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By Aliss Higham
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Wisconsin Governor-elect David Crowley's administration has revealed a $4.5 million hole in his budget plan, hours after his gubernatorial election victory.
The error affects a spending plan presented by Milwaukee County Executive Crowley on October 1, when his administration said it had closed a projected $50 million budget shortfall.
A November 4 memo titled "2027 Budget Correction" blamed a newly automated calculation that mixed up positive and negative signs on two airport-related entries, making it appear to have $4,558,160 in savings that did not actually exist.
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The disclosure came after Crowley defeated Republican Representative Tom Tiffany, and just before county supervisors are scheduled to vote on the budget later on Thursday.
The Associated Press called the race at 4:28 a.m. on November 4. Crowley led 54.1 to 45.9 percent with almost all votes counted.
The memo said the error was discovered during a review of the proposed budget, but did not specify when the mistake was first identified or when Crowley was informed.
A spokesperson for Crowley said the executive "is aware of an error discovered in an automated formula used to calculate one aspect of the budget, a process previously done manually. Once identified, the Office of Strategy, Budget and Performance acted immediately to create a solution and correct the formula to prevent a recurrence. The County Executive is confident the issue is resolved and that Milwaukee County will end 2027 with a balanced budget."
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The county suggested plugging the budget hole with drug rebates, leftover project funds and savings elsewhere in the budget.
Newsweek contacted Milwaukee County via email outside regular working hours on Thursday to ask when the error was first discovered and to ask when Crowley first learned of it.
Crowley is scheduled to be sworn in as Wisconsin governor on January 4, 2027, succeeding fellow Democrat Governor Tony Evers. Crowley said on Wednesday he intends to resign from his current role before the end of December.
The memo, written by Nicholas Sinram, director of Milwaukee County's Office of Strategy, Budget and Performance (SBP), defended the benefits of the automated system.
"Although this error occurred within a newly automated process, automation has substantially improved the efficiency and accuracy of budget development overall," the memo reads. "SBP remains committed to its continuous improvement efforts, including automation, which have improved the overall efficiency and accuracy of the annual budget development process."
In a victory speech on Tuesday evening, Crowley urged Republican and Democrats to unite, telling supporters in Milwaukee, "We're gonna provide healthcare that is both accessible and affordable, but with real option; good schools funded without a referendum every other year; a government that is open, accountable and transparent.
"And guess what? None of these are Democratic or Republican ideas. These are Wisconsin ideas, y'all."
What Happens Next
The Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors is scheduled to consider the budget proposal on November 5 before it is returned to the county executive for approval or possible vetoes.
At this stage no plan to fill the gap has been approved, but the county said it plans to seek approval for a fix before April 2027.
Read the '2027 Budget Correction' Memo in Full
2027-Budget-Correction.pdf.PDF
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Matthew Cannon and Emma Lee-Sang
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