Milwaukee County supervisors approve 2019 budget with 17-1 vote

MILWAUKEE -- The Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors on Monday, Nov. 5 approved the 2019 budget with a 17-1 vote.

There were some amendments, including restoring funding to the Milwaukee County Transit System's JobLines route, which helps get people to jobs out of the area.

Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele must now sign off on the budget and make any potential vetoes. He released this statement:

“This entire budget process has reflected a strong spirit of collaboration, and I want to thank the County Board for their ongoing commitment to working together. We all know that this budget is a temporary fix and that our work toward long-term solutions has only begun. I anticipate making a final review of the budget as amended in the next few days, and I look forward to working with leaders in Milwaukee County, in other counties and in state government toward solving the major fiscal challenges that we all face.”

Milwaukee County Board Chairman Theo Lipscomb issued this statement:

"Today the County Board adopted a balanced and responsible budget that preserves essential services for our citizens and signals a new era of collaboration on Milwaukee County's biggest challenges. Balancing the Milwaukee County budget becomes more difficult each year due to state limits on our revenue, and we face a real crisis in the near future without a solution to this issue. I'm looking forward to working with County Executive Abele as we seek a fair deal with the State of Wisconsin that provides long term stability for county taxpayers."

Supervisors could meet on Nov. 12 to consider any vetoes.