Milwaukee mayor introduces $2.2 billion budget proposal for 2027

MILWAUKEE - Milwaukee’s mayor put forward his 2027 budget proposal, seeking to invest in public safety and city roads, while closing a roughly $100 million budget gap through tapping reserves, increasing fees and the city’s property tax levy.

Proposal to the Common Council

What To Know:

Cavalier Johnson addressed the common council Tuesday morning, highlighting his roughly $2.2 billion budget proposal, and what challenges remain in the future – namely costs growing faster than revenue and a continued lack of shared revenue from the state.

"The state of Wisconsin is sitting on billions and billions of dollars that should be going back to local governments," Johnson said after his address to reporters, noting state shared revenue was frozen in 1996, and later cut. If the state kept the amount of money the city got back at the rate of inflation, Johnson says the city would have $200 million more this year – and billions of dollars since 1996.

"So, would I like to do more? Absolutely, I would love to do more," Johnson added. "But I have to deal with the realities that we currently have right now, and that's what we're doing: making the investments that folks care about. And folks want to see investments in our roadways, and that's what we're doing in our next budget."

FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX LOCAL Mobile app for iOS or Android

Night parking permits

By the numbers:

Johnson says his budget puts forward the most amount of money, ever, in a city budget for local road projects; from pothole repair to new roadway equipment, and an increase of $4 million – over 2026 – for paving projects. To help pay for that, Johnson proposes increasing parking ticket fines by $10, increasing downtown metered parking from $2.25-per-hour to $3-per-hour, and doubling the cost of overnight parking permits. In total, the projected generated revenue will support an additional $6 million of pavement reconstruction for an estimated 34 lane miles, according to the city.

Johnson said tapping reserves to help close the roughly $100 million budget gap is not a sustainable solution, as the city faces a growing structural imbalance with expenditures growing faster than revenue.

Property taxes

By the numbers:

To balance his budget, Johnson proposed increasing the city’s property tax levy by 2% – an increase Johnson notes is below the rate of inflation – from $336.8 million in 2026 to $343.6 million in 2027, with the property tax rate likely to go down to $7.29 per $1,000 of assessed value, according to the city’s budget director.

Other fees and investments

By the numbers:

Johnson’s proposal also increases service fees by about 3%, for sanitation, snow & ice removal, storm water, sewer and street lighting.

Johnson’s budget also sets money aside for capital projects, including funding for a new Milwaukee Public Library branch in the former Midtown Walmart, and money for a new public works facility in the 30th street corridor, to replace a crumbling facility in the Menomonee Valley.

As for public safety, Johnson proposed increasing violence prevention funds by $1 million, MFD funding to staff an additional engine or truck – with the possibility of re-opening a shuttered firehouse – and money for three MPD academy classes, to try and increase the sworn strength of the department, as required by Act 12.

Each class has a capacity of 65 recruits. Earlier this month, MPD told common council members that recruitment is trending downward, with about 30–40 recruits per class, and – at current trends – a projected graduation of 75–85 officers per year.

SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News

"I want folks who sign up to be police officers to remain with the Milwaukee Police Department. And there's a challenge, not just in Milwaukee, but there's a challenge all across the United States of America in terms of hiring police officers," Johnson said. "We are leaving no stone unturned, and we won't, because I want to make sure that we have a police department that's fully staffed in Milwaukee."

The common council will hold its first public hearing, during a joint meeting, at city hall on Oct. 5 at 6:30 pm, with the common council expected to adopt a budget on Nov. 6.

NewsMilwaukee