South Milwaukee Blog

The fun starts tonight with the South Milwaukee Library Halloween Party.

Then, on Saturday, check out the first-ever Spooktacular Citywide Halloween Party and other family-fun activities — including more Halloween Lights on Edgewood shows.

South Milwaukee’s official trick-or-treating is on Halloween, as always — we’re still the only community in the county to do this, and I love it!

Happy Rocketober, South Milwaukee!

Make your plans now, and get your parade entries in soon!

Congratulations to the South Milwaukee marching band, which had a strong performance last weekend at its state competition, including a big win for its color guard. From Gail Kablau, band director …

We just finished our marching band season on Saturday at the WSMA State Marching Band Championships. The South Milwaukee High School Rocket Marching Band had a very successful season, achieving personal record high scores, not once, but twice. Our Color Guard (students in the photo) took the State AAA Color Guard Caption award, after winning the same award at two previous competitions. It was a huge victory for them, and for our marching program. Our five (5) Color Guard students beat out guards from 8 other groups in our category – some of them large and more prominent groups.

Here is a video of the band’s performance at state.

Well done, Rocket marching band!

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Here is an update on partial street closures and more …

• Milwaukee Avenue eastbound (9th to 10th Ave) will be opened to traffic on Monday, October 21st. (The south side parking may remain closed or intermittently closed for WE Energies lighting work)
• 9th Avenue between Milwaukee Ave and Madison Ave will remain closed.
• Milwaukee Avenue westbound (9th to 10th Ave) and parking lane will be closed starting at 7:00 a.m. on Tuesday, October 22nd for pavement saw-cutting, removal, and replacement.
• Wood poles have been installed at 10th Ave and Milwaukee Ave for temporary traffic signals while signal equipment is replaced. Installation of new equipment is anticipated over the next 3 weeks.
• All excavations behind the curb will be filled with stone and concrete slurry or asphalt surface for winter.
• Pavement removal and replacement west of 10th Ave will continue through October weather permitting. Any remaining pavement work will begin in spring 2020 if we run out of decent weather.

The South Milwaukee football team is headed for the WIAA playoffs, and they are in for a challenge.

The eighth-seeded Rockets — who finished the regular season 6-3 after a 42-20 loss to New Berlin West in their Woodland Conference crossover game on Friday — travel to top-seeded Waterford in a first-round game on Friday.

The Wolverines (8-1 after suffering their first loss of the season on Friday, to Lake Geneva Badger) were the fifth-ranked Division 2 team in the state, according to the Oct. 15 rankings.

Check out the full Division 2 bracket here. And go Rockets!

Start your day at DB Tax & Wealth and end at Pink Bunny Games. In between, enjoy all sorts of fun Halloween activities!

Get the full list of activities when you pick up your game card at DB.

Bring family and friends to this new Halloween tradition!

(Note: This event replaces the Downtown Trick-or-Treating of years past, and I’m excited to see 26 business and organizations from across the city take part … and to make the event more than about candy.)

You may have seen news coverage recently that the United States Postal Service sorting facility project originally proposed more than a decade ago for the southwest corner of Nicholson and College Avenues might have new life. Check out coverage here, here, and here.

There is just on thing missing in the process so far — you.

The project planners have yet to engage the governments of Oak Creek and South Milwaukee in any meaningful way, and have not committed to a robust public process as their plans are brought to life.

That’s not acceptable.

With that in mind, both the Oak Creek and South Milwaukee City Councils passed similar resolutions last week calling for local community input around the revised plans and impact of the project.

From our resolution …

WHEREAS, on July 30, 2019 the City of Oak Creek received a letter from the United States Postal Service (USPS) declaring its intent to construct a mail processing center on the properties (the Project), and providing the City of Oak Creek the opportunity to review and comment on the project; and

WHEREAS, on August 1, 2019 the City of Oak Creek responded to the United States Postal Service and formally requested the opportunity to review and comment on the project; and

WHEREAS, the City of Oak Creek has not received any correspondence from the USPS in response to its request to review and comment on the project; and

WHEREAS, the City of Oak Creek has yet to receive assurances from the USPS that it intends to honor its agreements with the City of Oak Creek with respect to the construction and operation of a postal service processing and distribution center on the properties

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Common Council of the City of South Milwaukee, Wisconsin, that for and on behalf of themselves and the taxpayers of the City of South Milwaukee, and for the reasons herein above set forth go on record as requesting that any construction and operation of a postal service processing and distribution center on the properties take place in accordance with the construction and operational standards that were agreed upon as part of the initial rezoning approval.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that, any development of a postal service processing and distribution center proceed in accordance with the standards established by the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act standards for soliciting, assessing, and incorporating local community input.

