Milwaukee County’s proposed <a href="https://bitcomme.com/reddit-publishes-2027-marketing-playbook/” title=”Reddit publishes 2027 marketing playbook”>2027 budget counts on $4.56 million in savings that never existed because of an automated calculation error, officials said Wednesday. The news came a day after County Executive David Crowley was elected Wisconsin governor.
In a Nov. 4 memo to County Board leaders, the county’s budget office said the administration plans to offset the gap during 2027 and bring a fund transfer to the board for approval by the end of March. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel was the first to report on the memo.
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Milwaukee County executive proposes budget with 2.55% tax levy increase, drop in tax rate
The error occurred in a newly automated process used to allocate equipment purchases and depreciation. The memo says positive and negative signs were reversed on two airport-related entries: a $4.49 million depreciation contribution and $2.21 million in airport revenue.
A spokesperson for the county executive’s office said Crowley is aware of the error. Once it was identified, the Office of Strategy, Budget and Performance “acted immediately” to correct the issue and prevent it from happening again, the spokesperson said.
The budget office and county comptroller identified possible ways to cover the gap, including additional prescription drug rebates, cash remaining in capital projects scheduled to close in 2027 and savings or surpluses in departmental operating budgets. The memo does not specify how much each option would contribute.
“The County Executive is confident the issue is resolved and that Milwaukee County will end 2027 with a balanced budget,” the spokesperson told WISN 12 News.
