Okay, we'll call the common council meeting to order.

For Thursday, February 19th, 2026.

Um Anderson is unable to attend tonight.

Um please do oh we'll uh do the roll call.

Christine here, Payne, Wigderson Piper Bantrieste Wells Absent.

Manion Moldsen here, Wateska Anderson's absent, Helvin Slavin.

Here, Matthews, here Dean Lemke, here, Rick Lemke, here Camacho.

Here.

Okay, we do have a quorum.

Please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance.

One nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

Next item is uh public comment.

Uh I did check a while ago.

There was no one signed up for public comment.

Uh is there anyone here for public comment?

Okay, we'll move on.

Next item is approval of the minutes for January 15, 2026.

Albert Dean Lemke.

Make a motion for the minutes to go through.

Okay.

Second.

All the manion.

I'll second.

Any discussion.

Okay, please vote.

To approve the minutes.

Come on, to I.

Piper I.

Katie.

It's not working again.

Christina.

There was uh uh reboot um, I think today.

Uh all right, so the motion passes unanimously.

Next item.

Oh, I'm looking at uh the water utility.

I'm glad I caught that.

Yeah, all of a sudden I'm like going uh action items approved payments from the general fund.

So um public comment presentation.

The next item we have is uh presentation from revitalized um Milwaukee.

Um anyone going to should I just turn it over to you guys?

I think that'd be great.

That sounds good.

That's Melody, please introduce yourself and everyone else.

I will.

Um my name is Melanie Roach, and I'm the CEO of Revitalize Milwaukee.

And I would like to introduce my team, um Fran, she is our marketing and development director, and Ricardo, um, who is our outreach person.

So it is an honor and a privilege to be here tonight.

So I want to thank you for inviting us and um giving us the opportunity to share who we are and what we do and how that relates to Walkershaw.

Um couple of things.

Um Waukeshaw, our first big event in Waka Shaw was last June.

And I will tell you that Waukeshaw has stolen our heart.

Um, it's a hard nut to crack originally.

I always say that.

Um, but we were able to come into the strand thanks to some people that are here, and thanks to some overall support.

Mayor Riley was a huge advocate in saying, let's get you into Walkershaw, let's see what you can do.

We need you.

Um, we met with a Jennifer.

Um, but the biggest influence in making the strand happen was by with without a doubt Doreen, who went door to door with us, who who said that this is gonna be so amazing for my neighborhood, and I want to do this with you.

And when I say do it with us, she was with us every single step of the way.

So, Doreen, thank you for believing in us, and um, I'm so happy for your neighborhood and the homeowners.

You have truly had an impact.

So, um Enrique, I want to show talks about Walkershaw impact.

We brought this by chance, and this is one of the homes we did in the Strand.

And then Ricky came up and said, What the heck?

He's like, who is that guy?

Um Ricardo said, Well, that's our construction attorney goes.

No, this is my grandfather.

This is one of the houses we did, and it was such an honor to be in this house.

This is a very, very proud man who lives in the strand and has for years.

He worked at Healy.

I want to say his whole life.

Can you use the um go use the mic because this is also recorded?

Thanks.

Oh, sure.

I talk a lot with my aunt.

You can also pull the mic up so it's a little catches it more.

Okay, how's that?

That's good, and uh even back a little further, is we'll work out fine just so that we're on the mic.

Oh, okay.

Is that good?

Yep.

Okay.

So his grandfather worked for Healy his whole life.

And to be in his neighborhood, um was really an honor.

Mike Frederick, the CEO of Healy came over.

That was um Enrique's grandfather's boss.

He saw what was being done at the house and in his neighborhood and was incredibly proud.

So Revitalized Milwaukee does critical home repairs for low-income seniors, veterans, and people living with disabilities.

Critical home repairs, not rehab, not rebuilding, and nothing cosmetic.

We believe our Waukesha neighbors should stay in their home as long as they would like to, and as long as they can safely be in their homes.

Safety is number one for us.

All the homeowners we've talked to have said we want to stay in our home.

We desperately want to stay in our home, but a lot of these homeowners just don't know how.

So I will start by.

Is it working?

Not quite yet.

Oh, okay.

So what song would you like to hear?

No, I just kidding.

I'm just kidding, you guys.

I'm just kidding.

Um, but so um when I show the video, it'll really give you a feel, and I don't know how many of you have seen it, what we were able to do in one day.

I was telling Doreen and I was telling Mike that we right now have seven houses that we can do in Waukesha.

Seven houses that we're ready to do.

We just need the applications.

So that means we have sponsors ready, we have the materials depending on what they need, ready to go, and we're ready to devote a full day with a full team and a crew to come in and make these homes safer and more livable for our homeowners.

And I just want to add, at no cost to the homeowner.

Zero cost to the homeowner.

And that's you know, I never knew selling free would be so hard.

And it's true because it's and that's what I'm here tonight to talk about too, because a lot of people, a lot of people in your neighborhoods cannot believe it's real.