I’ll keep you posted, and continue to fight with Oak Creek and our federally elected leaders to ensure we’re not shut out of this process.

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These new two weekends are what make South Milwaukee so special. So many activities and events … I love it!

And it starts tonight (Thursday, Oct. 17) with 6 p.m. talk called “Remembering Continental Faience and Tile Co.”

Artist, author and historian Ben Tyjeski will tell the story of this former, influential South Milwaukee company, as he completes his book on the subject. Join us at City Hall!

Here is what’s coming up this weekend alone …

   THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17

• 6 p.m. “Remembering Continental Faience and Tile Co.” Artist, author and historian Ben Tyjeski tells the story of this former, influential South Milwaukee company, as he completes his book on the subject. City Hall.  

   FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18

• 7 p.m. South Milwaukee football at New Berlin West (Woodland crossover).

   SATURDAY, OCTOBER 19

• 9 a.m. Downtown Decorating! Help the Beautification Committee hang corn stalks on 10^th Avenue light poles. Meet at Tri-City Plaza, and bring family and friends.
• 1 p.m. Fall Color Walk. Join the South Milwaukee and St. Francis mayors on a walk through Grant Park’s 7 Bridges. Meet at the Brown Pavilion/Picnic Area 5. Presented by the South Milwaukee/St. Francis Health Department.
• 4-6:30 p.m. Chili for Charity. Enjoy a chili dinner at the Grobschmidt Senior Center, with all proceeds benefitting South Milwaukee Human Concerns. Adults $8, Children $5, and includes chili, drink, bread, salad and dessert.
• 5-9 p.m. South Milwaukee Art Walk: Monsters on Milwaukee Avenue. Check out downtown merchants for shopping, art, music, food and drink. After party at Moran’s Pub. Presented by South Milwaukee Art Collective.
• 6:30 p.m. Rocktoberfest. Annual South Milwaukee Football Boosters beer tasting at Pat’s Oak Manor. Admission is $25 and includes a glass, tastings, food and raffle.
• 7:30 p.m. “I Am … He Said.” Matt Vee Family and Friends Celebrate the Music of Neil Diamond. South Milwaukee PAC.

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The South Milwaukee Common Council voted 6-0 at its meeting Tuesday to formally accept the donation of Da Crusher statue from Da Crusher Foundation — along with a pledge of continued support from the foundation for statue and site upkeep and additional site investments.

In doing so, we welcomed back artist Beth Sahagian, who, with her team, built this iconic work of art that will last generations.

Thanks, Chris Smith, for leading this effort, and thanks for the donation of this beautiful statue. See you at Crusherfest 2020!

South Milwaukee won its fourth straight game and moved to 6-2 on the season with 7-6 victory over Greenfield on Friday night.

Elijah Anderson’s 14-yard touchdown run in the first quarter held up — but it took a missed extra point late from the Hawks to seal it.

Check out video of Anderson’s run here.

The win sent the Rockets to 6-1 in the Woodland East, good enough for second place in the division. Next up, at New Berlin West on Friday, in a Woodland Conference crossover game.

Then it’s on to the WIAA playoffs, which begin Oct. 25-26.

Go Rockets!

As I’ve written about, the proposed Milwaukee County budget has mixed news for South Milwaukee, and includes the suggested closure of Grobschmidt Pool in 2020.

But this is not a done deal — and Supervisor Steven Shea wants to hear your thoughts on the county executive’s spending plan. See you Tuesday!

I love this new event!

Chili, drink, break, salad and dessert will be served from 4 to 6:30 p.m. at the Grobschmidt Senior Center. Cost is $8 for adults, $5 for children 3-10.

All proceeds go to South Milwaukee Human Concerns!

Check out more on the Facebook event page.

Thanks to the South Milwaukee Art Collective for this really cool new event. From the Facebook event page …

Join some of the local shops on the 900 and 1000 blocks of Milwaukee Avenue for an evening of art, music, shopping, food, drinks, and more!

Participating businesses so far include:

• Avenue Coffeehouse
• Moran’s Pub
• Barberella
• Black Sheep Tattoo – South Milwaukee
• Studio 919
• Hollyville
• Acetime Disc Golf
• Gecko Leather Works
• Rose Mob Grill

It’s the month of Halloween so make sure to dress up and join us at Moran’s Pub for the after party and costume contest at 9:30PM. Top 3 contestants will win some cool prizes!

I can’t thank First Congregational for continuing to host this event — and to all of the organizations who have gotten behind it.

Please attend, bring a friend, and spread the word.

