South Milwaukee Blog

Regional tranportation got a major lift on Tuesday, and it happened in South Milwaukee.

Governor Jim Doyle joined the chief executives of Bucyrus International, Northwestern Mutual, Johnson Controls, SC Johnson, Roundy’s and AT&T to unveil legislation to create a Southeastern Wisconsin regional transit authority and, in doing so, fix our broken system of transportation funding and get the Kenosha-Racine-Milwaukee commuter line back on track. 

It’s a big win for our city and region.

The gathering at Bucyrus International’s Heritage Building showed real alignment of key business, labor and political interests around a unified approach to transit. Their common goal? Economic development and jobs, job, jobs.

I was happy to attend this event, and Bucyrus CEO Tim Sullivan should get a lot of credit for making it happen.

I’ll have more to say about this in an upcoming post. For now, here are some headlines from the press conference:

• Racine Journal Times: Lawmakers Introduce ‘Transit and Jobs’ Bill
• Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: RTA Plan Would Allow Milwaukee County Sales Tax for Transit
• The Associated Press: Gov. Proposes SE Wis. Commuter Rail Service

You can access the full press release here.

Tuesday’s South Milwaukee Common Council meeting promises to be a busy one. Among the items on the agenda:

• Several items from the Legislation and Permits Committee, at the request of Police Chief Ann Wellens. I’ve already written about the proposed business security camera mandate and a potential “sober server” ordinance. We’ll also be discussing increasing some ordinance fine amounts. Some of the biggest increases would involve disorderly conduct ($169 to $338), discharge of a firearm ($295 to $676) and misuse of 911 ($169 to $213). I am inclined to support all of these changes … and hopefully others down the road.
• The Council will also vote on a resolution to set the amount the city would charge property owners for snow and ice removal at $75 per hour “or any fraction of an hour.” Learn more about this subject in this post.
• We’ll also vote on officially endorsing the Milwaukee Gateway Aerotropolis and on awarding of a conditional use permit for the construction of a new office and storage building at Emerson (formerly Appleton Electric) at 2101 5th Avenue.

One other note: The Council will surely accept South Milwaukee Police Sgt. Glen Gossett’s letter of retirement. He is retiring after 26 years of service. Please join me in wishing him well.

The meeting starts at 7 p.m. at City Hall. You can see the full Council agenda here.

I am a believer in tax incremental financing districts … if used properly. And the city’s decision in 2005 to move ahead with TIF #4 is an example of their value.   

TIF #4, with a preliminary budget of $24 million, was formed to help Bucyrus in its renovation and expansion plans. It’s an investment that is now paying huge dividends, with Bucyrus’ announcement in December that it will acquire the mining division of Terex Corp. and bring up to 500 additional jobs to South Milwaukee in the next several years.

This would not have happened without the TIF district. Don’t believe me? Believe the words of Bucyrus President Tim Sullivan, who said as much in a story in The Business Journal on Friday.

Click here to see  an excerpt from the piece. A subscription is required for the full version. From the story:

Major renovations made to Bucyrus International Inc.’s South Milwaukee manufacturing complex in recent years turned out to be critical to expected future job growth tied to the company’s latest acquisition, the largest in its history.

Bucyrus’ pending deal to purchase a division of Terex Corp. could add 400 to 500 employees at the surface and underground mining equipment manufacturer’s factory and corporate headquarters in South Milwaukee over the next three years, company president and chief executive officer Timothy Sullivan said.

“We have the capacity to move some work to South Milwaukee,” Sullivan said.

That capacity would not have existed without our TIF investment.

You can learn more about South Milwaukee’s TIF #4 on the South Milwaukee Community Development Authority site here.

Should the city require retailers to install and maintain security cameras?

Should bartenders be forced to stay sober while on the job?

The Legislation & Permits Committee debated those two topics Tuesday night, at the request of South Milwaukee Police Chief Ann Wellens. We voted to move discussion to the full City Council at its next meeting Tuesday, January 19.

There is no official ordinance on the table, but here is what’s being discussed.

• Security cameras. Some communities, including St. Francis, have enacted ordinances requiring, to varying degrees, businesses install and maintain interior and exterior security cameras. The goal: to improve safety by deterring potential criminals from targeting those businesses … and to make it easier to arrest and prosecute lawbreakers.
• Sober servers. La Crosse and Jackson, among others, have enacted ordinances requiring bartenders to maintain a blood alcohol content of 0.08 or below — the state standard for sober driving — while on the job. The goal here: to ensure servers keep a clear mind while they’re behind the bar and, hopefully, following local and state laws when it comes to overserving, underage serving and other issues.

