for August 13th.

Reporting from Appleton.

I'm Aditi Debnath for "Here& Now" >> What a swing even with a new county sales tax increase that helped Milwaukee County see a budget surplus for the first time in decades in 2024, the county government is now staring down a nearly $20 million deficit by the end of the year.

What is happening?

We turn to Milwaukee County Supervisor times ahead.

And thanks for being here.

>> You're welcome.

Vladimir.

>> So there was a surplus.

Now you're grappling with projected deficits.

What is happening?

>> Well, it's a combination of things.

It's, we have a big deficit in the sheriff's budget and the overtime that's over.

You know, $7 million.

And that number is not going to get smaller.

We've not seen, the projected sales tax revenue come in.

I mean, people are not spending as much as we projecte.

So the sales tax projections that revenue is lower, and then we looking at future the health care costs, those are on the rise and, and those are things that are difficult to control, with many departments that are running, you know, positive.

But there's just some areas in the county budget that are, that are struggling big time right now.

>> So I understand that the sales tax hike was supposed to generate $82 million in revenue since last July, and then there was another 7 million that came from the state by way of shared revenue.

How much worse would it have been without that?

>> Well, yeah, that's I mean, we wouldn't be able to start tackling the pension problems that we had based on, you know, the scandal back in the early 2000.

So we would be in a worse position without the sales tax.

But we still were always looking at major issues in the next five years.

I mean, those numbers have gotten easier.

It'll be easier to deal with or grapple with, but, they're still going to be challenging, challenging days and years ahead.

>> What is the situation with the sheriff's department over time?

Why why is that happening?

>> Well, we just don't have enough deputies.

And they're they're doing their mandated services, and it's coming at a cost.

Add overtime.

The state of Wisconsin ranks 50th out of 50th in law enforcement spending, so that's not I think a category of the state should be proud of, so I think that's something that that Milwaukee County and all counties and municipalities should be looking at.

>> So you're looking to the state to give you more money to help with that sheriff's department deficit?

>> Well, I think that's one conversation that needs to take place.

I mean, I don't think the solution is pulling our sheriffs off the highways.

I mean, we're mandated to have them in the courtrooms.

You know, we have to have them in the jails and the House of correction.

And so the solution is not just let's not work them.

We have to and these are officers and these deputies, they don't, want to always be working all this overtime.

It's coming at the expense of their, you know, personal well-being and their health, you know, so it's a very difficult situation.

But I think the state needs to step up.

>> And what have you heard from the state legislature as to whether or not that's something that they would consider doing?

>> You know, we haven't had those conversations, I mean, this was just brought to us, you know, how dire it is, but it really shouldn't be a shock.

I mean, it took a lot to get the sales tax and to do this whole shared revenue, plan.

And I don't think the county was treated fairly to begin with.

I don't know why we had to tax our residents an additional, you know, 0.4% when we ship it.

They should have been fixing the shared revenue in a different manner.

I mean, we ship over a half $1 billion more to the state every year.

And when they decide to do this new formula, they're giving us $8 million and saying, go tax your residents.

Another 80.

I think we got really shafted by by the state.

So, you know, we're the economic engine of the state.

And, you know, we are funding things in superior in lacrosse and Oshkosh and Madison and Middleton and Sun Prairie.

And yet, you know, we have to tax our residents to, to just, you know, can cost to continue.

Basically.

>> Are you being heard on that in Madison?

heard or not, but I mean, I think they look at us at some in the state legislature look at us as like a giant sucking sound of money being just vacuumed out of the state coffers, that's how it's been for decades, that kind of mindset.

And then they make, I think, poor decisions as well.

Like, why should the taxpayers be on the hook for Amfam field when you have an owner, you know, spending money on European soccer teams, why should the county taxpayers pay $4 million a year for the Fiserv, when one of the owners sold his share and made $660 million, so this is these are decisions that the state has made.

There's $6.5 million right there.

The state has taken away from Milwaukee County and put towards, you know, stadiums for billionaires.

We I don't know how far we're going to get, you know, on, help with the sheriff's department.

>> All right.

We leave it there.

Supervisor Steve Taylor will be