Menomonee Falls board unanimously approves $2026 capital budget, authorizes financing

Menomonee Falls
At a special meeting Jan. 19, the Menomonee Falls Village Board of Trustees unanimously approved the village's 2026 capital budget and authorized the village manager to proceed with financing. The vote followed presentations from Thomas Hoffman, director of public works, and Val Emrick, director of finance.

The adopted plan includes a mix of projects across utilities, streets, parks and public safety. Val Emrick said the village anticipates total borrowing of $28.6 million to fund capital needs and singled out a proposed public safety training facility estimated at $14.9 million. "The public safety training facility were coming we came in lower than we had anticipated," Emrick said, describing the project as funded by future fire and police impact fees and a future levy increase.

Hoffman reviewed key capital projects the board discussed in detail. He said the Leopard Dam work scheduled for design and inspection this year will require drawing the dam down in October and that construction would begin the following January, with final construction dollars expected in the 2027 budget and funded through a mix of general-obligation debt and SAFER grant funds. "We need to draw the dam down again in October," Hoffman said, adding the village will remove and replace the gate structure rather than patching the concrete as it did in earlier repairs.

Other highlighted projects include a triple-cell concrete culvert replacement under Campbell Drive tied to August flood cleanup and bank stabilization, a Pershing Avenue trail connection through Mill Pond Park funded in part with a 50% reimbursable Department of Natural Resources stewardship grant, and a Bella Vista booster station (about $1.7 million) where Hoffman said roughly $1.2 million would come from water impact fees and about $514,000 from TID 15 under the development agreement.

Hoffman also described plans to expand west-side water capacity with new deep and shallow wells, a large reservoir at Arrow Park and reservoir sizing in the 750,000-to-1,000,000-gallon range at the new site to provide redundancy and help control radium through blending with other wells. On streets, trustees noted complaints from neighborhoods; Hoffman said road ratings submitted to the state in December will be updated in March and that paving priorities will target roads rated low (2) and 3, with a planned overlay of Pilgrim Road following earlier water-main work.

Emrick outlined next steps for financing: Ehlers, the village's financial advisor, will present a detailed funding plan and parameters resolution at the March 2 meeting, and the village has a tentative bond sale date of March 18 with funds expected in early April. "We have some additional funding for the water utility that'll be paid back with future impact fees," Emrick said, summarizing funding sources that include impact fees, fund balances, transfers and borrowing.

A trustee moved to approve the 2026 capital budget and authorize the village manager to proceed with financing; a colleague seconded the motion and the board approved it by voice vote. The board then adjourned.

The board's next scheduled step on capital financing is the March 2 meeting, when Ehlers will present the detailed plan and the board may adopt bonding parameters ahead of the tentative March 18 sale.