Committee on Health Equity, Human Needs and Strategic Planning - Regular Meeting

Well, welcome to the September 17th edition of the Health Equity, Human Needs, and Strategic Planning Committee meeting. We are here in room 203R at the courthouse. Anybody is welcome to join us here in person. You're also welcome to join us virtually or hybrid. Just go to milwaukee.gov slash public comment and follow the instructions on how to participate via Teams. If it is not yet your item, if you could just make sure to leave your video and microphones off until it is your item, that would be great. It would help us with just keeping everything organized. But we're excited to get started. And without further ado, we can call the roll.

Supervisors Gomez-Tom.

Here.

Martin. Present.

Vincent.

Present.

Present.

Here we go. Roundtree Jr.?

Present.

Excused? Oh, there he is. Okay. Here. Can you hear me? Yep, we got you, Kathy. Thank you.

Mr. Chairman?

Here.

There are five members present, two appearing virtually. We have a quorum.

Very good. Let's start with item number one.

Item one, from the county executive appointing Ms. Patricia Wilson to the Aging and Disability Resource Center Governing Board for a term expiring June 25th, 2029.

Good afternoon. The floor is yours if you want to introduce yourself.

Good afternoon. Good afternoon. I have Ms. Wilson here virtually. I'm Katie Domino, Office of Government Affairs. I'm here on behalf of the county executive. Good afternoon, chairs, members, chair, singular, members of the committee. I'm here on behalf of County Executive David Crowley to present his appointment of Patricia Wilson to the Milwaukee County Aging and Disability Resource Center Governing Board. MS. WILSON IS A DEDICATED COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKER WITH A DISTINGUISHED CAREER FOCUSED ON IMPROVING HEALTH OUTCOMES, ADVANCING HEALTH EQUITY, AND CONNECTING INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES TO ESSENTIAL RESOURCES. SHE CURRENTLY SERVES AS THE PROGRAM COORDINATOR FOR THE ACTION MOVEMENT INITIATIVES GRANT WITH MILWAUKEE COUNTY ORGANIZATION PREVENTIONS PROGRAMS AND ALSO CONSULTS WITH WISCONSIN LITERACY IN SUPPORT OF REFUGEE AND TANF PROGRAMS. IN ADDITION TO HER LOCAL WORK, PATRICIA SERVES AS A COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKER AMBASSADOR FOR THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION of community health workers and has held leadership roles with organizations including the Wisconsin Public Health Association, the Foundation of Black Women's Wellness, and Mason Temple Church of God in Christ. Her service and leadership have earned her numerous awards including the 2025 American Cancer Society Kohl's Healthy Families Community Health Worker Champion Award and the 2025 Wisconsin Community Health Worker Gathering Legacy Award. County Executive believes MS. WILSON'S EXPERIENCE, COMMITMENT TO COMMUNITY SERVICE, AND PASSION FOR IMPROVING THE HEALTH AND WELL-BEING OF MILWAUKEE COUNTY RESIDENTS WILL MAKE HER A VALUABLE ADDITION TO THE ADRC GOVERNING BOARD. ON BEHALF OF COUNTY EXECUTIVE DAVID CROWLEY, I RESPECTFULLY REQUEST YOUR FAVORABLE CONSIDERATION AND CONFIRMATION OF PATRICIA WILLIAMS-WILSON'S APPOINTMENT. THANK YOU.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH. AND MS. WILSON, WE SEE YOU. GOOD AFTERNOON. THE FLOOR IS YOURS IF YOU WANT TO INTRODUCE YOURSELF AND TELL US WHY YOU'RE INTERESTED.

I am Patricia Wilson. I am a senior. I turned 62. I love to advocate for others. Health is my most important advocacy. Everyone has the right to access to health. I believe in advocating for all. I'm a food advocate, advocating for food insecurity as well. And I feel that my knowledge and experience will help this forward.

Thank you. I will go to the committee for questions and comments and motions. I see Supervisor Vinson.

Yes, Mr. Chairman, I would like to make a motion to approve this appointment.

All right. Motion to approve. Any other questions or comments?

