Civic Issues
Topics getting the most attention in Green Bay public meetings, ranked by how frequently they are discussed.
50 issues
Patrol officer hiring
The Commission screened six Patrol Officer candidate backgrounds: two candidates withdrew, two were removed, and two advanced in the hiring process — part of ongoing police staffing efforts.
New single-family homes on South Broadway
Radue Homes got a one-year agreement for three South Broadway sites, a new agreement for Grand Blvd lots 7-19 in the JBS Redevelopment Site, and an amendment adding lots 12-14 on Vernon Taylor Drive — keeping home construction moving on former industrial land.
Firefighter candidate retention
Great intern candidates are being lost because the fire department only hires once or twice a year. The Commission president asked HR to find a way to grab good candidates when they appear.
STH 32 and 9th Street project plat
A vacant narrow lot at 804 Ninth Street is slated for a new single-family home, but the existing house at 802 Ninth depends on alley access that crosses the 804 parcel. The variance lets both properties have their own driveway entrances, with a recorded shared easement protecting access.
Mather Street pavement project land acquisition
The Mather Street rebuild includes new sidewalks and ADA-compliant pedestrian ramps from Locust to Grey, which required buying or renting property rights from fronting owners. The committee approved the payments, mostly $200 to $900 per parcel.
Finger Road culvert replacement
Public Works wants to hire McMahon Associates for $111,919.50 to design a replacement of the aging Finger Road culvert, a piece of road infrastructure drivers rely on.
Annual WisDOT Local Road Certification
A routine but required filing: the city must certify its miles of public roadways to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation each year, which affects state road aid.
Fire Station 6 remodel
Design work is moving forward on Fire Station 6 upgrades — HVAC, windows, and a new SCBA (self-contained breathing apparatus) room — to keep firefighters' equipment and working conditions up to standard.
Eaton Heights III subdivision infrastructure dedication
The final payment to Calnin & Goss, LLC closes out the Phase 2 infrastructure package for the JBS Subdivision and Park.
City Forester nuisance tree authority
The committee approved an ordinance change making fines for cutting down or damaging public trees clearer and potentially costlier — at least $500 per incident, up to the tree's appraised value. It also adds a public webpage notice so people know the rules before they act.
Grass and weeds abatement charge appeal at 811 Ernst Drive
The city cut long grass and weeds at 811 Ernst Drive and billed the owner $451.54; the owner is appealing. Staff say the work was done per ordinance and recommend denying the appeal.
4K agreement reimbursement increase
An addendum to the Four-Year-Old Kindergarten Agreement would raise what the city reimburses per student to the school district from $1,450 to $1,600 per semester.
Electric vehicle fuel station at 1240 Radisson Street
Wattslots Properties LLC wants a conditional use permit to run an electric vehicle fueling station on Radisson Street. It would add EV charging infrastructure to the neighborhood.
Public Works financial oversight restructuring
Public Works has been splitting its financial work across multiple divisions, raising the risk of errors and burying oversight in director-level roles. The new Finance and Business Manager position puts all departmental finances — including stormwater, sewer and parking funds — under one person.
Scoring of affordable housing assistance
NeighborWorks Green Bay got a development agreement for six lots on Dahlia Lane at the JBS site and a 12-month extension to run the city's Home Improvement Loan Program.
Priority-based budgeting implementation
The city now maps nearly all of its $294 million budget to 385 programs and scores them against council priorities. Departments are reviewing cost-saving ideas from other cities, with 50 flagged for study — savings would likely show up in the 2028 budget, not next year's.
Recycling contamination at Bay Beach Amusement Park
Bay Beach's recycling bins are heavily contaminated — about 25-35% garbage — so much of what's collected ends up in the landfill anyway. The commission wants better recycling but a reverse vending machine costs around $6,000 plus reward tickets, and the park's self-funded budget can't cover it. The idea was sent to the Waste Workgroup to find funding partners and possibly better locations.
Revolving loan fund health and delinquent borrower
The fund has roughly $300,000 available and payments are generally coming in. Members asked that the available balance be shown in future reports so they know, when approving a loan, whether they're choosing between opportunities or spending from a healthy cushion.
Solar for Good grant opportunity
Local nonprofits and community organizations can apply for up to $50,000 in solar grants through RENEW Wisconsin's Solar for Good program, with applications due October 31.
Historic design review at 638 S Monroe Avenue
A homeowner in the Astor historic district needed approval to replace a rear window and redo a jump porch. Because the work isn't visible from the street and touches only non-historic elements, it sailed through without controversy.
New indoor tennis training facility on west side
Title Shot Athletic Club will bring eight tennis simulator bays — the first in Wisconsin — plus three indoor courts to the Badger State Brewing campus. It fills a real gap: pickleball's growth has squeezed tennis court space in Green Bay, and the facility gives youth, college, and adult players a year-round training option.
School food waste composting pilot
A school district survey last spring showed families and staff are concerned about how much food schools throw away. The waste work group is pushing for food rescue or composting programs — no Wisconsin school currently does this, so Green Bay would lead the state. Cold, unopened food could go to food pantries, but the district lacks a process.
Fair housing enforcement and public services funding
Four nonprofits split about $121,000 in federal block grant money for transportation, youth programs, autism services, and reentry work — but a fifth award to NEWCAP was paused over recent concerns about how the organization handles its resources. That leaves roughly $30,500 unawarded for now.
Divine Temple steeple and roof repair
The historic Divine Temple building on Cherry Street, right across from City Hall, suffered roof damage that crumbled part of its brick steeple. Workers are reusing the original brick to match existing specs.
