Good afternoon, everyone.

Welcome to the community and economic development committee.

I'm the chairman Alderman Russell Stanford II.

To my right is the vice chair, Alder Woman Marina Demetrievich.

To her right is Alderman Mark Chambers, and to my left is our trusted staff assistant, Miss Carmen.

And to her left is Order Woman Charlotte Moore.

And to her left is Alderman DeAndre Jackson.

And to his left is Alder Woman Andrea Pratt.

And to Alderman Chambers' right is Alder Woman Joe Costa Zamaripo.

So we're gonna get started with number one.

Thank you for joining us today.

We do have an extensive lineup, and I'm looking forward to some great discussion.

So with that, we'll get started.

Two five one zero six nine appointment of Michael B.

Henrens to the business improvement district number four, Mr.

Michael B.

Henry.

Are you available?

I am available over the camera.

Yeah, Mike, I don't feel like I said your last name properly.

Would you say a few?

Uh Barons.

Barons, all right.

Thank you for your willingness to serve.

Please let us know why you would like to be on this board.

Uh business improvement number four.

This is an opportunity for me to help the city.

I very much love doing that in any capacity.

And this falls right in line with my line of practice.

I'm a business attorney.

So wherever I can help out and do some uh call it pro bono.

This is a perfect opportunity for not myself, but also for the city.

So just wanting to help.

Excellent.

Happy to have you.

Let me see if we have any questions by the committee.

Would anybody else to uh like to ask any questions?

Harry None, older woman Dmitrievich moves for your confirmation.

Hearing no objections, so order.

Thank you, man.

Have a good day.

Thank you.

All right, number two, two five one one three appointment of Mary Reed to serve as the director of the Department of Compliance and Engagement by the mayor.

Miss Reed, welcome to C D.

I see you're joined by Miss Amber.

You guys have the floor.

All right, good afternoon.

Good afternoon.

Yes, Mary Reed here.

I am the interim uh director of the Department of Compliance and Engagement, the newly created Department of Compliance and Engagement.

Thank you, uh, Chair, and I appreciate uh all of your time and attention this afternoon.

All right.

This is an appointment for you, right?

I don't.

I was good afternoon, everyone, Mr.

Chair.

Thank you.

Uh Amber Daniels, Council liaison for Mayor Johnson.

I'm just here to uh introduce Mary.

We're really excited to put her before you all today.

She had an opportunity to meet with a few of you guys.

Um, and so thank you for having us.

All right.

So, Mary, are you ready for this leadership position?

I am ready for this leadership position.

I've been uh preparing for this leadership position for the better part of the last three years and more intensely the last seven months.

All right, awesome.

Anything new you want to bring to the office or innovative?

Uh how would you like to move us forward?

Yeah, and make sure people get employed.

Absolutely.

So uh I just want to share that I've been a public service all of my professional career dating back to the early 2000s.

I started working in workforce development as a case manager, and so I've always served City of Milwaukee residents.

I also work for the state of Wisconsin as a regional direct director, uh working with uh regional administrator, working with uh W 2 agencies as well, uh in another uh role where I was the uh state director of a long-term care fiscal agency, all public facing public service positions prior to coming here to the city of Milwaukee as the contract compliance officer.

Uh that work is very fulfilling.

Uh I really uh found my purpose in doing that work, and that is what led me to this interim role that I have here.

Uh so I wouldn't say that there's much to change.

We have it a great foundation that has already been laid.

There's always room for improvement, right?

So if we can find ways, and we also know that the landscape is changing, the economy is different.

If we can find ways to better serve City of Milwaukee residents, that's what I'm here to do.

Uh as those things are brought to our attention, uh, and as we find uh those avenues, we pursue them.

Excellent, excellent.

Let me open up to the floor.

Mr.

Chair.

Yes, older woman Sherman Moore.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

Um, Mary, can you talk a little bit about like just the because I think for our listening audience um and our community understanding because this came from an office to a department?

Are there any big changes that um are represented by by moving you know from an office to a department?

So, yeah, we started out as the office of equity and inclusion, and due to council action, we became the department uh that we are today.

Uh we did some introspection and we found that uh although equity is a great part of what we do, uh more so is compliance and engagement.

We have multiple functions within our department that, and I'll just name a few contract compliance, small business certification, ADA compliance, and servicing and staffing, the Equal Rights Commission.

Uh so that work uh remains the same.

So, really, us going from office to department is just an administrative feature.

Awesome.

And Mr.

Chair, I just want to um you know share um with my colleagues that I had an opportunity to meet with Mary, not this and this that it was just recently, but I've met with her um prior um in the past when uh um some staffing was uh shifted, and um I'm very impressed with your background and your responsiveness uh when we send out when I send out an email, I typically get a response back.

Um and those sorts of things for me is is just really valuable because it shows that you know you're on top of your stuff, right?

And so um when the when it's appropriate, I would like to move confirmation.

Awesome, awesome.

Do we have any more comments?

Order one uh Dimitrevich.

Good afternoon, and thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

Of course.

I also had the opportunity to meet with Miss Reed today, although we've had a lot of interaction um and you are definitely excellent um prompt at communicating, and we truly appreciate that because we know it's a lot of stuff coming at all of us all the time.

Um I just want to kind of ask um briefly two of the items that are really important to me that I had asked in our um discussion today.

Um, with the complete assault and attack um from many places, but really starting at the top in the federal government um by really our president and his party on diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Um do you plan on leading with that complete assault?

The largest most diverse city in Wisconsin.

How will you be the a very loud um status quote challenging you know leader that we need in these times?

Yes.

Thank you so much for that.

So you're right, this is a very challenging environment to operate in.

Uh we care dearly about diversity, equity, and inclusion.

It is ingrained in a lot of the work we do.

In addition to that, we've always been gender and neutral, uh, gender and race neutral in all of our programs.

So that hasn't changed.

Uh now we just realize we have to be uh a bit more mindful of how we carry out our functions.

And we work very closely with other city departments, the legislative reference bureau, and the city attorney's office to make sure that we're remaining compliance with federal guidelines, right?

We understand that uh that they have uh a measure of authority that we need to abide by and we want to do that while also doing the work.

Um we definitely don't want to put ourselves in a position where we can't do any of our work, right?

So it's just uh having balance with regard to that.

I admire your diplomacy.

I wish I had a little more of that.

I work on that.

Um percent increase for me.

Uh but no.

That's there's a mixture of opinions and we have different abilities and positions to be that way.

So uh I d I do admire it.

My second, Mr.

Chairman, and it's a follow-up to that.

And I and I had to ask you this, and I think it's really important to get on the record is there will be uncomfortable times where you will need to challenge your own administration.

It could be a mayoral initiative, it could be um a council initiative.

I was saying that you know I don't want to cast a vote and then find out later that it had a disproportionate disparate impact on the people that I care the most about.

And so one of the things that I think is important in this office that I'd really like to see formalized more and um Miss Reed talk about coming back to us at the council and kind of talking about how to use this.

I don't say how to use the office, but how to how to improve upon our using of the office um like an equity statement, uh an equity impact statement.

To me, this should be integral in almost everything that we do.

Um but are you gonna be f are you going to feel comfortable in an uncomfortable situation where it could be a council member, it could be a budget item, it could be a mayoral initiative.

Um if you think there is you know inequitable harm speaking up in advance so that we know when we can make the changes necessary.

Absolutely.

So it is very important to me that this position has autonomy.

I think I've been very well supported in that I voice those concerns often to leadership.

Um they are supportive, right?

They want this position to be autonomous.

They trust my leadership, trust my expertise where I have expertise and where I do not, I lean on my staff.

I have uh an excellent team, and they are very well experienced in a lot of matters that concerning the community.

So we'll rely on each other to come to those conclusions.

Also, I recognize that each equity impact statement or analysis will be unique, right?

They won't there won't be some a cookie cutter response or uh way about of going about it.

But I I'm glad that you mentioned formalizing what that looks like, creating a system so that whoever's requesting it knows exactly what to expect and in full transparency with regard to a recent equity impact request.

I realize it took several months.

So just being fully transparent.

Um that is not something that I would prefer, however, in being collaborative with other departments and trying to work with all parties involved.

It it's it genuinely took that amount of time, right?

Uh, but also recognizing that they all shouldn't and won't take that long to get a response to.

So I will make that a priority and making sure that if there's something that we can come together and resolve quickly, we will do so.

And also, if it takes longer, right, I'll be open and communicative about that as well.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

Awesome.

Questions?

Any more questions or comments?

Mr.

Terra, my immediate past position was in the Office of Equity and Inclusion as an equal rights specialist.

Um and so I'm excited to see the direction of the department and um your vision for it.

I was I had the opportunity to meet with Miss Reed and talk with her about some of my experiences in that office when I was there.

And um, and she has taken that and she has she knows firsthand what's going on and and how to to shape the department.

I'm very confident in her ability to do so and look forward to working with her going forward.

Excellent.

All right, is across the board.

So uh we have high hopes for you.

We believe in you, and with that, somebody like to make the older woman more move for your confirmation.

Congratulations.

There are no objections to the order.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

All right.

All right, number three, two five two zero seven zero reappointment of Thomas Oregons to the business improvement number twenty-one by the mayor.

Mr.

Argus, how are you doing?

Doing really great.

How about yourself?

Good, good.

Thank you for your willingness to serve what yours is for you.

This will be my fourth go around.

Excellent, excellent.

Why don't you introduce yourself on your own?

Let us know how you're gonna continue to make progress in the city of Milwaukee.

And open it up to you for some comments, all right?

Good afternoon, everyone.

Appreciate your consideration today.

Uh, my name is Tyler's.

I'm with um Ergans Development.

Um organization owns three uh buildings in business improvement district number 21, uh, most notably the Bimo Tower across the street from City Hall, the 770 building next door, and then we also own 833 East Michigan Street, which is right next to the U.S.

Bank Tower.

Um, I I've been involved with the bid since uh we made our 833 investment.

Um, you know, we're dedicated to uh the success of downtown Milwaukee and the bid really all of Milwaukee.

Um but my role is to with bid 21 is to continue to you know make um downtown our successful and a wonderful place to come and visit.

And I look forward to the opportunity um, you know, provided I get through here be able to uh continue um doing a little piece, but let Matt do the hard work.

Matt, feel free to uh make some comments.

Absolutely.

Good afternoon.

Um thank you, Chair and sure.

