MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee County supervisors approved the county’s 2027 budget while demanding answers about a roughly $4.56 million calculation error that budget staff identified weeks before finance leadership was notified.
The error caused the proposed budget to show about $4.56 million in property tax levy savings that will not be realized. According to a county memo, two airport-related entries had their positive and negative signs reversed after a calculation previously done manually was automated.
Milwaukee County supervisors demand answers over $4.56M budget error in the video below:
Milwaukee County Budget Director Nicholas Sinram told TMJ4 that staff identified the problem around Oct. 20 and spent the following weeks investigating the error and looking for solutions.
Asked who made the decision about when to notify supervisors, Sinram said, “The decision was mine.”
Finance Committee Chair Steve Taylor told TMJ4 he did not learn about the problem until about 2 p.m. Wednesday, less than 24 hours before the final budget vote.
“At 2 o’clock yesterday, an email and a text from a budget director at the same time,” Taylor said. “And I said, ‘This can’t be a good thing, Nick.’ And he said, ‘No, it’s not a good thing.’”
Taylor called the delay “totally inappropriate” and said it damaged trust between the County Board and the administration.
The county memo identifies three possible ways to offset the $4.56 million: Additional prescription drug rebates, cash remaining in capital projects scheduled to close in 2027, and savings or surpluses identified in departmental operating budgets.
The memo does not say exactly how much would come from each source.
The County Executive’s Office told TMJ4 the error will not affect county services or taxpayers and said the county is expected to end 2027 with a balanced budget.
When asked whether Tuesday’s election played any role in when the error was disclosed, the County Executive’s Office said the memo was timed so supervisors would have the information before the Nov. 5 budget vote.
Sinram also told reporters that the County Executive’s Office was part of conversations about the problem the same day budget staff identified it. When TMJ4 asked whether County Executive David Crowley personally knew at that point, Sinram said he could not speak on Crowley’s behalf.
Supervisors have now ordered the budget office to review what went wrong, the timeline of when the error was discovered, safeguards to prevent another mistake and how the county plans to address the roughly $4.56 million in unrealized savings.
The budget office is expected to report back to supervisors in January.
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