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Record of Proceedings

Waukesha City Council Meeting - April 9, 2026: Farewell to Mayor, Bond Schedule, and State of the City

Public Meetings — Thursday, April 9, 2026
BodyWaukesha, Wisconsin
SessionPublic Meetings
DateThursday, April 9, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 49:08

Original source
Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it
0:03

Okay, we'll uh call the common council meeting for Thursday, April 9th, um 2026 to order.

0:10

We'll start with roll call.

0:12

Alder person with Tesca and Payne are unable to attend tonight.

0:16

Christine here.

0:20

Payne's absent Wigderson here, Piper.

0:24

Here.

0:25

Beatrice?

0:26

Here.

0:26

Wells.

0:27

Here.

0:27

Manion.

0:28

Here.

0:28

Moltson.

0:29

Here.

0:30

What Tesca's absent?

0:31

Anderson.

0:32

Here.

0:32

Helvin Slavin.

0:33

Here.

0:34

Matthews.

0:34

Here.

0:35

Dean Lemke.

0:36

Here.

0:36

Rick Lemke.

0:38

Here.

0:38

Come on, Joe.

0:39

Here.

0:40

Okay, we do have a quorum.

0:41

Please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance.

0:46

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America.

0:51

And to see the Republic for which it stands.

0:54

One nation under God in individual with liberty and justice roll.

1:04

Okay, um, before I go to public comment, we have farewell and thank you to uh Mayor Sean Riley, um Alderman Eric Payne, who is not here, and Alder Person Dean Lemke.

1:17

So Tony's gonna do it.

1:19

Yes, I am going to do it.

1:21

Uh so what we'll do is I will uh say a couple words and then ask you guys to come up, take a picture, and then we'll go from there.

1:29

Uh so we're gonna, as the mayor said, take a moment to recognize and thank uh two individuals for their service to the city tonight.

1:36

Uh the first is Dean Lemke.

1:39

He was elected in 2017 and has represented District 13 over the past nine years.

1:47

Why don't you come up, Dean?

1:49

We'll give you this lovely sign, Lemke Lane.

1:58

Then we'll get back.

2:24

I've been planning this for a long time.

2:26

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

2:29

The ones that have been here less than a term, these three people that I want to thank the most.

2:35

I want to thank my cousin Rick for opening his house and offering to explain anything that I did not understand.

2:45

I want to thank you, uh Alderman Piper for all your help over the years.

2:53

And I want to thank one of our former alderman alderman Kathleen Cummings, who did a bunch, introduced me to oh it was Cassie and I about 10 or more meetings.

3:08

So what you guys are doing now, she started it, and it was really helpful for my for us.

3:15

And I know that you're gonna have a good mayor, as you do now, but you're gonna have a good mayor.

3:22

Uh you're gonna be successful.

3:24

I know you got some good decisions coming in your head.

3:28

We saw you walking the streets on Saturday.

3:30

That was great.

3:31

So good luck to all of you.

3:34

Thank you.

3:42

All right, Mayor Riley.

3:45

He has served as mayor since uh April 2014.

3:49

Over the course of his 12-year tenure, he has helped guide the city through both challenging times and important progress, including the modernization of city infrastructure and facilities.

4:03

Uh mayor, with all due respect, nice.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural█████████████████████████████████████████████45%
Public Safety███████████11%
Technology and Innovation██████████10%
Transportation Safety████████8%
Engineering And Infrastructure████████8%
Stormwater Management███████7%
Historic Preservation████4%
Zoning Regulations████4%
Waste Management███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Waukesha City Council Meeting – April 9, 2026

The Waukesha Common Council met on Thursday, April 9, 2026, at 6:00 PM in City Hall Council Chambers. The meeting included farewells to outgoing Mayor Shawn Reilly and two aldermen, public comments, approval of a consent agenda, adjustment of the Municipal Court Bond Schedule, reports from boards and committees, contract awards, and the annual State of the City address. The meeting adjourned at 6:50 PM.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved draft minutes from March 17, 2026.
  • Approved consent agenda items unanimously with no items removed, including:
    • Proposed Transit Service Changes effective June 15, 2026 (Transit Commission).
    • Resolution authorizing filing of the 2026 Federal Transit Grant.
    • Invited Bartender Applications (one held for next meeting).
    • Invited Other Applications (Silverhaze application held).
    • Revised HR Policy C2 Vacation Leave (Human Resources Committee).
    • Storm Water Management Practice Maintenance Agreement between City of Waukesha and Montessori School of Waukesha, Inc. for property at 2600 Summit Avenue (Board of Public Works).

Public Comments & Testimony

  • John Thomas, 134 Douglass Ave, expressed safety concerns on Hoover Street, recommending one-side-only parking to reduce danger from parked cars and opening doors.
  • Lisa Salb, 434 Madison St, informed the council that the State Historic Preservation Officer (Trisha Canada) emailed stating language in the conservation easement for 130 Delafield Street (approved at prior meeting) was erroneous and requested removal. She also asked for acknowledgment of absent Ald. Eric Payne’s service.
  • Tariq Akmut, Waukesha resident, thanked Mayor Reilly and retiring Aldermen Eric Payne and Dean Lemke, noting the mayor’s leadership on the Lake Michigan water issue.

Farewell & Recognitions

  • City Administrator Brown led a farewell to Mayor Shawn Reilly (12 years of service, since April 2014), Ald. Eric Payne (absent, 24 years of service), and Ald. Dean Lemke (9 years, representing District 13). Each received a commemorative sign.
  • Ald. Dean Lemke thanked colleagues and family for support.

