Supervisor Gantz presents lean 2026 Kenosha County budget, highlights capital projects and modest levy increase

Supervisor Gantz presented the county executive’s proposed 2026 budget and called it "in my 18 years of getting budgets, this is the leanest one I've got." He thanked finance staff and department leaders for work to reduce costs and prepare the proposal.

The presentation listed a general purpose levy of $80,095,008.11, a 2.96% increase from 2025. Supervisor Gantz said that, for a house with an assessed value of $300,000, the tax change would equal about $9.70 annually. He reported a ten‑year average equalized value increase of about 8.49% and noted a 12% decrease in the mill rate compared with recent years.

Gantz reviewed personnel and operating changes: a net reduction of approximately 6.95 FTEs (described in the presentation as a reduction of 695 FTE‑dollars, referenced as "minus 809 $95,000" in the transcript); two FTEs added that are fully funded from non‑levy sources; increases in county personnel expenses including sheriff overtime, jail medical and food supplies, and IT data processing costs; and a decrease in human services placement expenditures. He listed material operating revenue changes that help offset costs, including higher sales tax receipts and increased state shared revenue, alongside decreases in federal inmate housing revenue and the expiration of some ARPA funding.

On capital projects, Gantz outlined approximately $41.3 million in proposed capital expenditures to be financed with $23.6 million in bonding and roughly $17.7 million from grants, intergovernmental revenue and reserves. Noted projects and amounts in the presentation included:

• $14.4 million for public works planning and development, including South Pike River restoration (with legacy project revenue offsets of about $11.9 million).

• $8.4 million for highway division road engineering and right‑of‑way construction (including county highways W and K), offset in part with $2.5 million of revenue.

• $5.9 million for facilities capital, including $2.1 million for the ceremonial courthouse restoration legacy project, $1.2 million for the West End transit receiver tower, and $1.0 million for the KCDC roof replacement.

• $3.6 million for highway division paving, described as covering about 11.5 miles of county roads.

• $3.2 million (transcript: $2,700,000) for parks capital including a study/plan for Kemper Shoreline, offset by roughly $1.4 million of revenue and reserves.

• Smaller allocations: $1.7 million for IT infrastructure lifecycle refresh, $1.6 million for golf course improvements (funded from golf fund reserves), $1.6 million for sheriff’s department capital including body and vehicle camera program needs, and $11.3 million for highway vehicles and equipment.

On policy items tied to the budget resolution, Gantz noted committee‑approved changes including clarification of the per diem definition and payment authorization, an administrative review of county‑appointed boards and commissions for per diem eligibility with a report back to the finance committee in Q2 2026, authorization to spend remaining Monsanto settlement funds on already‑approved projects with reporting to the finance and administration committee, and approval of a three‑year labor agreement with the Deputy Sheriffs Association. He said the Finance and Administration Committee held four days of budget hearings and approved the executive’s proposal as amended.

Supervisor Gantz closed by saying a final electronic version of the approved 2026 county budget would be posted to the county website and replacement pages provided for any supervisors who have printed copies.

Sources: presentation and remarks by Supervisor Gantz during the Kenosha County Board meeting.