District 5 seat open due to Supervisor being elected to Waukesha County Treasurer. Apply by December 3.
County Board Seeks Applicants for Vacant Seat
The Waukesha County Board office is seeking applicants to fill the District 5 County Board seat. The district is currently represented by Supervisor Jennifer Grant who is leaving the board following her successful election to Waukesha County Treasurer. District 5 includes portions of the Village of Menomonee Falls and the Village of Lannon. A map of the district is available here:
County Board Supervisors play a vital role in representing their district and shaping county policies. They serve on committees, participate in budget discussions, and vote on important issues affecting Waukesha County residents. We are looking for a passionate and engaged individual with a strong desire to serve their community. Those interested in applying for the appointment should submit a letter of interest by December 3, along with background information and experience to:
Sarah Spaeth, Chief of Staff Waukesha County Board Office 515 W. Moreland Boulevard Room AC130 Waukesha, WI 53188
Candidates will be interviewed on the morning of December 9th by the County Board’s Executive Committee. The selected candidate will serve on two committees and fill the remainder of the term which expires in April of 2026. For further information please contact:
Budget reduces tax rate while bolstering investments in public safety, infrastructure, and sustaining high-quality service standards.
County Executive Signs 2025 County Budget
On Thursday, November 14, 2024, Waukesha County Executive Paul Farrow was joined by County Supervisors as he put pen to paper and signed the 2025 Waukesha County Budget. The Waukesha County Board of Supervisors unanimously passed the nearly $400 million dollar budget during their November 12th meeting with two minor amendments.
This marks the 5th consecutive year the Board has passed the County budget unanimously.
The 2025 County Budget also reflects a decrease of $2.9 million from the prior year.
“Residents expect a secure community, one marked by low crime rates and high-quality services. They count on us to meet this standard. We are managing, but only through significant cuts to the non-state mandated portion of our budget,” County Executive Paul Farrow said.
In the 2025 County Budget, 44% or $51 million will fund state mandated programs, a burden that takes critical funding away from the county’s priorities
Some highlights of this year’s budget include:
Taxes: Waukesha County remains a low-tax leader
The budget will cut the County tax rate for the 11th consecutive year, including every year County Executive Farrow has been in office. The 2025 budget drops the tax rate from $1.39 per thousand dollars of home value to $1.35, a 3% decrease and the lowest tax rate in more than three decades. That means Waukesha County will likely continue to have the second lowest effective tax rate among the 72 counties statewide.
The latest data available is for the 2023 budget because we obtain it from the DOR, which requires all the budgets to have been approved. That doesn't happen until later, of course. I say "likely" because it's not guaranteed, but very probable. Tax rates across the state are dropping because levy limits combined with rapidly expanding tax bases. It's also possible that some counties that receive more proportional shared revenue could lower their rate more than normal. I suspect we'll maintain our position, or maybe move to third-lowest at worst, so this is still a good stat to point out.
Justice and Law Enforcement Program:
The 2025 Executive Budget allocates its greatest portion of new County tax levy, of $3.5 million, and Shared Revenue, of $2.1 million, to support law enforcement.
Sheriff’s Department, $2.8 million in new tax levy and $1.5 million in Shared Revenue to support operations, provide relief for jail inmate capacity, and cover an increase of over $1 million in jail medical services to inmates.
Emergency Preparedness, which includes emergency dispatch operations for the Sheriff’s Department and 34 municipalities, receives $450,000 of additional levy to covers personnel cost increases and the loss of grant dollars.
Circuit Courts and the District Attorney’s Office, $200,000.
The Medical Examiner’s Office, $65,000 to support rising costs of operations.
“In our 2025 budget, we were forced to cut two sheriff deputy positions and make additional reductions that will impact the level of service our county provides. Despite already having the lowest per capita spending of any county in Wisconsin, we cannot continue to cut our way out of this fiscal situation without putting public safety at serious risk. We’re urging state lawmakers to address the shortfall of funding to local governments,” Farrow added.
Health and Human Services:
The County would invest $97,000 in HHS. The County’s largest department delivers essential services to our community by providing mental health services, protecting at-risk children and adults, ensuring veterans receive the benefits they’re entitled to, combating the opioid crisis, and serving clients in many other essential areas.
Infrastructure:
The 2025 Capital Budget totals $43.7 million, a $9.2 million decrease from the 2024 budget.
$5 million toward the rehabilitation of CTH O (Moorland Road), between CTH ES (National Avenue) and CTH D (Cleveland Avenue) in the City of New Berlin as part of a multi-year effort to improve multiple segments along one of the County’s busiest highways.
$1.5 million to replace a salt dome which collapsed earlier this year.
$20.4 million for the Courthouse Project Step II, which will renovate the 1959 Courthouse to enhance security, refurbish the East/West wing on the 2nd floor and the existing County Board space.
The County continues to evaluate the future sale of two key County-owned properties, Huber Facility on Northview and UW-Waukesha Campus closer to being on the tax rolls.
For updates about County programs and events, follow Waukesha County Executive Paul Farrow on Facebook at @CountyExecutivePaulFarrow and on Twitter at @WaukeshaCoExec.
Federally funded grants allow Waukesha County ability to partner with private and non-profit sectors to address community needs.
Community Development Block Grant Celebrates 50th Anniversary
November 13, 2024, marked a momentous occasion as the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program. These federally funded grants allow communities like Waukesha County the ability to partner with private and non-profit sectors to address community needs.
"Investing in nonprofit organizations is a commitment to strengthening the fabric of our community. These organizations provide critical services and resources for residents when they need them most in life, ” Parks & Land Use Director Dale Shaver said.
About 30 local non-profits across the county use these funds annually to address critical and unmet community needs including those for housing rehabilitation, neighborhood revitalization, public facilities, infrastructure, job creation, public services, and more.
