Manitowoc County’s executive is not pulling any punches about items he’s vetoing in the 2026 county budget.
Bob Ziegelbauer announced he is partially vetoing five parts of the budget, including borrowing for an increase in salaries, the Axon body camera proposal for the sheriff’s office, and some borrowing for highway and road projects.
Ziegelbauer calls the $370,000 in borrowing to fund a 1% increase in salaries “so wrong”, saying it would cause more debt in the future, which would require more borrowing by the county.
With regards to the body camera proposal, the county executive called it a “beginning of a $1.5 million commitment with money you (the board) don’t have.”
Ziegelbauer reexplained that while it supports bodycams and cameras for deputies, “it’s way too expensive and cameras can be bought (not leased) for a lot less.”
The Artificial Intelligence portion of the Axon body camera proposal is also being vetoed, along with $243,000 from the tax levy, to bring the total down to just under $34 million.
Lastly, the county executive is vetoing $200,000 of borrowing in the Highway Roads and Bridges Special Revenue fund budget, reducing it from $3,000,000 to $2,800,000.
Ziegelbauer was also very open about some board members’ frustration about the budget process.
He said board members had four weeks to review the budget.
He put it bluntly, saying, “I heard a lot of complaints on the budget, but no plans from the members. You didn’t do the work. Talk is cheap. Where is your plan?”
The Manitowoc County Board of Supervisors could override the vetoes with a 2/3 majority vote.
