(The Center Square) – Milwaukee’s County Board of Supervisors has unanimously voted to adopt fiscal amendments to the budget that will increase funding for community service programs and codify racial equity measures, among other things.
The revised budget, if adopted, would implement some health care changes for public employees, including rolling back proposed increases to deductibles and health care visits.
It would also reverse a $375,042 funding cut to parks and instead increase funding to levels above last year and put into motion a law change that would require all County capital projects to factor in racial equity in decision-making.
The original budget proposed a 2.83% property tax levy increase, which the amended budget would reduce by more than $1 million. It would also add $250,000 to the original budget to support the extension of the Right-to-Counsel program that provides free legal services for evictions for some households, and restore $200,000 allocated for mitigating student housing insecurity at Milwaukee Area Technical College.
Chairwoman of the County Board Marcelia Nicholson celebrated the adoption of the amendments and applauded her fellow supervisors for “targeted improvements that reflect community priorities.”
“This budget strengthens critical community services by restoring funding for the Right to Counsel program for residents facing eviction and provides support for MATC students through the FAST Fund,” Nicholson said. “We’ve also invested additional funds to revitalize County parks, support seasonal staff, and advanced projects like the ‘Domes Reimagined’ initiative. Finally, the budget addresses transit safety with measures to protect transit operators and regular reporting on paratransit services.”
The adopted budget has been sent to the county executive for approval, who has the power to issue vetoes which, if issued, the county board would consider Nov. 14.