County Executive Kerkman presents county budget proposal for 2027

Text of 2027 Budget Address

The full text of Kenosha County Executive Samantha Kerkman’s 2027 budget address to the County Board on Oct. 6, 2026:

Good evening, Chairman Nordigian, Vice Chairman Franco, members of the County Board, elected officials, distinguished guests, and fellow citizens of Kenosha County.

I know it was a banner weekend for our regional sports teams — the Badgers won, the Packers won, the Bears won. And the Brewers are up two to nothing in their playoff race — with Game 3 starting very shortly tonight. So, I’ll try to move this along quickly for you.

It’s an honor to be here before you tonight. As I begin my second term as your County Exec, I’m pleased to present my fifth budget to this honorable County Board.

I welcome our five new supervisors who are experiencing the budget process for the first time, and I look forward to working with our returning supervisors to continue the budget excellence that we’ve achieved together over the last four years.

For the sixth year in a row, Kenosha County is in a select class among our peers. S&P Global continued our AAA bond rating in August, continuing our streak of holding the highest rating possible — and one that generates a significant savings for our taxpayers. We remain one of just SEVEN Wisconsin counties to hold AAA status from a major rating agency.

I’d like to take a moment to touch on a few of the points that S&P noted in our rating report:

• Healthy reserves that have remained steady in recent years.
• Prudent financial management practices.
• Excess levy capacity. In 2026, Kenosha County had nearly $20 million in unused levy authority.
• Our strong underlying economy as a county, based on our ongoing development into a regional distribution and manufacturing hub — with access to major transportation systems that connect us to the large economies of Chicago and Milwaukee.

S&P expects our strong economic growth trend to continue — and I agree — supported by ongoing development plans from major international companies.

What does AAA mean to our taxpayers? Nearly $1.4 million to date. That’s how much we’ve saved by securing lower interest rates when issuing bonds for major projects.

Together, we’ve climbed to the top of the mountain in reaching AAA, and we’re still working hard to stay there. Let’s give a hand to our Finance team and Finance Chairman Dave Geertsen and the entire committee for the hard work they’ve done to get us there!

We’re continuing to see economic development success stories in our community. A couple of weeks ago, we celebrated the grand opening of a local manufacturer’s new facility in Somers. IEA’s $100 million investment will double the company’s production capacity, and bring roughly 100 new jobs to the community.

And G10 Fulfillment celebrated the grand opening of its new 315,000-square-foot facility on the city’s far-northwest side. This expansion more than doubles G10’s Midwest warehouse capacity, and it represents a significant investment in our growing logistics and distribution sector. It’s wonderful to see a company with southeastern Wisconsin roots expand its footprint worldwide — and choose Kenosha County for the latest chapter of its growth story.

Meanwhile, construction is now in full swing at Eli Lilly, with its historic, $3 billion manufacturing expansion in Bristol.

All of these developments, and others, are contributing to the continued growth of our equalized value. The latest figures from the state show a 6.2 percent increase in the county’s overall property valuation — bringing it to nearly $28 billion.

We also continue to set records for county sales tax revenue. Collections are up over 6 percent from 2025 to 2026. And four out of the seven months reported so far this year are all-time records for those months.

The more sales tax revenue we collect, the less we need to levy in property taxes. And, I would point out, sales taxes are not paid by Kenosha residents only. It also comes to us from visitors to the Outlet Mall, the Renaissance Faire, Country Thunder — and all those cases of Spotted Cow beer that make their way into Illinois from Woodman’s and Mars Cheese Castle. That’s all property tax relief for our homeowners.

Even with all that economic success, that’s not to say we’re not facing some challenges as a community.

Housing is an area where needs continue to grow. And the comprehensive housing study that was presented a few weeks ago provides real data to illustrate the challenge.

The study found that market demand calls for the construction of an average of 875 new units annually over the next five years. And it illustrated the gap between home prices and household incomes. Since 2019, the median price of a new single-family home sold in Kenosha County has increased by nearly 66 percent, while the median household income has increased by less than 28 percent.

There is work to be done to develop strategies to encourage more housing development, across income levels. And I thank KABA and the Kenosha County Housing Task Force for their ongoing efforts.

We also continue to face challenges with the growing demand for energy production in our region, and nationwide. I thank the County Board for its unanimous support of the Battery Energy Storage moratorium a few months back. Soon, you will receive a revised BESS ordinance for your review — and I look forward to a robust discussion about how we can address the demand for energy while not sacrificing the health and safety of our residents.

Thanks to the support of the County Board, a number of major projects in recent years’ budgets are now complete, or nearly complete.