And it's like, well, this is too good to be true.

But I promise you, if you have any doubt that it's true, ask Doreen.

It is absolutely true, and we want to make a difference.

As I said, Waukesha stole our heart.

Um, we love this community.

We want to build this community with you, and we want to keep people in their homes with you.

Should we try a different cord?

That's the next step.

Yep.

No, we should give them your computer.

Yeah, okay.

Well, give him my computer.

Sorry.

Okay, I'm gonna go through well, I'll show we'll see.

Okay, three guys walk into a bar.

We'll get the chief up here to say bad dad jokes.

Yeah, that's how we're what type of dog is in a zoo.

What um oh no, I actually I'm not gonna say that one.

No, don't say remember you're being recorded.

Maybe do the conservative.

Yeah, well um uh we're we're gonna we're just gonna jump over to uh the consent agenda.

Are there any modification?

Are there any things to be removed from consent?

Okay, with that the consent agenda is approved.

We already did approve the minutes um with the wrong date, which was February 3rd.

Um Brian, how about doing we'll move to disallowance of claims?

Um I'm gonna turn you at A, B and C for um uh items under new business.

Why don't you just start?

Sure.

Uh we've got a couple of claims.

Um they're all pretty familiar with the process now about the claims.

Uh they have to give us a notice of the claims in order to uh it's a prerequisite for them filing a suit against the city.

So if we disallow claims, that doesn't mean they're not going to recover from the city.

It just means that we don't have enough evidence to show that the city is clearly negligent and liable.

So we're saying, you know, go ahead and file suit if you like.

This first one from Tyler Montney.

This involves some flooding that occurred in Mr.

Montney's basement on Greenfield Avenue as a result of a plugged up drain in uh uh a sewer in front of his house.

And he submitted a claim for the drain cleaning and for some cleanup.

Um unfortunately I don't think he ever followed up and and filed the full amount of damages that he is claiming here, but he did submit enough that we can treat this as a claim.

The uh we are recommending disallowance of this because we did not have notice beforehand that there was any problem there.

If there had been a problem with the sewer and the city had been notified and then failed to take any action, that would be a different story.

Then there would be negligence on the part of the city, but the city is not strictly liable for damages that happen this without proof that the city was negligent somehow.

So in this case, we are asking that the claim from Tyler Montney be disallowed and uh the clerk directed to uh issue a notice of disallowance to him.

If there are any questions, I'm always happy to answer them.

Okay, uh Alder Person Molson and then Van Trieste.

I move to disallow the claim for Tyler Montney.

Okay, is there a second?

Alban Piper?

I'll second.

Okay, Alder Person Van Trieste.

Thanks, Mayor.

Um Brian, uh would it be appropriate to have like our plumbing inspector if it's like Monday through Friday go to a homeowner and see what the deal is?

And uh can we do that or does that involve us and then makes us liable from that point forward?

Well, I don't know exactly what you mean by that.

If we were going to go uh into homes and try to identify in advance if there's a problem, uh it wouldn't require the permission from the homeowner or entry into the home because the problem would be in the main out in the street.

And we do periodic inspections of the mains around the city uh through uh a camera that they send down through the pipes.

And uh when we are made aware of a problem, uh crews are dispatched and they will jet out the the mains if necessary.

And that's what happened in this case.

I don't know that we could preemptively go out and inspect more than we already do, because uh we already do inspections fairly regularly on the city's infrastructure.

Do we have any idea how long uh he waited before he submitted his claims to us?

Yes, we do.

Give me a second.

The date is uh not long.

It was December 28th when he noticed a sewer gas smell.

Uh it was January 22nd where B and G came out and jetted.

So three weeks.

Uh and then the date of his claim was January 30th.

So he was pretty prompt.

Yeah.

Okay.

Thank you.

Okay, any other questions on this?

Alder Person Matthews?

You you said that there was no issues reported, but that doesn't mean that something wasn't wrong.

Is that correct?

Or we don't know if something was wrong that could have potentially caused this.

Oh, absolutely.

I think we can assume that there was some issue there that caused the backup into the basement.

Thank you.

Okay, anyone else?

Okay, so the motion is to um disallow the claim, please vote.

Camacho, aye.

Rick Lemke, aye.

And Katie, you can just announce it.

If it we can't get it up.

The motion did pass.

Do you know the vote?

11 yes to no.

Okay.

That motion did pass.

Thank you.

Um we'll move to allowance a claim for vehicle damage, George Hardy.

This one sits at the other end of the spectrum.

The city worker that caused the damage to Mr.

Hardy's car was clearly liable.

We cannot deny that there was some negligence on the part of that skid steer operator who backed into the side of Mr.

Hardy's car as he was passing.

And we are he submitted uh an estimate for damages, I should say.

And we always like to see two estimates.

And uh that dollar amount is 2,033 and 87 cents.

