Milwaukee Finance & Personnel Committee Budget Amendment Day - October 29, 2026

The Milwaukee Finance and Personnel Committee convened on October 29, 2026, for its annual Budget Amendment Day. The marathon session was scheduled to begin at 9:00 AM but actually convened at 9:38 AM and adjourned at 8:53 PM. The committee, chaired by Alderwoman Marina Dimitrijevic and including Aldermen Burgelis, Spiker, Coggs, and Moore, considered over 100 amendments to the Mayor's proposed 2027 budget. After extensive debate on funding priorities, the committee approved a final budget package that increased the total city budget from $2.261 billion to $2.266 billion, raised the levy-supported budget from $1.768 billion to $1.773 billion, and increased the property tax levy from $341.412 million to $345.3 million.

Discussion Items

Wages, Employee Compensation, and Personnel

• Amendment 1 (Omnibus): Sponsored by the Chair and supported by Ald. Spiker as a citywide improvement, this sweeping amendment was approved 5-0. It restored Sunday hours at four library branches plus Central Library, restored position authority for nine street light positions, and created a $50,000 bonus fund for electrical workers. It added $750,000 to the Wages Supplement Fund to increase the residency incentive by 0.5% and boost Healthy Rewards benefits to $500. The amendment reduced the planned overnight parking permit increase to $75 from the mayor's proposed $110 and shifted $6 million towards borrowing for High Impact Paving.
• Amendment 14 & 85 (Wage Increases): Ald. Brower and others proposed several versions of a $1 or $2 per hour raise for general city employees, intended to replace the mayor's 2% raise. Proponents argued this would disproportionately benefit the lowest-paid workers. Proposals faced significant hurdles regarding funding sources, often requiring cuts to other departments, and legal complications regarding implementation. Multiple substitutes failed.
• Amendment 24 (Executive Assistants): Chair Dimitrijevic restructured the Executive Administrative Assistant program in the City Clerk's office, converting six part-time positions into three full-time positions with benefits to improve stability and retention. The bilingual designation was removed per the Department of Employee Relations guidance. Ald. Spiker expressed concerns about reduced scheduling flexibility. The amendment passed 3-1-1.
• Amendment 37 (Equal Rights Specialist): The committee considered two versions to restore an Equal Rights Specialist position in the Department of Compliance and Engagement that was omitted from the mayor's budget. DCE Director Mary Reed did not contest the position but argued the proposed funding sources were problematic. Deputy Director Ramos stated the work could be absorbed. The Chair of the Equal Rights Commission advocated for the distinct role. Both the levy-funded version (37A) and the facility-rental funded version (37B) failed.

Public Safety

• Amendment 27 (27A): Ald. Chambers offered a major reallocation package approved 3-2. It reduced police vehicle borrowing by $1.6 million to fund a new fire engine, cut $500,000 from police facilities maintenance for traffic calming measures, and created a $300,000 Good Neighbor Special Fund for block clubs. Ald. Spiker and Ald. Burgelis opposed the cuts to police operations, while Alds. Coggs and Moore supported the community investments.
• Amendment 62 (Patrol Coverage): Ald. Burgelis offered a footnote urging the Chief of Police to close the gap in neighborhood patrol coverage. The original language was a directive ('shall'), which the City Attorney flagged as overstepping the council's authority. The language was softened to 'urge' (62B), and it passed 5-0.
• Amendment 63 (Litigation Reporting): Ald. Coggs directed the Police Department to report annually on changes to procedures and training resulting from settlements and litigation. Passed 5-0.

Infrastructure and Public Works

• Amendment 73: Ald. Burgelis redirected $350,000 allocated for a fifth pothole-filling machine to purchase vehicles for the Electrical Services division. The amendment passed 3-2.
• Amendments 67-72: A series of footnotes directing DPW on operational transparency were passed unanimously. These included creating a public-facing dashboard for pothole and streetlight repairs, developing a youth electrical apprenticeship program, conducting an audit of streetlights on main streets, creating a street sweeping map, and exploring external partnerships.

Economic Development and Food Access

• Amendment 29 (29A): Ald. Jackson (via Ald. Burgelis) created a $1.8 million Grocery Store and Pharmacy Retention special purpose account. The funding was offset by a withdrawal from the Tax Stabilization Fund. The City Attorney recommended an SPA assigned to a department, but the amended version accepted an unassigned SPA requiring council resolutions for disbursement. Passed 5-0.
• Amendment 23 (Corridor Beautification): Ald. Stamper proposed a $100,000 levy-funded program for painting city-owned commercial properties. The department noted potential operational challenges. Ald. Spiker and Ald. Coggs had concerns about the levy impact. The amendment was withdrawn for revision.
• Amendment 92 (We Energies Study): Ald. Brower proposed $1.35 million in borrowing for a feasibility study on creating a municipal utility. Ald. Spiker questioned the financial prudence of borrowing for an exploratory study. The Environmental Collaboration Office Director suggested lower-cost options. Ald. Moore supported the investment. The amendment failed 2-2-1.

Department Oversight and Governance

• Amendments 33-36: Ald. Moore directed the Department of Community Wellness and Safety to provide plans, closeout reports, carryover reports, and quarterly reports. All passed 5-0.
• Amendments 40-42: A series of footnotes directed the Department of Employee Relations to conduct a market study for electrical services, report on chronically vacant positions, and develop a plan to expedite eligible lists for hiring. All passed.

Citizen Services and Library

• Amendments 55-60: A package of footnotes was passed unanimously. These included directing the library to explore a historic preservation surcharge for facility rentals, urging work on philanthropic sponsorship of Sunday hours, promoting seed libraries, exploring checking out cultural institution memberships, developing a marketing plan for Sunday hours, and moving positions between branch libraries and Central Library.
• Amendments 50-51: Ald. Coggs directed the Health Department to work with established doula programs to create contract bidding opportunities and to report biannually on doula contracting. Both passed 5-0.

Rejected and Withdrawn Items

• Amendment 26 (Eviction Free MKE): Ald. Brower's $100,000 for the Legal Aid Society's eviction defense program failed 1-3-1. Ald. Moore and Ald. Spiker voted no, citing concerns about setting a precedent for directly funding non-profits.
• Amendment 81 (League of Municipalities): Ald. Burgelis's attempt to cut $47,000 from the League of Wisconsin Municipalities membership failed 2-3.
• Amendment 94 (Fire Apparatus): Ald. Burgelis's proposal to borrow $4.8 million for three new fire engines failed 2-2-1.
• Amendment 109 (Hop Fare System): A footnote creating a voluntary QR-based fare system for the Hop to fund homeless outreach failed 2-3.

Key Outcomes

• Budget Approved by Committee: The entire 2027 budget package (Item 1) and its companion bills were referred to the full Common Council without recommendation by a vote of 5-0.
• Major Levy Increase: The committee approved a property tax levy increase to $345.3 million.
• Library Services Expanded: Sunday hours were restored at four branches plus Central Library, defying the mayor's proposal to cut them.
• Wage Debates Deferred: Decisions on a $1 per hour raise and targeted raises for low-wage workers failed to pass in committee, pushing the discussion to the full Common Council.
• Fire vs. Police Funding Rebalanced: Ald. Chambers' reallocation plan, which cut police vehicle borrowing and facilities funding to pay for a fire engine and community programs, passed 3-2.
• Oversight Increased: Numerous footnotes were adopted, requiring enhanced transparency and reporting from the DPW, Police Department, Library, DER, DCWS, and Health Department.
• Major Proposals Rejected: The We Energies feasibility study and a major fire apparatus borrowing request were rejected by the committee.