Civic Issues
Topics getting the most attention in Waukesha public meetings, ranked by how frequently they are discussed.
32 issues in taxes budget
Cooperative purchasing membership
Joining the Minnesota Cooperative Purchasing Venture should cut costs on paratransit buses and other equipment, with no downside identified.
2027 Water Rate Increase
The utility has formally asked the PSC to pause its water rate increase until Milwaukee's rates are known, so customers don't face back-to-back increases. No answer yet.
2027 Property Tax Levy Increase
The proposed 2027 budget raises the property tax levy about 1.7% ($1.3 million), meaning an average $350,000 home pays roughly $33 more — about 1.2%. 80% of the city's revenue comes from taxes and state aid, and the city is pushing for more state shared revenue since its share lags peer communities.
Voting machine replacement needed
The city's voting machines work fine, but the vendor is ending support and they'll become federally noncompliant. With polling places consolidated from 13 to 9, fewer machines will be needed — replacement is expected within a couple of years.
2027 Residential Garbage and Recycling Fees
The committee approved a resolution setting what homeowners will pay for garbage and recycling collection in 2027. The fees now go to the full council.
2027-2031 Community Investment Program
The utility's draft 2027 Capital Improvement Plan was reviewed — it's the roadmap for next year's water infrastructure spending, which ultimately affects rates and service reliability.
2027 Library Tax Exemption Certification
Members pushed for the updated plan to identify tax-exempt sites — schools, the post office, the YMCA, former Hope Center — that could be redeveloped as tax-generating housing, arguing the city can't grow its tax base otherwise.
Employee PTO, holiday, and retiree insurance policy changes
A volunteer time off policy would let library staff take time for community volunteering under defined rules. It now goes to the Library Board.
Council chambers audio-visual upgrade
The 2027 plan includes $270,000 to modernize council chambers AV equipment — better sound, cameras, displays, and a hearing-aid loop — serving both council meetings and municipal court.
2026 GO note issuance for capital projects and TID 17 roads
The council approved selling up to $20.7 million in general obligation promissory notes. This is the city's borrowing for 2026 capital needs, and debt service on it flows into future property tax levies.
Renee Rossa Property Damage Claim
The council denied a resident's property damage claim 10-3, a split vote that suggests some alderpeople felt the city should pay. The claimant's recourse now lies elsewhere.
Property damage claims — Montney denied, Hardy paid
The city refused one claim (a sewer backup the city didn't know about) but paid another (a city vehicle backing into a parked car). The contrast shows the city pays when its workers are clearly at fault and contests claims it had no notice of.
Special election polling places consolidated at City Hall
Because of the county executive special election, all city voting on November 17 (if a primary) and December 15 will be at City Hall only — expected ~6,500 voters.
AI Acceptable Use Policy
The library adopted new rules on how employees may use artificial intelligence at work — an early sign of how public institutions are grappling with AI. It will shape how staff handle information and serve patrons.
2027 Library Operating Budget
The board approved the first draft of next year's library budget, with no personnel changes yet. This shapes library hours, collections, and services — and the library's share of local taxes — for 2027.
2026 WisDOT transit operating aid
The annual state operating aid agreement with WisDOT funds a significant share of Waukesha Metro's day-to-day bus service costs. The commission's recommendation sends it to the Council, where it will be formally adopted. Without it, transit service budgets would need to make up the difference locally.
2027 Winter-spring Recreation Fees
The board approved the fall fees schedule. Most programs cost the same as last year, but the FoxTail 3K preschool program jumps 8% and before/after-school care rises a dollar a month — driven by staff wages.
Promotion raises and salary compression
Promotions now come with a 5–10% raise or placement at the minimum of the new range, fixing cases where new supervisors earned less than the people they manage. Committee members debated giving HR more discretion but kept the structure with a small exception clause.
New Library Policies on Naming Rights, Gifts and Workplace Conduct
The board adopted three policies: a drug- and alcohol-free workplace rule for staff, naming rights and commemoration guidelines, and a gift acceptance policy. Together they set clear rules for donations, honoring donors, and workplace expectations.
$11.3M settlement of excessive-assessment lawsuit
The council settled an excessive-assessment lawsuit with SBV Fox River LLC after discussing terms in closed session. Settlement terms and costs weren't disclosed in open session.
Exhausted Buildings and Grounds signage budget
A guardrail project on Madison Street, approved by Public Works in March, consumed nearly all of this committee's 2026 budget. With roughly zero dollars left, the committee plans to take only free referrals for the rest of the year and escalate the funding problem.
2025 Transit Financial Audit Results
Fixed-route ridership fell 9% in early 2026 amid a 24% service-hour cut, but buses ran more efficiently per hour. MetroLift paratransit rides are up 15% — the highest since 2012.
Municipal garage and cemetery roofing projects
Chapel tuck-pointing is nearly done, security cameras are being installed soon, and the autumn garden roofing and tuck-pointing work starts this summer. Three used golf carts were bought for less than the cost of one budgeted new one.
2027 CDBG funding allocations
About $233,000 in federal grant money will fund a long-overdue Grandview Boulevard crosswalk, Buckner Park playground upgrades, historic home paint grants, public art and youth swim programs — all without city tax dollars.
Traffic study request standards
The chair wants a standard form and criteria — like a five-year lookback and a committee majority — before staff time is spent on traffic studies, which cost thousands of dollars each.
Overnight odd/even parking rules
A proposal to enforce the city's odd/even overnight parking rules only from November 1 to April 1 failed after alders argued the change would cost about $12,000 in citation revenue, complicate street sweeping and emergency access, and confuse residents used to the simple year-round rule.
Commercial hearing waivers to circuit court
Big commercial owners (SBV Fox River, Menards, Walmart) skipped the local board and will appeal straight to circuit court because their properties are already in litigation. Residents don't get to see those valuation fights argued locally.
Property assessment Open Book
Property owners challenged their assessments, but the board upheld the assessor in every case heard. Homeowners and commercial owners alike must bring strong comparable-sales evidence — and 2025 sales couldn't be used this year because the 2025 reassessment relied on 2024 sales.
Bus farebox replacement
The city's 15-year-old fareboxes are failing and unsupported; new SPX Genfare units cost $94,922 with 80% federal funding. Riders paying cash still need exact change, and a fare increase above $2 is coming.
TID 13 termination and first-ever shortfall
The city's 23-year-old TID 13 — its first 'pay-go' district — is closing with a shortfall, the first in city history. The council voted to cover roughly $70,000 in unreimbursed staff costs from contingency funds.
2026-2027 Financial Assistance Program revisions
The program helping lower-income families pay for rec programs will now require full payment up front, with refunds after approval — a change meant to stop the department from losing money on unpaid balances. It served 445 families last year using only donations, not tax dollars.
Federal procurement policy for RAISE grant projects
A new 24-page policy is required to spend the RAISE grant studying pedestrian bridges over the bypass. It forces qualification-based consultant selection instead of cost-based, but only for federally funded projects.