So uh as I say, this is one where uh there's there's really no contest here.

Our our driver was negligent, so we're recommending that this allow uh claim be allowed.

Okay, all the mineral pain pain moves uh will allow the claim.

Alden with Tesco.

Second.

Discussion?

Rick Limke.

Whenever there's a uh vehicle accident, I I read the statement and it said that the man uh sat there for 30 seconds and watched what was going on.

You know, and a lot of times there's a crash in the middle of the street, and the they uh uh blame 50 percent one driver, 50 percent the other.

Obviously, our guy backed into him, but wouldn't it be somewhat of his responsibility to kind of let the guy know that he was there since he sat there for 30 seconds watching what was going on?

I I'm just asking for uh an opinion.

Yeah, and if a case like this were to go to trial, it wouldn't for a dollar amount like this, but if a case like this were to go to trial, then sure, each side would say that well, maybe we were causally negligent, but you were also a certain percentage causal causally negligent, and your recovery should be reduced by that percentage.

Um in a case like this where we're talking about two thousand thirty-three dollars, highly unlikely that the parties would ever litigate this or really fight over that question.

But yeah, what you're saying is absolutely true.

That's that's typically the way it's done, and uh if there were enough money at stake here to fight about, sure, those are the kinds of defenses, and we would disallow the claim then and say, okay, this should be determined in court.

This is really not appropriate for us to determine here.

I was originally gonna vote against the disallowance, but hearing your explanation and the dollar amount, and there could be two claims.

I'll change my yes, I'm gonna vote for it.

Okay, and just approval.

Just to be clear, it's uh it's a motion to approve the claim in the amount of two thousand thirty-three dollars and eighty-seven cents.

Any uh older person trieste?

Do we know it was this a seasonal or was this a full-time employee?

It was during leaf collection.

It was a full time employee during leaf pickup, so it was the while uh skid steer was raking leaves off the terrace, so back and forth, and the person snuck behind him.

That's what occurred.

Okay, any other questions?

All right, so the motion is to allow the claim in the amount of two thousand thirty-three dollars and eighty-seven cents.

Um please vote.

Macho I.

Matthew's aye.

Rick Lumpke aye.

Christine I.

Do you need to check to see if we'll now go to uh presentation by revitalize um because we are now on the screen?

Okay, thank you everybody for your patience.

So the revitalized project will be coming to your neighborhood all during 2026.

Our whole mantra is let's strengthen neighborhoods, one home at a time.

Um, and now you will see what we did in the strand in June of 2025, thanks to Doreen and Mayor Riley and a number of other people that are here tonight.

He should have said that.

It is a reflection of what happens when a community comes together with art, purpose, and compassion.

We're here in walking.

We're here in a neighborhood.

Well, we're all from the neighborhoods.

All different companies, organizations, and groups.

Welcome to Blackville Walking Shaw.

This is our 21st, 22nd year.

First time in Walkershaw.

Feels good.

You chose to help a person, a community, and I can't think enough.

Uh-oh.

No.

If you think about all that's going on in the world today, you would think that there's nowhere in the world, especially in the United States or Wisconsin, people would come together to help one another, just out of love of community.

And that's what we're seeing today.

This is a community event that makes our community much stronger.

So thank you so much, Rival Lyes Milwaukee, the sponsors, every single person working, and the homeowners too.

So this is a great way for you to see and understand who we are and what we do and what we can do for your neighborhoods and communities.

Like I said, we have seven houses right now that we are ready to begin on qualified homeowners for qualified homeowners.

So I'll talk a little bit more about that in a little bit.

So Revitali's goals are to provide free critical home repairs and safety modifications to qualified and low-income homeowners who are seniors, veterans, or individuals living with disabilities.

We want to have people age safely in their homes.

Approximately 20% of residents of Waukeshaw County are 65 years or older.

Wisconsin has the very highest fatal fall rate of older adults in the United States, with over 140,000 EMS responses to falls in 2024 alone.

So again, we're going to try to stabilize neighborhoods through safe housing, home by home, block by block.

When you think about it, these are our grandparents, these are our older neighbors.

These are the people that invested in our neighborhoods.

These are Enrique's Enrique's grandfather.

These are all people we know, and I can't stress enough that they want to stay in their homes.

These are our mission and our activity for 2025.

These are the numbers.

We feel that these metrics speak and talk for themselves.

And we're very, very proud of these numbers.

We do critical and emergency repairs, we do accessibility modifications, things like cutout tubs, things like grab bars, fixing lighting so that a senior can see where they're going.

We have sponsors that have said we want to come into Waukeshaw.

We want to work with Waukeshaw and we want to help a Waukesha homeowner.

And so we already, these sponsors have committed.

Growing senior population aging in place.

And as I talked about before, it's hard to sell free, but I am 100% confident in Field Doreen would feel the same that we came into the Strand and made Strand a better neighborhood by what we were able to do there.