Good afternoon community committee members.

I just want to say thank you to uh to Tom and um his father, Mark, and uh Ergins company for their tremendous investment and transformation uh um in downtown Milwaukee.

Over the last decade alone, and Tom mentioned some of the investments have truly transformed uh the city skyline up from the lakefront and then right across the street here in in City Hall, and really have added assets that have been key as we continue to grow economic development in downtown Milwaukee.

They've been highly successful in bringing companies in from suburban locations, and um, you know, those types of investments are incredibly important as we continue to grow downtown Milwaukee.

So uh to Tom and his team for um continuing, you know, for a number of years, obviously with their support of our initiatives.

Um, just couldn't be more grateful to have Tom's continued interest in supporting downtown Milwaukee.

Excellent, excellent.

Do either of you attend visit Milwaukee's event last night?

I did have an opportunity to attend a couple of your colleagues to attend.

So what an what uh what a tremendous honor for the city and another thing that continues to outgrow, you know, the no um the you know our continued face out towards the nation.

So this is really what an honor.

Yeah, awesome.

Also, Alderman Chambers is just a comments.

No, I've moved confirmation.

All right, Alderman Chambers moves for your confirmation, hearing no objections to order.

Thank you so much.

Thank you so much.

Y'all keep up the good work.

You'll have a good day.

All right, next we have number four, re o 252071 reappointment of Josh Weber to the business improvement district number 51 by the mayor.

Mr.

Weber, are you available?

Yes, sir.

All right, how are you today, Mr.

Weber?

I'm doing well.

How about you?

Doing well.

This is a reappointment for you.

How many years have you been serving?

Oh, I've been here since we we founded it.

I think it's my tenth year.

Awesome.

This will be like my last term that I gotta go around.

So why did why do you say that, Mr.

Weber?

Well, no, I mean I gotta take a break.

I I think I succeeded by the bylaws.

I was like, after this, it's like my my term setting.

I hit my maximum.

Well, do you want to serve this last term, Mr.

Weber?

Absolutely.

I love it.

All right, well, tell us why you would like to serve this last term, Mr.

Weber.

I really enjoy just seeing like the the improvements we've done in like the Harbor District as an example, how we're bringing people into the community, uh, we're beautifying it.

Um I'm really happy with it.

I love you know, see how we got the Harbor Fest lane, uh, where we have just some positive educational things going on in the community.

Excellent, excellent.

Let me open up to the committee.

Does anybody have any questions or comments for Mr.

Weber?

All right, hearing none, Alderman Chambers moves for your confirmation, hearing no objections to order.

Thank you for your service, and uh, hope you have a wonderful year.

Thank you.

You guys have good days.

All right, number five, two five two one one two, substitute resolution authorizing a partnership between the city of Milwaukee and Milwaukee succeeds to improve collaboration between the city and youth serving organizations.

This is sponsored by Alderman President Perez.

We are joined by his chief of staff and the great Vincent Louse.

You guys have the floor.

We're excited about this opportunity, and thank you for thinking of us, uh Vincent.

I'll let you guys continue.

Uh, Mr.

Chairman, uh, thank you, committee members Clifton Crump, uh policy and administration director for President Perez.

Uh, thank you for hearing this item.

I just want to do a brief summary of uh the purpose of the emerging youth achievement advisory council, and then link that to this proposal to show the symmetries.

Okay.

So um a portion of emerging youth achievement ordinances reads in part create or utilize an existing partnership structure that engages other local government officials, community and faith-based leaders, families, youth founders, and other stakeholders within the city who are dedicated to improving outcomes and underrepresented youth in the city.

Secondly, to strengthen data capacity that supports the city's efforts to use data to document needs, targeted resources, assess effectiveness of strategies and programs, and measure progress in improving life outcomes of the city's underrepresented youth.

Lastly, to develop and advance new policies and practices that are sufficient, that are of a that are of a sufficient scale to generate significant improvements.

So with that in mind, this partnership, some of the outcomes would be improved collaborative collaboration between the city and youth serving organizations, establish structured opportunities for youth to serve on city committees, task force, and councils, support youth influence over public resources, allocation to improve outcomes for youths for uh Milwaukee's youth.

Uh President Perez is committed to creating a pathway to this, to these many appointments that he oversees, including the pending legislation to add to youth members to the emerging youth achievement advisory council.

This is one potential outcome, this exercise that will be fluid and evolve as directed by youth.

We all want to see improving flourish are boundless uh for uh offices committed to this project, and I will likely serve as the point person on the city's end uh as the the chair is the president of the emerging youth achievement advisory council.

Um so with that, uh if I may turn things over to Mr.

Lyles.

Sure, let's do this.

How are you doing?

I'm great, how are you?

Excellent.

Excellent.

Good to see you.

Good to see you.

Yes.

Uh it's ironic that I was here today because I was here back in between 90 and 95 when the uh DEI office opened.

Oh wow.

So to see uh I mean Ms.

Rice.

Oh, sorry.

Yeah, yeah.

Pretty cool, right?

Yeah, yeah.

Uh I'm here today representing Milwaukee Succeeds, Milwaukee Succeeds is a uh program that operates within the Greater Milwaukee Foundation.

Our focus is a cradle to career focus, so we've focused on early childhood education, and we got a component of the work that's high school success.

Within that high school success umbrella, one of the things we we did summer of 2024 was hold a uh youth leadership academy that was a four-week program that we held over at Thrive on King, where young people came and all these young people indicated they were interested in becoming leaders in our community.

And so over that four weeks we talked about you know all kinds of aspects of leadership, you know, obviously put them exposed them to some people in the community who are leaders.

But we also talked about you know, reading a PL, you know, being able to hire and fire people, because those are parts of leadership that people don't always talk about.

But with that, we also then place them at various nonprofits around Milwaukee.

That uh that work led to the uh one of them in particular who's gonna become a board member at Data We Can Use.

So very excited about that opportunity, really, really exactly what we wanted to do.

We shared some of that work with the uh EAC.

You all were there, and uh they got excited about it.

And fortunately, for us, we're part of a national network called Strive Together, based out of Cincinnati, and Strive Together partner with Results for America, which is one of the leading data resource uh organizations in the country.

So uh results for America and Strive and and Milwaukee succeeds are looking to partner with the city on a community of practice, right?

So the city's got EAC and they want to do more things with youth.

This community of practice will create an environment for that to happen, right?

Where these results for America folks will be able to have data, collect data, help you all figure out how to facilitate you know different things, and again, you guys are are doing the same thing that other communities are doing.

So the other members of that cohort will be other pure cities, right?

Who have their own issues.

They may not be dealing with you, they might be picking up garbage.

But they want to do it more effectively, want to do it more efficiently.

And this is an 18-month experience.

The first um part of it is really kind of that data gathering, understanding the issue, articulating what can happen, but you also have an opportunity to not just hear from other partners, but we're also be looking at bringing in you know some of the youth serving agencies in Milwaukee who are already doing some of this work, and how can they do some things more effectively?

One day they might become an alternate.

Um or the mayor, who knows?

Right.

But the idea is that through this city accelerator, you're learning, you're growing, you're building community, not just in Milwaukee, but you're doing it in partnership with other peer cities, and that's what's exciting to us.

Um, and we're very excited about this opportunity.

Um, um, you know, this is really really kind of a neat thing for Milwaukee to get some exposure to.

So with that, I will take questions.

Excellent.

How many youth are you gonna be able to serve at Walker?

So we don't know about the number of youth, and that's really not the point.

Okay.

Uh, the point is really kind of getting um what I would call kind of your infrastructure together.

So for example, when when Alderman Perez said to us, hey, you know, we could appoint some youth to uh the committees, you know uh the feedback we would get immediately would be the youth would say, Well, when do you meet?

You say, well, nine o'clock on Tuesdays, well, I I can't come on nine o'clock on Tuesdays.

But that's how the city functions, and the city wants youth to be a part of this, you might want to have your meeting at 5 30, right?

So those kinds of things.

Right.

Youth want to be paid for the work that they're doing.

So everybody who went through our leadership academy got paid to do that, and then they got paid to be a part of the placements that they were involved in.

That's a small group, so you know, we're not talking about 10,000 people.

But the fact that they got you paid, the fact that they got respect, the fact that they said to us, for example, yes, we'll go work it, data you can use, but we're not going there by ourselves.

We don't want to be listening to some 50-year-old guy tell us what to do without a buddy.

So we made sure that kind of thing happened.

So learning those best practices is really what just think it's all.

Sure.

Okay.

Let me open it up.

Do we have any questions about all the women more?

Thank you so much, Mr.

Chair.

Of course.

Um, quick question, Vincent.

How many youth survey from Milwaukee succeeds?

Because I used to be a part of um when you all started, well, when it started years um ago, and it's you know, um transitioned into a you know a variety of different things to sort of just where it is now.

How many youth agencies do you all work with through Milwaukee Succeeds?

Yeah, you know, I'll say it this way, right?

So we have uh regular meetings with various youth serving agencies, and sometimes it's the youth themselves, sometimes executive directors.

Sure.

And those meetings happen on a monthly basis, and there'll be a hundred and fifty people kind of on the email list.

But there's a j uh generous cohort of 25 to 40 who kind of show up every month and and talk about the issues that they're facing.

Um, you know, obviously one of the challenges that all of the youth are facing is you know, their relationship with schools, whether it's public, private, or so you know, those have been a lot of the topics and discussions that we've had in recent months is around, you know, how do I how how am I going to be successful in a school setting?

Yeah.

Um, and thank you.

Thank you so much for that.

And I love the fact that we're looking at sort of creating this ecosystem, this sort of infrastructure.

Um, I think that's one of the you know, many different pieces um that are missing, you know, from our city because there needs to be, you know, sort of guidance on how young people can get plugged in, what are best practices, um, and what better yet to, you know, work with um an entity that's already working with um other youth serving um organizations.

Um there definitely some missing pieces that we you know gotta figure out how to tie together.

Um and I hope to can you know, for me personally, just because I I love the young people, honey, um, that um I continue working with you all and how to figure out how to build that um just because as an entity, I think we just have to particularly as a as a city, we have to figure out how to do that, you know, especially across departments and agencies, that sort of thing.

How can we value and plug in um young people?

Um and again, doing it when it's convenient, paying them, right?

You know, supporting their well-being, those sorts of things.

Um, but it's but it's a value.