Seeing and hearing no, we can call the roll. On the motion by Supervisor Vincent that item number one be recommended for confirmation. Supervisors Gomez-Thom.

Aye.

Martin.

Aye.

Vincent.

Aye.

Rountree Jr. Aye. Mr. Chairman. Aye. Five ayes, zero noes. The motion prevails.

Thank you very much for your willingness to serve. Best wishes.

Thank you. Thanks. Bye-bye.

All right. Before going on to item two, I neglected to mention that we will be removing item 12 from the agenda today.

Mr. Chairman, once the meeting's been called to order, unfortunately, you cannot remove an item from the agenda. However, the committee could entertain a motion to lay over to the next meeting or call the chair, whichever is the preference. Okay. Okay. We'll do it when we get there. Okay. Sounds good. All right. Item two. Item two, from the county executive appointing Judith Miller to the Milwaukee County Aging and Disability Resource Center Governing Board for a term expiring June 25th, 2029.

Good afternoon, Mr. Chair, committee members, Katie Domina, Director of the Office of Government Affairs. I'm here on the behalf of County Executive David Crowley to present his appointment of Judith Miller to the Milwaukee County Aging and Disability Resource Center Governing Board. Ms. Miller brings more than four decades of experience in healthcare administration, health information technology, and patient engagement. FOLLOWING A DISTINGUISHED CAREER THAT INCLUDED MORE THAN 20 YEARS AT EPIC SYSTEMS AS A RELEASE MANAGER, SHE HAS CONTINUED TO SERVE THE HEALTHCARE COMMUNITY AS A SIMULATED PARTICIPANT AT FREDERT HOSPITAL AND THE MEDICAL COLLEGE OF WISCONSIN, HELPING EDUCATE HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS AND AS A PATIENT REPRESENTATIVE ON THE CLINICAL INFORMATICS GOVERNANCE SUBCOMMITTEE. Judith also serves as an advisory panel member with the OpenNotes Insight Lab, contributing the patient perspective to healthcare innovation projects. Her career has spanned leadership roles in hospital administration, healthcare systems implementation, managed care, and health technology, providing her with a broad understanding of the healthcare system and the needs of patients and families. County Executive believes Judith's extensive healthcare experience, commitment to patient-centered care, and dedication to improving healthcare delivery will make her a valuable addition to the ADRC Governing Board. On behalf of County Executive David Crowley, I respectfully request your favorable consideration and confirmation of Judith Miller's appointment. Thank you.

Thank you, Director. And good afternoon, Ms. Miller. We see you.

If you want to introduce yourself and explain why you're interested, that would be great.

I'm Judith Miller. I moved to Milwaukee about 10 years ago after I retired from EPIC, and... When I was asked to consider serving, it provided me an opportunity to be involved in something going on locally. I've never been involved in county government, and so it will really expand where I think I might be able to be of service. And I know that I have a lot to learn about the whole larger landscape of the issues beyond what are the headlines in the papers. So that is why I'm here.

Thank you for being here. Committee, Supervisor Martin.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I make the motion for a recommendation for approval.

All right. We have a recommendation for approval. Any other questions or comments?

Seeing and hearing none, we can call the roll. On the motion by Supervisor Martin that item number two be recommended for confirmation. Supervisors Gomez-Tom.

Aye.

Martin. Aye. Vincent.

Aye.

Roundtree Jr. Aye. Mr. Chairman. Aye. Five ayes, zero noes. The motion prevails.

Thank you. Thank you so much for taking an interest. Hope all goes well. All right. Take care. We can go on to item three.

Item 3, from the County Executive, appointing Ms. Michelle Scott to the Aging and Disability Resource Center Governing Board for a term expiring on June 25th, 2029.

