Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele signs 2020 budget with no vetoes

County Executive Chris Abele signed the 2020 budget Monday without issuing any vetoes.

"The tough choices we have made over the years have resulted in this balanced budget that reflects our values and allows us to be responsible fiscal stewards,” Abele said in a statement.

He said the county used a racial equity lens in putting the budget together.

It's the last budget cycle for Abele, who will not be seeking re-election in April.

Last week, the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors adopted a $1.18 billion budget with an increase in the total county property tax levy by $6.7 million, to $301.1 million. 

His recommended budget had included an increase in the total county property tax levy of $7.4 million, to $301.7 million, a 2.5% increase over 2019.

The decision to sign the budget without any vetoes is in keeping with a budget cycle that was notable for its lack of acrimony.

Proposed transit cuts — and efforts to reverse them — in addition to a plan to release eligible House of Correction inmates onto GPS monitoring were central to the budget deliberations.

The statement from Abele's office highlighted preserving Freeway Flyer bus routes, routes in communities of color and high-frequency routes in addition to updates to playgrounds and new health and human services initiatives.