OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Milwaukee Community & Economic Development Committee Meeting - June 10, 2026

Common Council — Wednesday, June 10, 2026
BodyMilwaukee, Wisconsin
SessionCommon Council
DateWednesday, June 10, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:59:42
Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

Good afternoon.

0:02

Welcome to the Community and Economic Development Committee.

0:05

I am the Chairman Alderman Russell Stanford, the second to my right.

0:08

Furthest right is Alderman Chambers.

0:10

To his left is older woman Dimitrievich to the furthest left is Alderman Jackson to his right is older woman more and we have our trusted staff assistant assistance, Miss Carmen here.

0:24

Thank you for coming down and uh we look forward to a productive money day.

0:33

So it's a money day.

0:35

Let's get started.

0:36

Number one, two six zero two zero nine reappointment of Jose Fernando Marino to the business improvement number four.

0:42

Jose, are you available?

0:46

Yes, perfect attendance, so he does not have to attend all the woman Dimitrivich moves for his confirmation here in no objection.

0:53

So order number two, two six zero two one zero reappointment of Russell Rosettle to the business improvement district number four by the mayor, Mr.

1:02

Russell Rosetto.

1:03

Are you available?

1:06

Does he have perfect attendance?

1:08

He also has perfect attendance, so he does not have to attend.

1:11

Olderman Chambers moves for confirmation here in no objections to order.

1:17

Number three, two six zero two one one, appointment of Kurt Benzel to the business approval district number 41.

1:23

Mr.

1:23

Kurt Benzel, are you available?

1:25

I am excellent.

1:27

Excellent.

1:27

Let's see here.

1:28

This is an appointment for you.

1:29

What would you like to serve on this bid, Mr.

1:32

Benzel?

1:33

Uh just uh have uh an affection for uh the area that I live in, uh the upper east side of Milwaukee.

1:41

I moved here in 1987 and fell in love with the city, and uh I'm honored to have the opportunity to help improve uh the the business improvement district.

1:54

Awesome, awesome.

1:54

What's the name of your business?

1:56

I work for Shore West Realtors.

1:58

I'm a realtor.

2:00

Okay, all right, and how much is a three-bedroom two-bed right now in the third automatic district.

2:09

Anyway, thank you for thank you.

2:11

Hey, give me a call.

2:12

I'm happy to help anybody there.

2:15

Thank you for your willingness to serve.

2:16

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

2:19

No questions, all the woman more moves for your confirmation here and no objections, so order.

2:24

Thank you so much.

2:25

Thank you.

2:26

Number four, two six zero one seven two communication from the Department of City Development, Milwaukee Fire Department, and the Milwaukee Arts Board relating to the public artist in residence program.

2:38

Good afternoon.

2:39

How are you guys?

2:41

Good afternoon.

2:42

Uh Chair Samper and committee members.

2:44

My name is Sally Svetek.

2:46

I am a neighborhood business development specialist with the Department of City Development.

2:49

Yes.

2:49

And I also serve as staff of the Milwaukee Arts Board.

2:53

Um, I'm here representing DCD Arts Board and um not representing, but I'll be the the voice of the fire department as well, reading some information from Chief Lipski.

3:03

Um so I'll start with an introduction to the pair program and this specific iteration of the pair program.

3:08

Um the public artist and residence program is funded through the Milwaukee Arts Board public art funding and through uh grant from the Greater Mocky Foundation.

3:18

This is going to be the second uh iteration, but we're still considering it a pilot program as we figure out uh kind of best practices and really work towards um solidifying the future of the program.

3:29

Okay.

3:29

So the program brings uh a local artist and an artist liaison uh to work directly with a city department on a pressing civic issue.

3:38

And this year, the fire department was selected by the arts board uh from a pool of very, very interested and excited city departments, which was um very thrilling for me to see a growing um really pool of excitement from from the departments.

3:52

Um and so the fire department proposed an artist um to work on safe housing, which is a foundational issue impacting all Milwaukeeans and all city departments.

4:01

Um, and again, I'll read some of Chief Lipskey's uh very insightful words.

4:06

Um he was and continues to be very um passionate about the fire department serving as the host department.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Youth Programs████████████████████████24%
Miscellaneous███████████████████████23%
Affordable Housing████████████████16%
Community Engagement█████████9%
Workforce Development█████████9%
Arts and Culture████████8%
Homelessness█████5%
Procedural███3%
Economic Development██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Milwaukee Community & Economic Development Committee Meeting - June 10, 2026

The Community & Economic Development Committee of the City of Milwaukee met on June 10, 2026, from 1:39 PM to 3:39 PM. All five members were present (Stamper, Dimitrijevic, Jackson, Chambers Jr., Moore). The committee considered 15 agenda items, including appointments to business improvement districts, grant acceptances, and major allocations of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), HOME, and HOME-ARP funds totaling over $7 million. All actions passed unanimously 5-0.

