Waukesha County budget 2024 signed, includes tax rate cut
Waukesha County Courthouse
WAUKESHA, Wis. - Waukesha County Executive Paul Farrow signed the 2024 county budget this week.
County supervisors unanimously approved the budget, with one amendment, on Nov. 14. According to the county executive's office, this marks the fourth consecutive budget the board has passed unanimously.
The amendment was made to fund additional positions in the Waukesha County District Attorney's Office, officials said.
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Other highlights of the budget include cutting the county tax rate for the tenth consecutive year, officials said. The tax rate will drop by nearly $0.14 per $1,000 of home property value or a 9.1% decrease, to $1.39.
The county executive's office said the drop marks the lowest rate in more than three decades and means Waukesha County will likely have the second-lowest effective tax rate among the 72 counties statewide.
The complete 2024 Waukesha County budget is available online. Highlights provided by the county executive's office are available below.
Budget highlights
Justice and law enforcement
The 2024 budget allocated its largest portion of new county tax levy and new shared revenue of just over $2.2 million to fund law enforcement and justice efforts.
- Sheriff’s Department: $1.5 million for operations
- Emergency Preparedness: $247,000, which includes emergency dispatch operations for the sheriff’s department and 33 municipalities
- Circuit Courts and the District Attorney’s Office: $359,000
- Medical Examiner’s Office: $129,000 to address high caseloads
Infrastructure
Nearly $53 million will be used to maintain transportation infrastructure and facilities.
- $7.5 million: For repaving and rehabilitation on County Trunk Highways, including construction of CTH T (Grandview Boulevard), from Northview Road to I-94, in Waukesha and the design/land acquisition phases for segments of CTH O (Moorland Road) in New Berlin, as part of a multi-year effort.
- $35.4 million: For the 2024 construction phase for the Courthouse Project Step II: Renovating the 1959 Courthouse. The project will improve security, address aging and out-of-date facility systems and ensure that facilities can support another 50 years of growth.
Public Health
The budget invests nearly $1 million for the county's largest department, Health and Human Services.
The county executive's office said HHS delivers essential services by providing mental health services, protecting at-risk children and adults, ensuring veterans receive the benefits they’re entitled to, combating the opioid and fentanyl abuse crisis and serving clients in many other critical areas.