Brown Deer releases 2025 community survey: residents rate sanitation, water and parks highly

The Village of Brown Deer presented findings from its 2025 community survey, which attracted 720 responses during March and April and tracked residents’ satisfaction with municipal services, facilities and future projects.

Haley Wilkinson, the village administrative intern who compiled the report, said the survey is non‑scientific and open to the public; staff noted the respondent count is nearly identical to 2023 (713) but that renters and younger residents remain underrepresented. Haley summarized headline results: garbage and recycling received a 95% satisfaction rating, water quality 95%, and parks and turf maintenance 94%. "Garbage and recycling received 95% satisfaction," Haley said during the presentation.

The survey also asked about potential referenda and projects. Respondents indicated 58% support for a police-staffing referendum that staff estimated would increase property taxes between $60 and $220 a year on an average $250,000 home; on a separate question about a riverwalk along the Milwaukee River and Beaver Creek, 64% of respondents said they supported exploring the project.

Other findings: perceptions about embracing diversity, opportunities for walking and biking, and traffic flow improved from 2023; concerns about local business quality and the village's reputation declined. Haley said the village will provide the written public comments collected through the survey to trustees upon request and will look for targeted outreach strategies to better represent renters and younger residents in the next survey.

Next steps: Staff said the survey results will inform policy discussions and budget considerations over the next two years. No formal board action was taken on the survey itself at the meeting.