(WTAQ-WLUK) — Brown County leaders approved a 2027 budget plan Wednesday that county officials say will deliver major infrastructure work while setting the lowest property tax rate in county history.
The Brown County Board of Supervisors voted 22-2 to approve County Executive Troy Streckenbach’s 2027 budget plan. “The hard part of putting together this 2027 budget plan was striking the right balance of maintaining the services our residents rely on while being mindful of the cost to property taxpayers,” Streckenbach said. “I’m honored to put forth a budget we worked hard on that prioritizes a sustainable, long-term approach which better aligns County revenue with the actual cost of delivering those services.”
Under the plan, the 2027 mill rate will drop 12 cents, from $2.66 to $2.54, which the county described as the lowest mill rate on record. The budgeted levy for 2027 is $97.77 million, including about $1.5 million in net new construction and the closure of some Tax Increment Districts.
Brown County’s outstanding debt is expected to fall by $7.41 million in 2027, bringing the total to $22.44 million, which officials said would be the lowest level in more than 35 years. The county said that since Streckenbach took office, Brown County has paid off nearly $134 million in debt, saving property taxpayers millions of dollars in interest payments.
The budget outlines several major initiatives for 2027, including continued work on the South Bridge Connector project and nearly $18 million in nine road, bridge and infrastructure projects. The county also plans to use one-time funding to install and maintain new flood monitors for the East River and to install agriculture sediment basins aimed at reducing phosphorous runoff.
Construction is expected to begin on second phases for both the Port Development Site and the South Landfill. The plan also calls for adding a second mental health clinician and providing open access hours for substance use assessments in Human Services.
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