Sex offender residency appeals
The board decides where registered sex offenders may live in Green Bay, weighing restrictions against individual housing requests. Two appeals were approved this month, one with a 60-day limit.
New indoor tennis and simulator facility on west side
Titleshot Athletic Club will bring eight tennis simulator bays — reportedly the first in Wisconsin — plus three full-size indoor courts to the Badger State Brewing campus. The city's revolving loan fund is helping finance the buildout, and the project carries federal job-creation requirements tied to local hiring.
Elimination of City Assessor position
The city is cutting its in-house City Assessor job and hiring Forward-Appraisal to handle appraisal work instead.
GenCap fire station apartments on S. Broadway
The council approved building the new station within the Broadway redevelopment and committed up to $15 million in borrowing. It affects fire response times on the near-east side and ties into the GenCap apartment project.
Vacant commercial property registration and fees
The city wants to create a new registration and fee system for vacant commercial buildings, with penalties that follow properties through ownership transfers. Property owners and realtors showed up to oppose it, and the council couldn't reach agreement — it's heading back to committee for rework.
University Avenue commercial rezone
Seven properties on University Avenue were rezoned from General Commercial to Highway Commercial, opening up more intensive commercial uses along the corridor.
Vacant property registration and fee ordinance
Ald. Prestley wants the city to charge escalating fees on buildings that sit empty, to push owners to redevelop them. The Council agreed 6-5 to have staff draft the ordinance — expect debate over who counts as vacant and what the fees fund.
East River Optimist Park playground funding
A $50,000 Optimist Club donation and a $45,772 Gametime grant will fund a new playground at East River Optimist Park — coming at no cost to city taxpayers.
Grandview Industrial Park expansion
The council spent up to $51,000 of TID 25 money on land for extending Padi-Wood Lane and signed a development agreement with Global Optics — both pieces of the Grandview Industrial Park expansion.
South Grandview Road temporary bridge repairs
The city awarded a $151,571.25 contract to Norcon Corporation for temporary repairs to the S. Grandview Road bridge.
Electric motorcycle fleeing and enforcement trends
Police report a jump in fleeing cases — about a third involve electric motorcycles, often ridden by young riders — plus two September fatal crashes and 13 serious-injury crashes in the third quarter.
School pickup congestion at Lincoln Elementary
Cars parking both sides of narrow Caroline Street during pickup are jamming the road, made worse by school consolidation and nearby construction. New signs will restrict parking to one side while allowing quick student loading.
Parking around new North Adams Street development
With the new building open where the Adams Street lot used to be, the city is restoring about six metered stalls on Cherry Street and adding one near 226-228 North Adams to replace parking for the area's businesses.
Three-way stop at Greenbrier and Manitowoc Roads
A pedestrian was hit at this intersection earlier this year, and drivers average 34-35 mph in a 25 mph zone with no sidewalks nearby. The new three-way stop should balance delays and make crossings safer; sidewalk work is complicated because part of the area lies in the Village of Bellevue.
Kurtz Avenue speeding near Joannes Park
Alders report drivers treat the long dead-end street like a racetrack near schools and the stadium. Traffic calming can't be studied until residents file a petition signed by at least 20% of neighbors.
Pedestrian safety at Doty and South Van Buren
Ald. Proffitt wants enhanced safety measures at this intersection, but technical problems kept her constituent from speaking, so the item waits until November.
Traffic calming on Eastman Avenue
Residents of nearby apartment complexes asked for a review of whether sidewalks are needed on Eastman Avenue. The committee referred the question (PC-26-11) to city staff for study.
Lincoln School area signage changes
The Traffic Engineer's recommended sign modifications around Lincoln School were approved, aimed at keeping kids safer around the school.
Traffic Calming Policy overhaul
Ald. Delie's detailed critique of the city's 2007 Traffic Calming Policy — which has never produced a single physical calming installation — was referred to staff for review and amendment.
Resurrection Lutheran Church accessory building at 1004 Shawano Avenue
The pantry serving families every two minutes wanted a garage-style building for freezer space and weather-protected distribution, but the board couldn't legally justify a 5-foot setback next to a home. The project can't proceed as designed; staff suggested working on alternatives.
Infill housing at 560 N. Henry Street
A vacant floodplain lot that's been empty since a house was razed years ago can now be built on, with relief from the 15-foot fill buffer and a slightly reduced corner setback. It means a new home on a long-vacant near-downtown lot.
Privacy fencing on through lots along Lakeside Place
Homes fronting both Lakeside Place and East Shore Drive can't legally build tall privacy fences facing Lakeside. The board granted one, treating Lakeside Place as functionally an alley — a precedent relevant to other bay-side through lots.
Bay Beach Amusement Park Shoreline Walk
The Oneida Nation is giving the city $100,000 to help build the shoreline walk at Bay Beach Amusement Park, a popular low-cost family destination. The money covers engineering or construction costs and costs taxpayers nothing.
Draft ordinances: overnight parking and second-cart fees
The weekend overnight no-stopping rule downtown is changing on a 90-day trial: most of it goes away, but a stretch near Doty Street gets a new restriction, and the Walnut Street loading zone is reworked. Trial results could make the change permanent.
Construction communication improvements
After a botched off-hours job on Reed Street left neighbors in the dark, the city is overhauling how it tells residents about road work: a dedicated webpage, weekly updates, postcards, and city logos on all contractor notices.
Garbage and recycling container replacement
The city is buying 624 new 96-gallon carts to keep up with resident requests and new development. Your container fee already covers the cost, so no new charge.