OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Judiciary & Legislation Committee Meeting - March 13, 2026

Common Council — Friday, March 13, 2026
BodyMilwaukee, Wisconsin
SessionCommon Council
DateFriday, March 13, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 44:07

Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

Welcome to Judiciary and Legislation Committee.

0:02

I am Artoman DeAndre Jackson, the chair.

0:05

To my right, Otterman Westmoreland.

0:07

To his right, Otterman Bob Bauman.

0:10

And to my left from the first district, Andrea Pratt.

0:15

Audible man Andrea Pratt.

0:17

And we'll be joined shortly by Otterman Perez.

0:19

And none of this is possible.

0:20

Well out Joanna Ortiz.

0:25

City Attorney, how you doing?

0:26

Good.

0:26

How about you?

0:28

All right, here we go.

0:29

Item one two five one four zero four resolution related to the appeal of Derek Brown for property damage.

0:39

Hearing no objections, so ordered pick it up.

0:42

Or never did it.

0:43

Item two, two five zero two seven six.

0:46

Resolution related to the appeal of Britney Hudson for property damage.

0:53

Brittany Hudson.

0:56

All right.

0:57

This first time?

0:59

First time not appearance.

1:01

Artman Westmoreland moves to hold.

1:04

This will be noted and they will be tallied.

1:08

Item 3, 251749.

1:12

Resolution related to the appeal of Matt Marlett for manufacturing LLC for property damage.

1:28

Good morning.

1:29

Good morning.

1:30

All right, City Attorney.

1:31

Yes.

1:32

Matt Marlett on behalf of Tarment Manufacturing LLC brings this claim for property damage to a fence of the business located at 326 East Keith Avenue.

1:42

Alleging from a police pursuit by the Milwaukee Police Department that occurred on September 27, 2024.

1:48

Claims damages in the amount of 9,456 and 81 cents for uh fence repairs.

1:55

Um in this case, the notice of claim was filed on October 11th, 2025, over a year after the date of the incident.

2:02

So the city attorney's office has recommended denial because the notice of claim was filed well beyond the 120-day requirements of 89380.

2:10

All right.

2:18

Don't disagree with what the city attorney said in this case.

2:22

Um if the council wants additional facts beyond that, I'm happy to provide that.

2:26

Um just real quick.

2:27

Was it the car they were chasing the hit the fence or the police car itself they had the fence?

2:31

It was not the police car.

2:32

Okay.

2:33

All right.

2:34

Introduce yourself and uh start it.

2:36

Yes, good morning.

2:37

Happy Friday.

2:37

Uh name is Matthew Marlett, last name spelled M-A-R L E T T, representative for uh trademark manufacturing LLC, located at 326 East Keefe Avenue.

2:50

Uh we request reconsideration for payment on city damages occurred at 927 2024.

2:58

Uh likewise we don't disagree with the city attorney's statement as well.

3:02

Uh when police chase and crash damage trademark manufacturing LC property off of Holton Avenue on the south side, uh considering of landscaping grass, fence posts, uh, concrete footings, uh, etc.

3:14

Damage smiddle was done in late 2025.

3:18

Semidal was sent internally to Tremont managers to verify contained information and delays occurred in the submission due within two uh 120 days.

3:28

Uh Tremom is a manufacturing company with limited expertise in processing and oversight of claims such as this.

3:35

Uh in summary, Tremont is a supporter of the Milwaukee Police Department, its officers, and we respectfully request reconsideration of the damage and the repair of 9,450, uh excuse me, 9,456 and 81 cents.

3:49

Uh regardless of late submittal, which uh we do not deny uh the damages did still occur and did exist.

3:55

Uh and and again, uh uh we asked for the reconsideration of uh of that payment.

4:02

The process is um if it was not the police car, um aren't you supposed to pursue the person?

4:09

I mean, yeah, that would be our position is that no Milwaukee Police Department member caused any damage in this case.

4:15

Um this vehicle was being pursued as a arm robbery carjacking.

4:19

It went through an intersection, collided with another civilian vehicle.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Pending Litigation███████████████████████████27%
Legislative Updates██████████████████████████26%
Procedural████████████████████████24%
Public Safety███████████11%
Traffic Safety██████6%
Engineering and Utility██████6%
Summary of Proceedings

Judiciary & Legislation Committee Meeting - March 13, 2026

The Judiciary & Legislation Committee of the Milwaukee Common Council met on Friday, March 13, 2026, at 9:07 AM in Room 301-B of City Hall, chaired by Ald. DiAndre Jackson. All five members (Jackson, Westmoreland, Bauman, Pratt, Perez) were present. The meeting adjourned at 11:48 AM after considering 25 agenda items, including property damage appeals, claims, legislative updates, and legal settlements. The committee recommended several claims for denial, approved settlements, and took positions on state legislation.

Consent Calendar

  • Items 1-2 (Derek Brown, Brittany Hudson property damage appeals): Held to Call of the Chair (unanimous).
  • Items 14-19, 21-25 (Claims of Jeffrey Dinkins, Fred Miller, Mary Lou Sievert, Robert and Catherine Adamus, Harold Janas, Kevin Dudley, Pang Thao and West Bend Mutual, Vincent and Paulette Wollert and Progressive; settlement of Robert Mercado v. City; settlement of Berry Beverly v. City; denial of tax assessment claims): Recommended for Adoption (unanimous).
  • Item 11 (Tire dumping resolution): Recommended for Adoption (unanimous).
  • Item 13 (Legislative bills – opposition to Assembly Substitute Amendment 1 to Senate Bill 179): Substituted and Recommended for Adoption (unanimous).