Consent Calendar

  • Reappointment of Jose Fernando Moreno to Business Improvement District #4 – Recommended for confirmation. Noted his good attendance record.
  • Reappointment of Russell Rossetto to Business Improvement District #4 – Recommended for confirmation. Noted his good attendance record.
  • Appointment of Kurt Benzel to Business Improvement District #41 – Recommended for confirmation. Benzel, a realtor with Shorewest Realtors, expressed his long-standing affection for Milwaukee's Upper East Side.

Discussion Items

  • Public Artist in Residence Program (Item 4) – Sally Svetic (DCD), Sarah Luther (artist), and Paul Druecke (liaison) presented the second iteration of the PAIR program, a pilot funded by the Milwaukee Arts Board and the Greater Milwaukee Foundation. The Milwaukee Fire Department is the host department, focusing on safe and survivable housing. The program starts July 1. Ald. Moore requested a formal memo to the city clerk for council members to share participation opportunities. The communication was placed on file.
  • Youth Council Anti-Nicotine Scholarship Contest (Item 5) – Held to the call of the chair per Ald. Jackson.
  • Talking Book and Braille Library Grant (Item 6) – Sarah Leszczynski (Milwaukee Public Library) presented a grant of over $1.2 million for the WIDB program starting July 1. Adopted.
  • Interlibrary Loan Services Grant (Item 7) – Grant of approximately $271,000 for the program starting July 1. Adopted.
  • CDBG 2026 Reprogramming Funds (Item 8) – Director Mario Higgins presented $3 million in reprogrammed funds, one of the largest allocations in recent years. Chair Stamper emphasized primary focus on youth services and collaboration. Organizations funded:
    • Youth Council Reserve: $80,000 (RFP due June 15)
    • Employ Milwaukee – Camp Rise ($250,000): 300-participant capacity, 650 applicants; for ages 10-13, June 22–August 7 at North Division.
    • Employ Milwaukee – Earn and Learn ($250,000): Work experience for ages 14-24; 800 participants, 3,000 applicants; funds will support an additional 100 youth for summer 2026.
    • Northcott Neighborhood House – Milwaukee Builds and Safe Zones ($300,000): Construction training program that has produced over 1,000 affordable housing units over 23 years; 78% of trainees formerly incarcerated.
    • Riverworks Development Corporation – Financial Empowerment Center ($250,000): Free financial counseling and legacy planning.
    • Rebirth Milwaukee – Job training ($45,000): Pre-apprenticeship construction training replicating the Absolute Advantage model.
    • Safe and Sound – Safe Summer Sites ($500,000): Collaborative effort with MPS, Milwaukee County, Empower, etc.; 14 sites operating 5:30–10:30 PM Monday–Saturday to fill evening safety gap; surveyed 597 youth (69% felt unsafe in neighborhood). Ald. Chambers requested formal inclusion of Lock In MKE and partners Vaun Mayes (Calm Force) and Natalia Renteria (Missing Piece); presenters agreed.
    • Silver Spring Neighborhood Center ($100,000): Workforce development in green space and clean energy; also offers youth social development, food pantry, and early childhood programming. Ald. Chambers praised the center's legacy.
    • Emerging Youth Advisory Council ($200,000): Funds innovative smaller organizations. Ald. Perez highlighted Biker Fest MKE (STEAM and racing, doubling capacity from 8 to 16 kids) and All Hands Boat Works (60+ additional youth in boat-building trades).
  • HOME 2026 Reprogramming Funds (Item 9) – $2.7 million allocated for affordable housing:
    • KG Development Group ($300,000): 31-unit supportive housing at 50th and Lisbon; funds cover unforeseen costs (asbestos removal, elevator code updates).
    • Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity ($500,000): Goal of 40 homes this year in Harambee, Amani, etc.
    • North Star Companies – Austin Commons ($500,000): Redevelopment of vacant homes into 100 affordable units.
    • Milwaukee Development Corporation ($1.1 million): Senior housing at 2711 West Wells Street (old county campus) – 124 affordable units, 11 dedicated to unhoused.
  • HOME-ARP Funds (Item 10) – Shift from congregate shelters to smaller non-congregate projects. Allocations:
    • Milwaukee County – Hillview Project ($1.4 million): 11 non-congregate shelter units on South 12th Street with 24-hour supportive services.
    • Wisconsin Community Services/AK Developments – Capuchin Apartments and two other sites: Non-congregate shelter and permanent supportive housing. Developer Ariam Kesete emphasized income-producing opportunities alongside healing.
    • Milwaukee Development Corporation ($1.1 million, repeated from item 9? Actually item 10 includes additional HOME-ARP, but the minutes show the $1.1 million for senior housing was under item 9. The HOME-ARP item (10) includes the Hillview and WCS projects. The $1.1 million for senior housing appears only under item 9. Careful: Item 9 had $2.7 million, and item 10 is separate HOME-ARP. The minutes for item 10 list Hillview, WCS, and then mention senior housing at West Wells again? Actually, the minutes for item 10 include the senior housing project as part of the discussion? Let's re-read: After discussing Hillview and WCS, the minutes say "Senior Housing at West Wells Street" with Pat O'Brien presenting 124 units. That seems to be under item 10. The transcript also shows Pat O'Brien presenting under item 10. So the $1.1 million for senior housing is from HOME-ARP, not HOME. The summary should reflect that.
  • Beet Street Fall Festival (Item 11) – Declared an official city event to unlock support. One-day inclusive street festival on Wentworth Avenue in Bay View, organized by Cactus Club with multiple partners. Adopted.
  • Granville MKE Pop-up Kid Fun Day (Item 12) – Initially held, then reconsidered and adopted after Ald. Jackson's motion.
  • Sister Cities Committee Membership (Item 13) – Ordinance adding a formal representative from Visit Milwaukee. Tony Snell Rodriguez (Director of Community Engagement) spoke in support, noting alignment with tourism and international engagement. The committee is creating a "Milwaukee fun pack" for the national conference auction. Ald. Moore requested a memo to share the community events calendar (visitmilwaukee.org/community). Adopted.
  • Resolution Rescinding File 250855 and Designating Events for Contributions (Item 14) – Expands eligibility for aldermen to receive contributions for city events. Adopted.
  • Placing on File 2025 Sister Cities Activities (Item 15) – Placed on file as no longer needed.

