Brown County's 2027 Budget Lowers the Tax Rate as Costs Outrun Revenue: We are in for a wild ride!

Brown County Executive Troy Streckenbach's proposed 2027 budget would cut the county's property tax rate again, keep paying down debt and add a second mental health clinician.^1,2 In the same document, Streckenbach warns that the county's revenue isn't keeping up with what its services cost.²

The $377.1 million plan drops the mill rate from $2.66 to $2.54, a 12-cent cut the county calls the lowest on record.^2,3 The levy would be $97.77 million, which includes $1.5 million from net new construction and reflects some tax increment districts closing.¹ General obligation debt would fall another $7.41 million, to $22.44 million.²

Streckenbach credits the rate cuts to the debt reduction plan the County Board adopted in 2017, which he says has cut more than $134 million in debt and saved taxpayers over $50 million in interest.² But his budget message also says revenue from net new construction is no longer enough to cover the rising cost of services. He writes that keeping those services will take a long-term approach that better matches county revenue to what the services actually cost.²

The courts are a big piece of that pressure. The message says Brown County's pending felony caseload has grown 152% in a decade, with more than 500 cases unresolved for over two years.² The county is asking the state for two new circuit court judges, and Streckenbach puts the local cost of jailing defendants whose cases are stuck at about $6.1 million a year in levy.²

On health, the budget adds the second mental health clinician and a Health and Human Services pilot offering open-access hours for substance use assessments in downtown Green Bay.^1,2 It also expands medical care at the county jail, adding provider hours for doctors or nurse practitioners, psychiatrists and dentists.² On housing, Streckenbach proposes widening the county's revolving loan program to support affordable housing and investing alongside private developers to add units where demand is highest.² The message doesn't attach a dollar figure to either housing idea.²

The Highway Department would spend about $10.7 million on the South Bridge Connector's eastern end, along County Highway GV from Lawrence Drive to County Highway X.² It would put nearly $18 million more into nine road and bridge projects and 42 traffic signal intersections.² Construction on the second phase of the Port Development Site at the mouth of the Fox River would finish late next year, and the port will look for tenants for its southern 14.5 acres.² A $12 million second phase of the South Landfill, run with Outagamie and Winnebago counties, is set to start in spring.²

Smaller one-time items include $60,000 for East River flood monitors, built with NEW Water, USGS, UW Sea Grant and local governments.² Another $60,000 would go to two farm sediment basins to catch phosphorus runoff, and $250,000 would start a walking trail on Renard Island.²

The County Board is scheduled to hold a public hearing and take formal action on the budget by the end of October.³ The full 402-page proposal and department-by-department sections are posted on the county's website.⁴