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Manitowoc County proposes 2025 budget that taps sales tax, boosts roads and human services
Summary
Manitowoc County officials presented a 2025 budget proposal that keeps property taxes largely steady while adding a 0.5% local option sales tax expected to generate about $7.5 million; the plan increases highway and human services spending and requests borrowing for road work.
An unidentified county official presented Manitowoc County’s proposed 2025 budget, saying the plan aims to hold property tax rates steady while adding a 0.5% local option sales tax and increasing spending for roads and human services.
The presenter said, “We will conservatively estimate the local sales tax revenue to be at $7,500,000 in 2025,” and described a package that includes a proposed operations tax levy of $33,021,008.06 and total spending of $91,959,804 as noted in the budget booklet.
Why it matters: The proposal would shift some revenue reliance from property taxes to a new local sales tax and increase county expenditures for highway maintenance, public safety and human services at a time of sustained inflation and higher demand for services.
Key elements of the proposal include a 2% across-the-board salary increase for county pay scales and an 8% rise in health insurance premiums for 2025 alongside new benefits intended to offset some costs. The presenter described a $6,331,000 appropriation for highway projects to resurface about 19 miles and recommended borrowing $3,250,000 to finance that work to maintain the county’s rotational maintenance plan.
The budget addresses human services needs with a recommended increase of nearly $4,700,000 to cover a reported $2,600,000 shortfall for 2024 and inflationary pressures in 2025. The presenter also recommended allocating $500,000 in opioid settlement funds to the human services department and an additional $100,000 from those settlements to support narcotics unit costs.
Other recommended appropriations included $875,000 for major maintenance through the public works department and $130,000 from the Expo Reserve for capital projects the Expo Board and Public Works Committee endorsed. The presenter noted courthouse dome renovation remains a longer-term project and is not included in the 2025 operating budget, though phase-one work on windows and HVAC continues.
The presenter thanked county staff and finance director JJ Gutman “for his help in putting the budget together,” and asked board members to review the budget booklet and meet informally or in committee as they prepare to vote in November. The transcript provided with this report did not include a meeting date.
Next steps: The board chair announced a public hearing on the budget at the county’s annual meeting on Oct. 28 and a Finance Committee meeting on Oct. 14 at 4:30 p.m. A motion to adjourn was made later in the session, but the transcript ends before a vote or formal adjournment is recorded.
