MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) — As city leaders craft Milwaukee’s 2026 budget, one of the most contentious items is Mayor Cavalier Johnson’s proposal to raise the city’s vehicle registration fee, commonly referred to as a wheel tax. One alderman wants to instead defund the city’s streetcar as budget-balancing measure.
Milwaukee’s current vehicle registration fee is $30/year. In addition to $85 in state fees and $30 from Milwaukee County, drivers who store their cars in the city of Milwaukee would pay a total of $155 annually under Johnson’s plan to raise the city fee to $40.
According to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, a $40 wheel tax would tie Milwaukee with Madison, Janesville, Fitchburg, Oregon, Shawano and Evansville for the steepest in the state. Milwaukee’s total cost of $155 would be the state’s most expensive, edging out Madison’s $153 cost…