Discussion Items

  • New Business – Adjustment of Municipal Court Bond Schedule: City Attorney Miles explained that state statute increased municipal court fees by $10, requiring council approval of the revised bond schedule. Ald. Manion moved to approve, seconded by Ald. Camacho; passed unanimously (13-0, with two absent).
  • Reports from Boards and Commissions:
    • Transit Commission: All items on consent.
    • Water Utility Commission: No report.
    • Information Technology Board: Approved a software package for website accessibility (below council threshold); CAD RMS project for police/fire/dispatch is on time and on budget.
    • Landmarks Commission: Received funding; application process started; approved improvements for historic districts; previewed Carroll University’s pole barn conversion; three historic building awards to be given in May.
    • Parks, Recreation & Forestry Board: Reviewed summer season fees; new activity guide released.
    • Library Board: Received education on law enforcement visits (including ICE scenarios) coordinated with police; approved Act 150 minimums to exempt (city far exceeds); policy review updates.
    • Cemetery Commission: Meeting canceled.
    • Housing Authority: Next meeting April 15.
    • Public Art Committee: No report.
  • Ordinance & License Committee – Second Reading of Ordinance 13.055 (Residential Solid Waste and Recyclables Collection): Ald. Wuteska presented that the update is technical, reflecting current processes, special charges, and Johns contract changes—no change to resident service. A one-page summary was noted. Questions answered by staff. Will go to adoption at next meeting.
  • Human Resources Committee: Only consent item; April 15 meeting canceled.
  • Board of Public Works – Bid Awards:
    1. Transit Center Boiler Replacement: Low base bid from August Winter & Sons, Inc. for $52,400. Approved 12-1 (Ald. Van Trieste nay) after discussion that the boiler was beyond its 20+ year useful life.
    2. 2026 Asphalt Street Resurfacing and Utility Improvements: Low base bid plus Mandatory Alternate #1 and Utility Repair Alternate #1 from LaLonde Contractors, Inc. for $10,771,081.80. Approved unanimously. Crews also noted to be behind on brush/leaf pickup; social media update planned.
  • City Administrator’s Report: Reported election turnout on April 7, 2026, was 52.19% (vs. 32.15% in the 2022 mayoral election); successful use of BadgerBooks electronic poll books; fewer polling locations caused some confusion; thanks to clerk’s office and poll workers.
  • Mayor’s Report:
    • Proclamations: Arbor Day (April 1–24, 2026, Arbor Day April 24) recognized 41 years of participation and 47 years as Tree City USA; National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week (April 12–18, 2026) honoring dispatchers.
    • Reappointment of Christine D’Angelo to the Board of Review for a three-year term. Approved 12-0-1 (Ald. Van Trieste abstained).
  • 2026 State of the City: Video presentation highlighting accomplishments: Lake Michigan water transition, downtown revitalization, parade memorial sculpture completion, redesigned city website with AI chat and accessibility, Prairie Home Cemetery fountain restoration, new combined activity guide/current newsletter saving $30,000 annually, partnership with Brookfield for inspection backup, fire department mobile integrated health program, and sludge drier at clean water plant producing Class A biosolids. Mayor gave brief farewell remarks.
  • Referrals: Ald. Matthews referred to Buildings & Grounds to investigate placing a stop sign at River Road and Lawnsdale Road.

Key Outcomes

  • Municipal Court Bond Schedule Adjustment: Approved unanimously (13-0) to reflect $10 increase in court fees per state law.
  • Transit Center Boiler Replacement: Contract awarded to August Winter & Sons, Inc. for $52,400 (12-1 vote).
  • 2026 Asphalt Street Resurfacing and Utility Improvements: Contract awarded to LaLonde Contractors, Inc. for $10,771,081.80 (unanimous).
  • Reappointment of Christine D’Angelo to Board of Review: Approved with 12 ayes, 1 abstention.
  • Consent Agenda: Approved unanimously with no items removed.
  • Ordinance 13.055 Update: Second reading held; final adoption expected at next meeting after questions answered.
  • Proclamations: Arbor Day and Public Safety Telecommunicators Week proclaimed.

Meeting Transcript

Okay, we'll uh call the common council meeting for Thursday, April 9th, um 2026 to order. We'll start with roll call. Alder person with Tesca and Payne are unable to attend tonight. Christine here. Payne's absent Wigderson here, Piper. Here. Beatrice? Here. Wells. Here. Manion. Here. Moltson. Here. What Tesca's absent? Anderson. Here. Helvin Slavin. Here. Matthews. Here. Dean Lemke. Here. Rick Lemke. Here. Come on, Joe. Here. Okay, we do have a quorum. Please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. And to see the Republic for which it stands. One nation under God in individual with liberty and justice roll. Okay, um, before I go to public comment, we have farewell and thank you to uh Mayor Sean Riley, um Alderman Eric Payne, who is not here, and Alder Person Dean Lemke. So Tony's gonna do it. Yes, I am going to do it. Uh so what we'll do is I will uh say a couple words and then ask you guys to come up, take a picture, and then we'll go from there. Uh so we're gonna, as the mayor said, take a moment to recognize and thank uh two individuals for their service to the city tonight. Uh the first is Dean Lemke. He was elected in 2017 and has represented District 13 over the past nine years. Why don't you come up, Dean? We'll give you this lovely sign, Lemke Lane. Then we'll get back. I've been planning this for a long time. First of all, I want to thank all of you. The ones that have been here less than a term, these three people that I want to thank the most. I want to thank my cousin Rick for opening his house and offering to explain anything that I did not understand. I want to thank you, uh Alderman Piper for all your help over the years. And I want to thank one of our former alderman alderman Kathleen Cummings, who did a bunch, introduced me to oh it was Cassie and I about 10 or more meetings. So what you guys are doing now, she started it, and it was really helpful for my for us. And I know that you're gonna have a good mayor, as you do now, but you're gonna have a good mayor.

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