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.

So ultimately it depends on are they the are they the exact same type of calls for this type of same type of resources?

So is maybe one hazmat and one would be technical rescue.

Those are different types.

We might be able to free up resources and respond to both of those.

We'd have to call more people in and so on.

Um but if we were not available and we couldn't cover that response, then it would be a mutual aid request through MABIS, likely going to Milwaukee County.

Okay.

Any other questions for the chief?

All right, I'll make a motion to approve the contract for technical rescue services with the village of Lisbon.

Is there a second?

Second by Alder Person Helbin Slabin.

We have a motion and a second.

Any further discussion?

All right.

I think we're gonna do a voice vote, Maria, if that's okay.

So all those in favor sign aye.

Aye.

Anyone opposed?

That item passes.

Thank you.

Thank you, Chief.

Item number five B is review and possible action on funding to raise the property at 137 and 139 East Park Avenue.

Maria.

Thank you.

So yes, this is a request for funding to re raise the property at 137, 139 East Park.

Brief history in two 2023, our code enforcement officers and trade inspectors conducted a thorough inspection of the home.

Um and the property.

The property was determined at that time to be unsafe for human habitation.

Um raise or repair the building.

And so the city then through the process did seek a raise order through the circuit court, and the judge just issued that um order in February.

The building continues to be unsafe.

There were um some additional excerpts from our building and building um inspection reports and photographs in the cover sheet.

Um, but it continues to be unstable unsafe.

It's structurally, it's severely compromised.

Um there's been have been squatters from time to time in this property.

Um it continues to be a blight on the rest of the neighborhood.

So we're requesting funds this evening to raise um raise the building and remove the asbestos and remove the blight displayed property from the neighborhood.

The estimated cost is 45,000, and it would be invoiced to the owner, and if the owner doesn't pay, then it would be um if it remains unpaid, it would roll to the tax bill.

And Maria, that then the idea would be is once the property sold, there'd be a lien on title on the property, and the person that would buy the property in a sense would have to reimburse the city to get clear title.

That's my understanding.

Yes.

Okay.

That's my understanding with these as well.

So the city may get the money eventually when the property sells.

Um is there other questions for Maria on this item?

All right, I'll entertain a motion.

Alder Person Hellman Slater.

I will gladly make the motion uh to approve funds for raising uh 137-139 East Park Avenue.

Is there a second?

Second by Alderman Lempke.

We have a motion and a second on this item.

Any further discussion?

All right.

All those in favor sign aye.

Aye.

Anyone opposed?

Item passes unanimously.

Maria, thank you.

Brings us to item number five C, which is review and possible action on mental health crisis response unit agreement and contract.

Chief.

Thank you.

So the units been in existence since 2023, where we started with one clinician and one specially trained officer.

Um council approved in 2023 a grant that has funded a second clinician position that was staffed as of May of 2024 and is going to continue through grant funding for the grant that we applied for through May 31st of this year.

Um, in collaboration with DHS, we're able to get a state grant that's gonna help carry the second clinician funding through the end of 2026.

And this request is then to sustain that unit beyond 2026 to fund one clinician.

The county has committed to continuing to fund one of the clinician positions off of their operating budget.

So it would be two officers, two clinicians, which is the model that we've currently had since May of 24.

So, Chief, this is for 2027.

Correct.

Okay, so from a uh from a budgetary standpoint, I'll look towards Mr.

Shiro and Mr.

Brown.

How do so if this contract is approved, this would be some this would be one of those items that the council would in some respect be strongly encouraged slash obligated to approve as part of the 2027 operating budget?

Is that correct, Tony?

Correct.

So if the finance committee along with the council approve this agreement, what we are in effect saying is that we are funding the second clinician uh for the county to continue the operating model for the crisis response unit that is existing right now.

And the county, and Tom, I'll come back to both of you.

The county is funding one, and with this agreement, we would fund the second one.

Is that accurate?

Correct.

Is one of those clinicians shared with another municipality as part of this agreement, or would they both be committed to the city of Waukeshaw?

Both committed to the city of Walkshaw.

Okay.

Because I had heard that the city of Brookfield also had a similar program, and I was just curious if there was any sharing with the city of Brookfield as part of this agreement.

No.

Okay.

Other questions for the assistant G?

Alderman Lumpke.

I just want to make a comment.

I agree a hundred percent that we need the clinician because saving police time is important.

But uh I we also have to keep as a council the the fact of our budgets and what the revenue with the tax levy limits approach us to.

So I think there may be a time where we might be coming back to the police department and saying tighten your belts a little bit, but that's that's just my idea and opinion.

Thank you.

Well, I Rick, I agree.

I think that I think those conversations, I know those conversations are being had with every department as it relates to to belt tightening and and making sure that we're prioritizing programs that that deliver, you know, deliver a high level of return for our bosses.

And and in my humble opinion, this is one of them.

I mean, I in some of the nonprofit work that I do has a tendency to to touch homelessness.

And I know that is just one of the segments that this particular um group works with, and I can I agree with Mr.

Riley.

I mean, the results of this program have been phenomenal.

I mean, I saw in the cover sheet that you know we've had uh roughly a 17 percent diversion away from um emergency detentions compared to a 10 percent target.

And all of us that have done police ride-alongs just know that when you have an ED or emergency detention, that the officer time that that takes up to make sure that that person is getting the care that they need.

And if that individual ends up going to county or to the emergency room, the officer time just continues to multiply.

And if we can have if we have a way, an approved way to manage that situation to get a better outcome and get a better outcome for our you know, for that particular individual and you know, a better outcome for our city.

I'm an um I'm in all favor.

So I'm I've been a strong proponent of this program since the inception, a strong supporter of it.

I'm glad to see the contract is here tonight, and I'd ask the finance committee to support it, and I've certainly asked the council too as well.

With that, I'll defer to Alderperson Helbin Slavin.

Yeah, uh, I will make the motion to approve the mental health crisis response unit agreement with Waukasha County.

Is there a second second by Alder Person Wiggerson?

And we have a motion and a second.

Any further discussion on the item?

All right.

All those in favor sign aye.

Aye.

Anyone opposed?

Item passes unanimously.

Thank you, Chief.

Thank you.

Brings us to item number six, communications.

Gentlemen, uh I don't have anything uh specific outside to say that our next scheduled meeting is March 31st.

Very good.

Any referrals from the committee?

Any objection to adjourning?

Seeing none, we are adjourned.

Thank you, folks.

Thank you.