West Allis council hears 2026 recommended budget; officials cite levy limits and new ambulance revenue

The West Allis Common Council on Nov. 4 heard the mayor's recommended 2026 budget and a finance director's recap of 2025, describing a package that would increase overall city spending by about 3 percent and include a capital plan of approximately $31,700,000.

The finance director told the council the city faces a recurring structural budget deficit and that "the city faces a structural budget deficit every single year," a shortfall typically between $1.5 million and $2.5 million that staff have bridged in prior years with shared revenues and operational savings. He said the 2026 proposal relies on new Medicaid ambulance-transport dollars of $450,000 and $420,000 freed by reactivating the convention and visitors bureau, together with additional shared revenue and certain water-utility transfers to help close the gap.

Why it matters: city staff said state-mandated levy limits and expenditure-restraint limits tied to net new construction constrain how much property-tax revenue the city may raise, forcing officials to identify specific new revenues or program changes to balance operations without larger property-tax increases.

Key details presented at the hearing included:

- Estimated overall spending increase: roughly 3 percent for 2026. The largest expenditure categories are public safety (police and fire) and public works (roads, plowing).

- Capital plan: roughly $31,700,000 earmarked for road reconstructions, improvements at the farmers market, upgrades to the police dispatch center and other projects.

- Revenue bridges: $450,000 in additional Medicaid ambulance funding and $420,000 freed through reactivation of the convention and visitors bureau, plus other shared revenues and water-utility-related transfers.

- Staffing: staff said the budget funds net new positions spread across departments (examples given included 1.25 positions in housing with one grant-funded, 1 in human resources, 1 in public works for building maintenance; reductions and reallocation were also noted).

- Compensation: the plan includes a 2 percent increase for general employees and a split increase for the fire department; staff stated police bargaining was still in negotiation and not finalized.

- Tax and utility impacts: staff presented a projected local (city) tax rate of $8.56 (up from $8.34) and an estimated overall property-tax rate of $22.28 (final figure pending levies from other taxing jurisdictions). For a home assessed at $200,000, staff showed the city portion of the tax increase at $44 and an illustrative overall tax bill of $1,712. On utilities, staff estimated an average homeowner-bill increase of $7.71 given proposed sanitary and storm adjustments and noted a sanitary-utility increase in the materials of 11.6 percent; staff explained prior years without rate increases were part of the reason for larger adjustments now.

No formal action was taken on the budget at the Nov. 4 hearing. Staff confirmed the hearing was the public hearing on the recommended budget and said the council is scheduled to consider final adoption at its Nov. 11 meeting. The public-hearing portion of the meeting concluded with no members of the public taking the offered opportunity for public comment at the council chamber podium.

Sources and provenance: presentation and quoted material are taken from the finance director's budget recap and remarks introducing the recommended 2026 budget during the Nov. 4 Common Council meeting (presentation began at the public-hearing segment).

Next steps: staff will submit the recommended budget to the council for final consideration on Nov. 11, 2025.