Waukesha Ordinance & License Committee Meeting - October 12, 2026

The Ordinance & License Committee of the City of Waukesha met on Monday, October 12, 2026, at 6:30 p.m. in Council Chambers at Waukesha City Hall, 201 Delafield Street. Chair Ald. Paul Wuteska presided. No public comment was offered. The committee unanimously approved all license matters before it and recommended a municipal code amendment changing the approval process for street closure permits, discussed in connection with temporary city parking lot closures.

Minutes

• Draft minutes from the September 14, 2026 meeting were approved by unanimous consent with no concerns raised.

Licenses

• Invited bartender license for Mason Thomas Maxwell: approved unanimously as a recommendation to the Common Council. The committee noted no concerns with his background. The license is expected to appear on the October 20, 2026 Common Council consent agenda.
• Bartender license for Willis Theodore Yets: approved unanimously as a recommendation to the Common Council.
• Private Alarm System License for ADT LLC: approved unanimously.
• Amusement Devices license for Waxed Vinyl Music Lounge: approved unanimously.

Discussion Items

• Ordinance amending Section 6.17 of the Waukesha Municipal Code regarding the approval process for street closure permits: Beth, who brought the item forward, explained that Waukesha's Engineering Department requested the change. She stated that for temporary closures of city parking lots, review by the Police Department, Fire Department, Public Works, the Department of Parks, Recreation and Forestry (PRF), and Metro Transit is sufficient, and that an additional committee-level review—attributed to an addition championed by former Alderman Eric Payne—delays decisions because the committee meets less often than city departments.
• Katie, identified as being from the clerk's office, suggested adding language to require applicants to notify affected businesses and to allow objections to be heard by a committee, arguing that removing the Traffic and Parking Committee review removes a chance for objection. Beth respectfully disagreed, saying affected parties could contact their aldermen and that an exception could be added later if problems arose.
• Several committee members supported removing the committee review, noting that the ward alderperson already signs off on closures and can perform due diligence with neighboring businesses. Staff confirmed that closures are posted on the city website, though text alerts are no longer sent. Most municipal lot closures were described as repeat events, such as St. Patrick's Day, an annual canine fundraiser, Salty Toad, and House Again; the number of such closures was estimated at fewer than five per year.
• One member suggested that the committee should later work with staff to consider rolling parking lot closures into the special event approval process to reduce redundancy in city ordinances.

Key Outcomes

• The committee unanimously recommended approval of the draft ordinance amending Section 6.17 as presented. A municipal code change requires three readings; this was identified as the first reading.
• All license applications were forwarded as recommendations to the Common Council, with the clerk's office to contact applicants after council action.
• The meeting adjourned at 6:49 p.m.