Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson has shared his proposed city budget for 2027. It includes the city’s largest ever investment for improving road conditions.
Milwaukeeans helped shape Johnson’s budget plan. Johnson says thousands of residents responded to an online budget survey over the summer.
"Most significantly, survey respondents want the conditions of our roadways to be improved," Johnson said during a Milwaukee Common Council meeting Tuesday.
That’s why the proposed budget is reserving $19.2 million for road repairs. To help fund that effort, there would be fee increases for parking citations, meters and permits.
The budget would also raise wages for city employees by 2%, increase staffing for police and fire departments and more.
At the Tuesday meeting, District 3 Alderman Alex Brower said the city should do everything it can to incentivize people to take city jobs.
"I want a line out the door at City Hall for the positions that we have available so that we can pick the best people in Milwaukee to do the work," Brower said.
Speaking to the Common Council Tuesday, Johnson addressed the city’s $100 million budget gap.
"If the state had simply kept shared revenue increasing at the rate of inflation since 1996, when it was initially frozen, Milwaukee would have $200 million more this year," he said.
Johnson’s budget aims to close this gap by relying on reserve withdrawals, cutting city spending and increasing the property tax levy by 2%. Johnson says part of Milwaukee’s future budget challenges stem from the end of federal ARPA funding.
"The ARPA funds Milwaukee received from the administration of President Joe Biden provided valuable support to our community and our government over the course of a number of years," Johnson said. "In fact, the money helped to avert municipal insolvency as we resolve some structural budget challenges facing the city."
The city used almost $400 million in ARPA funds to close gaps between 2022 and 2024. Common Council members will have a chance to amend the budget before adopting it in November.
In a statement, District 14 Ald. Marina Dimitrijevic said crucial parts of the budget adoption process are still ongoing. Dimitrijevic is encouraging residents to attend two upcoming public input opportunities on Oct. 5 and Oct. 17.