And it's not just the houses that we worked on, it's the neighbors who said when we had a dumpster, hey, we want to clean things out now, too.

And used the dumpster to get rid of things that were in their house or their front yard that was an eyesore.

So it's more than a house, it's more than a block.

It's a neighborhood.

And I promise you it works.

We come in and we meet the homeowners exactly where they're at.

It's a privilege for us to come in and to service them, to meet them where they're at.

Let me see.

Support request.

So what am I what am I asking for you tonight?

First of all, again, I want to say thank you.

It's been a privilege and an honor to be here and to meet you all and to say thank you.

Thank you for to those who voted.

Um, you know, that they wanted revitalized to be a partner.

They wanted us to come back.

So so thank you for that.

But what we're doing tonight is seeking your voice and your ability to share messaging, to share the revitalized mission.

We are real.

There's a lot of scams going on right now.

There's a lot of things, and and people are very protective of their seniors, you know, thinking they don't want them to get scammed.

We are real.

Services are free to qualifying homeowners.

Free, and we're ready to do the work now.

Our investments benefit Waukeshaw homeowners and the community at large.

2026 is an opportunity for huge impact in your neighborhoods.

I would ask you to stand with us, to stand with your neighborhoods, and together, let's make these changes.

Together, let's have this impact.

We are committed, and we so appreciate Walkershaw.

So, with that, I will say thank you, and I'm happy to answer any questions you might have.

Anyone have questions?

Go ahead, Steve.

Yes.

Uh so I I'm thinking about this uh older gentleman, I assume he's older that had the sewer backup.

Yeah, I thought of him too.

Yeah, and and I'm thinking maybe we can get a hold of the plumbing apprentices that are you know training to be licensed plumbers and uh work with them and and find out if they can uh you know make an assessment at least.

I I always go back to this is recent within the last two years or so.

Uh they said the average homeowner in a or the average person in America right now can't even afford a $400 emergency.

I I'm sure you you've probably seen that in the news something uh and I'm thinking that that would be very good for them, uh the homeowner, as well as uh revitalize because it it would uh connect, and then maybe for Jennifer up in community development, if they've got a request from an elderly resident uh that they need a permit to build uh like uh a ramp or uh you know, some kind of a some kind of a safety issue, because that's what that's what it sounds like you're all about.

So maybe we could work in conjunction with you in that regard as well, and maybe make the you know the cost of the permitting uh reasonable for that homeowner, or is that something that would come back to revitalize?

Absolutely.

Yeah, and I just want to touch, you know, I can talk here and give statistics and data, but what I find is most impactful is is real stories, like real homeowner stories.

So when you talk about the elderly and the way the elderly handle things in a lot of cases is if they don't have the money, they close their door and it it and and pretend that it doesn't exist.

We had a homeowner and we did a roof replacement, and we went to check the roof to make sure, and there was some um things around the windows.

We just wanted to make sure the roofing, our roofing partner always picks things up.

And our construction manager was looking at it, and he's like, I'm just gonna go in your basement.

The windows all looked kind of weird, like very cloudy.

And when he opened the door to go in the basement, it was like the the walls were moving, they were black mold, and um the sewer had backed up.

Now I was with the homeowner, and I said, Mrs.

Nash, I said, when was the last time you were in your basement?

And she said, seven years ago.

And I said, Oh my!

And I said, Mrs.

Nash, we might have some problems.

And she goes, No, no, there's no problems, it's only a problem if it rains.

And I was like, oh my God, you know, this is so it's it's a lot of it, they don't have the finances, they don't know where to turn, and they don't know what to do.

And it's it's it's our job, it's our mission to come in and say, here are some options, here are some solutions that will keep you safe.

So what you're saying, Steve is right on, you know, that and they don't have the money for it.

A lot of our seniors don't have the money for it.

Social security is not enough to cover critical home repairs and what they need, and they don't know where to turn.

Okay, old person would um thanks.

I just wanted to say um that so what Melanie and Fran and Ricardo are doing here today is we're appealing to you all if you have family members or neighbors that you get calls on that need assistance.

Larry sent out a bunch of information.

I'm sure you all got it in your emails, um, applications.

That's the first place to start.

They can contact revitalize.

Um, but we're we have in but we have people or companies now that are willing to sponsor these homes, and that's so crucial because the company actually sends in volunteers from their businesses.

I mean, um Tri-City National Bank, I'll use them as an example.

Um, Bob on Main Street on the corner in the strand, had a ton had all those workers at his house working all day from Tri-City.

So they sponsor a house, they do all the work for the house, the homeowner is involved.

Um, you know, uh the the workers from that company come and volunteer their time.

It's a great service day for them.

Um, and I cannot stress how impactful it was to see all of these homes be refreshed in that neighborhood.

Um, we are working on getting applications now, which is why we're cardo is here tonight, um, to ask all of you.

Um, I think we're working we're working on district one, two, and three, I think, this time, but if I want to say that if you know someone or you have you know um somebody that might need assistance and um would benefit from this program, please encourage them to apply.

