There are two certainties in life: death and taxes. Under David Crowley’s latest Milwaukee County budget proposal, both are getting more expensive.
Crowley’s proposed 2027 budget calls for a 2.6% increase in the county property tax levy while raising or introducing a collection of fees that will make it more expensive to park at the airport, rent a car, visit the Milwaukee County Zoo, use county parks and, eventually, even die in Milwaukee County.
Among the more eye-catching increases are several fees charged by the Medical Examiner’s Office. Referral-county autopsy and external examination fees would increase by $300 per case, while the fee for a death certificate would rise from $168 to $172. Cremation permits would increase from $393 to $402, and body transportation fees would rise from $168 to $172.
Those increases are only a small part of a much broader collection of higher fees included in Crowley’s budget.
At Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport, the rental-car facility fee would quadruple from 50 cents per day to $2 per day — a 300% increase. Daily airport parking would increase from $18 to $19, hourly parking would double from $2 to $4, and valet parking would rise from $28 to $29 per day.
The higher airport charges come after Crowley previously signed off on a $3 fee for Uber, Lyft and other rideshare passengers being dropped off at the airport, on top of the existing $3 pickup fee.
A family trip to the Milwaukee County Zoo would also become more expensive. Automobile parking would increase from $15 to $17 and bus parking from $20 to $22, while the budget creates a new $2.99 fee for online ticket purchases and a $3.99 fee for ticket exchanges.
County parks are another target for new revenue. Crowley is proposing paid parking at high-demand locations, including certain parks and lakefront destinations, with charges ranging from $2 to $5. His administration estimates the new parking program would generate approximately $670,000, which the county says would be reinvested into the parks system.
The budget also calls for increases to various golf and foot golf rates, pools, picnic areas, pavilions, recreation and horticulture facilities, dog exercise areas, special events and sports permits. McKinley Marina storage and boat-slip fees would increase as well, although the budget does not specify the size of each increase. Crowley has previously said that activities such as golf and the marina are “predominately supported by white users” and are the product of systemic racism.
All of those new and increased fees come on top of another increase in the county property tax levy.
Crowley’s recommended budget increases Milwaukee County’s property tax levy from approximately $309 million to $316.9 million, an increase of roughly $7.9 million, or 2.6%. The county is also projecting approximately $6.8 million more in sales tax collections than the previous year.
Since Crowley took office in 2020, Milwaukee County’s property tax levy has increased in every budget year except one. That exception came after Wisconsin Act 12 gave Milwaukee County the authority to nearly double its county sales tax from 0.5% to 0.9%, providing a significant new stream of revenue and allowing the county to temporarily reduce its reliance on property taxes.
The property tax levy began climbing again the following year.
Despite those additional revenues, Milwaukee County continues to face significant long-term financial challenges. Crowley entered the latest budget cycle facing a projected roughly $50 million structural shortfall, and his proposal relies in part on a one-time $12.1 million withdrawal from the county’s debt-service reserve to maintain transit service.
The county’s own projections show those budget pressures getting considerably worse in the years ahead, with the structural deficit projected to approach $169 million by 2031.
Republican gubernatorial nominee Tom Tiffany criticized Crowley’s most recent budget proposal, arguing that the combination of higher taxes and fees provides a preview of the fiscal approach Crowley would bring to Madison.
“David Crowley’s answer is always the same: spend more, tax more, and charge taxpayers more,” Tiffany said. “With David Crowley, the taxes keep going up and the fees follow you to the grave, with higher charges to drive, fly, park, and even be cremated.”
The two candidates have increasingly clashed over taxes and affordability as the gubernatorial campaign has progressed. Tiffany has proposed an eight-point affordability plan that includes a 10% state income tax cut for working families earning less than $150,000, eliminating state income taxes on tips and overtime, returning the state surplus to taxpayers and pursuing lower property taxes.
Crowley has defended his fiscal record by pointing to declining county property tax rates and the services maintained under his administration. In unveiling his 2027 budget, Crowley said the county faced difficult choices as it worked to close its projected budget gap without major reductions in services.
“Despite all of these challenges, my priorities have not changed: I am committed to protecting the services our residents rely on every day,” Crowley said.
But the proposed budget also shows just how many places Milwaukee County is looking for additional revenue. Residents could pay more when they park at the airport, rent a car, visit the zoo, reserve a pavilion, use certain county parks or head to the lakefront — all while the county collects a larger property tax levy.
And Crowley’s latest round of fee increases will follow Milwaukee County taxpayers into the afterlife.
Death certificates, cremation permits and body transportation will all become more expensive under his proposal, putting a rather literal twist on the old saying about the two certainties in life.
From property taxes to cremation permits, Crowley’s latest budget leaves Milwaukee County residents paying more at nearly every stage of life — and beyond.