Where do I stand on these?

At first glance, I like the concept of mandated security cameras, but I want to hear from the business community before I truly make up my mind on this. Do business owners support this? Or is a mandate like this too much of a burden? I have asked the South Milwaukee Chamber of Commerce for an opinion and will keep you posted.

I strongly support the sober server concept. This seems like a no-brainer to me. We ask a lot of our bartenders in encouraging them to keep an orderly, and lawful, establishment … and I argue they can only do that when they’re sober. And the 0.08 threshold is a good one. I am not against bartenders having an occasional drink — I just want to make sure they’re not drunk on the job.

I’d like to know what you think about these. Post your comments below.

The South Milwaukee Common Council will have a chance to weigh in on the Gateway Aerotropolis concept at its meeting on Tuesday, January 19.

I hope the end result is a strong endorsement.

The council will consider a resolution that declares the city’s support for the organization. It does not promise city funding for the group, but does pledge assistance in the identification and securing of possible funding.

I plan on voting for it. Why? Check out my previous post here.

The Milwaukee’s Gateway Aerotropolis vision and mission statements say it all: 

The Gateway to Milwaukee will be a vibrant and diverse transportation and commercial hub connecting and supporting the Milwaukee region with the rest of the world as a globally recognized economic engine that attracts business and people. …

The Gateway aerotropolis is a public-private partnership focused around General Mitchell International Airport that fosters regional economic collaboration by efficiently linking the region’s air, rail, road and shipping transportation capabilities. The partnership will focus on the evolution and implementation of a comprehensive strategy to generate the growth of business and communities in an aesthetically inviting aerotropolis area.

Consider it another example of a regional approach to economic development — where we have to focus if we’re going to grow our city and area.

I should point out one other important piece of information about snow removal. From the front page of the city’s website …

ATTENTION: Section 12.23 of the Municipal Code prohibits blowing or throwing snow or ice onto public streets. When clearing your driveway and walks, please be aware of this. Citations may be issued to individuals violating this ordinance.

You can view Section 12.23 here. And click here to see an earlier post on other snow removal regulations.

No surprises here: Local mayors and village presidents met today and endorsed a plan to hold trick-or-treating on the same day across municipalities.

Most years, that day won’t be Halloween.

You can read the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel story here. From the story:

The resolution is aimed at keeping children safe and deterring groups of kids from collecting candy outside their own communities. Under the resolution, trick-or-treat would be held from 1 to 4 p.m. the Sunday on or before Oct. 31. When Oct 31 falls on a Saturday, trick-or-treat would be held that day. The resolution is for 10 years.

It’s not binding. That’s good, although I am certain the South Milwaukee City Council will choose to hold trick-or-treating at the endorsed time.

I, however, think South Milwaukee should hold its trick-or-treating on Halloween … Halloween evening. My previous post on this explains why.

Do you agree or disagree? Post your comments below.

In case you haven’t discovered it yet, check out SouthMilwaukee.org, the local website run by 3rd District Alderman Jim Shelenske.

It’s a great resource showing special events from around the city.

Jim also rounds up the posts on his site into a monthly events newsletter. You can access this month’s edition here and sign up on his site to receive the monthly email.

Update: Note one of the comments below. The Blakewood event is typically held the Saturday evening before Halloween. My apologies for the mistake … but it doesn’t change my point of view on this. I support trick-or-treating on Halloween evening.

The debate continues on when communities should allow trick-or-treating.

From a story in Sunday’s Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Marauding, candy-hoarding kids descending on the suburbs by the vanload? For trick-or-treating? Where are all the mayors and the village presidents in the face of this debauchery?

They plan to tackle the problem Monday – 9 1/2 months before Halloween. To be decided: Should each community in Milwaukee County have trick-or-treating on the same day and at roughly the same time?

The concern is that, without a uniform time, outsiders will pour into those communities that are hosting trick-or-treating and ruin the experience for residents.

According to the story: “You can make light of folks getting upset about overly ambitious sugar seekers. But last Halloween, some Hales Corners residents were ‘gouged’ by kids from Milwaukee, Muskego and elsewhere who poured into neighborhoods where the homes are closest together, said Hales Corners Village President Robert Ruesch.”

