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Wauwatosa finance director outlines 2026 proposed budget; residents press council on yard-waste changes
Summary
Finance Director John Regini presented a proposed 2026 operating budget with a 2.01% property tax levy increase and a $169.98 million total budget. Public commenters raised concerns about yard-waste collection changes, transparency and equity; council noted the Financial Affairs Committee review and invited continued written comment.
Finance Director John Regini presented an overview of the City of Wauwatosa's proposed 2026 operating budget during a public hearing required by state law.
Regini said the Financial Affairs Committee-approved levy in the proposed budget represents a 2.01% increase, or $1,045,526, and that the citywide budget totals $169,980,620 across five fund types. He said approximately 48% of that total is within the general fund, which funds public works, public safety and public health programs. As of the meeting, final assessed-value figures needed to calculate the 2026 tax rate and average city tax bill were not yet available; Regini said those numbers should be finalized within two weeks.
Regini said the proposed budget adds 0.39 full-time equivalent positions overall but includes significant intra-departmental changes. He noted special revenue and enterprise fund balances are expected to change based on tax-increment collections and sewer-project reserves.
During public comment, several residents focused on proposed changes to yard-waste collection. Mary Homan told the council she was concerned about transparency and argued the city should not shift collection costs to residents in ways that would reduce reuse and recycling of yard material. Roy Michel described operational concerns with limited pickup timing and the impact on properties that produce seasonal or toxic yard debris such as black walnuts. Diane Deglan, speaking as a longtime homeowner and member of the Wauwatosa Senior Commission, urged monthly collection for seniors and others with mobility limitations and suggested reducing frequency to every three or four weeks rather than moving to subscription-only models.
Other commenters raised separate concerns about a proposed contribution to a bike-share provider and general priorities in the budget. Councilmembers and staff repeatedly pointed to the Financial Affairs Committee's public meetings in October and said the committee is accepting further written comment; the council will consider final adoption on Nov. 18.
No vote on the budget occurred at the hearing; councilmembers encouraged residents to submit written comments or testify at committee meetings ahead of the Nov. 18 adoption date.