Key Outcomes

  • All 15 agenda items received unanimous 5-0 votes.
  • The committee approved $3 million in CDBG reprogramming funds for youth-focused programs and safe summer sites.
  • Approved $2.7 million in HOME reprogramming funds for affordable housing projects.
  • Approved $2.5 million in HOME-ARP funds for non-congregate shelters and supportive housing (Hillview, WCS, and senior housing).
  • A directive was issued to formalize inclusion of Lock In MKE and partners in the Safe Summer Sites plan before full Council.
  • Ald. Chambers requested and received commitment to add specific community partners to the safe summer sites.
  • The committee encouraged collaboration among funded organizations and emphasized data collection for future policy.

Meeting Transcript

Good afternoon. Welcome to the Community and Economic Development Committee. I am the Chairman Alderman Russell Stanford, the second to my right. Furthest right is Alderman Chambers. To his left is older woman Dimitrievich to the furthest left is Alderman Jackson to his right is older woman more and we have our trusted staff assistant assistance, Miss Carmen here. Thank you for coming down and uh we look forward to a productive money day. So it's a money day. Let's get started. Number one, two six zero two zero nine reappointment of Jose Fernando Marino to the business improvement number four. Jose, are you available? Yes, perfect attendance, so he does not have to attend all the woman Dimitrivich moves for his confirmation here in no objection. So order number two, two six zero two one zero reappointment of Russell Rosettle to the business improvement district number four by the mayor, Mr. Russell Rosetto. Are you available? Does he have perfect attendance? He also has perfect attendance, so he does not have to attend. Olderman Chambers moves for confirmation here in no objections to order. Number three, two six zero two one one, appointment of Kurt Benzel to the business approval district number 41. Mr. Kurt Benzel, are you available? I am excellent. Excellent. Let's see here. This is an appointment for you. What would you like to serve on this bid, Mr. Benzel? Uh just uh have uh an affection for uh the area that I live in, uh the upper east side of Milwaukee. I moved here in 1987 and fell in love with the city, and uh I'm honored to have the opportunity to help improve uh the the business improvement district. Awesome, awesome. What's the name of your business? I work for Shore West Realtors. I'm a realtor. Okay, all right, and how much is a three-bedroom two-bed right now in the third automatic district. Anyway, thank you for thank you. Hey, give me a call. I'm happy to help anybody there. Thank you for your willingness to serve. Let me see if we have any questions by the committee. No questions, all the woman more moves for your confirmation here and no objections, so order. Thank you so much. Thank you. Number four, two six zero one seven two communication from the Department of City Development, Milwaukee Fire Department, and the Milwaukee Arts Board relating to the public artist in residence program. Good afternoon. How are you guys? Good afternoon. Uh Chair Samper and committee members. My name is Sally Svetek. I am a neighborhood business development specialist with the Department of City Development. Yes. And I also serve as staff of the Milwaukee Arts Board.

SUMMARIZED BY OPENPUBLICA AI
TRANSCRIPT VIA PUBLIC VIDEO
openpublica.com