For the past 50 years, community partners have worked together with HUD to deliver impactful change, especially for low- and moderate-income communities through CDBG. Each year, over 1,200 state, local, and territorial jurisdictions receive CDBG funds to revitalize and strengthen their communities.
“Empowering nonprofit organizations amplifies their impact. By directing resources through these channels, we fuel missions that drive transformative change, ensuring essential support reaches every corner of our communities,” Community Development Manager, Kristin Silva said.
Waukesha County has created a short video to highlight four of our partner non-profit organizations; The Women’s Center, Lake Area Free Clinic, Habitat for Humanity, and The Hope Center. These nonprofit organizations, and many others, work hand in hand with Waukesha County’s Community Development Division to use CDBG to make a difference in our community.
County Board was set to vote on the measure at the October 22 meeting.
County Executive Withdraws Sales Tax Ordinance
On Tuesday, October 22, 2024, Waukesha County Executive Paul Farrow withdrew from consideration an ordinance to implement a 0.5% county sales tax. Under the proposal the sales tax was scheduled to take effect July 1, 2025.
County Executive Paul Farrow released this statement following his decision to withdraw the ordinance from consideration.
“My decision to withdraw the sales tax ordinance from consideration is democracy in action. Postponing the measure will allow for more public input and provide for an opportunity to educate residents on the county’s financial challenges. I will work with the County Board to examine possible legislative remedies, including the potential to levy less than the 0.5% county sales tax currently allowed under state law,” Paul Farrow said.
County Executive Paul Farrow breaks down the sales tax ordinance and how it benefits taxpayers and the County.
Sales Tax Column: "What were you thinking?"
Column from Waukesha County Executive Paul Farrow:
A County Sales Tax: What Were You Thinking?
"What were you thinking?" This is the most common question I hear when people ask about the County’s proposed 0.5% sales tax. To be honest, if you had told me 11 years ago, when I first ran for County Executive, that I would one day support a new tax, I would have asked the same question. So, let’s be clear, I don’t know anyone, including myself, who wants a new tax, whether it’s a sales tax, a wheel tax, or anything else, but if we want a Sheriff’s Department that can patrol our roads, keep us safe, a court system to prosecute criminals, a well-staffed jail to hold offenders, and roads and bridges in good enough shape to drive on, then we need the funding to pay for it.
Since 2006, the County's ability to raise the necessary revenue has been restricted by state law, and it has not kept pace with the rising costs of providing essential services. Each year, Waukesha County residents contribute approximately $1.5 billion in sales and income taxes to the state government in Madison. In return, our County receives just $60 million back in state aid, ranking us second-to-last in per capita, state funding among Wisconsin's 72 counties.
County government functions as an extension of state government. The state passes laws and regulations, and the county implements and enforces them. In an ideal world, the state would fully fund these mandated services. Unfortunately, this has not been the case. In the proposed 2025 Waukesha County Budget, roughly 44% or about $51 million of the revenue collected from county property taxpayers will go toward covering the state's funding shortfall. That’s $51 million dedicated to the state’s priorities, not ours.
Waukesha County has long been recognized for its fiscal prudence and effective planning. We’ve maintained the highest attainable bond rating for decades, thanks to our data-driven decision-making and conservative budgeting. Despite this reputation, nearly 20 years of state-imposed property tax limits and unfunded mandates have left us with a persistent $5 million annual budget shortfall. This gap between revenues and expenses has forced us to make difficult cuts to balance budgets and preserve core services. In recent years, we've cut dozens of positions, including essential roles like Sheriff's deputies and highway patrol workers, positions that keep our roads safe year-round. Without a sustainable revenue solution, we will be forced to continue making deep cuts that negatively impact our own County’s residents.
This was the backdrop for the Budget Task Force I created this spring. Comprised of community and business leaders, along with members of the public, the Task Force dedicated many hours to studying the challenges we face and exploring potential solutions. Like you and I, they didn’t want any of the available options, but the majority of Task Force members recognized the seriousness of the situation and reached the same conclusion I did: the County needs a revenue solution that keeps our residents safe, our infrastructure intact, and our economy strong.
Among the revenue options available to a Wisconsin county, implementing a county sales tax like 69 other counties have already done, is the only solution that addresses our financial shortfall while also capturing revenue from the thousands of out-of-county residents who use our roads and services. Each day 37% of our workforce is made up of people who live outside of Waukesha County. That means they don’t pay our property taxes, but they use our services. Nearly 40% of our jail population is made up of Milwaukee County residents, but the only revenue used to pay for the jail and the corrections officers that staff the jail is from your pocket, not theirs. Sales tax dollars will come from everyone, not just County residents paying property taxes.
Of course, adopting a sales tax doesn’t mean abandoning the fiscally conservative principles that have served us so well. Our sales tax plan is unique. First, it will reduce property taxes. Twenty percent of the first full year’s sales tax revenue will go directly back to property taxpayers, an estimated $12 million tax cut. Second, another 20% will be allocated to lower local property taxes by providing direct aid to all municipalities in the county, based on population. For example, the City of Waukesha would receive over $2 million in aid. Third, the sales tax revenue will close the county’s budget shortfall for the next 8 to 10 years, reduce our debt, and minimize future borrowing.
So, what was I thinking? I was thinking that Waukesha County will remain Waukesha County, even with a sales tax. Our property taxes will decrease, thanks to the largest county property tax cut in our history. We will maintain the lowest tax rate of any county in Wisconsin. Our 5.5% sales tax rate will still be well below Milwaukee County’s 5.9% and the City of Milwaukee’s hefty 7.9%. Most importantly, we will continue to operate efficiently, form partnerships with other municipalities to deliver high-quality services, and uphold our reputation as a low-tax leader.