South Milwaukee typically holds its trick-or-treating on the Sunday before Halloween. This year, because Halloween was on a Saturday, the Council, after initially voting to stay with tradition, changed its mind and voted to hold trick-or-treating on Halloween itself.

I supported Halloween trick-or-treating from the start, and I believe it should be done on that day every year … even if it falls on a weekday.

Yes, that would mean night-time trick or treating, but I don’t see any major concerns with allowing it from 5 to 7 p.m.

I understand this was commonplace decades ago, but communities were scared into changing this practice in large part due to the horrific Lisa French case. 

I hate to see that communities are still influenced by the acts of one man 37 years ago.

And I’m not alone. Communities across the state again host trick-or-treat again on Halloween evening. You’re even seeing it in South Milwaukee, where the Blakewood subdivision hosts its own neighborhood trick-or-treat on October 31.

It’s time to extend that citywide.

The South Milwaukee Health Department will have an H1N1 flu clinic open to the general public on Wednesday, January 20, at the Health Department, 2424 15th Ave.

The clinic, which is by appointment only, runs from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m..  Appointments can be made by calling the Health Department at 768-8055.

A consent form for each person receiving a vaccination can be downloaded here and completed prior to coming to the clinic.

It’s nearing 24 hours after the end of the most recent snowstorm. Still have snow on your city sidewalks? You had better remove it soon.

Remember, snow and ice must be removed from your sidewalk “within 24 hours of daylight” after the end of a storm, according to Section 12.20 of the municipal code. That means if the snow stops overnight — and the most recent snow did early Friday morning — you have 24 hours from the next sunrise (approximately 7 a.m. Friday) to clear public sidewalks.

If you don’t comply, according to our code, “the Street Superintendent shall without notice have the ice and snow removed therefrom” … and have the service charged to the homeowner “as a special tax against said lot or parcel of land, and the same shall be collected in all respects like other taxes upon real estate.” (Section 12.26).

Now, the vast majority of South Milwaukee property owners take care of this with no problem. But there are more than a few that don’t, and given the number of foreclosed, bank-owned and rental properties in our city, I fear a number of sidewalks won’t be cleared in time.

This is a safety issue, and I strongly encourage residents who see unshoveled sidewalks to call the Street Department and let them know.

The number is 768-8075.

If you ever thought about serving on the South Milwaukee School Board, this might be your chance.

One person — incumbent Theresa C. Travia — has declared to run for School Board this spring. Here’s the problem: Two seats are up for election.

That sets up a scenario where one of the two spots — the one to be vacated by board member Kristin Grenier-Drenzek — will be filled by a write-in candidate, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Surprising news … and disappointing. Apathy is never a good thing.

“I am sure there will be an effort made by private citizens and so forth as it becomes public,” Superintendent David Ewald told the Journal Sentinel.

I hope so. Candidates serve three-year terms.

It’s official — there will be two contested South Milwaukee races this spring … the same two that were contested in 2008.

Richard Raduenz, a former 3rd District alderman, is running against incumbent Mayor Tom Zepecki in a 2008 rematch, as I reported in this post.

City clerk is the other contested race, and it promises to be an intriguing one, as 3rd District Alderman James Shelenske goes up against incumbent Kathleen Lisowski.

City Treasurer Karen Skowronski, City Attorney Joseph Murphy and Municipal Judge William Fenger are running unopposed this spring.

Each position serves two years. 

You can see a complete list of candidates and contact information here. And look for more information on these races as the April 6 general election nears.

If you drove through downtown South Milwaukee over the weekend, you may have noticed 10th Avenue was closed south of Milwaukee Avenue.

The reason? A water main break in front of Tri-City National Bank.

You can read the story on the Today’s TMJ4 website here. Also check out the video. It’s not pretty.

And check out these other headlines of local note:  

• Man Charged with Sex Asssault of Girl
• New SMHS Student Overview Event
• Divided Council OKs License for Adult Bookstore

Still haven’t gotten an H1N1 vaccination? You can do so on Wednesday, January 6, at South Milwaukee City Hall, 2424 15th Avenue, courtesy of the South Milwaukee Health Department.

Vaccines will be given by appointment only from 2 to 6 p.m. Call the Health Department at 768-8055 to schedule a shot.

Learn more at the city’s website here.