# Chippewa County Board Budget Hearing Meeting - November 5, 2026


**Body:** Chippewa County, Wisconsin
**Date:** November 04, 2026
**Jurisdiction:** SLED

**Tags:** Construction & Infrastructure, Physical Infrastructure, Grants & Funding


Chippewa County Board budget hearing, November 5, 2026: The board reviewed the proposed 2027 county budget, totaling $129,026,587, with a proposed property-tax levy of $23,051,141 (up 3.23%) and a tax rate of $2 per $1,000 of assessed value (down 5.49%). The budget includes a 3% across-the-board wage adjustment, a 5% employer-side health-insurance cost increase without higher employee premiums, and additional funding for liability insurance. The county administrator described the budget as balanced, sustainable, and not reliant on fund balance. Supervisors debated a $54,000 allocation associated with the Northern Wisconsin State Fair; one supervisor sought to remove it, while another cited county uses of the facility. The budget passed 17–1. The county also reported budgeting $10,414,917 in sales-tax revenue and balances for property-tax credits, previously approved capital projects, and other allocations; $132,890 supports the county’s airport agreement with Eau Claire. The county’s general fund balance was reported at 40% of expenses at year-end 2025.

The highway department reported that it received a $10 million state local-bridge-program award for the M Bridge project, with an estimated county share of about $5 million; the schedule may extend to 2031, and added regulatory and historical-review requirements could affect timing. The department reported opening proposals for wheel loaders, patch trailers, and a spray patcher, with specifications still under review, and expects three patrol-truck chassis shortly. For 2027, it anticipates 17 miles of paving by county crews, two contracted paving miles, and 23.3 miles of chip sealing. County crews completed courthouse parking-lot work under budget. The board also considered 2027 bridge/culvert aid and county aid construction and maintenance resolutions; the transcript records 18 affirmative votes on the county-aid resolution.

**Source:** Chippewa County, Wisconsin