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Brown Deer previews 2026 budget: 3.99% levy increase proposed, pressures from debt and public safety
Summary
Village staff presented a first look at the 2026 budget proposing a 3.99% tax-levy increase driven by reduced nonproperty revenue, a near-term debt spike and higher public-safety (fire) costs; the village portion of a $250,000 home would rise by about $78 under the proposal.
Village staff presented an initial overview of the proposed 2026 budget on Sept. 15, proposing a levy increase of 3.99% and identifying several principal drivers of that rate.
The village manager and finance staff explained that revenue reductions — notably lower hotel-room tax and cable-franchise fees — plus a scheduled jump in debt-service costs this year are primary contributors to the levy proposal. Public-safety spending, particularly the North Shore fire allocation, was cited as another major upward pressure.
Under the current proposal, the village portion of taxes for a home valued at $250,000 would increase by just under $78 for the year, staff said. Staff also noted the village accounts for roughly 37% of the overall Brown Deer tax bill, with the remainder made up by the school district, county, MMSD and other taxing jurisdictions.
Staff recommended keeping most services level for 2026 but highlighted planned changes: a modest general-fund expense increase of roughly 2.48%, an approximate 1.65% increase in day-to-day service funding in some areas, a proposed doubling of the Fourth of July fireworks budget to $10,000 due to rising sponsorship and fireworks costs, and modest library-levy support (roughly a 3% increase to match COLA). Staff also anticipated building-permit revenue rising with new development and said the budget schedule calls for additional departmental presentations on Oct. 6 and a public hearing on Nov. 17 for final adoption.
Department summaries during the meeting touched on elections (four elections expected in 2026 with higher worker costs), administrative services (online payments increased significantly), public works capital projects and a planned MMSD-funded village-hall parking lot project, and police staffing and recruitment challenges. The chief reported favorable crime trends but said staffing has at times dropped to two officers; the North Shore fire increase and refuse-collection tonnage trends were cited as constrained cost pressures.
Staff stressed that several revenue lines (transportation aids, potential new revenues) remain uncertain and that the levy proposal may be adjusted as those figures firm up.
