The Common Council's Financial Affairs Committee voted unanimously Oct. 20 to recommend the proposed 2027 city budget for adoption next month after a discussion of three amendments with potential financial impact on residents and taxpayers.
One key change was the committee's decision to reverse a staff recommendation to raise the city's vehicle registration fee from $15 to $20 per vehicle. The proposed $5 increase was estimated to generate an additional $155,000 in revenue in support of the city's street safety and traffic calming projects.
Instead, Joe Phillips, who represents District 7 on the council, made a motion to amend the budget to remove the fee increase and recoup that revenue through adjustments to other budget lines, without raising property taxes.
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Mayor Dennis McBride, who proposed the 2027 Executive Budget with City Administrator James Archambo, said he "can live with this" change but warned that the city might need to consider raising the vehicle fee again next year based on continued budget constraints. "Next year could be very different."
Indy Stluka, the council member from District 8, said he supported leaving the vehicle registration fee unchanged for now, based on a policy adopted by the council two years ago when it first created the fee. The council at that time voted to freeze the fee for its first five years. Wauwatosa motorists now play $130 a year to register their cars, which includes the state's $85 fee and Milwaukee County's $30 fee.