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Record of Proceedings

Janesville City Council Regular Meeting - October 26, 2026

Meeting Portal — Monday, October 26, 2026
BodyJanesville, Wisconsin
SessionMeeting Portal
DateMonday, October 26, 2026
StatusNEW · FILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:30:30

Original source
Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

Speaker numbers apply only to this recording. Names come from transcript evidence. “Possibly” marks uncertain attribution.

Speaker 1

0:03

Good evening.

0:04

I'd like to call to order uh the city council meeting for Monday, October 26, 2026.

0:11

If we could please stand and join the Pledge of Allegiance.

Speaker 2

0:14

Flag is off to you right

Speaker 1

0:15

there.

Unassigned speaker

0:17

I

Speaker 2

0:17

pledge

Speaker 1

0:18

allegiance to the flag of the United States of America to the Republic for which it stands.

0:26

Under God indivisible with liberty of

Speaker 3

0:29

justice for all.

Speaker 1

0:31

Thank

Unassigned speaker

0:31

you.

Speaker 1

0:33

In case of emergency, please use the stairs and not the elevator to exit.

0:37

Walk to the north side of the police department and wait for further instructions.

0:41

Will the clerk please call the roll?

Speaker 4

0:43

Council President Squire.

Speaker 1

0:45

Here.

Speaker 4

0:49

Joining us virtually tonight.

0:51

Councilmember Erdman.

Speaker 5

0:52

Here.

Speaker 4

0:53

Councilmember Miller?

0:54

Here.

0:54

Councilmember Nino.

Speaker 5

0:55

Here.

Speaker 4

0:55

Councilmember Pope?

0:56

Here.

0:57

Councilmember Seaman?

0:58

Here.

0:58

Everybody is present.

1:00

We have a quorum.

Speaker 1

1:01

Excellent.

1:02

Item number three recognitions.

1:03

We have none tonight.

1:06

Item four.

1:06

Public comments on items on the agenda not requiring a public hearing and on matters which can be affected by council action.

1:14

Individuals wishing to address the city council are asked to sign in on the roster in the lobby or provide a slip to the clerk.

1:23

And please keep your comments to under four minutes.

1:26

Do we have any one

Speaker 4

1:27

addressing that?

1:28

First is tied Bulleroo.

Speaker 6

1:38

I'm sorry, 216.

1:39

Jamesville, Wisconsin.

1:41

Exactly the reason why we don't retire out Chapter 68 law, Wisconsin state is what we're doing right now.

1:48

We basically, so we don't have a king.

1:51

We didn't have like uh King Waltman go ahead and take and then hire somebody else to temporarily be the king and then play with uh monopoly money on a deed of 3.5 million dollars, and we got a copy of the city manager.

2:04

Anybody that wants a copy at the city council, he should the the current one should be able to get a copy to them them folks.

2:11

Two things happen fraudulent um uh trust funds, uh according to Dave Godak, there is no uh money out of that like half a million dollars that the city paid themselves out of that 3.5 million, which would have to be a trust account.

2:27

So basically there's no chance that it can work out zero.

2:30

You guys got to receive it some other way that that uh and there's lots of different ways.

2:35

It's 99 years, so you could do a treaty with all sorts of uh uh you know players involved.

2:41

There's all sorts of things you can do.

2:43

Um the base price, uh negotiation, you can flip that 3.5 million with uh partnerships of the owners that are out there.

2:52

The owners that um uh um also own it, they would own zoning rights.

2:59

So where that's at that 3.5, you'd have to have some understanding of what you're gonna do with that deed once you so you could receive it.

3:06

You know what what's it actually worth?

3:08

Is it worth you know uh 200 million, 300 million?

3:12

Well, the old site says 20 billion uh 20 billion dollars worth of cars the last year was produced out off that site.

3:20

20 billion.

3:21

So you know, this data center where we can all get on our knees at 450 million dollars, which is not even not even close to the tax that they paid in one single year, and that's well quitorium uh uh taxes on the UAW that uh for that car.

3:38

So well, our connection, um, we we don't even dare talk about that.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Affordable Housing█████████████████████████████████████████41%
Parks and Recreation████████████████16%
Procedural████████████12%
Economic Development███████7%
Personnel Matters████4%
Community Engagement████4%
Public Engagement███3%
Downtown Revitalization███3%
Water And Wastewater Management███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Janesville City Council Regular Session Meeting - October 26, 2026

The Janesville City Council met on Monday, October 26, 2026, at 6:00 PM in Council Chambers. The meeting included reports, public comments, consent agenda approvals, discussion and action on several new business items (including a sanitary sewer lining contract, a transit fare ordinance hearing, and presentations from two developers for the 2400 Beloit Avenue site), and a closed session. Key outcomes included unanimous approval of a Traxler Park memorial upgrade, a Business Improvement District operating plan, a Pine Ridge Estates MOU, a sewer lining contract, and a directive to negotiate with Next Generation as the preferred developer for 2400 Beloit Avenue.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved unanimously: Minutes of October 12, 2026; Licenses; September 2026 financial statements; Library tax exemption resolution; Resolution commending Heather E. Myers for 20 years of service; McCormick Crossing MOU; Final piston of Pine Ridge Estates Sixth Addition.
  • Items E (BID Operating Plan) and G (Pine Ridge Estates MOU) were pulled for separate discussion and also approved unanimously.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Tied Bulleroo: Spoke in opposition to the city's handling of a legal dispute (Waltman litigation) and alleged mismanagement of funds. Criticized the process of appointing an interim city manager and questioned the validity of certain deeds and trust funds.
  • Claire Gray (representing Forward Janesville, a resident of Janesville): Expressed strong support for the city's public engagement process for the 2400 Beloit Avenue site. Thanked staff and council for thorough planning, including two community workshops and unanimous votes. Voiced hope for the local developers' proposals.

