Budget Brief
2010 Proposed City of Milwaukee Budget
October 2009

In the few weeks that have passed since the budget was introduced, and in the few weeks that will follow before budget adoption, a great deal of attention has and will be focused on the level of property taxation and fee increases proposed by the mayor, as well as the substantial cuts in positions and services that he argues are an undesirable yet necessary byproduct of the city's fiscal plight. While this focus is both necessary and appropriate, we suggest that another key area of focus should be whether, in attempting to respond to the unprecedented challenges facing the city in 2010, the mayor and his budget team have crafted solutions that not only address the short-term budgetary consequences wrought by recession, but also the longer term structural problems that have been building for years.

In this report, we highlight the major provisions of the budget document and critically evaluate their impact both upon city services and area residents. We also discuss some new program initiatives, and we consider how the 2010 budget impacts city finances in the long term. Our intent is to contribute to a more objective and informed debate on the City of Milwaukee's 2010 budget.