That's why Larry sent out the information so that we can we can um address this.

The it is free.

I think that's the biggest thing that drill home or what I ran into a problem with with the strand last year.

Um, was uh the free a lot of people don't believe it's free.

We actually I had to actually get a community room at the Schutze Center.

I had Charlie come in because Charlie grew up in the strand, just to let these people know that this is a legit program, and it is sponsored by the city.

So please know if you that's just really what this is tonight is to let you guys know what revitalized did to my area, and we need your help to get people applying for these programs and taking advantage of it, and let's help our seniors in Walkershaw.

Absolutely.

And when we were in the strand, we had um homeowners that we weren't working on, come out of their homes and they were like, oh, if we knew this was real, we would have signed up for this.

And it was like, yes, it's real, and you are public servants, and if you and trusted, trusted public servants, if you can help us get that messaging out, it would make a huge difference.

And we will make you very, very proud, and we will take care of your neighbors.

And um, we're very, very proud to stand with you.

And actually, I can add to that.

Uh Doreen was right.

My grandfather went and hid.

He didn't know that it was free, so he literally went and hid away from them.

So I had to call him when she said and said it's it's legit, Graps.

You're good.

And then um, they did a really nice job.

So I want to say, from that perspective, from a personal anecdote, they did a really, really nice job.

So, yeah, anybody that you guys know that can help out, they do.

So all right.

Well, um, I guess I'll just kind of wrap it up, which is um each house that receives revitalizes help, uh, makes our community stronger, and thank you very much for being here.

Um, I hope you get a lot of calls from um alders saying that they have someone in mind.

Thank you all very, very much.

Thank you.

And we have some impact reports.

I'll just um and then you can just pass them down with that page.

Yeah, it's in there.

It's on the last page.

Thank you, sir.

Thank you.

So the next one is the gallery art presentation.

Um are we able to get the computer up?

There we go.

All right.

Ready?

And go ahead.

Today we share the art of the Don Alexa Art Center.

The artists and educators at Don Alexa offer access to the creative process for everyone in our community.

Their open studio approach serves the goals of their individual artists.

First is a colorful tree and deer that may live in a fantasy world.

The tree seems to be expressing itself, though the deer may not be understanding the message.

I hope it is not a dispute.

Next on the left, some braided yarn creates paths or rivers.

This interesting use of texture creates a flow of energy that takes us onward.

On the right may be three abstract containers of flowering plants.

Side by side, they grow together in harmony.

I like how the flowers float within the vines.

Next is a cross section of a pond with the fish as the subject, while the boat and the fishermen sneak in from the horizon.

The fish look a little bit wary.

The fish seem to know that a happy ending is not a guarantee.

Next is a work aptly entitled Frosty Business.

We have snowballs flying around, snowmen guarding the sledding hill, a fabulous variety of weather, and a satisfied creature hanging a star atop the pre of the pine tree.

It would be hard to fit more winter joy in one painting.

Next is a riot of color that says it is uncontainable.

This is interesting because it appears to have been created with a circular container that was placed and sometimes moved along the canvas.

The bold colors are all individuals and part of the bigger group.

Next on the left is a beautiful assortment of shapes and lines.

This shows how many diverse elements can become a group that belongs together.

I especially like that the shapes are so comfortable with each other.

On the right, it is hard to see all of the use of texture in the layers.

The paint is pushed and stacked to create the depth needed for the layers to show the tension between them.

The curves and the swirls take us on the artist's journey of discovery.

Next is a celebration of three center flowers.

The surrounding circles may be bubbles.

The vibrant background tells us the flowers are appreciated and enjoyed.

Next on the left also uses yarn for texture.

This looks like the visual depiction of music.

The dots are the beat, and the music ebbs and flows with the shapes and colors.

On the right are some heart shapes, moving through a mist of some kind.

The hearts have many experiences as they move along, but they always stay together.

Next is a blend of color that tests the many techniques artists use to tell their story.

Perhaps this is a demonstration of all of the moods we can have in one day.

It could also be a lot of ways to have fun.

Next is a fantastic caterpillar.

We have the 3D version, the center leggy version, and the shadow version near the bottom.

This charming caterpillar is going to search City Hall for food.

Next on the left is a vibrant violet.

The deep blue is surrounded by yellow leaves.

I like the way the artist uses the white outlines to lift the flowers off the canvas.

On the right, we have an abstract bouquet.

The unusual color palette may evoke a faraway location where these can be found in nature.

The accent lines may be joyful or prickly.

Last we have an artist who fully embraced the texture lesson.

The paint is stacked and moved and piled, so all of the colors merge next to each other.

I wonder if this is a depiction of diversity.

All right, thank you.

And I uh I really enjoyed the embrace the texture lesson.

So uh and um I I say this every time, but uh staff and people who come to City Hall really truly enjoy seeing the especially the the colorful uh art pieces on the walls.

