County Executive Samantha Kerkman presented the 2026 budget proposal to the Kenosha County Board, highlighting the county’s recent achievements and outlining priorities for the coming year.
Kerkman noted the county’s 175th anniversary and the centennial of its Courthouse building, while also emphasizing the continuation of Kenosha County’s AAA bond rating. “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,” Kerkman said. “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 stated that since first receiving the AAA designation in 2021, the county has saved $1.2 million in interest costs. Kenosha County remains one of only seven counties in Wisconsin with this rating from a major agency. “It’s a legacy we will work hard to continue for many years to come,” Kerkman said.
Kerkman linked the bond rating to Kenosha County’s favorable economic development environment, mentioning that the county led Wisconsin in net new construction in 2024 and ranked third in five-year employment growth.
The proposed budget increases investments in public safety, with over 56 percent of levy spending allocated to this area, up from 47 percent five years ago. “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,” Kerkman said. “And for 2026, we’re levying more than $12 million more for public safety than we were in 2022.”
The budget includes higher compensation for sheriff’s deputies under a new three-year contract and funding for mental health support for deputies. Kerkman described the budget as fiscally responsible: “People have had to make changes in their family budgets due to increasing costs, and we’re doing the same in county government,” she said. “We’re working to stretch our dollars further.”
For the first time in recent memory, there will be a slight decrease in total county employee headcount 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,” Kerkman said, adding, “It’s a budget that leaves a strong legacy for Kenosha County.”
County Board committees will review the proposal over several weeks before a public hearing on November 4 and an expected vote on November 5.
Other highlights include funding for a study of Sheriff’s Office operations, new software for prosecutors reviewing police body camera footage, expansion of an embedded social worker program with Pleasant Prairie Police Department using grant support, creation of positions aimed at improving SNAP administration and care at Brookside Care Center, continued road repaving projects including Highway W reconstruction, and ongoing work on facilities such as the Human Services Building and restoration efforts at Pike River South Branch and Kemper Center grounds.
Kenosha County schools remain central within the community landscape. For example, Indian Trail High School and Academy had the highest enrollment among local schools during the 2023-24 academic year with over 2,000 students enrolled (https://dpi.wi.gov/). Demographically, white students comprised just over half of all students enrolled during this period (https://dpi.wi.gov/), while Hispanic students represented about one-quarter—the second largest group—and Black students accounted for just over ten percent (https://dpi.wi.gov/). American Indian students made up only two-tenths of one percent of enrollment (https://dpi.wi.gov/).
A full text version of Kerkman's address as well as additional details about the proposed budget are available online.
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