South Milwaukee Blog

We don’t know what we don’t know when it comes to downtown (re) development — but we can certainly learn from others.

That’s why I’m excited to announce that South Milwaukee — a partnership between the South Milwaukee Community & Business Association’s Project ReStore and the city — has been named a Connect Community by the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation.

The WEDC announced the news today. The application is a result of the efforts we started about a year ago with Graef Consulting and Downtown Business Districts Inc. — work that included tours of several city centers in the region, to see what’s working, what isn’t, and what can be applied to South Milwaukee. A key finding: Partnerships can only help in delivering expertise and best practice sharing, and the Main Street/Connect Communities program is a great example of that.

Thanks to everyone on Project ReStore, led by chamber President Leah Manthey from Parkway Floral, and the city staff who helped put together this application. It was worthy investment of time and resources.

The press release is below. As I state …

“It’s an honor to be accepted into this program, and to partner with the SMCBA and local business owners on our downtown revitalization efforts. We’ve made strong progress already. Being a Connect Community will allow us to accelerate that work and help us on our journey to bringing new life to our city center.”

I’m so glad to see this event get established, and thankful for the Rotary Club of Mitchell Field for stepping up to take it on.

The May event was terrific. This one will be too.

I’m told they have 15 trucks already booked. Outstanding!

This blog reached a milestone recently I never thought I’d see: one million page views.

As you can see in the attached graphic, readership has grown each year since I launched the blog in 2009, with the three highest traffic months coming in the past year. The blog also recently picked up its 700th follower. I’ve posted more than 3,000 items.

There are plenty more stats I can quote, but this is not about the numbers. It’s about you, the readers, residents and non-residents alike.

I thank you for reading … and pledge to continue to fulfill the mission of the blog since the day I launched it: to be a key source of news and information from around South Milwaukee and the South Shore.

You may not agree with everything you see here, and that’s OK. But, as I state in the “About” section …

As South Milwaukee’s mayor, I am committed to ensuring that district residents have their voices heard on key issues, and that they are informed about happenings around their neighborhood and city. This blog delivers on that promise, fulfilling a vital need in an era of shrinking coverage of our city by the traditional media.

Behind that mission, we’ve been growing strong for eight years, one reader at a time. Times a million.

I love the South Milwaukee Library, and looking at the data below, I’m not alone.

The positive changes we’ve seen in the past few years are taking root, and the future is bright for this terrific community facility.

Libraries are no longer just places to go and check out books. These days, they are community centers, internet cafes, and their own versions of Blockbuster Video and Kinko’s. They are learning centers and event spaces, places where children of all ages can gather for fun, enrichment and socialization.

And they are places to check out books, too.

I want to thank our library director, Nan Champe, for her continued hard work, and the members of the Library Board, who give of their time to make sure this community institution continues to deliver real value to residents.

Libraries make communities, communities. Ours is an example of that.

The future of our paramedic program and additional funding for police officers is officially going before the voters — you.

The South Milwaukee Common Council on Tuesday approved an operating funds referendum question asking taxpayers to increase the tax levy by $616,641, or less than 6 percent, to maintain current paramedic services and hire two additional police officers.

The special election will be held on Tuesday, November 7. If approved by voters, homeowners would pay an additional $52 per year for every $100,000 of their home’s value starting in 2018 and beyond.

Here is how the question will read on the Nov. 7 ballot …

Under state law, the increase in the levy of the City of South Milwaukee for the tax to be imposed for the next fiscal year, 2018, is limited to .09%, which results in a levy of $10,774,142. Shall the City of South Milwaukee be allowed to exceed this limit and increase the levy for the next fiscal year, 2018, by a total of 5.73%, which results in a levy of $11,381,095?

This funding would enable the city to adequately fund our paramedic program for years to come, and help us overcome funding challenges, arising from issues out of our control, that have been building for years. It would also help us add two cops, strengthening the second-smallest police force in the county, amid increasing demand for their services.

It took many years to get to this point, starting with more than a decade of state-imposed levy limits that have financially hamstrung fully developed cities like us (and many others) by not allowing us to increase the size of our operating tax levy more than the amount of our growth. That number is almost 0. For 2018, for example, the state says we can increase our tax levy by $9,688 … to fund our $19.7 million budget.

Costs increase. Our operating levy, essentially, can’t. And it’s been that way for a decade. We are paying that price now, and we will continue to, until the legislature fixes this.

There are other factors, too, especially when it comes to paramedic program funding: significantly reduced payments by the county and an increasing number of people on government insurance (and their low reimbursement rates), among them.

So while we have worked hard for many years, well before my time as mayor, to deliver strong value for your taxpayer dollar — and deliver fiscally responsible budgets that reflect our enduring reality of doing more with less — here we are … needing to address the underfunding of key services with the only tool the legislature has given us.

A referendum.