Discussion Items

  • Traxler Park Memorial Update (Patriotic Society): Tom Stahura, Jim Carini, and Bill Myle presented a three-phase plan to renovate the veterans memorial walkway. The centerpiece would be a 20-foot illuminated star with 5 spotlights, RG B lights, and a gold ring for gold star families. They requested permission to proceed with Phase 1 (a bench for Terry Hatch and Navy veterans) and Phase 2 (the central monument, replacing an existing structure). They did not request funding, only permission. Council unanimously indicated support.
  • Interim City Manager Update: Jay Shambeau gave brief remarks thanking staff, council, and the community for their collaboration during his tenure. He introduced Rebecca as the incoming city manager.
  • Business Improvement District (BID) 2027 Operating Plan (Item 6E): Council member questioned walkability and snow removal efforts. Paul Murphy (BID president) explained camera installations ($35,000 for downtown safety), AED placements with fire department, and partnership with city for snow removal. The plan was unanimously approved.
  • Pine Ridge Estates 6th Addition MOU (Item 6G): Council member highlighted the addition of 17 housing plots as part of the city's housing goals. The MOU was unanimously approved.
  • Bid Schedule G – Sanitary and Storm Sewer Lining (Item 8A): City Engineer Brad Rentz presented a contract to reline 16,400 linear feet of sewer pipe using a felt liner with expected 50-year lifespan. Three bids were received; Visual Sewer was low at $1,293,517. The council unanimously awarded the contract.
  • Transit Fare Ordinance (Item 8B): The ordinance adjusting Janesville Transit fares was introduced and a public hearing was scheduled for November 9, 2026.
  • 2400 Beloit Avenue Developer Presentations (Item 8C): Two finalists presented proposals:
    • Next Generation (Zach Kuston): Proposed 102 single-family lots, 16 duplexes, and 132 apartments (48 affordable units). Commitment to partner with Habitat for Humanity for at least 10 home sites. Proposed two TIDs (multifamily and residential) and discussed fee contributions from the city.
    • Advantage Homes (Doug / Horizon Development): Proposed a mix of single-family, duplexes, and condos. Partnered with Horizon Development for 52 units of 100% affordable housing (40-60% AMI). Proposed lot costs around $15,000 per lot through city incentives and tax credits. Their timeline included a purchase contract by November 2 for WHEDA application.
    • After presentations, the council moved into closed session to discuss negotiation strategies for the 2400 Beloit Avenue development and other matters.

Key Outcomes

  • Traxler Park Memorial: Council unanimously granted permission for the Patriotic Society to proceed with design and construction of the bench and central monument, aiming for Veterans Day 2027.
  • BID 2027 Operating Plan: Approved unanimously.
  • Pine Ridge Estates 6th Addition MOU: Approved unanimously.
  • Sanitary Sewer Lining Contract: Awarded to Visual Sewer for $1,293,517, unanimously.
  • 2400 Beloit Avenue Preferred Developer: Following closed session, the council reconvened and voted 6-0 to direct staff to negotiate exclusively with Next Generation, taking into account concerns raised in closed session.
  • Closed Session: Council unanimiouly moted into closed session at 7:28 PM under Wis. Stats. 19.85(1)(e) and (g) for litigation strategy (GM/JATCO, Janes LLC) and negotiation strategies for 2400 Beloit Avenue and 2407 West Wall Street acquisition.
  • Adjournment: Meeting adjourned following the vote.

Meeting Transcript

Good evening. I'd like to call to order uh the city council meeting for Monday, October 26, 2026. If we could please stand and join the Pledge of Allegiance. Flag is off to you right there. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America to the Republic for which it stands. Under God indivisible with liberty of justice for all. Thank you. In case of emergency, please use the stairs and not the elevator to exit. Walk to the north side of the police department and wait for further instructions. Will the clerk please call the roll? Council President Squire. Here. Joining us virtually tonight. Councilmember Erdman. Here. Councilmember Miller? Here. Councilmember Nino. Here. Councilmember Pope? Here. Councilmember Seaman? Here. Everybody is present. We have a quorum. Excellent. Item number three recognitions. We have none tonight. Item four. Public comments on items on the agenda not requiring a public hearing and on matters which can be affected by council action. Individuals wishing to address the city council are asked to sign in on the roster in the lobby or provide a slip to the clerk. And please keep your comments to under four minutes. Do we have any one addressing that? First is tied Bulleroo. I'm sorry, 216. Jamesville, Wisconsin. Exactly the reason why we don't retire out Chapter 68 law, Wisconsin state is what we're doing right now. We basically, so we don't have a king. We didn't have like uh King Waltman go ahead and take and then hire somebody else to temporarily be the king and then play with uh monopoly money on a deed of 3.5 million dollars, and we got a copy of the city manager. Anybody that wants a copy at the city council, he should the the current one should be able to get a copy to them them folks. Two things happen fraudulent um uh trust funds, uh according to Dave Godak, there is no uh money out of that like half a million dollars that the city paid themselves out of that 3.5 million, which would have to be a trust account. So basically there's no chance that it can work out zero. You guys got to receive it some other way that that uh and there's lots of different ways. It's 99 years, so you could do a treaty with all sorts of uh uh you know players involved.

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