Um when the time is appropriate, I would love to move um approval.

Sure, sure, sure.

Do we have any other questions?

Mr.

Chairman.

Absolutely.

I'm sorry.

Yes.

Uh quick just Amber Danius, kind of serving in two uh two hats, I guess suppose, as Mayor Johnson's counselia is on, and then also a member of EAC.

Um excuse me, the mayor was able to um get a briefing um about the partnership and is excited to um put his full support behind it.

Just ask that um there be a commitment from uh the EAC chair to have this partnership be discussed at EAC as it is an advisory body, um and some of the decisions that may need to be made.

You know, there's like a leadership component components and travel uh time commitments, et cetera, stuff like that to be discussed before EAC, and I think we meet on the 21st of the 23rd this month.

Um and so that would be his ask uh before supporting.

Sure, uh Cliff and I discussed uh prior to this meeting, so we would expect the presentation, the conversation at EMET.

Alderman Chambers.

So would I mean you're asking us to refer it to EAC as opposed to moving just nope, just have it just voicing that commitment.

Yeah, I think this is uh it's actually it's a grant proposal, that's why it's here.

Uh the EAC is an advisory board that would always this we report to this body, so to speak.

So any decision that we make, we can't spend funds, for example, it has to come through this body.

So that's that goes without saying.

Yeah.

So I've been impressed with uh organizations that I have not heard of coming to EA with 25 to 40 organizations.

Do you have a database that we can refer to and invite to EF?

Absolutely.

Database, we've got tools.

You know, one of the things we came up with a couple years ago was a youth equity ladder, right?

Right?

And the idea of youth equity ladder is that you as an organization measure yourself about how the ladder was developed by the youth, right?

Saying, okay, these are the things that make you an organization we're willing to come to.

Okay.

And we've had organizations take those that uh that uh assessment on multiple occasions because you can always improve.

Right?

Because the kid of 2026 is different than the kid of 2022 for sure.

So, you know, those kinds of things are tools that uh we'd love to see the city and others incorporated to the work of young people.

Amazing tool, by the way.

Yeah, one last topic.

Um, I I attended Auto Women Moore's uh youth supposing successful and I had a good time.

Congratulations on that.

Thank you.

So one of the discussions was you know, it was a bunch of youth groups there, and there's a plethora of things for youth to do.

And as I talk to the youth leaders, you know, they're irritated by youth have nothing to do all the time.

But what it is, and I didn't realize this too, that supposedly we're talking to all those leaders, they have something to do up until 9 p.m.

So it's a 9 p.m.

to a 2 a.m.

gap where youth need something to do.

I don't know the the 2 a.m.

Yes.

They should be sleeping.

They should be.

So that was I was about to say that ultimately changes.

So they're supposed, you know, at a certain age you should be home or you should know where your children are.

But I'm just telling you, that's what's reality is, and that's what some of the conversation was.

Uh so in your Milwaukee succeeds initiative, uh, I don't know if that's a topic of discussion that can be approached and see if we can get some um get some feedback on that.

No, I appreciate that.

All right.

There's a lot of challenges, right?

Um, so last Saturday we hosted uh a youth grant uh making event, right?

So we invited uh six different youth organizations who essentially brought their young people, they came up with the idea, basically guarantee them the money, right?

Getting them into the process of writing a grant, understanding what you need to do to write a grant, understand how you need to sustain a grant.

And oftentimes their ideas are might be a thousand dollar idea, but if you don't have a thousand dollars, it doesn't make a difference, right?

So those are the kinds of things that we're gonna try and do.

But you know, getting after your issue that you raised, right?

When when I wore younger man's clothes, it was the Midnight Basketball League.

It was, but we can't do that for everybody, and we can't do that if people aren't interested in it.

So we gotta think of other things.

We do.

So thank you for coming down.

We look forward to the partnership.

Auto Women More, Order Woman Moore moves for adoption, hearing no objections, so ordered.

Thank you so much.

See you in the community.

All right, next we have number 6252054 resolution relating to the acceptance and exponential of a Wisconsin Arts Board 2026 re-granting program grant.

This is sponsored by Auto Woman Cogs.

I see her in the building, Auto Woman Cogs.

Would you please come up?

She's telling me also we have our Sally, we have Sally online to collaborate with Auto Woman Cons.

Auto Woman Connors, hey.

Hello.

It's good to see you as always.

We got uh you got a few things on here today, so um you may get started.

I would um allow Sally to go ahead and explain.

Sure.

Hey Sally.

Good afternoon, Chairman Stamper, uh community members and community members.

My name is Sally Suddick, and I am a neighborhood business development specialist with the Department of City Development and staff the Milwaukee Arts Board.

The grant exception resolution before you today is a continuation of a re-granting program that the Milwaukee Arts Board has received for decades.

Um the grant funds are from the Milwaukee, sorry, from the Wisconsin Arts Board, uh, and our matching funds for the sustaining grant program.

Okay.

In 2025, the Arts Board awarded 47 grants for a total of 276,600 to support local arts focused nonprofits.

And uh before I uh hand it over to our sport chair um Old War McCoggs, I'll just mention that I will be before you all again in May with the Arts Board annual report communication file.

So if there are any data points um or programs that you'd like me to report on, um please do let me know, and I'm happy to follow up um on that.

We'll do class, we'll do all the woman.

I just would urge you all to support it.

Okay, um, do you feel that the art board uh awareness is in the community?

I think most experienced um artists and arts groups are aware of the art sports.

Um but when you talk about newer organizations and artists, maybe there's more awareness that they could have.

But I think established um artists and arts organizations are well aware of that school.

So no need to do some more promotion or I mean promotion, more promotion is always okay.

So we have uh an adoption you have a question?

Didn't mean fair bitch.

Thank you.

Um I had in my district from Arts at Large for mural support.

So like is this something they can apply to?

I guess that's where I'm having a little bit of a disconnect.

It is, yes.

Arts at large um has applied um you know year after year, and um typically about two thirds of applicants are able to be awarded.

Um we're thinking it might be a little bit higher, more like 70% of those who apply will be able to receive funding this year.

Um, and then the organization is able to allocate the grant funds to um whatever program they deem uh most relevant to the art sports.

Okay, I just want to yeah, so sometimes I didn't know exactly where to connect them, but I'll connect with you offline.

I just want to make sure that they know about that cycle.

Thank you.

Shelly, do you have off sure?

Do you have offhand the highest grant awarded last year?

Yeah, so the highest grant would be six thousand dollars.

The grant amounts are based on the organization's budget.

So those with a budget of over a hundred thousand dollars per year are able to or are eligible for six thousand, and then the smaller organizations under a hundred thousand dollars a year are eligible for a three thousand dollar grant.

Is it three?

Okay, three, yep.

Yeah, all the one more.

She answered, thank you, Sally.

That answered my question.

Um, and and really quick, on average, um, how many grant recipients do you or applicants, not grant applicants do you um normally apply um for this pot of money every year?

Yeah, so this year there are 61 um currently being um reviewed by the panel and scored.

Um last year I believe there was sixty six, sixty-five, sixty-six, so um, yeah, right in that range, uh, between sixty and seventy each year.

And we're usually able to award about 47.

And based on those sort of applicants, what's the total that um as far as uh funds, just because I want people to understand that you know, this is a coveted sort of grant award, right?

That so many applicants apply.

Um, do you have any sense of the total amount that based on the applications?

What's the total amount that is um applied for?

Because I think the the capacity, what was it, 57,000?

Yes, exactly.

So um, so the total awarded last year was 276,600.

Um, I don't have the amount that was applied for um in front of me.

I don't want to, you know, uh waste any time looking that up.

I'd be happy to bring that back.

Um, some statistics on the past couple of years um in May.

Um, and then I by May I'll also have the information from this year's grant if that's an acceptable answer for you, all the one more.

Yeah, I appreciate that.

Thank you.

Thank you.

With that, Alderman Jackson moves for adoption.

Hearing no objections, so ordered.

Thank you very much, Sally.

Uh number 7, 252096 substitute resolution reallocating up to 1,000 in the community and economic development fund from the MKE Business Now Entrepreneurship Summit to the 2026 Girls' Day at City Hall event.

Auto Woman, congratulations on another successful event.

Next year, I'm gonna sign Kendall Imani Stamper up early and get her part of this uh learning and leadership opportunity.

Uh Senator Taylor did also.

I'm almost done, brother.

So when you finish your cash, though, you know.

Yeah, just move with some money.

All right, uh Alderman Jackson moves for adoption here in Ojects or so ordered.

Okay, number eight, two five one seven zero seven substitute resolution directing the Department of City Development to work with the Milwaukee Health Department and any other relevant agencies to create strategies for the retention and attraction of the full of full service grocery stores and pharmacies.

This is sponsored by a number of order men and women.

Order woman conks is the lead sponsor.

We have Alderwoman Pratt, Alderman Chambers, Order Woman Taylor, Alderman Perez, Alderman Jackson, and Alderman Stamper.

With that, Matt, Alderman Codge, you guys want to start the discussion off.

Um, yeah.

I know that it is work that many council members and the administration is attempting to do to address the issue of food deserts, the issue of food apartheid, and the issue truly about um the health of the citizens that we represent and their access um to grocery stores and pharmacies.

And I always sit back and look at a problem and think about, you know, what are the things that we could be thinking about and planning for that could help to lead toward solutions.

And the combination of the two offices of Department of City Development and Health Department, I thought were um good to start to have that dialogue about what can be done and what should be done in order to both retain and attract full service grocery and pharmacy.

If you read the legislation in totality, though it also speaks to, you know, people's buying habits and how the pattern of how people access goods um changes every single day.

And there may be some neighborhoods that a f uh a full service grocery store may not um be realistic, but the need to have access to fresh fruits um and vegetables is still there.

So it also encourages them in their recommendations to think um kind of holistically about just access and uh what kind of recommendations they will bring forward to um so my hope is that along with the other pieces of legislation that um we'll have a body of things to look at um as a council and make some decisions about um what we might be willing to support or not, or how to design certain programs or whatever on how to uh make some of the stuff happen.

Throughout time, I know it's almost every one of you I've had conversations with about this access stuff.

Right.

And we've talked about everything from delivery to people's doors, um, Artur Woman Demetri Average and I have had that conversation to the mobile stuff until one full service grocery stores um to replace some of the ones that have um left each of our neighborhoods, and we're all having the same conversation, but just trying to be intentional in what those things look like to help that we should be doing.

