Milwaukee County’s goal is to enrich your life by providing essential services that meet your needs and those of your family, neighbors, co-workers and friends.
We enhance the quality of life in Milwaukee County through great public service.
Milwaukee County is home to over 950,000 people living in one of 19 communities, which range in size from the City of Milwaukee, with 595,000 residents, to the Village of River Hills, with roughly 1,600 residents.
Still a manufacturing stronghold, the region features 16 Fortune 1000 companies and thousands of others in the financial services, medical device, hospitality and retailing industries.
Find information about things to do and happenings in Milwaukee County.
We are continually looking for qualified candidates to serve on boards and commissions that oversee a variety of subjects and make wide-ranging decisions or give advice affecting Milwaukee County residents. If you wish to apply, submit a letter of interest indicating which appointment(s) you seek, along with a resume, cover letter or brief biography via email. You may apply at any time, regardless of whether there is a current opening, as resignations occur throughout the year.
Contact the Board and Commission Liaison
The ADRC Governing Board is the lead county agency responsible for specific duties related to the policies and operations of both the Aging Resource Center and the Disability Resource Center, serving persons age 60 and over and adults ages 18 - 59 with physical or intellectual disabilities or mental health.
The museums contribute to Milwaukee County’s quality of life by offering vibrant exhibitions, collaborative educational programs, performances, and other events. Programming includes six new art exhibitions each year that feature local and regional artistic production and promote such work in a way larger institutions cannot. The museums also offer concerts, films, family art-making workshops, lectures, tours and special events.
The Civil Service Commission ensures the fair and impartial due process hearings for the suspension, demotion or discharge of Behavioral Health Division County employees in the classified service, considers requests for the transfer of county positions to or from the classified service, and exercises administrative control over the merit system, including promulgation of rules, pursuant to Wisconsin Statutes 63.01 to 63.03 and the Milwaukee County General Ordinances Civil Service Rules.
The Combined Community Services Board (CCSB) is a sworn advisory board that reports to the Milwaukee County Board Health and Human Needs Committee and operates pursuant to Wisconsin Statutes Chapters 51.42(4) and 51.437 as well as Chapter 93 General Ordinances of Milwaukee County.
The purpose of the Commission is to promote the independence of persons with disabilities and to: Remove attitudinal and environmental barriers, promote maximal level of independence with dignity for persons with disabilities, and have primary responsibility for assessing and finding solutions for the needs of Milwaukee County residents with disabilities.
The Commission on Aging is the lead county agency responsible for developing administering and/or implementing a comprehensive coordinated human service system for community based services for county residents age sixty years and older, for assessing the major issues and needs of the over sixty population, for providing technical assistance to agencies and organizations within the county that are involved with aging issues, for reviewing the planning and service efforts of organizations and institutions in the county and its aging network, and for making recommendations thereof.
The mission of the Milwaukee County Election Commission is to administer federal, state, and local elections in a manner that fosters public trust in the accuracy, efficiency and fairness of elections and develops public confidence in the democratic process.
The Milwaukee County EMS Council assists the EMS Division and other medical providers within the council. Assistance includes: planning, review and evaluation of EMS; making recommendations regarding the operation of the EMS delivery systems to the Section of EMS and to the Health & Human Needs Committee of the County Board of Supervisors; recommending policy relating to the coordination, oversight, and delivery of EMS within the county; and acting as the coordinating body for all pertinent local, state, or federal grant applications pertaining to the provision of EMS.
The Ethics Board reviews, investigates and determines, as needed, all verbal and written complaints of potential violations of the Ethics Code as outlined in Chapter 9 of the Milwaukee County General Ordinances by Milwaukee County employees, Milwaukee County office holders and candidates for public office of Milwaukee County. The Board reviews the rules, practices and procedures of the Ethics Code pursuant to Chapter 9 of the Milwaukee County General Ordinances. The Board reviews annual financial Statements of Economic Interests for Milwaukee County employees, Milwaukee County office holders, citizens serving on board and commissions of Milwaukee County and candidates for public office in Milwaukee County service.
According to County Ordinance, the Milwaukee County Human Rights Commission is charged with receiving reports on all matters concerning the equal rights of all persons within the county and, after due deliberations and open hearings, advising the appropriate department or division of county government of the proper procedures for preserving the equal rights of persons as guaranteed by the law.
The Marcus Center for the Performing Arts is a facility owned and partially funded by Milwaukee County. The Marcus Center for the Performing Arts Inc. (MCPA) is the non-profit corporation that operates the Center for the County. The organization’s Mission reads: As a bridge between cultures, the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts offers facilities and services of the highest quality, makes available a wide range of the performing arts, and acts as an energizing force for effective collaboration and advocacy in the community.
The Milwaukee County Mental Health Board was established in 2014 through Wisconsin Act 203. The board is made up of 13 members and includes mental health professionals, consumers and advocates. The Mental Health Board is responsible for setting policy for the Behavioral Health Division.