Um, it does add a lot to um the city.

So, Brian, I'm going back to approval of settlement 177 Kensington LLC versus City Walkshaw.

Um, I'll turn it over to you and apologize to Katie for jumping everywhere.

Thank you.

Uh as long as we're on a roll here settling cases tonight.

Let's do one more.

Um every year we have lawsuits filed against the city for what's called an excessive assessment.

Taxpayers, property owners can come in and they've got several chances to try to get their property taxes uh reduced by reducing the assessment of their properties.

First, they can come in during the open book, then they can take a whack at it at the Board of Review.

And if they don't get uh if they're not satisfied with what the Board of Review will do for them, they can file a lawsuit.

In this case, 177 Kensington LLC, which is the owner of a large apartment complex down on the uh near southwest side of town, I will say.

Uh, filed such a suit uh because the city uh assessed the property at 12,735,500.

And their appraiser told them that it should have been 10,554,300.

So, uh as these cases always uh go, they went into mediation.

That happened last week on Thursday.

And uh they were able to reach an agreement at mediation to uh settle the amount.

Uh both sides had to concede that there were some errors in their calculations.

Um appraising commercial properties like this is much more difficult than it is for residential properties because there aren't a lot of comparable sales.

They have to use other methods like the income approach to determine what the value of the property is.

And there's a lot of formulas and very arcane uh calculations that are made.

So in this case, each side, after uh sitting through the mediation had to admit, yeah, we we probably could have had a different number there.

So the sides finally came together and agreed that a correct assessment would be 11,337,200.

Which uh, if you were jotting down numbers, we'll you'll see that that pretty much splits the difference between the two.

Um what's before you tonight is a request to approve that settlement amount, that assessment amount, and to authorize us to go ahead and file the paperwork to settle the uh the lawsuit at that amount.

Uh the the great value of settling as opposed to going to trial is that you have control over the final result.

If we were to take this to trial, or you take any case to trial and throw it before a jury or a judge, you can never be certain of what the result is going to be.

Sometimes it's going to be favorable, sometimes it's going to be unfavorable.

With a settlement, uh you've got control.

And uh in this case, both our outside counsel that's representing us in this matter and our assessor, Sam Walker, agree that that's a good number and recommend that we should settle at that assessment amount.

So I'm asking that you approve that and authorize us to go ahead and execute whatever paperwork is necessary to get that done.

Okay.

Alder Person Matthews.

What's the financial impact your authorizing to settle?

There's obviously a financial piece of what we said request.

That's that's the question.

I had it written down in my notes here and didn't get to it.

Uh, this would result in a refund of taxes that have already been paid.

You have to pay your taxes in order to first file a lawsuit.

So there's always going to be a refund when there's an adjustment of the assessment.

This would result in a refund of about $18,766.

And if you've sat through these before with me when we've proposed settlements, you'll probably be thinking that's not as much as we have paid in the past.

And I think what we're seeing here is the result of recent favorable lawsuits uh and Supreme Court decisions that have kind of thrown out the old dark store theory, which was our the bane of our assessors' existence.

Um years ago, it was very common for us to see differences in valuations of tens of millions of dollars.

Uh but we don't see that so much anymore uh because now we're down to arguing about, as in this case, uh technical calculations and whether formulas were applied applied properly.

So $18,000, almost $19,000 isn't exactly pocket change, but it's a lot less than what we used to pay out on these uh to settle these cases.

And and also we have to if the settlement is approved by the common council, we pay that money, but approximately half of it gets refunded to us next year when in reg because half of it is school and county and all that.

Yeah, we get a contribution from the other taxing entities.

Later.

Not right away, not right now.

Right.

So any other questions or is there a motion?

All the person heavens leaving.

Yeah, I'll make the motion to approve the settlement in regards to the property at 177 Kensington LLC.

So I would like to specify that that's 11,337,200.

In the amount that Brian just specified.

Okay.

Alman Piper.

I'll second.

All right, any further discussion?

Alder Person Rick Lemke.

I have two questions uh before I vote on this.

Uh, one of Jennifer and one of city attorney.

Uh Jennifer, was this the 1777 Kensington that the RDA a year or two ago gave a substantial loan for improvement to the property?

It was a big apartment complex on Kensington.

I just have to look it up real quick.

Thank you.

So maybe you ask Brian the question.

And then and then Brian, if it was, was the substantial repairs calculated increased value of the property as one of my uh ideas of giving RDA loans out is for the purpose of helping the owner of both public and uh commercial properties increase the value of their property so that it raises the tax roles.

So if this is one of those, I would feel disappointed that they got, and in fact, I think it was a very substantial number.

I don't remember the number from from a couple years ago.

It wasn't the same.

Okay, thank you very much.

Then my question's answered.

The property address is not 177 Kensington.

I think it's 1500 Kensington.

That's just the name of the LLC that owns the property.

Still not.

