The Manitowoc County Board of Supervisors voted to override five partial vetoes to the proposed 2026 county budget, restoring employee pay and a package of sheriff technology and highway borrowing that the county executive had removed.

County Executive (named in the transcript as 'Sugar Bauer') told supervisors he believed the five partial vetoes “improved the 2026 Manitowoc County budget for the good of Manitowoc County and not with limited special interest” and said he stood ready to work with the board. Supervisors across the chamber disagreed, debating the budget’s priorities before voting to reinstate the contested line items.

Why it matters: The board’s overrides restore $370,000 in borrowing to fund a 1% employee wage increase, $32,000 from the IT fund for a one‑year Axon artificial‑intelligence add‑on to speed sheriff reporting, a $243,000 body‑camera line in the sheriff’s administration budget plus a matching $243,000 tax‑levy restoration that preserves a federal grant opportunity, and full borrowing authority of $3.0 million for highways rather than the executive’s trimmed $2.8 million. Officials said the sheriff’s requests are intended to improve officer safety and reporting efficiency; some supervisors argued the county has underinvested in law enforcement relative to human services.

What was said and decided: Supervisor Behnke criticized the county executive’s letter and framed the first override as a choice about employee pay, saying “Talk is cheap. Where is your plan?” Supervisors noted wage‑compression and recruitment problems in the highway department as part of the case for restoring the 1% increase. The clerk recorded that override (item 1a) as 18 yes, 4 no after a corrective switch by a supervisor.

On the sheriff’s technology measures, supervisors repeatedly deferred to the sheriff’s professional judgment and cited local experience with Axon systems. Supervisor Lillibridge recounted an Appleton captain’s experience, saying an AI‑generated report “took him 13 minutes to do it the regular way. Took him 7 minutes through the AI software,” and stressed that officers must still review automated reports. Supervisor Mink said the tool “cuts the reporting time in half.” The board voted to overturn the veto on the $32,000 Axon AI add‑on by 21–1 (item 1b).

The board also restored a $243,000 body‑camera line in the sheriff’s administration budget (item 1c) and the corresponding $243,000 tax‑levy line (item 1d). Supervisor Matthew Phipps noted the sheriff had applied for a federal grant of about $183,000 that could be jeopardized if the body‑cam funding were removed; the chair confirmed the sheriff concurred. The clerk’s tally for both companion items is recorded in the transcript as “21 2 1,” which the board recorded as the vetoes being overridden (interpreted in the record as 21 yes, 2 no, 1 abstain).

Finally, the board addressed a veto that would have cut $200,000 from planned highway borrowing (reducing borrowing from $3,000,000 to $2,800,000). Some supervisors described the executive’s move as a political statement; others warned of winter‑maintenance risks and reserve impacts. The override restored the full $3,000,000 borrowing authority by a recorded vote of 19–3 (item 1e).

What’s next: The chair closed the session, the board adjourned, and supervisors said they are open to continued discussion with the county executive. The transcript records the formal outcomes for each contested line item; any subsequent administrative steps (contract awards, grant confirmations, or appropriation adjustments) will appear in future board materials.