Good afternoon, Chair, members of the committee, Katie Domina, Director of the Office of Government Affairs. I'm here on behalf of County Executive David Crowley to present his appointment of Michelle Scott to the Milwaukee County Aging and Disability Resource Center Governing Board. Michelle brings more than 15 years of leadership experience in healthcare operations, regulatory compliance, emergency preparedness, and risk management. She currently serves as Security Operations Center Manager for Freighter ThetaCare Health, where she partners with executive and clinical leadership to strengthen safety, governance, and organizational readiness across a multi-site healthcare system. IN ADDITION TO HER PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE, MICHELLE BRINGS VALUABLE LIVED EXPERIENCE NAVIGATING AGING AND DISABILITY SYSTEMS, ALONG WITH A STRONG COMMITMENT TO ADVOCACY, ETHICAL DECISION-MAKING, AND PUBLIC ACCOUNTABILITY. HER BACKGROUND INCLUDES LEADERSHIP IN EMERGENCY MEDICAL COMMUNICATIONS, SERVICE ON THE WISCONSIN AIR MEDICAL COUNCIL, PARTICIPATION ON THE MILWAUKEE REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS COMMITTEE, AND ONGOING INVOLVEMENT WITH FREDERT'S WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP BUSINESS RESOURCE GROUP. COUNTY EXECUTIVE BELIEVES MICHELLE'S EXPERIENCE IN STRATEGIC PLANNING, CROSS-SECTOR COLLABORATION, AND SERVING VULNERABLE POPULATIONS WILL MAKE HER A VALUABLE ADDITION TO THE ADRC GOVERNING BOARD. ON BEHALF OF COUNTY EXECUTIVE DAVID CROWLEY, I RESPECTFULLY REQUEST YOUR FAVORABLE CONSIDERATION AND CONFIRMATION OF MICHELLE SCOTT'S APPOINTMENT.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU. MS. SCOTT, GOOD AFTERNOON. IF YOU WANT TO INTRODUCE YOURSELF AND THEN JUST EXPLAIN WHY YOU'RE TAKING AN INTEREST, THAT WOULD BE GREAT. YOU JUST NEED TO UNMUTE.

Thank you so much. Again, my name is Michelle. I've been a resident of Milwaukee for the past 15 years. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE HONOR OF BEING APPOINTED. I JUST, I'M FIRST AND FOREMOST JUST A CITIZEN WHO WENT THROUGH MANY, MANY PROCESSES MYSELF TRYING TO ADVOCATE FOR MY MOM AND HAVING BEEN FRUSTRATED BY JUST A LOT OF RED TAPE AND WANTING TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN OTHER PEOPLE'S LIVES AND JUST WANTING TO HELP PEOPLE TRY TO NAVIGATE THE MANY ROADBLOCKS THEY MAY ENCOUNTER AS THEY TRY TO GET INFORMATION AND HELP THEIR FAMILIES. SO THANK YOU.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH. COMMITTEE, QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? SUPERVISOR BARTON.

THANK YOU, MR. CHAIRMAN. I MAKE A MOTION TO MOVE FOR APPROVAL.

ALL RIGHT. THE NOMINEE HAS BEEN RECOMMENDED FOR ADOPTION, APPROVAL. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? SEEING NONE, WE CAN CALL THE ROLL.

On the motion by Supervisor Martin that item number three be recommended for confirmation, Supervisors Gomez-Tom?

Aye.

Martin?

Aye.

Vincent?

Aye.

Roundtree Jr.?

Aye.

Mr. Chairman? Aye. Five ayes, zero noes. The motion prevails.

Thank you very much for applying and congrats on being adopted. Good luck. Make a big difference for us. Can't wait to hear back what you were able to contribute. All right, we'll go on to item four.

Item four, from the county executive reappointing Ramona Dix-Williams to the Aging and Disability Resource Center Governing Board for a term ending on October 1st, 2029. All right, director.

Good afternoon, Chair and members of the committee. Katie Domina, Director of the Office of Government Affairs here on behalf of County Executive David Crowley to present his reappointment of Ramona Dix-Williams to the Milwaukee County Aging and Disability Resource Governing Board. Ms. Dix-Williams has over 30 years of experience as a social worker, leader, and community advocate for the aging and disability population in Milwaukee and the surrounding area. Her experience as a leader and advocate for the older adult population is demonstrated by the many positions she held over the years as a project coordinator for the state of Wisconsin Department of Justice, Milwaukee County Department on Aging, and the Division of Family Services. We look forward to her continued leadership on the board. On behalf of County Executive David Crowley, I respectfully request your favorable consideration and confirmation of Ms. Dix-Williams' reappointment. Thank you. Excellent.