Thank you.

Yeah, and to your point, um the assessor has to value the property at its current fair value.

And there are certain rules that have to be followed.

Um the cost to build a property is a factor, but uh you can't really take into account the fact that the city may have loaned a bunch of money a few years ago to improve it.

You know, presumably, if that hadn't been done, if that money hadn't been loaned, the appraisal would have come in at less than this amount.

So I was just looking for care clarification of policy.

Thank you.

Yeah, good question.

Old person Dean Lemke.

Jennifer, is this West Grove Apartments?

Is what is this 177 West Grove Apartments?

I don't think so.

I don't know what the exact address is for the property in question, but if I just know that the property that Dean's referring to, and or that Rick's referring to, and it's it's not that, but I don't think it's West Grove Apartments.

I think that's on Doc Street, I think.

Um it's either MacArthur or what Kensington, but oh, okay.

Thank you.

I'm not really sure.

All right.

Anyone else?

Motion is to um approve the settlement um in the amount as uh stated by the city attorney.

Rick Lemke is an aye.

Yeah, please vote.

Camacho's an aye.

Motion passes unanimously.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Um we'll now move to reports.

Transit commission, anything?

All items were on consent tonight.

Okay, water utility commission, alder person Matthews.

Yep, we the meeting was held earlier, actually today.

Um, just a quick update on the new operations center.

It's moving along very well.

If you haven't had an opportunity, please drive by really making some progress there.

Got rubber on the roof now.

Next step is the solar panels.

On that, they'll finish pouring some more slabs and go in there.

So it's moving along very well and looking to be on schedule.

Um next monthly meeting of the water commission is on the 19th of March at 6 p.m.

And all are welcome to attend and a report.

Thank you.

IT board, alder person Manion.

Our items of note were approved as part of the consent agenda.

End of report.

Okay.

Landmark commission report, alder person cuisine.

Thank you, Mayor.

Uh, we have not had a meeting yet this year for two reasons.

We have not had any application, and we are still looking for uh the funding to support those applications.

Okay.

Redevelopment authority report, Alder Person Rick Lemke.

We have not had a meeting this uh month due to lack of stuff.

We will our next meeting will be the third uh Monday of March.

Okay, Park Recreation Forestry Board.

Um Alder Person Camacho.

Yep.

Um we started tree planting and so went over prices for the plant the trees that will be planted over the course of the uh the rest of the year in the summer, and then um Horb is going to have some schedule changes to the pool.

We're starting the pool scheduling due to the amount of people that didn't show up in the late afternoon most of the time.

So that'll be coming into effect this summer as well.

That is all I got, and the report.

Okay.

Library board report, Alder Person Haven Sleeben.

Yeah, we had a pretty full agenda at our meeting last week.

Um we did uh pass our 2025 annual report.

We also got a report uh with regards to our funds at the Walkershire County Community Foundation.

Fun fact about that, we had the most unique donors, so we didn't necessarily have the most money donated, uh, but we did have the most unique donors.

Um speaking of the Waukesha County Community Foundation, we're using the endowment fund uh to support the exploration of a children's expansion because we are apparently outgrowing our current space.

Um we've also um we approved the Waukesha County Library Services Plan for 2027 through 2031.

Oh my gosh.

Um, in terms of the minimums to exempt.

That's basically um Waukeshaw provides a lot of services for other library or other um residents inside of Waukesha County.

Um so we're getting money back essentially, so that's great.

Um we also uh approved some budget carryover requests, so that's money that was already allocated that we're carrying over.

Um we apparently had really good results on the employee engagement study, and we got updates on our succession planning efforts, which are really exciting and a good thing overall.

End of report.

Okay, thank you.

Cemetery commission report, Alder Person Chris.

Thank you, Mayor.

Last week Monday.

Um we had some great news, a great report from Friends of the Library on the south end of uh the live excuse me, library, the south end of the cemetery.

Really sorry about that.

Uh there's a veterans area that was uh getting overgrown, and uh the friends raise the money, work with a local uh uh uh greenhouse and raise enough funds to um fully support that and had it designed.

So I uh we agreed on that.

So that's gonna go take place hopefully in spring.

Um the tombstone trot was so successful.

We're going to do another one.

That is Sunday, uh October 10th in 2026.

You don't have to run, you don't have to walk, you can actually truck, and that was a uh six significant uh amount of money raised uh for the friends of uh the cemetery.

Also uh we agreed to do Waukeshaw unlocked, which is October 10th and 11th, 2026.

Ushal Walkeshaw Unlocked is looking for uh sites to show off neat architecture or homes or businesses or factories in the city of Waukesha and report.

Okay, thank you.

Housing authority report, Alder Person Piper.

No report this evening.

Our next meeting is next week, Wednesday the 25th at the night at 9 a.m.

at the Housing Authority on our Cadine Avenue.

All are welcome to attend.

Okay, community development block grant committee.

No report.