You can learn more about the referendum, find plenty of data and other background information on what led us to this point, and see what options we’ve considered to deal with these challenges here. I also encourage you to review the community survey results from this spring — which showed strong support, among respondents, for seeking to potentially increasing taxes to pay for these vital city services.

Also, look for additional communications in the weeks ahead via mail, our city digital and social channels, and public meetings. I’ll also regularly update on this blog, and on my mayoral Facebook page.

We know there are questions about what got us to this point, and the potential solutions for our funding dillemma. We will do our best to answer them.

We know this will not be an easy decision for many, and we do not enter into the decision to call a referendum lightly.

But we can’t keep doing what we’ve been doing when it comes to funding our paramedics — pulling money from our reserves to cover shortfalls. We can’t keep doing what we’ve been doing when it comes to our police — operating with a too-lean department when we are being asked to do more and more.

Enough is enough. We’ve kicked this problem down the road for too long.

On Nov. 7, we will see if you, the voters, agree.

And some legalese: Along the lines of my blog disclaimer, this post is my opinion and does not reflect that of the city or of the common council.

It’s hard to believe, but high school football season starts Friday, as South Milwaukee travels to Burlington for a 7 p.m. game.

South Milwaukee’s home opener is next Friday, August 25, against Brown Deer.

And mark your calendars for Homecoming on Sept. 15 against Shorewood/Messmer. The parade and bonfire are returning Sept. 14.

More details on the team website. Go Rockets!

Thanks, Julie Swanson, for the terrific shot of this year’s seniors. 

From the South Milwaukee Police Department …

Join the South Milwaukee Police Department on Thursday, August 31st at 6:30 p.m. in the South Milwaukee City Hall Council Chambers. 

Representatives from the State of Wisconsin Sex Offender Registry Unit and members of the South Milwaukee Police Department will be present to answer your questions.

Here is the Facebook event posting.

The first thing I did when I was elected in 2014 was to create a new system for recruiting members to our boards and commissions.

It is a simple application process designed to introduce people to the opportunities we have available and to introduce me and city staff to a broader network of people who may have a passion or skill that we never knew.

It’s working. We’ve had dozens of applications in the past two years, and we’ve placed some of those applicants in key positions. Some of these people I had never met before they applied.

My continued ask: Apply. We regularly have openings to fill and, when we don’t, we want to keep a good list of interested candidates at the ready.

We currently have an opening on the Library Board.

Interested? Learn more and apply here.

South Milwaukee is a crossroads when it comes to economic development.

We have built a strong foundation for growth, are witnessing some real successes and have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reshape who we are and where we’re headed. At the same time, we are facing some of the biggest economic (re)development challenges we’ve ever faced as a city,

We need help — the right person to help guide us through this critical time.

With that in mind, we are creating a new Economic Development Director position, a limited term employee who will spend the next two to three years, maybe longer, leading our work to bring key elements of our comprehensive plan to life.

The council voted earlier this month to create the position, and we posted the job last week. From the position advertisement …

The City of South Milwaukee is accepting applications for the position of full-time Economic Development Director. This is a contract employment opportunity, with an expected minimum duration of two to three years. This position is responsible for providing professional-level leadership work in planning and implementing programmatic activities to develop and support economic development in the City of South Milwaukee. This position will provide professional-level economic development services, including management and execution of economic development projects, outreach, advertising and promotion, and other economic development-related tasks to achieve City goals and objectives. This position will serve as an advocate for economic development in the community, and as a liaison between business owners and the municipality to reach mutual economic development goals. This position is being advertised at a time where significant leadership is needed in the redevelopment of South Milwaukee’s historic downtown; one million square feet of available manufacturing, office and warehouse buildings in the city center, and other significant redevelopment “opportunity sites” across the city. The ideal candidate will have a passion for economic development and will work to capture and add to the recent positive momentum of the city and strive to encourage and maintain a vibrant local economy.

In other words, we need someone who is just as comfortable in meeting with a potential developer as he or she is in diving into the financials of a potential development, someone who can go from a discussing expansion options with a small business owner to discussing high-level policy at a council meeting, someone who is just as comfortable with the chamber president as the council president.

We’ll consider a wide range of candidates, but I am hoping to find someone who has already lived this work in their community, or someone who is living this work now. Perhaps he or she has a leadership role in economic development, or worked in the administration of a community that is overcoming its own development challenges, and is looking for a new challenge. Maybe he or she was a political leader in such a city, or a consultant that was part of that work.

