County taxes, state law and a contested claim
Milwaukee County’s tax picture changed notably after David Crowley became county executive in May 2020. County and state records show the county’s sales tax was raised and its property tax levies moved up and down between 2020 and 2025 — a pattern that complicates broad claims about whether taxes have generally fallen or risen under Crowley.
In late 2023 Crowley signed an increase in the Milwaukee County sales tax that nearly doubled the county portion from 0.5% to 0.9%, after the County Board approved the change. That action followed passage of a bipartisan state law known as Act 12, which allowed Milwaukee city and county officials to raise local sales taxes while also increasing state aid to some local governments. The law was intended in part to help Milwaukee-area governments avoid fiscal crises.
Property tax levies during Crowley’s term
County financial reports show that property tax levies — the total amount the county billed taxpayers, not the rate paid by any individual property owner — moved as follows during the period that covers Crowley’s time in office:
| Year | Milwaukee County property tax levy |
|---|---|
| 2020 | $304.8 million |
| 2021 | $310.3 million (1.8% increase) |
| 2022 | $313.8 million (1.1% increase) |
| 2023 | $292.3 million (-6.9% decrease) |
| 2024 | $299.6 million (2.5% increase) |
| 2025 | $309.9 million (3.4% increase) |
Those figures come from Milwaukee County budgets and state data compiled by local newsrooms and watchdog groups. They represent the county levy totals in dollars, not the percentage of assessed value paid by any single property owner.
How to read the data
- Sales tax: The county’s share of the sales tax rose from 0.5% to 0.9% after the County Board approved the change and the county executive signed it.
- Property tax levies: Totals fluctuated year to year — modest increases in 2021 and 2022, a sharp drop in 2023, then increases again in 2024 and 2025.
- State comparison: From 2020 to 2023 the statewide average levy change was reported at about 2.6%, a figure used to compare Milwaukee County’s levy trend to statewide movement.
“The largest property tax cut,”
That phrase has been used by Crowley’s campaign to describe a property-tax outcome during his tenure. The description reflects the county’s action and context around Act 12, which provided additional state aid and permitted local sales tax increases that affected overall county revenue streams. The county’s levy totals show there was a meaningful decline in the levy in 2023, followed by rebounds in subsequent years.
Local implications and political context
These fiscal moves have immediate impacts for Milwaukee residents. A higher county sales tax increases the cost of taxable purchases for shoppers across the county. Changes in the county levy influence how much revenue the county collects from property owners overall and can affect county services and budgeting choices.
Taxes in Milwaukee County are also a point of debate in statewide politics. David Crowley is the Democratic nominee for governor in the Nov. 3 election and has highlighted tax actions during his time as county executive. Opponents and fact-checkers have scrutinized those claims by comparing levy totals, the sales tax increase and the effects of Act 12 to determine whether taxes have broadly risen or fallen.
County budget documents, Wisconsin Legislative Fiscal Bureau analysis and reporting from local newsrooms were cited in compiling the timeline and figures. Readers seeking the full budget reports and state analyses can consult Milwaukee County’s adopted operating budgets and state fiscal briefs for more detail.
As Milwaukee voters consider county and state leadership this fall, the interplay of sales taxes, property levies and state aid will remain central to discussions about fiscal policy and local services.
