Wisconsin Natural Resources Board approves $1.2B DNR budget request

(The Center Square) – The Wisconsin Natural Resources Board wants $1.2 billion of funding, a 2% increase, in its 2025-27 biennial budget request.

The department is requesting $488.8 million in state funding and $16.3 million in non-state funds for capital projects. Facilities and Lands Director Terry Bay said that will fund 334 total projects, part of what he called a more than $1 billion backlog of Priority A and B projects the department is looking to address.

The department categorizes projects as anywhere from A to D in priority with A being safety risks on items such as clean water, bridges or item that could lead to a section of a park closing. Category B is repair and maintenance of anything from roads to bridges, boat launches and dams while C is enhancement of current assets such as road and trail relocations or extensions and D is new construction of roads, trails and facilities.

“We are not expanding or growing,” Bay said. “We are trying to maintain what we have.”

The department budget request was recently submitted to the Department of Administration and Gov. Tony Evers, who will submit an executive budget in January or February before Finance Committee hearings occur in March and June and the Assembly and Senate approve a budget bill before the end of June.

The department budget includes eliminating 46 positions that were federal project jobs funded temporarily through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that were designed to end.

The project budget includes 26 major projects that will cost $3 million or more, 73 minor projects costing between $300,000 and $3 million and 235 projects costing less than $300,000.

The non-state funds come from grants, gifts and federal funding.

Bay said that $120 million of the request are for Category A projects that won’t be able to remain open without the funding and repairs.