Wauwatosa's city government has a budget for 2026. The plan, adopted Nov. 18 by the Common Council, calls for $81 million in spending, about half of it on public safety, and majority of revenue will come from a property tax levy of $53 million.
And the city's curb-side yard waste collection service will survive for another year mostly in tact.
Yard waste collection was one of two lingering issues that dominated the council's debate before it voted, 12-3, to approve the 2026 budget. The other primary debate was over an ongoing city subsidy for Bublr Bikes. One council member also sought to add money to the budget to expand the city's July 4 fireworks display, but that amendment gained no traction.
The city's video of the meeting can be found here.
The property tax levy represents a 2% increase over the 2025 levy, though city officials have estimated that the city portion of individual homeowners’ tax bills will increase an average of about 8% because home values have increased faster than the value of commercial properties.
The proposed budget estimated that the owner of a home with an assessed value of $420,000 would see the city property tax bill increase from $2,142 to $2,318, or $176. Those figures were based on the initial results of a revaluation process underway this year, and further adjustments to assessed valuations may influence what people ultimately see on their tax bills.
The only council members to vote against the budget were Andrew Meindl of District 1, Joseph Makhlouf of District 3 and Mike Morgan of District 7. Margaret Arney of District 2 was absent.
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Proposed changes to the city's yard-waste collection were among the early highlights of this year's budget review process, along with a reduction of one firefighter position, cost-of-living increases for other staff salaries and savings through increased energy efficiency. The full executive budget is here.
To cut costs, city leaders initially proposed reducing yard waste pickup to monthly instead of biweekly. When the Common Council's Finance Committee began reviewing the budget, it considered a series of other options, including further reductions to curbside collection, creation of a paid subscription service, sales of large yard waste bins for easier pickup and elimination of the fee for bringing yard waste directly to the city's drop-off center.
On Nov. 18, Robin Brannin of District 3 proposed an amendment to restore most of the biweekly curb-side pickups but reduce them from the current 13 a year to 11 by eliminating the first and last collections. She also proposed reinstating drop-off fees to help offset the burden on taxpayers.
Brannin's amendment included an increase of $32,000 in the property tax levy. It was approved by a 11-4 vote, with Meindl, Morgan, Rob Gustafson of District 5, Joe Phillips of District 6 voting no.
Opponents of the change argued that the city needs to make tough decisions to balance its budget at a time when costs are rising and the city is limited in what revenue it can raise from taxes. "That tough decision is being punted on," Phillips said. He noted that the city soon will need to invest in new trucks for yard waste collection if it plans to maintain that service.
Amanda Fuerst of District 7 argued in favor of Brannin's amendment, underscoring the city's mission and vision of providing excellent, equitable services to its residents. Making residents bring their yard waste to the drop-off center or pay for a subscription service was not an equitable solution, she said.
Morgan initiated the debate over the city's Bublr Bikes subsidy. The city has provided financial support for the regional bike share program for the past several years. The 2026 budget includes $54,000 for Bublr, an increase of $10,000. Morgan, who described himself as a bike lover, questioned whether the city should be increasing its support for Bublr while it is forced to make tough cuts elsewhere.
"We're constantly reminded of the fiscal cliff," Morgan said. "We have to look at budgets differently in the future."
He proposed amending the budget to eliminating that extra $10,000, which led to a broader discussion about whether Bublr still merits the city's support. Brad Foley of District 2 asked why no one from Bublr's leadership had appealed directly to the council for this increase, and he questioned whether the city's subsidy was resulting in a proven, substantial benefit to the community.
Brannin countered that the relevance and viability of the bike-share program was a broader topic than this one budget line. "That deserves a discussion, but I don't think it deserves cutting their funding," she said.
And Wilke argued against Tosa turning its back on Bublr given that the city has been one of its longtime supporters. "We were leaders in bringing Bublr to the suburbs," Wilke said. To back out now would be a significant "mistake."
Foley, Makhlouf, Fuerst and James Moldenhauer of District 1 joined Morgan in voting to remove the $10,000 in funding for Bublr, but that amendment was defeated, 5-10.
Before the budget's final adoption, a third amendment was proposed by Makhlouf on behalf of the Wauwatosa Civic Celebration Commission, of which he is a member. The commission has been working to bring back a July 4 fireworks display, with plans to stage it next year on Swan Boulevard south of Hoyt Park. Because 2026 will be the country's 250th birthday, Makhlouf argued for a funding boost.
He proposed a one-time increase in the city's fireworks expense from $35,000 to $50,000, but his suggested method for paying for that increase ultimately sank the proposal. Makhlouf said the city could increase its hotel tax from 7% to 8% and designate a portion of the initial proceeds to the fireworks display.
That idea generated some confusion on the council about whether it was legal to spend hotel tax revenues on fireworks and whether it was even possible to change the hotel tax rate as a last-minute footnote to the budget approval.
Finance Director John Ruggini said he did not feel comfortable providing guidance in response to Makhlouf's proposal unless the council took a 15-minute recess so he could confer with the city attorney and other staff members. If another council member seconded Makhlouf's amendment, Ruggini emphasized, he would urge the council to allow that recess.
No other council member seconded the amendment, and the council quickly moved on to final passage.
Before adjourning, the council passed a resolution granting City Administrator James Archchambo a 1.5% pay bonus following his annual performance evaluation. The vote was 14-1, with Meindl voting no.
- David Paulsen, a Tosa East Towne resident and editor of Tosa Forward News, has more than 25 years of experience as a professional journalist. He can be reached at editor@tosanews.com.
