It’s not uncommon for the state to have dozens of school districts each election asking for additional operating funds.

But at the same time, cities also pass referendums asking local voters to raise property taxes to pay for basic services like fire and EMS departments. This ask to voters has become more common in recent years as state funding for local government continues to fall behind the cost of inflation.

In 2023, Democratic Gov. Tony Evers and Republican leadership in the Legislature celebrated a bipartisan compromise that boosted funding for local governments by nearly 20%. But after more than a decade of property tax freezes, local governments around the state have still been forced to go to referendum since then to ask the voters to raise their own taxes to cover the increased costs of basic services like police and fire protection.

Here & Now asked leading 2026 candidates for governor if they want to see changes to how the state shares revenue with local governments.

“I served two terms as a locally elected official. I think we need to make sure that they are well funded. I think especially on the infrastructure side in regards to roads, ’cause that’s oftentimes the biggest thing for local units of government. We need to make sure that they have good funding to be able to maintain their infrastructure, especially roads and bridges,” said U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, a Republican candidate.

“You know, as the county executive, 80% of our local tax levy is going toward state-mandated services. These are services that most folks may not actually utilize, but those most used amenities like our public parks, like our county zoo, like our county transit system, these are non-mandated services and it really puts those particular services that help to improve the quality of life for individuals who live in or around or just play in Milwaukee County — those are always on the chopping block. And so we actually need a better course of action. We need a better relationship with the state of Wisconsin for all local municipalities to be able to fund the necessary programs and services that their residents expect but also rely on every day,” said Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, a Democratic candidate.

“I think that the state needs to meet its commitment to local governments and to our public schools. You know, the promise was the state would cover two-thirds of the cost, and we have really very, very infrequently ever lived up to that. Meanwhile, local property taxpayers are asked to raise their own already too high property taxes just to keep the lights on for our schools and keep the snowplows on the road and police and firefighters on the street. That’s not fair. The state is sitting on a multi-billion dollar surplus and has for years, and it’s time that we reinvested that money where taxpayers expect and deserve it to be spent in our local communities,” said state Sen. Kelda Roys, a Democratic candidate.

“When we have the number of referenda that are still going on, when places like Whitewater and Stevens Point have to go, right, have to go to referendum in order to create positions for firefighters, that system is still not working the way it needs to work. And so, I think that no matter what we do, we need to ensure that the relationship between local government and state government is strong, and that we’re hearing what’s happening at the local level. I think that we have for many years as state shared revenue was frozen, I think we were not listening to local government as their costs were increasing,” said former Wisconsin Department of Administration Sec. Joel Brennan, a Democratic candidate.

“The state has been starving our local municipalities, and for over a decade now. It’s imperative that we have a more equitable shared revenue formula to make sure that our local municipalities have the resources they need. They say the government that’s closest to your door is the government that’s going to pass policies that impact you quickest. So it’s, for our communities, it’s necessary for our communities to have municipalities that have the resources to provide the services that people need,” said state Rep. Francesca Hong, a Democratic candidate.

We do need more investment in local government. When I talk to municipalities and cities all across the state, they are really struggling to be able to provide the services that their constituents expect. Basic services — we’re talking about making sure that their parks stay open, their public libraries stay open, that there’s a public pool that kids can go to in the summer. So we’re going to have to look at that formula of how we fund municipalities and cities to make sure they can provide those services,” said Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez, a Democratic candidate.

You know, local governments are really struggling under the weight of a lack of funding and years of lack of funding. … We need to do better and make sure that local communities have resources. My platform of building the economy is really focused on looking at the main streets around the state, saying, “What do you need, what are your priorities?” Giving some resources, so that then they can start to generate momentum and be able to have local economies that are providing good jobs, health care and the services that Wisconsinites need,” said former Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation CEO Missy Hughes, a Democratic candidate.

Well, there’s long been a funding flaw that has made it more difficult for municipalities to be able to get the resources or even the money that goes to Madison to come back at the same rate. This has been an issue in Milwaukee. That’s why we’ve seen the raise in sales tax in the city of Milwaukee and Milwaukee County. But that didn’t change the formula. The percentage is still the same. So effectively, there’s even more money coming in. But at a time also, when people are feeling the pinch, you know, at the grocery store or anytime they’re at any checkout counter, now we have this increased sales tax, which is making it even harder for people. But the reason that is the case is because Madison has failed, and the Legislature has failed to actually implement a real solution to make it easier for municipalities to get the support they deserve. We’re going to be convening a group of local elected officials, of mayors, very soon to be able to have this conversation, have this discussion in a real way,” said former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, a Democratic candidate.