The most beautiful of them all is the Ceremonial Courtroom — which could not have happened without the support of private donors and the County Board. Thank you to all of you who joined us for this past weekend’s dedication and open house festivities. If you haven’t seen the room yet, please do — it’s breathtaking.

Work will soon be complete on the reconstruction and reconfiguration of Highway W from Wilmot to the state line. I know the construction created some hiccups for drivers this year — particularly during the County Fair — but the end result will be a road that is safer for everyone.

Resurfacing work wrapped up recently on Highway K near Paddock Lake and farther to the west.

The roof replacement at the Detention Center is nearly completed, following up on a multiyear effort to refresh the building’s HVAC equipment.

And, soon, construction will begin on the public safety radio tower project on the west end, which will address coverage gaps that remain in Twin Lakes, Randall, and Wheatland. I know Chairman Nordigian and Supervisors Karow and Decker will be particularly pleased to see this enhancement to public safety in their areas.

The budget you’re receiving tonight includes funding to complete a long-awaited, much-needed project: the Kemper Center shoreline restoration. Through the work of our Public Works team, we’re able to do this work at a fraction of the cost of earlier estimates. This is critical to protecting the historic Kemper Center grounds — and I know it’s something Supervisors Knezz and Belsky will be particularly pleased to see happen in 2027.

The budget also funds long-planned renovations to office space in the Kenosha County Center. This will provide a true west-end outpost for the Sheriff’s Office, and a fully capable backup space for the Emergency Operations Center. The public will also enjoy the benefits of an improved Hearing Room, home to many community events.

The budget also plans for important projects in the future, including further phases of Highway K work from 94th Court to 128th Avenue. And it lays the groundwork for engineering and eventual construction of work to improve and protect Highway W from Fox River erosion and flooding.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t address another project years in the making, and — almost — to the finish line: our new Human Services Building.

I know all of us would have liked to see the new building open by now. But while our contractors have had some challenges in getting the project completed, I believe it’s well worth a few months’ delay to ensure we have a high-quality facility that will stand the test of time. I’m looking forward to seeing the building open, delivering vital services in the heart of the community, early in 2027.

Brookside Care Center and our county golf courses continue to shine — operating well into the black, and supporting their own outstanding operations.

Golf rounds aren’t going to break another record this year — we can blame Mother Nature for that. But it was still a strong season, with more than 104,000 rounds played to date, and hopefully some more nice days to come this fall.

County Parks staff have been busy this year, hosting the weekly concerts, yoga sessions, movie nights, and other special events. Year to date, county- and community-hosted events have drawn more than 125,000 people to our parks. And there are still more to come — I look forward to seeing many of you at our tree-lighting ceremony at the end of November.

The budget you’re receiving tonight includes a revamped position in Parks: A new Recreation Coordinator position will allow Parks to substantially expand recreational programming, special events, and community engagement, while allowing the existing Development Coordinator to spend more time pursuing grants to support programming and infrastructure.

The budget also includes a new position in Human Services: A Compliance Supervisor in the Division of Aging and Disability Services. This individual will work to ensure we’re maintaining compliance with the state’s requirements of our ADRC contract, while also helping to ensure we’re providing quality, accessible services to the public.

As many of you know, public safety has been one of my top priorities since I took office four years ago. And this budget continues that strong commitment.

Tonight, I’m pleased to announce funding for two new detective positions, to enhance the Sheriff’s Office’s efforts to combat internet crimes against children. These positions will create a dedicated unit to investigate these important cases. Sheriff Zoerner came to me with this request, and we are now seeking your support — because, sadly, these heartbreaking crimes continue to evolve along with technology.

The 2027 budget also funds the beginning of a new contract with Axion, to keep our deputies’ body camera equipment fresh for years to come.

A safer community leads to a stronger community — and I thank the County Board for its steadfast support of law enforcement over the years.

The budget you’re receiving tonight continues our AAA momentum — and it does that with a levy increase below 3 percent. I’m proud to have accomplished that in each of the budgets I’ve presented during my time in this office. I thank our budget team and our department and division directors for their work to stretch every dollar further, without having a substantial impact on services and infrastructure.

That work allowed us to present you with a budget that comes in UNDER the rate of inflation. As such, under this budget, the owner of a median-value home will pay just $13.48 more in county property taxes in 2027.

This budget is fiscally responsible.

It supports the essential services that our residents depend upon.

It continues to enhance our infrastructure to support current and future development.

It supports our employees — the people who power county government.

And it keeps us on track to maintain our AAA rating.

I encourage you to support it, and I look forward to working with you in the coming weeks, and beyond.

May God bless you, may God bless America, and may God bless Kenosha County. Thank you.

-- Kenosha County Executive Samantha Kerkman