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Record of Proceedings

Judiciary & Legislation Committee Meeting - October 26, 2026

Common Council — Monday, October 26, 2026
BodyMilwaukee, Wisconsin
SessionCommon Council
DateMonday, October 26, 2026
StatusNEW · FILED
Video Record
0:00 / 3:00:00

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

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

Speaker 1

6:09

To my right, we have Ottoman Bauman.

6:11

To my left, we have Ottoman West to my right Ottoman Westmoreland.

6:17

And none of this is possible with our staff assistant.

6:20

Ms.

6:21

Ortiz and City Attorney.

Speaker 2

6:24

Kevin Todd, City uh City Attorney's Office.

Speaker 1

6:33

All right.

6:33

Here we go.

6:34

Item one.

6:36

Two five one seven six eight resolution related to the claim by ATT Mobility LLC.

6:45

Bob.

6:48

Move denial.

6:50

Move denial of this item as

Unassigned speaker

6:54

there

Speaker 1

6:54

was probably just one of denial anyway, since company.

6:57

So city attorney, anything on this?

Speaker 2

7:00

Uh nothing from the city attorney's office.

7:02

They don't show up.

7:03

All right.

Speaker 1

7:04

So motions for denial.

Speaker 3

7:07

Hi.

Speaker 1

7:07

Hearing no objections?

7:09

So order.

7:10

Item two.

7:13

Two six zero five, six, seven.

7:15

Resolution related to the claim of Cassandra Miller.

7:22

Cassandra Miller.

7:24

First time not appearance.

7:25

I'll entertain a motion.

7:27

First time?

7:28

First time.

7:31

All right.

7:31

Otherwisemoreland and Bob Bomb and move to hole item two.

7:35

Hearing no objection so ordered.

7:36

Item three, two five one seven seven five resolution related to the claim of El Greco Inc.

7:43

John Glitzis.

7:51

Oh, okay.

7:52

Yes.

Speaker 2

7:53

Be the spot, man.

Speaker 1

7:54

I appreciate that.

7:55

Thank you very much.

7:55

All right, City Attorney.

Speaker 2

7:57

Yes.

7:57

Uh uh, Mr.

7:59

Uh Glate Glitus uh and El Greco Inc.

8:02

uh bring this claim uh that arises from a sewer backup at the Al Correco restaurant.

8:06

Uh and in October of twenty twenty-five.

8:09

Uh he alleges these backups were caused by a collapsed sewer lateral that he attributes to the city's installation of a street light pole in April of 2024.

8:17

Uh he seeks twenty-eight thousand dollars in damage.

8:20

Uh the street light pole in question was replaced in April 2024.

8:25

Uh the new pole was situated further from the sewer line uh than the original pole, ensuring that no soil disturbance occurred.

8:32

Uh the city attorney's office recommended denial because there's no causal connection between the city's uh installation of a new light pole on in April 2024 and the restaurant experienced a collapse sewer lateral in October of 2025.

8:45

And therefore the city is not liable for damages.

8:56

Uh replaced and removed or removed and replaced in uh April twenty four.

9:01

The uh lateral collapse uh occurred in October of twenty five.

9:06

Uh Martin

Speaker 4

9:07

Craig City, Milwaukee.

9:08

Oh well.

9:13

Uh, we concur.

Speaker 5

9:19

Um, I didn't know if you need me to provide any documents at all, or if you have them in front of you as far as the claim goes.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Pending Litigation█████████████████████████████████████████41%
Legislative Updates████████████████████████24%
Legal Procedures████████████████16%
Public Safety███████████11%
Procedural████4%
Public Works██2%
Urban Forestry Management██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Judiciary & Legislation Committee Meeting - October 26, 2026

The Judiciary & Legislation Committee of the Milwaukee Common Council met on Monday, October 26, 2026, at 9:00 AM in Room 301-B of City Hall. Chair Ald. DiAndre Jackson presided, with all five members present (Jackson, Westmoreland, Pratt, Bauman, Perez). The committee considered 17 agenda items, including claims against the city, a legislative package update, code revisions, tax cancellations, and litigation matters. The meeting adjourned at 11:55 AM after a closed session.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Item 3 – El Greco, Inc./John Gliatis claim: John Gliatis, owner of El Greco restaurant, testified that a sewer backup in October 2025 caused $28,000 in damages, alleging a city-installed streetlight foundation may have contributed. City Attorney Kevin Todd recommended denial, citing no causal connection. Committee members questioned the proximity and excavation method. The committee recommended disallowance.
  • Item 8 – Greater Milwaukee Auto Auction claim: Kristi Church, president of the auction, stated a stolen 2019 Mercedes was recovered by police and sold by the city tow lot without notifying her business, causing $27,000 loss. Tow lot managers Nicole Anderson and Tammy Stephan explained they followed procedures, contacting the lien holder. MPD Officer James Lewis noted a 7:40 AM call to the auction, but Church said the business was closed. Committee recommended denial.
  • Item 9 – Detra Rodgers claim: Ms. Rodgers (by phone) argued the Milwaukee Fire Department unnecessarily forced entry into her rental property during a dumpster fire, causing $8,080.65 in damages. Fire Department Assistant Chief Parish defended the action as standard protocol. The committee first considered a $1,000 settlement, which Rodgers rejected, then voted 4-1 to recommend denial. Ald. Westmoreland dissented.