Um because what I don't want is years from now, us sitting here in store after store, after store, pharmacy after pharmacy, continue to leave because the need in our community um is great.

And lastly, I know everybody's focused on grocery predominantly, but I chose to make it both for this reason.

Um when we were dealing with the aftermath of George Floyd um situation, I um a Walgreens in my district, have been vandalized and it was closed.

And I remember the next day standing outside and seeing so many elders pull up or walk up off the bus and be disappointed to read the sign and say, hey, you need to go to a different pharmacy.

And I saw the anger from family members who would bring in their grandma and mom or whatever, um, and it really hit home for me how critically important it is for us to have pharmacies uh right in our neighborhoods uh for access, um, not just for the elders, but overwhelmingly like that day was heavy, not just because of everything else, but I didn't I didn't go out there thinking I would see that.

Right.

Um, but I did.

And so I know how important the pharmacy is to um is to our residents as well, and just as much attention as we're paying to the food.

We should also be paying um attention to the pharmacy.

That's why in this legislation I put it together um in hopes that they come back with some great recommendations um that we can vet with the community um and make some decisions as a council to how we can proactively uh work to um both retain and attract food and pharmacy.

Excellent.

Did you put a time limit on this one?

60 days.

60.

Okay, so this aligns with the other others we did.

So I appreciate you uh and your patience and letting me hold this to this cycle so we can do all of the grocery store initiatives together.

We did a bunch uh at um steering rules on Monday.

We did three, and we have three today.

So uh after this council will put a big push on what the city and the aldermen and the community can do to support and retain grocery stores and pharmacies.

So questions, let's see.

Um Alder Woman Demetri Everett, then Order Woman Moore.

Um, thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

Thank you, Alder Woman.

If you're um accepting, I would love to be a co-sponsor and supportive of this.

I really appreciate you adding pharmacies um because that is that is huge, and yeah, your um introduction of this item here, it's not introduction because you've been talking about it for a while, um about the um changing models, I think is so important because there are a lot of different methods and you know, there's even just new um grocery store.

Like I I just recently even tried out a Myers the other day, I didn't even been in a Myers, and like it's just such a different model, like that has everything in their department store too.

But for some people it might be much smaller.

And so where I'm going with that is I hope that since DCD is here too, that we're looking at other models like co-op and I hope that you will also include full municipalization of grocery stores as well.

Because I have to say it, um, because if if uh maybe someone else say it, but I'll say it too, and I've been saying it, is that part of the reason we're here is corporate greed.

So um they're the ones that gave us the bad data.

They're the ones that blamed it on other people when they're only making money making decisions, and when they when they make a little bit of a different profit or not, they don't care who's left out in the cold.

And they had they're leaving our city and they're leaving our neighborhoods because they believe it's not making a model for them.

And that is not what other groups do.

Um we have some other community groups.

Uh I could go through all the pharmacies.

I think of one that I I like a lot, high it.

Um, but these are you know, neighborhood led that care about our community.

They were given out formula and diapers and things like that.

So I just have to say that I do believe this is part of a corporate greed.

It ha has to be said over and over that it's not, you know, by chance, it's a premeditated corporate divestment um that they keep doing, whether it be pharmacy, grocery, youth recreation, um, you name it, and I'm just really tired of it.

And so I want to make sure that we include municipalization.

Cause it's funny, because once we start even saying that word, then they want to come to the table and talk.

Right.

So it's money.

Yeah.

I didn't mean to snap, but it had to say.

No, excellent, excellent.

Alderman Moore.

Yeah, thank you.

Um, but thank you for your words, Alderwoman.

Um, and I I too, um, Alderwoman Cogs would love to be added as a co-sponsor um to this really great legislation.

Um, when you talk about the pharmacy closing, um, that Walgreens is right down the street from my mother in law, and I remember when we but we pulled up and it was just like, oh no, you know, we're you uh you have to go somewhere else and trying to coordinate and figuring out, and again, she's not a driver.

Right, right.

So she has to either Uber or we pick her up, drop her off, that sort of thing.

Um and so really um this you know comes to the crux at how do we keep these things in the neighborhood.

Um I you know, on the way here um to City Hall, um I stopped off to see my daughter.

She works at a Walgreens and the GM was there, and I said, you know, and I said, let me introduce myself and say, hey, please talk to us, connect with us, let us know how we can support because they're the only ones in the neighborhood, you know, because I and I don't have I have one full service grocery store, which is a century, which is located on 71st um in Lisbon, and we're doing construction on Lisbon.

The the the barricades are up and there's not good signage, and he's probably lost about 40% of his business, you know, due to the construction and people not knowing how to access you know him, you know, easily.

So I so I'm glad that the pharmacy portion is on there, but you know, hope that we also think about our existing spaces and how we can um support those um grocers um as well because yeah, they've been in community for many, many, many years.

So thank you so much for your leadership on this.

Yeah, thank you, thank you very much.

So yeah, Alder Woman Pride.

Yeah, I just wanted to speak also to the pharmacy piece, I'll say um in my since I've been elected, um two pharmacies have closed in my district.

Uh Walgreens on on Tetonia and Capital and CBS on Tetonia and Villard.

Um I have one Walgreens left that the last time I got the police report, they had 68 items on it.

And so I know that a lot of these companies use they say that you know it's theft.

Um, for instance, the Aldi's telling me the issue was decreased foot traffic, which I do not believe, but um that it is important that we know that when it comes to pharmacies, the medicine is important, but sometimes those pharmacies are also our grocery store.

And so many people used those walgreens and that CVS for to get formula to get um diapers, to get essential needs that you can't get, and usually usually your local corner store is not going to carry, because even when I try to get corner stores to carry that kind of stuff, they say I can't make you know I don't make money off of it.

So they don't.

Um so we need these pharmacies, they are uh important to to our neighbors and to our to elder elder neighbors, especially those who don't drive and can't access it.

I felt like the Walgreens on Tetonia and and Capitol, I feel like everybody's grandmother lived near that Walgreens that really did when it closed.

Right.

And a lot of people to have that uh barrier with technology, so it's not about you ordering online because you don't know how to.

You don't have a phone that can allow you to do that.

Um so we have to think um out of the box, think about what we can do.

Um and I yeah, I appreciate working with Audwoman Cox to create this and see what we can do going forward.

Yeah, the scholars limit is there.

We want every option on the table.

Alder Woman uh Zemaripa.

Is there also permission to be added as a co-spencer as well?

Sure, for sure.

All right.

So Matt, uh earlier this week we discussed that internal group you have.

How does it align with what this initiative is going to do?

Yeah, Matt Redrick, Department of City Development, and I think it aligns very well.

I think um under the leadership of the mayor's office, the Department of City Development and the Health Department are already doing research on the quantifiable data that we have, but also expanding that into the lived experiences of residents to make sure that you know what what we are ultimately looking into is realistic and is going to be best informed by um the best practices of this industry.

So absolutely, we will be um you know working hard and working collaboratively with um Alder Women Cogs and we look forward to to continue diving into this issue.

Excellent.

So on that topic in the discussion, uh, we would like to add a community portion and this particular group uh called the Food Justice Collective has been meeting for nine months, uh, and there's a bunch of leaders in the grocery industry industry as long with leaders in the community.

So uh is there a pathway to add them part of this initiative and this this uh these meetings and ways to all come to the same purpose and bring grocery stores and and pharmacies to the community.

Yeah, I think there's definitely involvement that we can have with the Food Justice Collective.

Um I've met with them on a number of occasions, and I look to continue doing that and continuing to liaison with them.

Um, but you know, that is I think a really important part of when I mentioned you know lived experiences.

That's you know, we want to hear those voices and incorporate that information into that.

So, yes, I I think that's something I'll coordinate with the mayor's office and try to see how we you know might be able to incorporate you know that organization in particular into this effort.

Awesome.

We have any questions or comments by the committee?

No, but then we do have the members from the Food Justice Collective here.

I'd like to offer them some time to discuss their their their program and see if they how they can align with uh with the departments and the strategies on bringing forth uh while they come up.

I will say this I tell the story about the unrest and the Walgreens and standing there.

Yeah, that Walgreens later, as you all know, did close um as well.

So the community is dealing with the devastation of that.

Um, but I've also had um, and it's funny as you bring the community up, but I've also had the pleasure of fighting alongside active community members for um a full service grocery store when the owner of the building was trying to though he promised a full grocery store was trying to deliver a big box retailer.

Okay.

Um and so yeah.

So we had the success of blocking the Dollar Tree, so that um and attracting um the um Pete's and it was very intentional work um that had to be done in order for that to happen.

So part of the thinking behind legislation like this is from a lived experience from um and it took community, it took the stakeholders in the area, it took um you know, city officials to really think outside the box about uh how to make it happen.

Um, and it took a willing um partner in Pete's and the ownership in peace um to um to go to go into the space um as well.

Oh my god, that was a big moment in Milwaukee history.

What year was that?

I don't know, what five maybe?

No, wait, ten ways oh my god.

Yeah, but what a lot of years ago.

I think I think it's like where I was.

I think we're in the 11th year now.

Two thousand and we're in the eleventh year, because I think they just celebrated ten years back.

So I was at the car because I remember that, and I remember the crowds.

I remember the community stepped up and said we don't want this uh family dollar, we want a grocery store.

And uh I don't know what the key was.

I know you brought I know uh Rocky did a good job in bringing the leadership of Pete's.

Uh but Peace has been doing they've been sustaining over there.

It's definitely not been easy.

Um, but they're there.

They're still there and they're still offering fresh fruits and vegetables and meat and all that um to the community, and they hire from the community um and all of that as well.

I give great credit to President Perez for coming to me and saying, You still need a grocery?

Well, I got one in my district that I think might work for you.

And he made the introduction.

Um, and um we went over there, sat and met with the owners, and then um then I connected them to Rocky Marcou, who was the commissioner of DCD at that time, then Rocky myself and our ownership went over there and we did a walk around.

Um, and ultimately um it is um Kaylin Haywood, um with hanging with development group that was able to help um get across the finish line with the development um of the full project, but MEDC helped um and several other um entities, but also ultimately the big box retailer did have a 20-year lease um for that, and by zoning rights, they could have just opened.

In fact, they had stuff on the shelves, had a countdown in the window, had hired staff and everything, but 51% of their sales was food.