Whatever their background, we need someone to come in and hit the ground running, get right to work on some of the big projects in front of us, projects like …

• The potential redevelopment of more than 1 million square feet of industrial, warehouse and office space downtown. This includes the Caterpillar campus, where 750,000 square feet of buildings were recently put up for sale or lease, and the Johnson Health Tech property along 12th Avenue, where more than 250,000 square feet is coming available as the company plans a move to a new location in Racine County later this year. That news broke last week.
• Our ongoing work in revitalizing Milwaukee Avenue and the rest of our city center, where the focus remains on working against the downtown plan. This includes a great start to our Downtown Revitalization Grant program, early work in forming a business improvement district, and a soon-to-be-announced designation as a Connect Communities (Main Street program) city, in addition to our continued work in business recruitment and retention efforts.
• The planned redevelopment of the property at 11th and Madison Avenues into a mixed-used development. The more than $6 million project is still very much alive, and developers Vetter Denk told me recently they remain committed to their plans to bring forward a development plan that will be a game-changer for our city center. Expect a plan soon.
• Redevelopment of other key “opportunity” sites across the city as identified in the comprehensive plan, including the former AMF property, areas along Oak Creek north of downtown, and key parcels near South Chicago Avenue.

So there is no shortage of work to do, and I’m excited to do it.

We are up for the challenge, and we will do this right. We have momentum, and we can’t lose it. Our new economic development director will help make sure of that.

Know someone who may be interested? Have them apply online.

I can’t think of a better time to bring a community together, and support law enforcement at the same time.

Join us this Wednesday, August 16, for South Milwaukee Community Night Out!

Back from vacation and back to blogging …

• First, a tragedy. Two South Milwaukee residents were killed in an ATV crash in northern Wisconsin. Please keep the families impacted by this terrible accident in your thoughts and prayers.
• I wanted to thank all of the city workers who worked long hours to fix the major water main break last weekend, and thank everyone for their patience. North Chicago Avenue has now reopened.  Pictures are included in this post.
• Thankfully, the Silver Alert issued for Richard Roidt earlier in the week was cancelled, as he was found safe.

Be sure to like mayoral Facebook page for more regular updates. I often share information there you can’t find on the blog.

South Milwaukee Police Chief Ann Wellens is retiring effective Jan. 19, 2018 — 30 years after she started in law enforcement and more than 28 years after she began at the South Milwaukee Police Department.

Ann has served admirably as South Milwaukee’s chief for more than 12 years.

Please join me in wishing Chief Wellens well as she begins the next chapter of her life, and in thanking her for her hard work in leading a department that has rightfully earned the respect of many others across the state. She leaves a legacy of dedication, integrity and professionalism that will be hard to match.

The Police & Fire Commission is meeting next week to accept her letter of retirement, and to begin the process of searching for a new chief. I will keep you posted.

Check out these South Shore headlines …

• Police Officers Stake out Dunkin’ Donuts to Support Special Olympics (NOW)
• Small Parts Give Caterpillar Big 2Q Earnings Boost (Associated Press)
• South Milwaukee Plant Sees Little of Caterpillar’s Recent Growth (BizTimes)
• Two Cats Die in Apartment Fire in Cudahy (Fox 6)
• Majority of St. Francis Convent Buildings to be Demolished (Bay View Compass)

And in case you missed coverage of the Gary Wetzel homecoming from a couple weeks ago, here are some links from that special day …

• Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
• TMJ4
• Fox 6
• WISN

Also, NOW has published a new police blotter.

There are a lot of reasons to believe in the future of our city center. The biggest? The people stepping up to deliver game-changing ideas.

People like those you see in the above photo (and others) working to deliver a community garden in downtown South Milwaukee.

The group is called Growing South Milwaukee, and they are poised to start turning dirt on garden plots this fall, with planting starting next spring. It will be the culmination of an effort that started in the spring of 2015, with the committee considering several sites before choosing land south of the historic train station on 11th Avenue.

Thirty-three plots are available, measuring around 8×8 feet. Most plots are $30.

More details on Facebook and here … https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2qLEsKj8HyzWHZXOWpaakxtclpjWVV5VkFSNGRKSkVYTHdn/view

The group can also use your financial support. It has established a GoFundMe page, with a goal of raising $6,000. Other significant gifts have come from Caterpillar and Cousin’s.

I encourage you to get behind Growing South Milwaukee, and its mission …

Growing South Milwaukee has a deep rooted mission to create and maintain community gardens that inspire people of all ages to grow together. Our gardeners strengthen the community by planting the seeds of change, sharing knowledge and bringing nutrient rich food back to South Milwaukee.

It’s an ambitious mission, one embodied by its board members …

• President: Leah Manthey
• Vice President: Brooke Gilley
• Secretary: Patricia Heim
• Treasurer: James Davies

Thanks to everyone who is volunteering their time to make this happen!

Heritage Days is here! I’ll be sharing a post each day this week on what’s happening … and it’s a lot.

Today, it’s the South Milwaukee Heritage Days Parade, starting at 11 a.m. and ending at Lionsfest. I’ve been told it’s bigger than ever — around 120 units in all.

Be sure to check it out …

Then stop by the Friends of the Oak Creek Watercourse and Mill Pond Great Duck Race, starting at 2 p.m. at 15th and Milwaukee Avenues.

More details on the parade here, duck race here. See you there!