Oct. 6, 2022 8:20a
(WGTD)---Kenosha County Executive Samantha Kerkman and Racine County Executive Jonathan Delagrave have revealed their proposed budgets and new initiatives for next year.
With the backing of the sheriff, Kerkman is proposing a crime-fighting analyst in the sheriff’s department to gain a better understanding of what drives crime, and where it’s occurring.
At a budget briefing for reporters this week, Kerkman also signaled support for a study on how local government has responded to crisis situations, such as the 2020 civil unrest in Kenosha. She’s also supports funding for a new detective position in the sheriff’s department.
Meanwhile, Delagrave is focusing in part on low reading scores in the elementary grades. Without going into detail, Delagrave said he wants to form a coalition to focus on helping schools in the county improve the reading skills of students. If the coalition achieves its goals, the benefits, he said, would include higher graduation rates and in the long term higher incomes.
He noted that less than a-quarter of Racine Unified third graders recently tested as either proficient or advanced in reading.
Delagrave’s budget calls for a 2.4% increase in the tax levy while Kerkman’s plan includes a 1.9% increase. Both budgets would lower the mill rate, meaning that property owners would pay less in property taxes for county purposes if the assessments on their homes remain the same.
The county boards of each county will now review the budget proposals.
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