So it's the one thing that they still had to come back here, and that community got to weigh in on right.

So when I talk about collaboration and the power of the community to get what they want, over 60 members of the community and stakeholders showed up and testify on things relevant to the ordinance about um food that they didn't um that they didn't want the license here for.

Um the council members took pictures of their Dollar Trees and the litter and the stuff like that that we're able to use.

So we introduced um evidence like that.

I got the the um the police call report from six other Dollar Trees across the um city that one of them had 1200 cars or something.

So through the through the tools we have, right in a way that we're allowed to, we were able to present a case that the big box retailer had didn't they didn't see it coming.

Well, all those residents, all those things called and facts and data and information.

Um so ultimately DCD continued to work with them and and they decided to to not open that location and to move away.

Then the work began of actually attracting a store, and we had to meet with several um before we ultimately got to the right fit, uh, which was Pete's.

But none of that would have been possible if it wasn't for resident involvement along the way.

I wonder, is anybody from DCD still here from that time frame just for that was a perfect example.

It's it's different times, but that model can be used as we try to promote and bring uh grocery stores here now.

So I don't know.

Is anybody still there?

Matt, were you there?

Yeah, you were here, weren't you?

I was not.

I was not, but I I can't assure you there were uh DCD staff who are still who I have actually learned about that history from who are still around.

So yes, that is definitely something.

And Milwaukee history.

All right, excellent.

That's great for the story.

So we have Metcalf leaders, food justice collaborative leaders.

Thank you for coming down.

You guys had a busy day today.

I saw you earlier.

So always good to see you.

Appreciate your time and effort to come down the city hall.

Please let us know about the Food Justice Collaborative and how you like to partner with the city and in our uh effort to bring healthy and fresh grocery stores and pharmacies to the next one.

Let me help you out because you keep messing up the name, Russell.

I got Food Justice Collective.

Collective or collaborative.

How y'all doing?

Uh Melody McCurtis, I'm the lead uh organizer for Metcalf Park Community Bridges.

Good to see you all again, two times in a week.

Yes.

Uh so just to clarify, the Food Justice Collective is a countywide um group of folks.

We have folks who own grocery stores in that collective.

We have folks who ran a pay what you can grocery store during the pandemic.

We have farmers.

We have folks that have big land and we have folks that have small land.

We have uh inspiring food entrepreneurs in that collective.

We have community members, not just from Metcalf Park, but throughout everybody's district that's been coming to the table for nine months.

The first goal was to just do emergency town hall, which we did nine months ago.

Uh we had over a hundred and uh ten folks come to that uh that that first meeting.

And the first goal was to make sure that pick and save didn't leave quietly.

So as we heard on Monday, three years ago, Walmart left.

Walgreens made an announcement that they were gonna close 1200 stores by 2027.

So we knew that this was a trajectory that not just Metcalf Park was gonna face, but the whole city of Milwaukee was gonna face.

Um two years ago we lost our only clinic, so we saw the trends when it came to food, pharmacy, and then even housing, right?

When 50% of Milwaukee is not owned by folks who live in Milwaukee, right?

So these are layering issues our community is facing.

So we can't just focus on groceries, so I want to clarify that too.

The Food Justice Collective works on four different things.

So the working groups is uh policy and zoning.

That's why we're here today.

We need some policy.

Why are these folks able to just leave with no notice, right?

Um, what other land use out there that we can look at to really be like, hey, these four lots is specifically for food, right?

Whether that's an outdoor market, whether that's I'm pulling up with the groceries, right?

Can we designate land and underutilized commercial buildings that the county might own and that the city might own to make sure we're creating walkable communities and creating a whole new food ecosystem because we're up against corporate greed.

So that that that group is working on that.

Then we have community-led solutions and mutual aid.

So all the community power fridges was birthed out of that, right?

All of the the community pop-ups, the mutual aid sheds, really folks circulating what they have in their excess, working with farmers to go glean from other markets, bringing that back so folks can have access to food in real time as we work on the long-term solutions.

The other working group is the co-op and grocery store creation.

So we have folks that are finna go get trained at UWM to get that cooperative education so that they can start a foundation to actually build out what does it mean to be in business and in practice with each other to bring the things that we need.

We need to start with that same foundation.

We also have folks looking at municipally uh ran grocery stores, so we're working with the county as well to look at that.

And I know the county wants to pursue a joint city-county task force around food and pharmacy.

So that group is working on that.

We also have another group which is the political struggle group.

So we have been doing opt-ins, we have been working with media to really dispel the lie of these stores are leaving because of theft when we know it's their bottom line, right?

Really making the connections around SNAP is under attack, Medicare, Medicaid is under attack, all of these things is domino effects.

So that this group over nine months have been able to really get some some amazing things done.

The Metcalf Park uh people's pantries was birthed out of that.

Uh, at advocating going to these um different hearings, the county declared uh food apartheid of public health crisis because we got to name the real problem.

And if we not naming the real problem, if these stores is not naming, they don't got foot traffic because the city has been doing this this raw work for three years with no end in sight, and they just going with the theft model, that ain't helping nobody if they ain't keeping it real, right?

So if the stores I just met with Century, they're locked into a deal with Century, they have to spend eight million in food before they can end their contract with Century and their food is high.

The milk was six dollars.

If P if your milk is six dollars, but I can go to all these and get my milk for two dollars.

Why am I coming to your store?

So we got to really name what's really happening, and we have to work with media and ourselves to really say what is the root causes, what is the problems, and then that political struggle group is also hitting doors.

So going to folks that's not at this hearing, this hearing is at 1.30 in the middle of the day.

My community can't come here if it ain't after five, right?

Because they work it, so we're gonna be here, but we're gonna also go and check in with community at the start, middle, and the end because they need to be the beneficiaries of whatever is developed in their community.

So that collective has been open for everybody.

So we got folks from everybody of government, different departments, we got county departments on there, city departments on there.

So I feel like if the city is creating a department, our doors have been open, we need y'all doors to be open too.

We do not want to rubber rubber stamp anything, we want to be in the process with y'all.

So we would want the mayor and whatever he cooking up, it needs to be a centralized location.

And I'll pass it to Corinne and Danelle if I miss them.

So what was big in this legislation by Old McCoggs is and any other relevant agencies to create strategies.

It's only uh right for them to see what you guys have and work together on.

Donnell.

Well, first I just want to say thank you so much for caring for me.

I felt so special when y'all talked about the elderly and their medicine.

I mean, we're everybody knowing, but we still need to be able to do that.

No, what I'm saying is that I'm Danielle Cross, representing Metcalf Park Community Bridges.

Uh I'm on life-sustaining medication, and it's the difference between you getting a burn and you needing some cream or you needing medication to keep your life going.

Yeah.

And so uh when pharmacies close, they actually put people who need life-sustaining medication at risk of dying.

So even uh, you know, I want good food, but I want to be alive to eat it.

You know what I'm saying?

I want to be allowed to eat it.

So pharmacies, you know, it can't go without saying we have to say it.

We need our pharmacies.

Is because we are led by the community.

They make us look like some geniuses because they are some geniuses.

They know the answers to the problems.

And so one of the things that we really want for our city is that we get to a place that infrastructure that we talked about where we all working together so that we can all benefit from the genius that's in the community, meaning making sure that the collective is at the table.

Designing what happens because they're gonna make us look good.

That's what's gonna make the difference.

And I see us getting to that point.

I see silos breaking down everywhere.

Today we were together this morning, we back together this afternoon.

Um I see silos breaking down in the community, across communities, and so even when bad stuff happened, great things come out of it.

I think this is one of the great things coming out of it.

And then I'm going to that's all I wanted to say.

Okay.

And I'm gonna turn it over to one of our um community geniuses.

Take it from there.

Thank you.

Hi, good afternoon.

I'm Coran Dennison, and I am here representing myself as a relevant community member.

I live in Metcalf.

I'm an owner resident.

I have two raised beds in a vegetable garden.

Um I have a master's degree from Marquette, which is a privilege of mine, which allows me to be able to leverage my position as a community member to come into rooms and sit next to these beautiful folks.

Um I'm super thrilled to be in this space and learn for all of the motions and the things that are happening.

This is my first time being in City Hall.

Right, yeah, right, yeah, right.

So I had no idea where we were in your new home.

Um, and it's an opportune time for me to be in these spaces to better understand how they work, what is the language that actually lands, how do I actually ask a question that gets responded to, or you know what I mean?

In those kinds of ways, um, civic engagement can be incredibly nuanced and inaccessible from even the geniuses in the hood, right?

You know what I mean?

I know stuff, but it's a lot that I don't even know how to wedge a foot in the room.

And so I'm super thankful to Melody and to Danielle to even one be passing me the torch to demonstrate tech trust to me.

Um I'm proud.

And I'm super excited.

So I've been part of the Food Justice Collective for the entire time.

I'm also um gonna be a board member for our impending knit that's going on, and I'm in Echo, which is a civic engagement program.

And so of the young people, people want to do something.

I'm I I can I keep saying I'm young, but I'm 28, but I'm childless.

You're an elder youth for elder.

Okay, I'll say I'm an elder youth, okay.

And elder youth.

I got a lot of energy and a lot of want and a lot of like, uh, and I don't necessarily know where to put it.

And I don't know how to use it.

And I think that is true for a lot of people behind me.

That's true for a lot of people that I'm acting as the bridge between.

And so it's important to me to be in here and then be like, y'all know, today decided to move a thousand dollars from one place, you know what I mean?

So those couch conversations actually become sincere knowledge conversions in for the people who are not able to get in the room.

Yes.

Um, I don't know what my point was, but I am in gratitude.

The point is, this is why we need uh uh a centralized place where all of this expertise, all of these different departments, the the city, all that we need to be in one room because we can learn from each other, and whatever is created is supported by the community, like Arder Woman Cog said, the community was at the start, the middle, the end.

Right.

They 10 years in, they utilizing a store because it's a store that they want it, right?

What I don't want is somebody to be in one room, and the outcome is orange in a community in another room and they want a lemon.

And but we got an orange.

So we create another problem, right?

So how are we cross-connecting to create we we want to grow Milwaukee, right?

We want a walkable city.

It's some it's some ideas for that, right?

And like Korean, you're you're doing intergenerational teaching, you're showing people how to grow food.

All of this money that's coming down should not just be for grocery stores that ain't even probably gonna stay.