Uh public art committee, anything else?

No further report.

All right, plan commission.

Anything, Jennifer?

No report.

Uh let's see, Finance Committee, Alder Person Piper.

No report this evening.

Building grounds, Alderman Eric being no report, thank you.

ONL, Alder Person Witesca.

All items on consent, no further report.

Okay, human resource committee report.

Alder Person Wickerson.

Um we met last night.

I do want to report that 14 surveys were received in regards to Tony uh City Administrator Tony Brown's um performance review.

Um we did approve some recommendations that will be at our next um council meeting in the first week of March.

We also approved several several policy changes.

End of report.

Okay.

Uh Board of Public Works, Alex.

Good evening.

Uh, we had one bid that we received on January 23rd.

This was for the uh street and utility improvement project on Bidwell Avenue and Prospect Avenue.

Uh the Board of Public Works recommended moving forward with the concrete bid uh from Wandell contractors and the amount of 1,646,591 dollars and 35 cents.

Okay, Alderman Piper.

So moved.

Alderman Eric Payne.

Second discussion.

Okay, the motion is to approve the bid.

Please vote.

Comach aye.

Rick Lumpke, aye.

Motion passes unanimously.

Um anything else, Alex.

Um, I'll just mention that uh city garage crews are out and about uh working on leaf pickup again uh this week with the warmer weather.

It's very slow going and uh very sensitive ground out there.

So hopefully uh residents aren't too upset by the lawn damage, but uh they're doing their best to be careful.

So um we'll keep moving forward when the weather allows.

And also, I think um confirmed that uh in when we get further into the spring.

If there's a terrace that's badly damaged from the leaves, the public works department will spread grass seed.

We we do that annually, yes.

Okay, just so if anybody has addresses the report, just uh email them or put a uh submittal into the city's website.

So Alderman Alders may be hearing that from their constituents just so you can tell them that grass seed will be but it's good to give the addresses to the addresses.

Okay, anything else?

Yep, no.

The lead pick is only for the area, the third area.

So there's like there's a few people in my neighborhood that have breaking leaves, but we've already been past my neighborhood, yes?

Correct.

We're we're only going to the area we didn't that did not receive a second pickup.

Can we do a Facebook post on that somehow or something like that?

Sure.

Thank you.

Maybe they're preparing for the uh the brush and branch pickup in uh April.

So April.

Maybe early.

Or they're really, really early for fall.

All right, city attorney, anything else?

All right, city administrator.

Uh one item.

Uh just encourage you all and anyone watching in uh Waukeshaw land uh to fill out the national uh community survey, which is on the city website until next Wednesday.

End of report.

Okay, thank you.

Um so proclamations and appointments.

I do have an or uh I'm asking for the reappointment of Ryan Corcoran to IT.

Um Alderperson Manion.

I'll make a motion to approve the appointment.

Okay, Alderperson Van Trieste.

All right.

Uh any discussion.

All right, please vote.

Um it's for the reappointment of Ryan.

Comach Rick Lumpke, aye.

That motion passes unanimously.

Um there is a proclamation.

Uh it's for government communicators day.

Um, I don't know if I did this last year.

It's probably some one of those days that uh is being added to the calendar.

Um but anyways, um uh the role of our uh government communicators is to inform, educate, and engage their communities.

Um communication in government creates trust and inspires residents to take action and become involved.

Um it creates race relationships and calls to action, builds awareness and understanding through storytelling, and gate it engages and fosters um engagement on civic issues.

Um it I one thing first of all, we didn't have as robust a program for push pushing information out 10 years ago.

Um now we have a very robust program, and I think where it served us absolutely um the best was during the right after the parade to provide information to the public as well as also to provide information to the media.

Um so even if it isn't something that gets used by each each person in the community um daily, it is something that actually is very very important over the long term and for incidences where um you need to put out information very quickly.

So, anyways, um the government communicators day is February 20th, and I encourage residents of our community to engage and utilize um the numerous communication channels and publications the city of Walk Shaw provides.

And I'm gonna add this isn't in the uh proclamation, but in a friendly and constructive manner.

So with that, are there any referrals?

Alderperson Lemp Rick Lemke.

I don't know if this referral should go to building and grounds or Department of Public Works, but I'd like to see the uh street light removed on Windsor between Winterbury Drive and Maple Way North.

Uh it appears to me that the light was there when Windsor was a dead end to light up the dead end so people didn't go into the ditch.

But now that the street Windsor goes completely through, uh I think it should be moved and uh save the city some money.

Okay, and that will go to buildings and grounds.

All right, alderperson Van Trieste.

Thank you, Mayor.

Uh this is a referral to ONL to uh consider adopting additional authority granted by recently passed state legislation regarding towing vehicles and reckless driving offenses.

Okay, and uh you'll provide a copy of that to Katie.

Okay, anyone else?

All right, if there's no objections, we are adjourned.

Thank you, everyone.

Maybe the go upstairs.