County Executive Introduces 2025 County Budget

On Tuesday, September 24, 2024, Waukesha County Executive Paul Farrow introduced his 2025 Executive Budget to the Waukesha County Board of Supervisors. The nearly $400 million dollar budget follows a years-long trend of making justice and public safety Waukesha County’s top funding priority. Notably, the 2025 budget reflects a decrease of $2.9 million from the prior year.

“Our residents expect a safe community with low crime rates and high-quality services. Their standards are high, and they count on us to meet those expectations. This budget is both balanced and firmly aligns with our longstanding principles of fiscal conservatism. It reflects the cumulative effects of years of budget cuts, staffing reductions, and service limitations,” County Executive Paul Farrow said.

Taxes:The proposed budget would 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. 

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 cover 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.

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.

“This budget reflects the hard work and dedication of our exceptional team in Waukesha County. This collaborative approach, combined with our commitment to conservative financial practices, has resulted in a thoughtfully planned and balanced budget,” Paul Farrow concluded.

The Board of Supervisors is expected to pass the final budget in November.  

 About the 2025 Waukesha County Budget: The 2025 Waukesha County Executive Budget is online at www.waukeshacounty.gov/Budget.