Racine Common Council Meeting Summary - October 21, 2025
Racine Common Council Meeting - October 21, 2025
The Racine Common Council convened on October 21, 2025, to address routine administrative items, public comments from local residents, and the comprehensive presentation of the 2026 City Budget. Finance Director Kathleen Fisher detailed a budget totaling nearly $276 million, highlighting a structural deficit exacerbated by state levy limits and significant legacy costs. The council voted to rescind a previous decision regarding the acquisition of property at 90 Record Court to facilitate economic development and net new construction. The meeting concluded with various council announcements and the adoption of the consent agenda.
Consent Calendar
- Approval of the Journal of Council proceedings from October 7, 2025, was granted unanimously following a motion by Alder Pabone and a second by Alder Mack.
- Various committee reports regarding transit contracts, licensing applications, and street parking waivers were moved to the consent agenda without separate items.
- The full consent agenda, including all referred committee items, was approved unanimously.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Melissa Marquez stated that she has been a lifetime resident of downtown Racine currently pursuing a master's in sustainability. She expressed full support for implementing a pledge system with tiered seals for downtown businesses to reduce single-use plastics, citing models from San Diego and Oshkosh. She advocated for improvements to the recycling program, specifically noting the need to sort black bins currently in use, and proposed additional receptacles at beaches for shoreline cleanup tools.
- Jerry Hodiman stated that he expressed gratitude for the restoration of proper grass cutting at Viddy and Cheska Park. He commended former staff member Bill Folstrom for supervising the work and current supervisor Scott Salinas for maintaining the high standard, contrasting the current state with the previous condition of the park which resembled a "farm field with windrow." He voiced appreciation for the current appearance of the park and the improvements made to the playground equipment.
Discussion Items
2026 City Budget Presentation
- Director Kathleen Fisher (Finance Director) presented the 2026 budget, noting a total size of nearly $276 million. She reported a 3.2% increase in operational costs against a 1.36% allowance from net new construction, creating a structural deficit of approximately $2 million annually. She stated that the city is using $4.5 million from fund balance to balance the general fund, a strategy she characterized as unsustainable for the long term.
- Director Fisher explained that the 2026 operational levy will increase by $2 million ($1.5 million from a 2025 voter referendum and $500,000 from net new construction), resulting in a tax rate of 11.75 cents per thousand, the lowest in over 15 years.
- Director Fisher detailed the city's obligation of $236 million in OPEB (retiree health care), noting it negatively impacts bond ratings and adds pressure to the budget.
- Director Fisher outlined capital plans, including the demolition of the McMinn parking ramp and anticipated borrowing of $30-35 million for a new public safety facility.
Rescission of Action on 90 Record Court Acquisition
- Alder Mac argued that the city should acquire a small parcel at 90 Record Court to "square up" the dormant land, stating that the current vacancy is a waste of prime real estate and that the acquisition is essential for net new construction and development.
- Alder Frazier supported the motion, noting that the revenue from the boat graveyard on the site is minimal ($1,600/year) and that the investment is smart for the city's development goals.
- Alder Jorgensen, who had previously voted against the acquisition, changed his stance, stating that he now views the acquisition as part of a master plan to make the site marketable and move it off the city's books, thereby increasing the tax roll.
Key Outcomes
- The council voted (11 to 1) to rescind the action from the October 7, 2025, meeting regarding 90 Record Court. This vote authorizes the Community Development Authority (CDA) to proceed with the acquisition of the property, finding that a comprehensive redevelopment plan is not necessary for this specific acquisition.
- The council referred the entire 2026 proposed budget to the Committee of the Whole for further review and discussion.
- The council approved the referral of the following items to specific committees:
- Finance and Personnel (Coastal Management grant, DPW premiums, Emergency Management grant, Youth Gang grant).
- Public Works and Services (Holiday parade, sewer amendments, street parking waivers).
- Public Safety and Licensing (Liquor license applications, operator license, police reports, spectating ordinance).
- The council authorized the Transit Mobility Director to apply for the 2026 Public Transit Assistance Grant and approved the 2026-27 contract with the villages of Caledonia and Mount Pleasant for transit services.
- The meeting was adjourned following announcements regarding a library event, a new Wendy's opening, and the closure of Main Street for traffic.
Meeting Transcript
Well, good evening, everyone. The hour of six o'clock having arrived on this twenty first of October twenty twenty-five. It is my honor to call to order the city Racine Common Council. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. And to the Republic, for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. No? Louder? If I could just ask IT in the back. We had we turned it up a little bit last night. If we could turn the volume up in the chamber a bit, that would be great. First question is for uh President Horton. Do we have any excused absences this evening? Yes, Alta Perez and Alder Kelly. Okay, duly noted. The next item of business is the approval of the Journal of Council proceedings from the seventh of October. There's a mo is there a motion to approve said minutes. There's a motion to approve the minutes from Alder Pabone, seconded by Alder Mack. Any discussion on said minutes. See none. All those in favor, please say aye. Those opposed. Motion carries. Speakers during the public comment period shall follow all rules of the common council and rulings of the chair, including a decision to terminate the remarks if the speaker does not adhere to these rules. There will be two speakers this evening. The first speaker is Melissa Marquez at 2053, North Wisconsin, Racine, Wisconsin, 53402. Thank you, Alder Jordan. All right, thank you. Good evening. My name is Melissa Marquez, and I have been a lifetime Racine resident uh downtown specifically, and I am getting my master's in sustainability from University of Wisconsin Park side in December. I've chosen my capstone project to be downtown Racine and single use uh reduction of single use plastic and um re improvements to the recycling program. I have uh a few um benchmark examples that I have from San Diego, of course, who does it best, and um Oshkosh, specifically for we'll start with downtown businesses, um, where they would do a pledge, you know, and receive some sort of seal. Um, the Oshkosh example has three levels of seals, you know, kind of for their advertising or their window cling, you know, for their storefronts. Um if they show that they are making a reduction in plastic, single use plastic use. So uh the example from Oshkosh had three levels um that was harder to sustain, you know. It's kind of like you have to have somebody that actually goes there and checks on this, whether it be yearly, you know, to maintain that that seal of approval or pledge. Um, I have some ideas for improvements to the recycling program, which I was just driving here tonight and noticed already there's improvements, there's like double the amount of recycling bins. There were only the black bins originally. You guys remember? And now there's blue bins, also. And that was maybe a discussion I had with Ronald Um Pritzlav from Engineering here a couple weeks back. Um, noting that hey, I only see the black bins. What happens? Is that stuff sorted? It's not sorted, you know. The black bins are not. So parks and rack, I guess, run that that show. Also have provided some other um recommendations for additional receptacles, receptacles at the beach where people can actually clean the shoreline, return the receptacle near the the garbage station. Sam Myers Park is a good example where that could be used. Um beach cleanups just are not you know sustainable unless they're done on a regular basis. So those are just a few ideas.
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