Milwaukee County courthouse cost doubles to nearly $900 million

By VANESSA SWALES

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Milwaukee County has an updated $897 million price tag to overhaul its crumbling downtown courthouse complex – doubling initial projections.

The more than 320,000-square-foot Courthouse Complex is almost 100 years old and is home to the county’s criminal courts, County Jail as well as the Sheriff’s and District Attorney’s offices. The existing judicial buildings have been called “severely outdated” and “functionally obsolete,” creating public safety and security issues over the years.

“We are faced with an urgent need. The Public Safety Building has well surpassed the end of its life. The question in front of us isn’t whether we replace it, but when we will do it and how responsibly we can get it done,” County Executive David Crowley said in a statement July 2.

“At the same time, this structural need presents the rare opportunity to make a generational investment in a safer community, greater accessibility, and more efficient services. Milwaukee County can live out our values and priorities without breaking the bank.”

The county previously estimated costs for construction of the new facility to house criminal courts and related services to sit between roughly $435.5 million and $488.8 million — depending on inflation — between 2024 and 2026.

However, inflation costs have since ballooned and will continue to if the project is delayed, according to a statement from Crowley’s Office.

While the costly move might be worrisome given the financial struggles that loom for the county, Crowley expects his administration’s funding approach to cover the increase and cut the cost to county property tax payers by more than $400 million by tapping other sources.

Crowley said the county can leverage funds made available through the state’s budget for 2025, in which it changed how it funds the county’s mandated public safety services and offset an estimated $20 million in annual local spending. Of the dollars freed up, the county earmarked $15.8 million toward the courthouse project in the 2026 annual budget.

In the prepared statement, Crowley argued that if the county continues to leverage funds as they have, taxpayers are expected to save more than $94.8 million in addition to another $316.4 million if the county continues to pay down debt service related the project bonding.

If successful, the project is expected to pay off in the longer term by saving the county $1.25 million in utility costs every year, according to the statement. The redesign could also save the county more than $12.1 million annually by reducing felony deposition timelines to statewide averages as well as overtime costs for Sheriff’s Office staff to transport in-custody defendants.

Crowley warned of rising costs if the project is delayed

Delays in approving funding could cost the county up to an additional $4 million per month, according to Crowley’s Office.

“Let me be blunt: doing nothing isn’t free. This building is going to cost us whether we act or not, and every month we wait, that number climbs and the risk of emergency repairs increases,” said County Board Supervisor Steve F. Taylor, who is chairman of the county’s finance committee. “My job is to protect the people who pay the bills, and that means getting a new courthouse built without dumping the whole tab in the laps of Milwaukee County taxpayers.”

While a number of supervisors agree with the project – with some reluctantly or cautiously so – Supervisor Justin Bielinski continues to question the move, especially as some of the money carved out in the estimate are not certain.

“I strongly disagree with doing this big of an investment right now with so much of it falling on the taxpayers and so many unknowns when it comes to other funding we’re going to get, particularly the likelihood of getting actual state money that’s actually dedicated to this building as a non-state grant diminishes significantly,” Bielinski told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

He added: “It’s going to be hard to change my mind on that.”

Bielinski said he would like to see a referendum vote that would allow public input on the November ballot – one on which Crowley would be on if he wins the 2026 Democratic primary for governor in August.

In the last decade, the county has highlighted the need to tackle severely backlogged maintenance and to invest in the courthouse facilities following advice from advisory and policy groups.

As of 2024, deferred maintenance, code compliance upgrades and upkeep needs exceed $334 million, with the Public Safety Building previously reporting more than $75 million in deferred system replacements, not including code and safety issues.

Some other problems with the current complex include: poor building design resulting in slow transportation for defendants and juries; spaces that are not compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act; air quality issues; poor technology; crumbling façade and plaster; broken windows, plumbing leaks; as well as $500,000 reserved annually for emergency repairs.

Chief Judge Carl Ashley previously called the project “long overdue,” saying: “The fact of the matter is, the Safety Building is a relic … It’s clearly outdated, functionally obsolete. It has significant public safety and security issues, and it does not reflect the quality of service for which the county is responsible.

The design phase of the new courthouse complex began in late 2024 and with initial timelines expecting to wrap up in 2028. The earliest the county would break ground, however, had originally been projected for 2027. However, demolition has now been pushed back to 2028, with construction expected to take place between 2029 and 2032.