Because that's what they're telling us, right?

How are we supporting the local farmers?

How are we supportive folks' ability to grow their own food?

So when we think about alternatives, not just co-ops, not just business models, but how do we have an abundance of food across our city in new and different ways?

Yep.

And to that point, one last component, uh, and that's for the local farmers and the people who grow food.

Uh there's one more group that I want to add to this collaborative on.

And it's based on a bunch of um organizations that I gathered.

So I'm a former actual group, but then add it to the to this legislation.

But here'll here's some names.

Second Harvest, Cage Community Agricultural Growing.

Uh, we got this.

Alice's Garden, Wall Another Way, the Food Network and Victory Garden.

So that's another group that works with growing food, producing food, and having young people teaching young people how to do that.

I would add teams grow greens as well.

Yeah.

Teams grow greens.

And a lot of those folks is a part of the collective art.

Yeah, I think so.

But that's specific local farming part.

So this is great.

Uh thank you all for coming down.

Thank you for your leadership to all of the council and particularly all the women cox.

We look forward to this Matt.

You know, we got high hopes, keep us posted.

Please reach out or give us a process on how you're gonna do it.

Anything from us, let us know.

Um, and we look forward to the next 90 days.

We'll do approval.

Sure.

Before I'm approval, I do just want to say this on the record for Mac.

Although I didn't, although I didn't put it in the legislation, uh, my expectation would be um, and it may be covered by some of the other food legislation.

But um prior and idea had an opportunity to meet with some of the county folks and their real desire to um to create some solutions around this issue too.

And because they may have access to different resources than we do, I think it's important that as you all you know do community and the DCD and the health department and everybody as you think of these solutions that you also be inclusive of the county because it may be stuff they can do that we can't then working together is I think just better recommendations will come out of it.

Um because I I do see that desire there once right then.

Yeah.

So that's everybody, right?

City, county, community.

Yeah.

All right, man.

You got a big job.

Thank you.

All the women more moves for adoption.

Hearing no objections, so ordered, thank you so much.

Excellent.

I just want to say ad.

All right, thank y'all.

Number nine, two five two.

Y'all have an excellent day.

Number nine, uh, we got two five two zero eight seven substitute resolution designating April 26th through May 2nd, 2026, a you as youth victory over violence week in the city of Milwaukee.

We are joined by Alder Woman Taylor and Mr.

Tracy Dent.

All right, you all tell you you have the floor.

Thank you so much.

Of course.

Well, we're here to talk about something that I think is really important to all of us.

Something that um, you know, that that we have been really working at, just trying to figure out how to help our youth.

And so um this is something that has been going on that I've been involved with for the last four years.

Um I first became knowledgeable of youth victory over violence about four years ago when it was hosted in my district at one of our schools.

Okay, and um it's a a program where um youth are given an opportunity to um talk about what they need.

Right.

Um, and uh, and then it's it's another opportunity for adults to help focus their energy before the summer in a positive way.

Um and so um it's a program that was created by Tracy Dent where it happened all in one day.

So it was um where youth come to the table, they talk to um the CLOs, alder persons, uh, and other people that were in leadership positions uh and staff from the school um to help talk about what they experienced uh and what the solutions could be.

Yeah um and um the very first year they did uh music video that really spoke against um violence, gun violence, um, and I believe it was focused on a young man.

Uh his mom was present, um, and the young man lost his life to gun violence, and mom was there.

Um, so it just put a face to what really is happening in in our um city.

Yes.

So um so after about four years, that I think the following year we were in Pratt's district, um, where again that program took place at another school.

Okay.

Uh and then the last um year we were in uh Alder Woman Cogs District at Howard Fuller School.

Uh and um it's just been a really great program, just focused on things that our youth could do positive to just really refocus their energy, talk about what's happening, right?

But then say, hey, here are some alternatives for you.

Just get involved.

And um, and so instead of doing it for one day at one school, it would be really good to be able to focus on a whole week at several schools.

Yeah.

So eventually that's that's what the goal is is to begin to just branch out and just really get the community involved to come up with some creative ways of helping our youth.

Uh so this year again, it's going to be focused at um Howard Fuller School again in Alder Woman Cogs district.

Um there's a peace walk at the end that we did.

Um, you know, uh just creating that again that positive energy and inviting community members to be involved.

So um there's other schools that really would like to take part in this.

Uh, and so that's that's the goal.

Eventually, is that that week where this group can move that positive energy from school to school to really impact more and more of our youth in a positive way.

For sure.

So um, and I'm gonna turn it over to Tracy Dent now, kind of talk about its inception and and some of the things that they do during that um day that we hope to be able to do during that week.

I miss it.

Did you uh were you um targeting middle schools or high schools?

Uh actually it's been both.

It's been both okay.

Mr.

Dent, good to see you.

Uh hello everyone, and thank you for having me here today.

For sure.

You know, I've been in this community as an activist and an organizer for over 20 years, but 20 years now.

So I've seen the good and the bad of Milwaukee and our youth.

And you know, the thing is is that when we are trying to solve youth issues, we have to bring them to the table because they can help solve the issues, what's going on with the youth because they know what is needed.

And um the past four years we have um work with total of over 1,300 students.

That's between middle school and high school, uh, working with uh Milwaukee Excellence, and then two years ago they integrated with um they merged with Dr.

Howard Fuller School, uh, which is in um Alder Women Cogs District.

For sure.

So you know, some of the the topics that we work on is uh mental health, which is a real big issue in in our community, especially dealing with our youth.

Uh we also talk about healthy relationships, you know, you know, boy, girl, what ex what is the acceptable, what's not acceptable.

Um we also talk about um healthy when it comes to social media.

Um those that's another uh uh important topic that needs to be addressed.

We also talk about bullying.

We also talk about um gun violence.

So it's different these topics come from the youth.

They say that we want we want to know more about these topics so that we can go out there and be leaders and and help uh reduce youth violence in our communities.

Um I think that the reason that I chose um the last week of April is because uh for people that do not know is that in the city of Milwaukee, May is uh violence prevention month.

Um that was uh a resolution that was uh spearheaded by um uh Shanti Hamilton uh back in the day, and uh as well as myself.

So we want to like you know go into the month of no uh May so we can go into the uh to the summer month, you know, is in a positive um, you know, positive um motion, I guess.

Yeah, yeah.

Um and we do have the um Office of Wellness and Safety supports this.

They are a partnership since day one.

Also, like I said, uh Dr.

Howard Fuller School is also a partnership.

Um a lot of community leaders could what we do is we bring community leaders into the school and and um and do the workshops.

So it's like we you know, we got community leaders mentoring and and working with the youth to try to make a difference in our in our city.

We want to span expand this to other schools.

So I want to invite you to we talked about uh the youth emerging council earlier.

I'd like to invite you down there to the next committee to give a presentation.

Okay, because uh a lot of different youth activity and a lot of different youth development that we all need to be aware of.

So congratulations to this uh Tracy Denton, Order Woman, thank you for this.

Appreciate your leadership on this, and uh I know the council has your full back and support on this.

Um I'm sure you're working with an older woman more on some type of youth with Glenn.

Youth's it.

Uh who called who wants to speak?

Somebody's uh Alderman Cogs.

Yeah, I just wanted to make sure I'm adding as a um co-sponsor and just thank I'm Ottawa Taylor and of course Rancy Van for their leadership on this.

I did get an opportunity to attend some of the activities um last year.

Um her from some well spoken um genius of some young people uh from Howard Fuller that quite honestly their words were so moving that I think one of the sponsors off the cuff um went up there and in his words was saying he was so moved that he was giving each of them a scholarship um for the words the five young people spoke at this event we were at.

And who was inspired?

Um the law firm of our Michael Hugh P and Abraham, Mr.

Abraham gave out five one thousand dollar scholarships to the students that were speaking.

And he literally just made it up as he because he heard them and we're was so moved by them.

All of us um were moved by the young people and the words that they share, um and the testimonies that they gave.

And I think um, you know, it only gets better each year that you do it, and uh, and I hope that you know, especially in a moment of um all the things we talk about and see on social media with the taiko and uh lack of activities for kids, all these things that people talk about.

Um it's great to see young people engaged um and something so positive.

Right.

Um so I look forward um to it uh being in the district, but even if it wasn't in my district, I think it's uh a great idea and at least an opportunity uh for young folks to have an outlet um as well.

So uh like we had a sponsor and thank you.

Excellent.

Thank you.

Please add me as well.

Awesome, thank you.

Uh Ms.

Kerman.

Anybody else have any comments?

Well, we look forward to the week.

Please keep us posted on how we could support if you want to come to the 15th, Washington High School, all the MCPs, North Division is available.

I would love to come and you know, just need the time and everything.

Sure.

Details.

Let me know and we could work together and get you in the presentation or some workshops to one of those schools.

Yes, sir.

Excellent job.

Thank you so much.

With that, Alderman Jackson moves for adoption, hearing no objections, so ordered.

Thank you guys so much.

All right.

All right, next we have 10.

Uh is all the woman's on a repo around.

Uh 252104 resolution rescinding common council file 25165A related to an official city event.

This is sponsored by Alder Woman's Emma Repa, Perez and Dimitrevich.

Auto Alder Woman, you want to talk about it.

Um, yes, this is number 10.

Yes.

Um, yes, this is simply a resolution we're sending the Cesar Chavez Day um allocation out of the community excellence fund.

Um and ensuring that it will no longer be celebrated here as an official city event given the circumstances um around Cesata Travis, as you know.

Yes.

All right, thank you.

With that, all the woman Dimitrievich moves for adoption, hearing no objections to order number 11252 107 substitute resolution allocating up to 11,000 from the MKE Committee Excellent Fund for official city events.

All the women's amaripa.

Yes, um, thank you, Mr.

Chair.

And thank you for your support around this uh very bittersweet time um as we were hoping to have this celebration in March.

Um I appreciate the support of uh the chair and the committee um around allocating um out of the Milwaukee Community Excellence Fund something to celebrate um Cesar Chavez Day.

Understanding now that the community is um asking for us to repeal that um Cesar Travis Day City event.

I did work with President Bettes, also Alder Woman Dmitrievich, um, around how we can still utilize the allocation to lift up our community.

And so you have before you uh proposed substitute that Carmen should have handed out to everyone.

She do.

Do we have a motion?

Order woman Dimitrievich moves to uh present the proposed substitute eh?

