Gov. Tony Evers announced his 2025-27 Capital Budget Monday, proposing around $4.1 billion in investments to address aging infrastructure, prevent campus closures and a corrections reform plan.
The Capital Budget, introduced by Evers on Feb. 18, consists of agency requests and governor recommendations on how to allocate funds for various projects. It will prioritize innovation, sustainability and functionality, with a focus on modernizing public spaces, enhancing higher education facilities and creating infrastructure that meets the evolving needs of Wisconsin’s communities, according to the press release.
The proposal includes a $1.2 billion investment for the All Agency program — one of the highest investments in state history — which will help extend the life of critical state-owned and university buildings, improve safety and reliability and reduce operating costs.
In recent years, budget negotiations have been further complicated by political battles over UW System diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) positions. A recent deal between the UW System and Republican legislators sought to eliminate DEI programming while releasing previously withheld pay raises and funding key infrastructure projects, including a new engineering building at UW-Madison.
Evers highlighted a nearly $1.6 billion investment in capital improvement projects for the UW System, designed to build on his budget plan, which includes $856 million over the biennium to prevent campus closures, layoffs and program cuts, ensuring that the UW System remains a vital part of Wisconsin’s workforce and economy in the long term.
Key projects include the demolition and replacement of UW-Madison’s Mosse Humanities Building, transforming former hospital buildings into an interdisciplinary Health Sciences hub at UW-Milwaukee — unifying programs that are currently spread across five buildings — and completing the Prairie Springs Science Center at UW-La Crosse to support STEM education and workforce development.
“Governor Evers’ UWs capital budget provides key funding necessary for building repairs and renovations as well as critical new projects that modernize classroom and research facilities,” UW System President Jay Rothman said in a statement. “His proposal ensures Wisconsin is continuing to build opportunities for future generations of students.”
Republican lawmakers on the state building commission are expected to reject or stall the approval of projects in the upcoming months, ensuring that no projects move forward until Republicans on Wisconsin’s budget-writing committee have control to properly consider them.
The Capital Budget also recommends $325 million to realign correctional institutions as part of Evers’ Comprehensive Corrections Reform Plan. This includes a “domino” series of facility changes, such as the closure of the Green Bay Correctional Institution in 2029 and the rehabilitation and transformation of the Waupun Correctional Institution — both of which were built in the 1800s.
Due to delays caused by the Republican-controlled state Legislature, more than $13 billion in repairs and upgrades have been backlogged, with $3.4 billion of that being categorized as urgent. These urgent needs require immediate attention to prevent system failures, safety hazards and costly emergency repairs, according to the press release.
In response to these delays, Evers recommended focusing on small to mid-sized maintenance and repair projects across all state agencies, including the UW System. He also included an additional $406 million investment for Minor Facilities Renewal programs, with nearly $230 million allocated specifically for the UW System.