From organizer Pam Uhrig …

Guest attendance was 75 for the September meal sponsored by Masjid Al-Huda. The baked chicken and rice was served with delicious sides and the baklava was a big hit. My favorite is the falafel and humus!

This month Human Concerns will sponsor the meal on October 17th. Trinity will be November 21st, and Knights of Columbus will take Dec. 19th.

Last month, a coalition municipal, county, business, labor and community leaders gathered in South Milwaukee to announce plans for state legislation allowing Milwaukee County to host a binding referendum seeking a one percentage-point increase in its sales tax.

The announcement – made in South Milwaukee as part of the regular rotation of Intergovernmental Cooperation Council meetings of local mayors and village presidents – garnered significant media coverage, which you can get a flavor of here and here.

Here is the full press conference afterwards, and my remarks.

The bills (AB 521 and SB 471) were introduced in the last week.

They seek to allow the county to hold a binding referendum that, if passed, would increase the Milwaukee County sales tax to 6.6%, 6.5% if the Miller Park tax sunsets in early 2020 like it is supposed to.

If passed, the sales tax increase would generate approximately $160 million in revenue per year. As outlined in the bills …

• 25% of the revenue — or $40 million — would immediately go toward property tax relief.
• 7% of the revenue — about $11 million — would go towards additional funding for “public health infrastructure projects” across the county (think lead laterals, etc.).
• The remaining revenue (about $109 million) would be split with the county and each of its 19 communities, based on population.

In the end, the ICC put off formal action the proposal, pending more details, and will discuss it more at its meeting next week.

Here is why I support the legislation …

• If the sales tax is enacted, it would deliver significant property tax relief. This is an important point – as mentioned, 25% of the proceeds of the sales tax will be returned “off the top” to property taxpayers, likely in the form of a credit. One estimate puts this at about $900,000 in total tax relief for South Milwaukeeans annually.
• The sales tax would be a huge lift for local budgets – and services. For South Milwaukee, proceeds from the sales tax could top $1 million annually. How we allocate this money will be decided by the Common Council, but options include additional property tax relief, putting it toward operating costs and capital projects, or adding to our reserves, or potentially all of those. I promise a robust conversation on where the money will be spent. For starters, it will give us some breathing room in our annual budgeting, allowing us to better in addressing items like the 15% increase in health insurance costs we are facing for 2020. I also hope these funds will go beyond just maintaining our current level of service. I look forward to working with our department heads and council to find ways to invest this money for the future of our city. From public safety to other city services to infrastructure, we have lots to do, and lots of needs.
• It would help the county, too, and that’s a big deal for South Milwaukee. As I said in my remarks, South Milwaukee boasts a number of county assets, and anything that helps the county budget helps us. Could this extra funding perhaps permanently stave off elimination of bus routes 48 and 52? Could it lead to more investment in our parks, and capital projects like roads? Could it help reinvent Grobschmidt Pool for the 21st century? Or free up investment in the Oak Creek Watershed? Those are the types of things we’ll lobby for.
• Others would contribute. This is an important note: Estimates say almost 30% of the sales tax collections will come from people who live outside of Milwaukee County. Be it vacationers headed to the beach (Grant Park Beach?), fans to a ballgame (a Rocket football game?), attendees to the 2020 DNC Convention, or visitors to a show (at the South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center?), our out-of-county friends should have to contribute toward those assets and the governments that support them. It can’t just be on the back of Milwaukee County property taxpayers anymore.  
• It lets voters decide. This is most appealing of all. In the end, love or hate the idea of an additional sales tax, all this legislation seeks to do is allow Milwaukee County voters decide on whether or not they want one. It does not ask for one extra dollar from the state. That is democracy in action, giving power to the people to have their voices heard.

This is also is a step toward solving the bigger problem we face in funding of local governments: an overreliance on property taxes.

Property taxes paid by Milwaukee County and Wisconsin residents are among the highest in the nation … there is no hiding from that. But that is in part because there are few other sources of revenue available to fund our budgets. Our sales tax is among the lowest in the nation. We need a balance, and this would help provide that.

Passage would also help us deal with this reality: Property taxes are not enough. They do not provide enough to pay for the services you have rightfully come to expect from us.

A decade of state-imposed levy limits, cuts in state aid and unfunded mandates have taken their toll. We need this relief. South Milwaukee residents and business owners need this relief.

As I said in my remarks …

Every community is dealing with this to some degree — urban, rural, big, small, rich, poor, red, blue, with no regard to geography. This has to stop, and we need help to do it. We want to be effective partners with the state, and to be part of the solution. But we need the state legislature to give us the tools to truly invest in our communities.

I look forward to seeing the legislature and governor step up to do that, with passage and signing of these bills.