Hearing no objections, so order thank you, uh Mr.

Chair and Woman.

Um and so the proposed substitute you have before you will um still utilize that um allocation um from the Milwaukee Community Excellence Fund, but now instead of the Cesar Chavez Day event, we have three um community events um coming forward um that'll be designated as official city events.

Okay.

Mean Milwaukee, um that's being led by Elder Woman Dimitrievich, um, as well as Hispanic Heritage Month, which is already a recognized um city event, and leaders igniting transformation, bridging voices in Alderman Perez's district.

Awesome.

All right, do you have dates for these or they're coming forth later?

Um Hispanic Heritage Month, I do as you know it's celebrated um in the fall, uh mid-September to mid-October.

Okay.

Um the other two I would defer to Alderwoman Dimitrievich and uh Alderman Perez.

All right.

Well, you know, we want to support as much as we can.

You want to let us know when they want to come about?

Yes.

Um thank you.

The Me Milwaukee.

Um in Spanish is mine.

So my Milwaukee.

Um it'd be a day of action, likely actually we're considering possibly in September as well to highlight um Hispanic Heritage Month, and the idea is to make everyone um in the community feel included, like a day of action, getting your library card, getting you know, connected with the health department.

Um, you know, the list could go on and on applying for an open job.

Um, but you know, we had to obviously recalibrate would be the word a little bit, um, and still have a day of service, but we really want um people to feel connected that it's my Milwaukee that they feel included.

So that's the me Milwaukee and likely in September.

Okay, excellent.

Any questions or comments by the committee?

Hearing none, Order Woman more moves for adoption.

Keep us posted on the dates, hearing no objections, so order.

Thank you all so much.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Um, you're welcome.

Number 12, 251925 resolution related to allocation allocating funds from the Large Impact Development Fund.

This is sponsored by Order Woman Pratt and I.

This came about um on some money that was discovered in the community economic development block rent office.

Thank you to the leadership of Director Higgins.

Order Woman Pratt and I have had extensive discussions on how we would like to see this money spent.

They presented a program.

I'm sorry.

Oh, so uh Alderman Jackson was a big part of it, but I was gonna do the next because you found that money.

But as I discussed this, is this is I am on 12.

So as I discussed this uh uh I'm going how I remember idea by idiot, but Alderman Jackson is a big part of what I was gonna highlight that partnership on the next one.

But yes, we're all part of this.

This is uh we all lose the grocery stores.

We all working together.

Uh it's just who did what first.

So um we all have been meeting for the last couple months trying to see what's best.

We had even had a matrix.

So this this this this program came out of a matrix of a of a plethora of ideas for councilmen and the and the mayor's office and the block grant office bringing us a program that we can um support.

So we have a million dollars uh large impact fund going for uh grocery stores, and won't you guys talk about how it's gonna be run and highlights of the program?

Sure.

I'm thinking uh oh, excuse me, I'm sorry.

Uh may I have a motion for this proposed sub A?

So moved here.

Order Woman Dimitrievich moves to proposed sub A hearing no objections to order.

Thank you, Director Higgins.

Thank you for doing good to see you.

Uh tell us about this program.

Uh thank you.

Um, Mr.

Chair and uh committee members.

Um the large impact development fund um it was created really just around economic development.

Um earlier this year, late last year, uh the mayor had talked to a bunch of the administration and departments to say hey, find us, uh do some research and work on on grocery and food stores uh to as far as programs and other things in order to make sure we can try to retain and attract new grocery stores.

The large impact development fund actually fits very well for that uh because it's really just about job creation and uh supporting uh for profit businesses, uh whether they're expanding or new businesses out there.

Uh the idea uh to move it into the Department of City Development works really well because they already have the infrastructure for our loan programs or grant programs uh through NIDC.

And so that's why we wanted to go through to make it very, very easy and accessible and work with in collaboration with other ideas that that the council had uh around being able to, you know, food and in grocery store and drug stores.

I mean, all of that uh falls right in line with what the um with the large impact development would do.

Excellent, excellent.

All right, questions by the committee.

All right, so uh who's eligible for this?

And um you want to talk about some of the how you apply?

Yeah, so program design.

I'll sort of leave that up to DCD um because we work with them to get the funds there.

It really needs to go through a nonprofit.

Yeah, um, and so DCD has that uh arm set up with their so we set up a program um sort of based on some things we've already done with other businesses or that DCV has done with other businesses, and now we're just targeted toward grocery and food and drunk uh drug providers.

That's excellent.

Matt, you want to talk about a little bit?

Sure.

Sure.

Um so yeah, the still, you know, kind of work building out the infrastructure for an application form, but we hope to have something publicly available on our website, similar to how the commercial revitalization grant funds are administered, where an applicant could go to our website, go on form site, and um fill in their application information that we could then consider under this program.

Um we're really trying to cast uh a pretty wide net in terms of who might be eligible here.

Um it would be for-profit grocery stores, but we would also extend that to co-ops um and certain nonprofits who are who would fit the the criteria being able to sell um groceries um or uh pharmaceuticals to eligible applicants.

Excellent, excellent.

So I'll talk about some highlights.

This uh Milwaukee has experienced repeated grocery and pharmacy closures, particularly in the historically then disinvested neighborhoods.

This program is designed to prevent closures, stabilize locally on retailers, expand local pharma access and improve fresh food and pharmacy access and build community ownership and long-term neighborhood wealth.

So some of the highlights, uh maximum grant up to 50,000.

Um flexibility, eligible match.

It's it's kind of like like you said, a business improvement district, but uh we have a million dollars to try to improve our neighborhood.

So uh we did add a few things.

Um we had the local farmers, church bank group partnerships, um technology apps.

Uh I know Alderman Jackson was was uh leader on innovation for the grocery because there are different ways people are receiving and getting their groceries nowadays.

Uh all the women, Dimitri Evans and I had a good conversation yesterday.

Our communities shop differently.

She does Instacart and what else we do?

Apps.

Well, I don't really want to share all my business.

I'm talking about big view.

Bay view, y'all doing it.

Y'all order Instagram.

We you know, that's that's not what we're up on yet.

We still go to the grocery store.

So uh there's there's different ways and methods that I mean I haven't I haven't done that.

You do Instagram, you do all that yet?

No.

I'm still a grocery store shopper.

I like grocery shop.

Yeah, you know, uh I'm I just don't trust people picking up my grapes.

I gotta pick my own grapes out.

So uh but there's many different ways.

And we may, you know, part of the next legislation is uh money may be available for individuals to develop us uh uh uh uh delivery service to the community, delivery for your prescription and your groceries.

Somebody may have a an idea to get a van and they go around the community, pick up their prescriptions and drop them off.

Same thing for groceries.

So it's open.

And I want to thank uh the administration, Otter Woman Pratt and Alderman Jackson and everybody really for coming together on supporting this.

Uh Mr.

Chair.

Sure, sure.

Sure.

Uh more than Director Higgins.

Um, just really quick, I just have a question around the match.

Um, because some because of the industry that we're working with, and I know that um typically it's like you know, you put in 50%, we put in 50%.

But for this particular case, I would implore us because most of the grocers that we're talking about aren't making correct uh I mean the industry itself.

When I thought I would never go in the grocery business.

Um love y'all back there.

Keep keeping love y'all.

Love y'all so much.

Um, but the profit margin is very like when I heard that, that's wild.

It is so the only thing that I would implore us to do, and only because I'm and I'm glad that I had this conversation with one of the grocery stores, my colleague just reminded me that Monterey Market is also in my in District 10.

Love you, Monterey.

But the century, because of now the um the construction that's going on, he had to lay off staff.

It's a uh old sort of infrastructure.

It's been around for decades, right?

So that Mr.

Chair, that would be the only thing that I would implore the the powers that be to look at that match, and maybe we can reduce it, um, or maybe use it by case pay case by case basis.

But because of that profit margin, because it's so low, I don't, you know, I'm worried about some of the folks that are that need this support won't be able to come with the 50% match.

So I I want to encourage us, especially for talking about a variety of folks that may apply for this stuff, they're not going to be able to come to the table with that level of a match.

Excellent.

So excellent thinking.

Excellent thinking.

That's part of the the file as you guys continue to create the program.

We'll have tiers.

So you got the 50%, you got the 25%, and then you have the option to be waived.

So if you bring employment, uh, or if you grow food, let's say you hire from the community, then your match would be weighed because you have hired and contributed to the community and you're gonna stay here.

Now, all of it does have uh requirement that you stay a certain amount of time and build in a community, but that is part of uh an option, and I'm sure you guys will judge it based on the capacity of that particular uh proposal or a grocery store.

Sure.

So excellent thinking that is part of this.

Okay, good.

Because um one of the things that the network gave us was uh thinking about the lower tiers like Sherman Park.

Like Sherman Park.

You know, so we want to make sure they're eligible, and if they have some committee, then they may not have to.

The network of the collective, the collective network collaborative, everybody together.

Uh so I thank y'all for helping us put this together.

All right.

Uh so do we have any more questions?

On rejection.

We'll talk about your innovative part or the next one.

Um it could fly in this.

Um, like I said, uh just added the innovation part of it as far as delivery systems or just say, for instance, they call Metcalf Park or call Sherman Park to order groceries.

You know, we could we could think outside the box as we go forward and use different technologies to do it.

You know, a lot of the elderly are not tech savvy, and I represent more of the elder's population in the city.

So I will look forward to somebody just calling Sherman Park and ordering their groceries and they could deliver to them.

Excellent.

So excellent.

All right, do you guys have any questions for us?

Chairman, I think uh we're we're we we're willing to be as flexible as we can.

Obviously, we just have the the only thing our biggest constraint is just the funding source, but all of the other things as far as match, those types of things, we're willing to be as flexible as possible.

I think um we've been working with DCD, and we'll just keep working together until we nail the program down to make sure it's highest and best use.

Excellent, excellent.

All of the demands.

Um, thank you.

I really like the kind of what you're saying, tiered system for those, because I know when we first started talking, I said that I was really leery of trying to bail out any of these corporations.

Um so maybe for those that need a little bit of help because of uh reduction of food traffic, foot traffic, excuse me, or other different dynamics or systems, um, you know, or change societal changes, like we said, um could I mean yeah, I was thinking about you know, we have in our in the um immigrant community, we have people that just don't even want to go out of the house.