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Matt Marlett (Tramont Manufacturing LLC, Item 3): Appeared to request reconsideration for $9,456.81 in property damage from a police pursuit on September 27, 2024. He acknowledged late filing but argued damages occurred. City Attorney and MPD Risk Management noted the claim was filed over a year after the incident, beyond the 120-day statutory requirement, and that no police vehicle caused the damage.
  • Precious McIntyre (Item 6): Stated her parked car was crushed by a city tree branch on July 31, 2025. She had no insurance and sought help for repairs. Forestry Department testified the tree had no prior notice of decay, and the branch was dead but not externally visible. The committee voted 4-1 to recommend denial.
  • Attorney Jeff Guerard (Ahmad & Guerard, LLP on behalf of Estate of El Moctar Sidiya, Item 4): Argued the estate’s claim for $350,000 from a fatal accident caused by a fleeing suspect. The committee recommended denial, stating the fleeing driver was the proximate cause.
  • Calvin Lee (Legislative Affairs, Item 11): Presented the tire dumping resolution, noting Senate Bill 1059 would make illegal tire dumping a misdemeanor with penalty enhancements up to $10,000. He explained three Democratic senators opposed it.
  • Katie Eager (Intergovernmental Relations, Item 11): Discussed existing city tire recycling programs and potential state support for expansion.

Discussion Items

  • Item 3 (Matt Marlett/Tramont Manufacturing): Committee discussed the late filing and lack of police involvement. Ald. Bauman moved to recommend disallowance and indefinite postponement, which passed unanimously.
  • Item 4 (Estate of El Moctar Sidiya): Committee questioned causation. Ald. Bauman moved denial, noting the claim was better suited for litigation. Passed unanimously.
  • Item 6 (Precious McIntyre): Committee heard from Forestry about pruning cycles and lack of notice. Ald. Bauman moved denial; Ald. Pratt voted no, resulting in 4-1.
  • Item 8 (Donald Arenson): Claimant requested postponement due to medical procedure. Committee held to call of chair.
  • Item 10 (Megdalia Szczerbaty): Claimant unable to attend; held to call of chair.
  • Item 11 (Tire dumping resolution): Discussion on differences from city ordinance, penalties, and license plate enforcement. Ald. Pratt moved adoption.
  • Item 12 (Legislative updates): Calvin Lee reported on DACA legislation status. Held to call of chair.
  • Item 13 (Legislative bills – Assembly Substitute Amendment 1 to Senate Bill 179): Discussion on last-minute amendment regarding heavy equipment operator licensing, potential impact on city, and lack of local government representation. Committee took position to oppose the amendment.
  • Item 20 (Grzeca Law Group contract for visa services): Ald. Bauman moved to place on file; motion failed 2-3 (Westmoreland and Bauman aye; Jackson, Pratt, Perez no). Then held to call of chair for further discussion.

Key Outcomes

  • Items 1-2, 8, 10, 12, 20: Held to Call of the Chair.
  • Items 3, 4, 5, 7, 9: Recommended for Disallowance and Indefinite Postponement (unanimous except Item 6 4-1).
  • Items 11, 13, 14-19, 21-25: Recommended for Adoption (unanimous).
  • Item 13: Committee adopted substituted resolution opposing Assembly Substitute Amendment 1 to Senate Bill 179.
  • Item 20: Motion to place on file failed; item held for further discussion.
  • All actions are recommendations to the full Common Council, which will consider them at its March 24, 2026 meeting.

Meeting Transcript

Welcome to Judiciary and Legislation Committee. I am Artoman DeAndre Jackson, the chair. To my right, Otterman Westmoreland. To his right, Otterman Bob Bauman. And to my left from the first district, Andrea Pratt. Audible man Andrea Pratt. And we'll be joined shortly by Otterman Perez. And none of this is possible. Well out Joanna Ortiz. City Attorney, how you doing? Good. How about you? All right, here we go. Item one two five one four zero four resolution related to the appeal of Derek Brown for property damage. Hearing no objections, so ordered pick it up. Or never did it. Item two, two five zero two seven six. Resolution related to the appeal of Britney Hudson for property damage. Brittany Hudson. All right. This first time? First time not appearance. Artman Westmoreland moves to hold. This will be noted and they will be tallied. Item 3, 251749. Resolution related to the appeal of Matt Marlett for manufacturing LLC for property damage. Good morning. Good morning. All right, City Attorney. Yes. Matt Marlett on behalf of Tarment Manufacturing LLC brings this claim for property damage to a fence of the business located at 326 East Keith Avenue. Alleging from a police pursuit by the Milwaukee Police Department that occurred on September 27, 2024. Claims damages in the amount of 9,456 and 81 cents for uh fence repairs. Um in this case, the notice of claim was filed on October 11th, 2025, over a year after the date of the incident. So the city attorney's office has recommended denial because the notice of claim was filed well beyond the 120-day requirements of 89380. All right. Don't disagree with what the city attorney said in this case. Um if the council wants additional facts beyond that, I'm happy to provide that. Um just real quick. Was it the car they were chasing the hit the fence or the police car itself they had the fence? It was not the police car. Okay. All right. Introduce yourself and uh start it. Yes, good morning. Happy Friday. Uh name is Matthew Marlett, last name spelled M-A-R L E T T, representative for uh trademark manufacturing LLC, located at 326 East Keefe Avenue. Uh we request reconsideration for payment on city damages occurred at 927 2024. Uh likewise we don't disagree with the city attorney's statement as well. Uh when police chase and crash damage trademark manufacturing LC property off of Holton Avenue on the south side, uh considering of landscaping grass, fence posts, uh, concrete footings, uh, etc.

SUMMARIZED BY OPENPUBLICA AI
TRANSCRIPT VIA PUBLIC VIDEO
openpublica.com