Total operational spending in Wisconsin’s cities and villages with populations over 2,000 saw modest increases for a second straight year in 2014, rising 1.8% from $841 to $856 per resident, according to a new study.

MunicipalFacts16, an exclusive annual study released by the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance (WISTAX), reviews spending in Wisconsin’s 245 most populous municipalities. WISTAX is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization devoted to public policy research and citizen education.

The operating figures represent key government services, such as general government operations; police;...