So, like we we're trying to, you know, that's kind of like a lot of the heart of mutual aid as well.

But so things are changing and they're changing around us for those that could pay more.

Is it I would ask you to consider possibly like a revolving loan because that might help be like seed money, etc.

Um, so just something to look at as you're building out.

I mean, I think I like that we're talking about it as a pilot.

I find that I find that that is innovative.

Yeah, um, we've got to be willing to try things and and also be willing that some things might not work out, and I think in government we have a lot of pressure in politics in particular, um, it's easy to be risk-adverse because it's usually not an environment that's available for making mistakes, but we have to be open-minded.

So I just wanted to encourage if there's any room in that tier for those that could pay and get a little loan, then it could actually leverage um some other areas of need.

Excellent.

Excellent.

Any other questions?

But I'm here to be supportive, so yeah.

And I move if you need, I don't know what you need to help move things forward.

Remover.

Yeah, because I already did a substitute, so you can count that too, please.

So I got a message from Mrs.

McCurtis.

Did you have any questions, Mr.

McCurtis?

Well, Miss Cross, you know how to text.

I don't like the texting thing you need.

But we'll answer on your question.

Introduce yourself.

Come on.

Questions, Matt.

Oh.

My name is Danielle Krause.

Representative Metcalf Park Community Bridges.

There we go.

The question I have, Matt is the question I have is about the tiered system.

It is a requirement around employment, right?

How many people you're gonna apply?

Could you tell me that number?

Because I know when we were applying, that was a large number for us.

So I think we need to look at that number of employment, like you say, uh Mo's grocery store.

It wouldn't make sense for him to hire 10 people.

No.

I don't think it's was it a isn't it one person?

Yeah, and that's let's talk about this.

Yep.

So for our our existing program under the commercial revitalization grants, um, which isn't focused specifically towards grocery stores.

Um, the maximum you can apply for is one full-time equivalent job for every five thousand dollars.

Understanding that this is a totally you know different environment here.

That is now uh one full-time one full-time equivalent job creation would allow for up to $35,000 under this program.

So that's it, and that kind of gets back to Alder Roman more your point about how these are such you know low margin businesses where the profit just isn't there, and that's where you know, it's especially in the case of Sherman Park Grocery, that's something that you know we would be open.

One of the things that we were really thinking about was being open to expanding that beyond um you know just that five thousand dollars per each full-time equivalent and putting that up to I believe the ma that is the max that HUD allows is uh one job per 35,000 dollars.

Okay, I needed to hear you say that on record.

I did, because that was a big problem.

If you the other thing I wanted to say is that um one of the one of the um the benefits of nonprofits doing this is because we're not looking for a profit.

But because we're not looking for a profit, we need more subsidy to do things.

Um we're looking to hire people, we're looking to uh make enough money to make sure they get paid.

Yeah, but we're not looking for an overall you know, revenue source.

But on the front end, it costs us more to make it happen.

And so what I would say is that one of the other things that I would hope would happen is that uh funding can be layered, layered, that a capital stack can be created because sometimes when you apply for one grant, you can't apply for another grant.

So I would hope that we're thinking about that too, because we are gonna need to depend on our nonprofit partners to make this happen.

That's all I had, y'all.

Thank you very much.

Thank you so much for letting me bring that up.

Okay, okay.

All right, guys.

I'm gonna doing what we can.

Would you please uh Alderman Jackson, all the woman Dimitrovic, uh an auto memories as a co-sponsor group?

And with that Alderman Jackson moves for adoption.

Hearing no objection, so ordered.

Thank you guys.

All right, we can get that out there in the community.

Thank you.

Yeah, we can get that out there in the community, y'all.

So number 13.

Now, this is the one I was uh gonna highlight my my good the good brother from Alderman from District 7.

Uh number 13, 252110, substitute resolution relating to the exponential funds from the grocery store retention fund for the purpose of healthy food access.

Alder McJacks can tell you the story, but he was wise enough to find some funds, 1.8 million to be in exact for a grocery grocery store food fund that will be uh alderman-led and have access for initiatives and programs uh being run out of the city clerk's office.

So the first allocation was 400,000 to the fresh food fund.

Um, you know, city wins lawsuits, cities lose lawsuits.

So sometimes we get money, sometimes we lose money.

Audiment Jackson found this this funds and decided to put it towards uh what's at need now, and that is groceries.

So uh we thank him for that.

Audible judges, you have some comments on this legislation.

All right, thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Thank you.

It really is just um thank my colleagues for believing in me.

You come in with a crazy idea, it's hard to get it across the finish line.

Yeah, but it's anything is your idea you have to do the work.

So I talked to everybody, I think Automobil McCoggs was my first call.

Then Automan Woman Demetrievich as being a financial chair and gave her a call and let her know the plan and how we're gonna execute.

I think it was coming off a holiday, so I had to talk to Pratt in the back room and get her on board.

So good.

So to add that together, that's 2.8 million dollars.

The city of Milwaukee and the common council was putting into the community to address this grocery store initiatives.

So y'all get that out there.

To get total.

The first one we just voted on, and the one we are discussing now that's in the city clerk's office.

And initiatives could come just like the one I talked about earlier about the delivery service.

That could be an initiative.

She needs big big refrigerators in our district so she can store food.

You know, we got the community fridges.

So go to your alderman if you have a uh grocery store initiative and uh council or all the women ordermen, my bad.

Um hello, y'all.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Uh with that, you guys, I'm excited about that, and uh hopefully we can you know we can come back and adjust to what's needed in the community in 2026.

So with that, all the woman Dimitri Everich moves for adoption, hearing no objections, so order.

Excellent.

Okay, next we have number 14, 252102, an ordinance relating to the residential preference program requirements for construction contracts.

This is sponsored by me.

However, in collaboration with the office, we're going to hold this for uh discussion at next cycle.

Uh Alder Woman Moore moves to hold us at the call of the chair, hearing no objections, so order.

Number 15, 251900.

This is a communication file from the Department of Administration, community development grants administration relating to current fund balance and the status of previous appropriations and discussions with older woman Demetri Everich.

She would like to hold this for further discussion and bring it up next cycle.

Am I correct?

Auto woman Demetrich.

You want to discuss it now?

You mix up, we don't have a lot to discuss though.

Can I just talk about it?

Let's do it.

I think it makes it up another thing on finance, maybe.

I know.

I am, I am, I have to do it.

All right, with that, I will bring it.

Brings it back to the reconsider to the committee.

No, because we can take care of it today.

Thank you so much for the time.

Uh Demetrivitch.

And I know we're at the end.

Um, so this was held last time, remember, and I wanted to apologize.

I had uh um just uh couple child uh illnesses in the family that we couldn't get rid of, but so I'm sorry about that, but thank you.

It's up now.

Um really I just wanted the thank you for creating that memo.

I believe that's part of the file, Carmen, in there.

And we now spent a couple items in that memo, like the large impact fund.

And I you know, I knew all this stuff was coming down the pipe, and I wanted to see things holistically, like where things were coming from.

Okay.

So um the memo kind of speaks for itself.

It had the large impact fund, and then it had like three or four more items.

Yeah.

If um Mr.

Higgins could just quickly list it, then that's really all I was looking for, was make sure we all knew what was available because we have a lot of ideas, and I wish we had even more funding.

Sure.

Um yeah, thank you.

Um Mr.

Chair, Mr.

Chair, uh, Mr.

Chair, and uh woman Dmitry Evich.

For sure.

Uh Mario Higgins at committed on the grants administration.

Um the other um I already spoke to the large impact development fund.

We actually just uh moved those funds into that uh to the grocery store initiative.

Um but housing trust fund is another pot of funds that we have.

Um we are on we well, we're actually trying to get the board together now.

Uh so we've been working with uh city clerk's office.

There's a lot of uh expired board uh terms and things like that.

So we hope to get uh that board together within the next couple of months, and so we can get uh an application and start that process.

There's about a million dollars in that in that fund as well.

Um so we hope to get that out uh soon because we have a lot of uh sure housing projects that are starting to inquire about it right now, is really just the board uh getting that together and get everybody back certified.

So we're pretty close.

I think uh the uh president uh common council president may have another appointment left, and but after we do that, we should be able to get those funds out.

Um the other actually really one was the neighborhood improvement project um in reprogrammed last year.

We requested some funds.

Back in Neighborhood Improvement Project is one of the oldest housing rehab programs in the city.

It's been run for uh 30 plus years right now.

Um, and so nonprofits run that program, but the cost um of lead lead um lead paint, uh window replacement, and just overall construction costs are starting to exceed um our federal um minimums or maximums that we can spend on the home side because that's particularly how we fund that program is out of the home dollars.

But it's 245, 25,000 is what the maximum is non-led uh activity in that program.

Well, we're seeing scopes of fifty, sixty thousand dollars.

And so we're gonna substitute that with some C D B G money because we're saying no to homeowners in that program because of our cost caps.

Uh but the C D B G funds match with the home funds would allow us to be able to make sure we can say yes to a lot of those homeowners.

So about how many?

How many homeowners?

How many that we have have we had to deny because of that?

Um I'd have to try to check with uh with DNS.

But over the years you get you you've always gotten some denials because some properties are just in really bad shape, but we're starting to see moderate properties.

I mean, that are in in pretty decent shape, but for having enough, you know, because we're gonna do window replacement on all of them.

Usually you're doing a roof.

Well, you're talking 20, 30,000 for windows, you get a roof, and then you're already exhausted.

But we need to do porches, you need to do often times you need to do siding, so all of those things, and then that's not even addressing any uh mechanicals that could be in a property that might need uh that work too.

So if I put a DNS hold for an elderly person in order to need time to do a repair on their house, are they eligible for the NIP program?

Well, I mean, it's um it just depends, but probably um so it would it would depend on like what like what what the issue is, right?

It is uh we really want to go in and address all of any health and safety co-compliance issues.

Um so if it's just like one issue, they might not work with that program, but their co-compliance loan program probably would.

So all right, thank you.

Honorable satisfied?

Yes, thank you.

So this is to place on file.

No objections to order.

You all that concludes today's community.

Did you have any comments?

Are you are you here with uh the group or did you want to make any comments, sir?

Just here to observe.

Okay, thank you for coming down.

All right, with that the opportunity.

Uh people come down that maybe they want to be heard or something.

Thank you for coming.

Uh, with that, we are adjourned for the community economic development committee.

Y'all have an excellent day.