Finance Committee Meeting - March 10, 2026: Contracts, Razing, and Crisis Unit Approved
Finance Committee Meeting - March 10, 2026
The Finance Committee of the City of Waukesha met on March 10, 2026 at 6:00 PM in Council Chambers. The committee unanimously approved three business items: a contract for technical rescue services with the Village of Lisbon, funding to raze the property at 137/139 E. Park Ave., and a mental health crisis response unit agreement with the county.
Consent Calendar
- The minutes from the January 27, 2026 meeting were approved unanimously without objection.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Kevin Reilly (430 Prospect Ave) spoke in support of the Crisis Response Unit, describing its value in diverting individuals from emergency detention, saving police time, and providing skilled mental health support. He urged continued funding.
Discussion Items
- Technical Rescue Services Contract with Village of Lisbon (ID#26-03044): Chief Goplin presented the contract, which mirrors a previous agreement with Watertown. The contract provides technical rescue services to Lisbon and generates approximately $4,200 in annual revenue for the city. Backup coverage via MABIS was discussed. The motion passed unanimously (5-0).
- Funding to Raze 137/139 E. Park Ave. (ID#26-03092): Staff reported the property was deemed unsafe for habitation in 2023, and a court-ordered raze order was issued in February 2026. The building is structurally compromised and attracts squatters. Estimated cost is $45,000, to be invoiced to the owner and, if unpaid, placed as a lien on the property. Motion passed unanimously (5-0).
- Mental Health Crisis Response Unit Agreement (ID#26-03132): The unit began in 2023 with one clinician and one officer. A second clinician was added in 2024 via grant funding through May 2026. A new state grant extends the second clinician through 2026, and the county funds one clinician. This contract funds the second clinician from 2027 onward to sustain the two-officer, two-clinician model. Alderman Lemke expressed support but noted future budget constraints. Statistics cited: a 17% diversion rate from emergency detentions (vs. 10% target). Motion passed unanimously (5-0).
Key Outcomes
- Approved technical rescue services contract with Village of Lisbon (5-0).
- Approved $45,000 in funding to raze 137/139 E. Park Ave. (5-0).
- Approved the mental health crisis response unit agreement for continued funding of a second clinician (5-0).
- Next Finance Committee meeting scheduled for March 31, 2026 at 6:00 PM.
- Meeting adjourned at 6:12 PM.
Meeting Transcript
All right, good evening, everyone. We'll call the Tuesday, March 10th, 2026 meeting of the Finance Committee to order. We have a quorum this evening, full committee. Um next on the agenda is the Pledge of Allegiance. Please rise. And to the Republic for Waste of Stands, one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Excuse me. All right, next item on the agenda is public comment. Is there any members of the public that wish to address the finance committee? Mr. Riley. Well, thank you for the slip. If you would come to the center microphone, sir, give us your name and address, and you have two minutes. Thank you. I'm uh Kevin Riley, uh 430 Prospect Avenue, Waukesha, Wisconsin. I'm here to speak in support of the crisis response unit and how valuable they are. On a personal level, I worked at Waukeshaw County Mental Health for many, many years. Got to know the population of Waukeshaw city and the counties uh chronically mentally ill very well, and also worked with the sheriffs and the Waukesha Police Department very, very often. And I gotta say the crisis response unit, the crisis workers that have been trained and help the sheriffs and the police department are amazing. They save money. They're a huge asset to families when they're in crisis and they know that they can get a crisis worker to come. Uh our Walk Shaw Police Department is amazing, but they don't necessarily have the same skills and uh experience with mental health, developmental disabilities, people in emotional crisis. They save us so much money, so many less people get sent to uh Mendota or Waukesha County Mental Health because of the crisis workers interviewed, find them resources, and get the officers back out on the road. So I'm just in support of all that for all those reasons, and uh hope that we can find ways to keep that uh program funded. Great. Thank you, Mr. Riley. You need this. No, I don't. Uh Maria. Any other members of the public wish to address the committee this evening? All right. Seeing no other public comment, we'll move on to item number four A, which is approval of the minutes for the 27th of January. Any changes to the minutes from the committee? All right. Seeing none, those minutes are approved to unanimous consent. We have three business items this evening. Item number five A is review and possible action on a contract for technical rescue services with the village of Lisbon. Chief Goplin. Good evening. Uh, this is the very similar to the contract that I last brought to you for uh Watertown. In fact, it's exactly the same just with the village of Lisbon. Um, it's our standard technical services contract. This really results from the fact that Pewaukee is now contracted to provide services to Lisbon. Lisbon has a contract with us for technical services, uh, and this is tech technical rescue. Um there is a revenue stream of this of about 4200 dollars to to um into the city, and uh this contract has already been approved by the village of Lisbon, and it is our uh has been reviewed by attorney running as well. Great chief. One question I have with these that I didn't think about with Watertown is so say we're in Watertown and the Lisbon needs us. Who's our how does MABIS work or who's our backup for something like this if we get two calls at the same time? Sure.
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