanson","second":"Supervisor Behnke","vote_record":[],"tally":{"yes":14,"no":10},"outcome":"approved","notes":"Budget adopted as amended; board removed nepotism language and rejected a proposal to reduce highway incentive pay."}]

Clarifying details
[{"category":"highway_incentive_amount","detail":"Amount identified for proposed removal of highway incentive pay","value":"82,931.76","units":"USD","approximate":false,"source_speaker":"Supervisor Metzger"},{"category":"dome_project_loan","detail":"Dome project loan referenced as taken out of the budget","value":"11,965,000","units":"USD","approximate":true,"source_speaker":"Supervisor Hanson"},{"category":"capital_borrowing_line","detail":"Borrowing for capital projects referenced at $370,000","value":"370000","units":"USD","approximate":true,"source_speaker":"Chair/Clerk"}]

Discussion vs. decision
- Discussion points: wage competitiveness for County Highway, use of one-time funds (opioid settlement, ARPA), process concerns about items placed in budget rather than committee, and county debt service trajectory.
- Directions/assignments: Removed nepotism language from budget and sent future personnel policy discussion to the personnel committee.
- Formal actions: Adoption of 2026 budget and property levy (14-10), failed amendment on highway incentive pay, successful motion to strike nepotism language.

Provenance
[{"block_id":"00:14:32","local_start":0,"local_end":1,"evidence_excerpt":"Supervisor Hanson summarized committee amendments and moved to adopt the 2026 budget","tc_start":"00:14:32","reason_code":"topicintro"},{"block_id":"01:33:44","local_start":0,"local_end":1,"evidence_excerpt":"Chair announced the budget was adopted 14 to 10","tc_start":"01:33:44","reason_code":"topicfinish"}]

Searchable_tags:["budget","property_tax","Manitowoc County","highway","wages","nepotism","debt","one-time funds"]