Racine City Council Meeting Summary - October 30, 2025
Racine City Council Meeting Summary - October 30, 2025
The Racine City Council convened on October 30, 2025, to conduct the public hearing and ongoing discussion for the 2026 proposed city budget. The meeting began with a procedural discussion regarding the Wisconsin Open Meetings Law, wherein City Administrator and City Attorney reminded members that discussing council business outside of properly noticed public meetings constitutes a potential legal violation. The council then proceeded through a public hearing featuring testimony from residents and community organizers advocating for the Department of Community Safety's violence prevention program and the implementation of a municipal ID card program. Following public testimony, the council debated whether to refer a series of twelve ordinances attached to the budget to standing committees for further vetting or to debate them immediately in the Committee of the Whole. After extensive deliberation and voting on individual referral motions with mixed results, the Council deferred the discussion on the ordinances to the next Committee of the Whole meeting to ensure proper review and public engagement.
Consent Calendar
- No items were listed on the Consent Calendar during this session.
Public Comments & Testimony
- James Pavlovsky, Diane Lang, Susan Hip, Pete Notec, Jessica McPhail, Joe Cushing, Giovanna Liu, Bobby Ayala, and Carl Hubbard: These speakers expressed full support for the funding of the Department of Community Safety's community-based violence intervention and prevention initiative. They cited a 52% decrease in shots fired and a 21% decrease in non-fatal shootings as evidence of the program's success, arguing that investing in prevention is more humane and cost-effective than reactive criminal justice measures. Several speakers, including Bobby Ayala (a peer advocate and former offender) and Giovanna Liu (a volunteer violence response caller), shared personal stories of trauma and the program's role in healing and community trust.
- Jamie Alvarado, Diana Valencia, Alejandra Ramirez, and Fernanda Jimenez Hau: These speakers expressed strong support for the inclusion of the Municipal ID program in the budget. They argued that the ID serves as a critical lifeline for undocumented immigrants, the homeless, the elderly, and others facing barriers to obtaining state IDs, facilitating access to banking, healthcare, and law enforcement interaction. Fernanda Jimenez Hau specifically noted that the lack of ID creates fear of reporting crimes, thereby negatively impacting public safety, while also framing the program as an act of inclusion and safety for the immigrant community.
- Michael Frontier: This speaker expressed concern regarding gun violence and domestic violence, highlighting that 60% of the county budget goes to policing while health and human services receive only 16%. He advocated for the current budget's prevention programs as a necessary alternative to underfunded state systems.
Discussion Items
- Open Meetings Law Compliance: City Administrator and City Attorney discussed the prohibition of "walking quorums" and unofficial meetings under Wisconsin law. Alder Whitener raised a point of order questioning the appropriateness of discussing this procedural violation if it was not on the agenda; the City Attorney clarified that while the admonishment itself wasn't on the agenda, the legal context was necessary for the session's integrity.
- Referral of Ordinances to Standing Committees: A significant debate ensued regarding whether to send 12 ordinances embedded in the budget book to standing committees (primarily Public Safety and Licensing) for further vetting or to debate them immediately in the Committee of the Whole.
- Alder Jurgensen, Alder Widener, and Alder Mac argued in favor of referral to standing committees, stating that the budget process is not the appropriate venue for complex policy changes like Adult Family Home regulations, Property Maintenance codes, and Towing license suspensions. They requested that these items be properly vetted by committees with specific expertise before the budget is passed.
- Alder Prez, Alder Harman, Alder Horton (Chair), Alder Mack, Alder Kelly, Alder Frazier, and Alder Townsend argued against referral, noting that the Committee of the Whole acts as a standing committee where the entire council sits. They advocated for time-saving and efficiency, emphasizing that department heads were present to answer questions and that sending items to committees would delay the budget process unnecessarily.
- Voting on Specific Ordinance Referrals: The council attempted to vote on sending individual ordinances to the Public Safety and Licensing committee.
- Motion to refer: Failed on multiple counts (including Ordinance 0013-25, 0016-25, 0017-25, 0018-25) due to ties (6-6) where the Chair voted "no," or direct "no" votes from the Chair preventing a majority.
- Motion to refer Towing Rates (0015-25): Passed with six ayes and four noes.
- Motion to refer Civic Center Commission Dissolution (0021-25): Failed with four ayes and five noes.
- Individual Ordinance Discussions: The council briefly discussed the substance of several ordinances, including:
- Intoxicating Hemp Products (0013-25): Supported to restrict sales to minors, addressing concerns about vape products in schools.
- Towing Rates (0015-25): Discussed aligning rates with county standards to attract more towing companies.
