4 Key Takeaways from the 2024 Milwaukee City Budget
#1 Milwaukee will add 15 more police officers because of Act 12 that Mayor Johnson negotiated with Wisconsin Republicans.
Fifteen more police officers will be added in 2024. After years of cutting police officers, this budget increases the number of police, because Mayor Johnson negotiated a bad deal for Milwaukee. Wisconsin Policy Forum states this "will cost at least $5.6 million next year and likely more in future years when the full-year cost of the positions must be accommodated.” The cost is not only prohibitive–spending in excess of $300 million each year–but more importantly, police have not worked. Mayor Johnson said in his budget address that crime is down, but he made a costly deal to continue to add police.
#2 Residents will see an increase in taxes. Starting in 2024, residents will pay a 7.9% sales tax, a 2% increase.
Another part of Act 12 is a 2% increase in the City of Milwaukee sales tax and a 0.4% increase in the Milwaukee County sales tax. According to research by Civilytics, this increase would cost residents over $500 each year. The money from the additional 2% would not increase hours at our local libraries or expand programs for young people. All money collected by the sales tax has to be used to either pay police pensions or expand the number of police we have in Milwaukee. Simply stated, residents will pay an additional 2% to fund more police. Many residents have testified and used their voices to ask for divestment from police, not additions.
#3 Milwaukee has used the last of its ARPA funding to plug budgetary holes.
In 2021, President Biden passed the American Rescue Plan Act, which provided Milwaukee with $394 million in federal aid. Milwaukee has used most of the funding to maintain city services. The mayor used the remaining $110 million in the 2024 budget. We have demanded that Milwaukee use these funds for participatory budgeting, but the current Milwaukee Common Council has not funded or voted to fund participatory budgeting. There are multiple implications of this decision. In future budgets, the city has little wiggle room, which we talk about below.
#4 Milwaukee is still facing a likely $30 million budget deficit in 2025.
Even with this new revenue and making residents pay more taxes, Milwaukee is still facing a $30 million deficit next year. Mayor Johnson's concessions sell out Milwaukee in the long term. Act 12 does not transform Milwaukee like elected officials have said, rather it creates some of the same long-standing problems we’ve seen for years. We can’t expect money to rain down from the feds. These violent decisions exacerbate the conditions on the ground as police continue to bankrupt the city. The provisions in Act 12 mandating that Milwaukee adds police will inevitably outpace the additional revenue. So be prepared for future budgets to cut libraries, public health, and more.
Ultimately, Mayor Johnson has put us in a position where we are forced to maintain and add police officers on the backs of Milwaukee citizens. This sacrifice will not fix Milwaukee’s financial problems, as the city still faces bankruptcy. It will not make the city safer either. Austerity budgets, or budgets that cut public spending on social services like libraries, housing, and public health, will continue in the years to come. While many celebrate the 2024 budget, we still know that the budget falls short of providing meaningful support for residents.
Budgets are moral documents. AART will continue the process of sunsetting LiberateMKE by building new community leaders who will fight for the budgets we deserve.