Superior Mayor Jim Paine will be presenting his draft 2026 budget at the City Council meeting on Tuesday evening. This includes operational, capital, and revolving fund budgets for the upcoming fiscal year as well as projected spending for the following five years.
The budget proposal has a decrease of 1.55% for the city property tax levy while maintaining spending levels for all city services. There is a focus on public safety investments, which include: construction of a new firehall in the North End; expansion of police department staffing; dedicated funding for firefighter mental health; and a traffic light intervention system to increase the speed of first responder response.
There are also infrastructure investments in the budget proposal, including funding for lead line replacements, expanding the ConnectSuperior broadband network, building a new irrigation system to maintain the Nemadji Gold Course, and continued spending on streets, sidewalks, parks, and public safety vehicles. Additionally, there will be funds set aside for upcoming initiatives that include a marketing/tourism coordinator, improved archiving and public records access, and an expansion of city bus service.
The press release about this budget included the following statement:
“The 2026 budget demonstrates Superior’s growing fiscal health. We are now among the most financially healthy cities in Wisconsin and easily the strongest performing city in the Twin Ports. This budget makes significant investments in our long-term prosperity and immediately improves safety and quality of life for the people of Superior.”