Discussion Items

  • Item 10 – 2027-2028 Legislative Package: Jordan Primakow and Shianyia Thao (Intergovernmental Relations) and Justin Morales and Calvin Lee (Legislative Affairs) presented a streamlined biannual package. They outlined five guiding pillars, focused on diversifying city revenues and removing state-imposed limitations. The committee held the communication to the call of the chair.
  • Item 11 – Code Revisions Ordinance: A substitute ordinance correcting errors, clarifying language, and removing obsolete provisions. Committee recommended passage.
  • Item 12 – Tax Cancellations: Assessment Appeals Director Dan Campbell requested refunds totaling $15,004 for five parcels on the 2025 tax roll. Committee recommended adoption.
  • Item 13 – Ordinance on Prospective Litigation Settlement Agreements: Not ready; held to call of chair.
  • Item 14 – Communication from City Attorney on Settlement Agreements: Placed on file after discussion in closed session.

Key Outcomes

  • Claims Denied (Items 1, 3, 5, 8, 9): The committee voted unanimously (5-0) to recommend disallowance for AT&T Mobility (Item 1), El Greco/John Gliatis (Item 3), Luis Hernandez Lopez (Item 5), and Greater Milwaukee Auto Auction (Item 8). For Detra Rodgers (Item 9), the committee voted 4-1 to recommend disallowance after she rejected a $1,000 settlement offer.
  • Claims Held (Items 2, 4, 6, 7): Claims by Cassandra Miller, Drew Hall, Celester Perkins, and Malcolm Washington were held to the call of the chair, primarily due to first-time non-appearances or unresolved representation.
  • Legislative Package (Item 10): Held to call of chair for further refinement.
  • Code Revisions (Item 11): Recommended for passage (5-0).
  • Tax Cancellations (Item 12): Recommended for adoption (5-0).
  • Litigation Matters (Items 15-17): After closed session, the committee recommended adoption of the settlement in Jacob Enriquez v. City of Milwaukee (Item 15), the resolution on settlement indemnification (Item 16), and authorization to retain outside counsel for toxic exposure litigation (Item 17), all by 5-0 votes.
  • Closed Session: The committee convened in closed session under Wis. Stat. § 19.85(1)(g) for attorney-client advice on items 14-17.
  • Next Steps: Denied claims will go before the full Common Council on November 4, 2026. Claimants may then file suit in circuit court.

Meeting Transcript

To my right, we have Ottoman Bauman. To my left, we have Ottoman West to my right Ottoman Westmoreland. And none of this is possible with our staff assistant. Ms. Ortiz and City Attorney. Kevin Todd, City uh City Attorney's Office. All right. Here we go. Item one. Two five one seven six eight resolution related to the claim by ATT Mobility LLC. Bob. Move denial. Move denial of this item as there was probably just one of denial anyway, since company. So city attorney, anything on this? Uh nothing from the city attorney's office. They don't show up. All right. So motions for denial. Hi. Hearing no objections? So order. Item two. Two six zero five, six, seven. Resolution related to the claim of Cassandra Miller. Cassandra Miller. First time not appearance. I'll entertain a motion. First time? First time. All right. Otherwisemoreland and Bob Bomb and move to hole item two. Hearing no objection so ordered. Item three, two five one seven seven five resolution related to the claim of El Greco Inc. John Glitzis. Oh, okay. Yes. Be the spot, man. I appreciate that. Thank you very much. All right, City Attorney. Yes. Uh uh, Mr. Uh Glate Glitus uh and El Greco Inc. uh bring this claim uh that arises from a sewer backup at the Al Correco restaurant. Uh and in October of twenty twenty-five. Uh he alleges these backups were caused by a collapsed sewer lateral that he attributes to the city's installation of a street light pole in April of 2024. Uh he seeks twenty-eight thousand dollars in damage. Uh the street light pole in question was replaced in April 2024.

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