The Milwaukee Art Museum collects and preserves art, presenting it to the community as a vital source of inspiration and education. Central to the museum’s mission is its role as a premier educational resource with educational programs that are among the largest in the nation, involving classes, tours, and a full calendar of events for all ages.
The mission of the Milwaukee County Federated Library System (MCFLS) shall be to assume a leadership role in facilitating cooperation among its member libraries, improving access to and encouraging sharing of resources, promoting the most effective use of local, county, state and federal funds and assisting member libraries in the utilization of current and evolving technologies to provide the highest possible level of library service to all residents of Milwaukee County.
The Milwaukee County Historical Society was founded in 1935 to collect, preserve and make available materials relating to the history of the Milwaukee community. Through a broad range of activities, the Historical Society seeks to recognize and preserve our local history. In promoting a greater appreciation of Milwaukee County’s heritage, the Historical Society hopes to develop a better understanding of the issues and challenges facing Milwaukee County today.
The Board of Directors is collectively responsible for the policies, financial welfare and successful achievement of organizational objectives of the Milwaukee Public Museum, Inc., a private not-for-profit organization which manages the Milwaukee Public Museum. The Board guides the museum’s service to the community, state and region through a broad variety of scientific, historic and educational activities.
The MSO reaches out to diverse audiences through concert performances and nationally recognized education and outreach programs. All programs are guided by the MSO Family Shared Vision which states that the MSO exists for three purposes: to comfort, educate, entertain and exhilarate the human soul through events of cultural significance, relevance and artistic challenge; to embrace, preserve and foster our musical heritage; and to enhance the vibrancy of our community.
The Employees' Retirement System of the County of Milwaukee was created to encourage qualified personnel to enter and remain in the service of the County of Milwaukee by providing for a system of retirement, disability and death benefits for its employees. The authority to manage and control the Retirement System is vested in the Pension Board.
The Personnel Review Board ensures fair and impartial due process hearings for the suspension, demotion or discharge of county employees in the classified service, as provided by and as prescribed under Wisconsin Statutes 63.10 and 63.12, and Chapters 33, 17.207, 9 and Civil Service Rule VII, Section 4 of the Milwaukee County General Ordinances.
For more than 50 years, the Social Development Commission (SDC) has served as a planner, coordinator, and provider of human service programs for low-income individuals and families in Milwaukee County. SDC was established in 1963 as an intergovernmental commission under Wisconsin State Statute 66.0125. With its vision of ensuring that all Milwaukee County residents will have equal access to the resources needed to help them achieve economic self-sufficiency, the SDC believes that all individuals are to be treated and valued with compassion, dignity and respect.
The Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission (SEWRPC) was established in 1960 as the official area wide planning agency for the southeastern region of the State. SEWRPC serves the seven counties of Kenosha, Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Racine, Walworth, Washington, and Waukesha. SEWRPC was created to provide objective information and professional planning initiatives to help solve problems and to focus regional attention on key issues of regional consequence.
Milwaukee World Festival, Inc. is a private, not for profit, 501(c)(3) Wisconsin corporation founded in 1965 that produces Summerfest®, an 11-day festival that generates approximately $181.3 million in direct and indirect economic impact for the community each year. Milwaukee World Festival, Inc. also maintains Henry Maier Festival Park, located on 75 acres on the shores of Lake Michigan in Milwaukee, WI.
The Milwaukee County Veterans Service Commission (MCVSC) is responsible for administering the county Needy Veterans Fund, which provides emergency grants to eligible Milwaukee County veterans, their spouses/surviving spouses, and dependent children. The program currently provides emergency grants for eligible applicants facing evictions or WE Energies disconnects, security deposits, emergency travel for death of immediate family and indigent burial.
VISIT Milwaukee markets Greater Milwaukee to tourists, and convention and meeting planners, both nationally and internationally. VISIT Milwaukee has approximately 600 members, including hotels/motels, restaurants, attractions, services and area businesses. Total business sales related to tourism amounted to $4.62 billion in Greater Milwaukee in 2013 and supported more than 48,500 local jobs. The City of Wauwatosa, Potawatomi Bingo Casino and the Wisconsin Center District are strategic partners with VISIT Milwaukee, providing funding support for conventions and tourism programs.
The Wisconsin Center District is a special purpose District created as a body corporate and politic by the City of Milwaukee pursuant to the provisions of Sections 229.42, Wisconsin Statutes. The District shall be a separate unit of government distinct from the City of Milwaukee and the State of Wisconsin and shall have all of the powers granted to it by Section 229.44, Wisconsin Statutes.
Milwaukee County believes that investing in the healthy development of young people has a significant and lasting impact on our future. The Milwaukee County Youth Commission was established in 2002, but had been inactive. In 2022, County Executive David Crowley and Board Chairwoman Marcelia Nicholson co-authored a resolution to re-establish the Youth Commission.
(414) 278-4211 | fax: (414) 223-1375 Milwaukee County Courthouse, Room 306 901 N. 9th Street | Milwaukee, WI 53233