County Executive Samantha Kerkman presented the proposed 2026 budget to the Kenosha County Board, focusing on economic achievements and public safety investments. The address highlighted milestones including the county’s 175th anniversary and the centennial of its Courthouse building.
Kerkman emphasized Kenosha County’s continued AAA bond rating from S&P Global, stating, “We also have a strong legacy as a AAA county — one that was extended for the fifth year in a row in August, when S&P Global reaffirmed our top-level bond rating. This accomplishment is a testament to the diligent work of our Finance staff, and the sound oversight that the County Board continues to provide.” She noted that since receiving this designation in 2021, Kenosha County has saved $1.2 million in interest costs and remains one of only seven counties in Wisconsin with this rating.
“It’s a legacy we will work hard to continue for many years to come,” Kerkman said.
The county executive linked fiscal health to economic development efforts. She pointed out that Kenosha County led Wisconsin counties in net new construction for 2024 and ranked third statewide for five-year employment growth.
Public safety is a key area in the proposed budget. Kerkman stated, “Over the five years from 2022 through the budget you’re receiving tonight, we’ve invested nearly $199 million in levy funds into public safety. And for 2026, we’re levying more than $12 million more for public safety than we were in 2022.” Public safety spending now accounts for over 56 percent of total levy expenditures, up from 47 percent five years ago.
The budget proposal includes increased compensation for sheriff’s deputies under a recently ratified three-year contract with their association and introduces funding for mental health support systems within law enforcement agencies.
Addressing fiscal responsibility, Kerkman said: “People have had to make changes in their family budgets due to increasing costs, and we’re doing the same in county government. We’re working to stretch our dollars further.” For the first time recently, there will be a slight reduction in total county employee headcount achieved through attrition and strategic vacancy evaluations.
“We’re looking critically at things, working to rein in costs where it’s possible and prudent — all while advancing our priorities of public safety and infrastructure,” she added. “It’s a budget that leaves a strong legacy for Kenosha County.”
Board committees are scheduled to review details of the budget over several weeks before a public hearing on November 4 and final adoption by November 5.
Additional highlights include funding studies on Sheriff’s Office operations; software upgrades at the District Attorney’s Office; expansion of an embedded social worker program with Pleasant Prairie Police Department using grant funds; new positions aimed at maintaining low error rates and improving service times within workforce development programs; enhanced nursing compliance at Brookside Care Center; continued road repaving projects; reconstruction of Highway W; ongoing human services facility construction; river restoration initiatives; and shoreline work at Kemper Center grounds.
Kenosha County schools enrolled more than 25,000 students during the 2023-24 school year. Indian Trail High School had the highest enrollment with just over two thousand students. Demographically, white students made up about 55% of all students—a slight decrease from last year—while Hispanic students represented about one-quarter of enrollment as the second largest group. Black students accounted for roughly ten percent (https://dpi.wi.gov/). American Indian students were among those least represented (https://dpi.wi.gov/).
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