- Hotel/Motel Occupancy (0017-25): Clarified that the 29-day limit aligns with state law regarding transient status and extended stay permits, aiming to prevent long-term residency in facilities without kitchenettes.
- Adult Family Homes (0018-25 & 0019-25): Discussed the need for Certificate of Occupancy requirements and a formal review process to address neighborhood concerns, while acknowledging the complexities regarding the Americans with Disabilities Act.
- Littering/Illegal Dumping (0020-25): Discussed the proposed reward program for reporting illegal dumping, with concerns raised about potential fraud and the necessity of police verification.
- Property Maintenance Code (0022-25): Discussed new standards for vacant buildings and landlord responsibilities, balancing tenant safety with landlord challenges regarding tenant-controlled behaviors.
- Racine Works Program (0023-25): Discussed closing a loophole to require subcontractors on public works contracts to participate in apprenticeship programs.
- Municipal ID (0024-25): Discussed the program's liability, the verification process for identity, and its use for accessing city services and discounts. Alder Prez expressed concerns about potential federal law conflicts and liability for the city, while others framed it as a public safety tool for identification.
- Civic Center Commission (0021-25): Discussed dissolving the inactive commission and transferring oversight to the Parks Board, with Alder Pavone arguing it reduces community participation and transparency.
Key Outcomes
- Deferral of Ordinances: Following the debate and failed motions to refer specific ordinances, a motion was carried to defer all remaining ordinance discussions to the next Committee of the Whole meeting (scheduled for Wednesday, November 5th).
- Budget Amendments: Council members were instructed that all amendments to the budget and the proposed ordinances must be submitted to the Finance Department by 5:00 PM on October 31, 2025.
- Procedural Ruling: The Council reaffirmed that the Committee of the Whole functions as a standing committee for the purpose of debating these items.
- Next Steps: The committee will revisit the ordinances as a package or individually during the next Committee of the Whole session to debate, amend, and vote on adoption alongside the final budget.
Meeting Transcript
I know you say that. How are you? What do you think? How are you? Yes. I do not find one second. Let me bring back to all the rates. We ask you guys to be seated so we can start, please. Thank you. Uh today is Thursday, October thirtieth. Uh and we are going to uh start our twenty twenty-six bud budget public hearing and ordinance discussion. So at this time we will have uh uh cultural. Sorry, Alder Lamb has asked to be excused, Alder Kelly, Alder Harmon. We will start we're gonna start our uh our uh public our public hearing for the twenty twenty-six proposed budget. Uh uh City City administrator. Yes, uh thank you, President Horton. Um, I need to just take a brief pause at the beginning of the meeting so that we can refresh ourselves on the requirements of the Wisconsin open meetings law. It has come to my attention that there have been conversations outside of scheduled council meetings or committee meetings uh to further discuss the budget. It is important for all of our members to keep your discussions to regularly scheduled noticed public meetings that when we're having discussions outside of those regularly scheduled meetings, the public does not have notice of those meetings or an opportunity to uh listen or to appeal to the body. I think it's a part of the integrity of the system, and moreover, it is part of Wisconsin law, it's not an optional law. Um I know that we've been briefed on this before. You're all briefed on this when you're onboarded uh as a member of this body. You're you hear about this when you attend legal municipalities meetings, but nonetheless, I think that we need a reminder of that. So I would like to ask the city attorney to provide us with a refresher on the requirements of the Wisconsin open records and open meetings law. Thank you. I think Alderman Whitener has a question. Could you take you to your button for me? Is this noticed on our agenda? This admonishment by the city administrator and city attorney. It is it is not. They were in the queue. He was in the queue, and I just selected him in the queue. It's not on the agenda. So at this time, we will at this time then I will call for a point of order if it's not on the agenda. My point of order is if it's not on the agenda, we can't have this discussion. I think that given the fact that we're talking about a violation of the Wisconsin law which may result in this city and body. Okay, not to hear something. First, I'd like a ruling on my order, you're not recognized by the chair. When you call a point of order, you don't need to be recognized. No, you don't. No, you don't. We're gonna have the the city attorney to speak in so that we can move forward. Well, first, I'd like a ruling on my point of order from the parliamentarian. If it is not noticed on the agenda, is it appropriate to have the discussion? We have the city attorney to ask. Okay. Under the Wisconsin Open Meetings Law, there is a prohibition against meetings of governmental bodies that are not noticed publicly. There are other aspects of the law, but a governmental body means any state or local agency, board, commission, committee, council, it's a variety of other lists, and of course, that would include the common council, any committee of the common council, and any board authority or commission of the city of Racine. A meeting is defined as the convening of members of a governmental body for the purpose of exercising responsibilities, authorities, powers, or duties delegated to or vested in the body. So broadly we could say as to the city of Racine, that would be city business.
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