Thank you. And Ms. Dix-Williams, I see you online. Good afternoon. The floor is yours.

I would like to continue on in the next three years to be an advocate for the community, to be a listening voice as far as how ADRC can improve its services. Through the years, I worked for what was the Department on Aging. And I sort of have an inside look as to how the program should be operating, where they may have gaps and helping to just improve the county to be a better advocate in this community. I was born and raised in Milwaukee, how to help people that have better access to services and resources and to expedite that process as well.

So look forward to continuing to serve. Excellent. Thank you very much. Committee, questions, comments? I'll go to Vice Chair Gomez-Thom first.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I would like to move for approval.

All right. Move for approval. Supervisor Vincent?

No, I was going to say the same thing, but thank you, Mrs. Dix-Williams, for your impressive resume and for taking on this role.

Thank you very much. Any other committee or public questions, comments on the motion? We have a motion.

We can call the roll. On the motion by Supervisor Gomez-Thom that item number four be recommended for confirmation. Supervisors Gomez-Thom?

Aye.

Martin?

Aye.

Vincent?

Aye.

Roundtree Jr.? Aye. Mr. Chairman? Aye. Five ayes, zero noes. The motion prevails. Thank you very much.

Congratulations on your reappointment. Good luck with everything. We'll go on to the next item.

Item 5, from the County Executive, appointing Maxine May to the Milwaukee County Commission on Aging for a term expiring June 25, 2030.

Good afternoon, Chair and members of the committee. Katie Domina, Director of the Office of Government Affairs. I'm here on behalf of County Executive David Crowley to present his appointment of Maxine May to the Milwaukee County Commission on Aging. Ms. May brings a lifetime of leadership, public service, and community advocacy to this appointment. Throughout her career, she has held leadership positions in the telecommunications, retail, nonprofit, and public sectors, including serving in Governor Jim Doyle's Milwaukee office and administering community programs focused on early childhood literacy and workforce development. Beyond her professional accomplishments, Maxine has dedicated decades to volunteer service. She has supported older adults through her work with Glendale Care and Rehabilitation Center, served individuals experiencing homelessness through the McCannon Brown Homelessness Sanctuary, volunteered as a grit with America's Black Holocaust Museum, and remained an active leader in her faith community. MOST RECENTLY, SHE COMPLETED THE MILWAUKEE COUNTY DEPARTMENT ON AGING SENIOR LEADERSHIP PROGRAM, FURTHER STRAIGHTENING HER COMMITMENT TO ADVOCATING FOR OLDER ADULTS. Ms. May is passionate about increasing awareness of aging resources in underserved communities and assuring that older adults of all backgrounds have a voice in the decisions that affect their lives. County Executive believes her extensive community involvement, leadership experience, and commitment to equity and inclusion will make her a valuable addition to the Commission on Aging. On behalf of County Executive David Crowley, I respectfully request your favorable consideration and confirmation of Maxine May's appointment. Thank you.

Thank you, Director. And thank you, Ms. May, for applying. Tell us about yourself and why you're interested in the Commission on Aging. And I believe you're still muted.

Good afternoon. My name is Maxine May, and I... AGREE WITH THE DESCRIPTION THAT WAS GIVEN OF ME. I'M VERY PARTICULAR ABOUT WHAT I LOAN MY ENERGY TO, AND I'M EXTREMELY INTERESTED IN THE SENIOR centers, its programming, and expressing how vital it is of importance to its participants. I'm also interested in understanding how we can improve the footprint of underserved communities by making them aware of the programming and events that do happen at these centers. But those that are currently participating, we know how important it is for their socialization and their overall health. So my interest is in improving that footprint and knowing how we can increase the voices of those participants to express how important those senior centers are to them and their overall well-being.

Thank you very much.

I risked my case.

That's very powerful testimony. Thank you very much. I saw a hand up from Supervisor Martin and Supervisor Vinson.

I think we may have our hands up for the same thing. I would like to move, make a motion for recommendation for confirmation for Ms. May. And I just want to echo that she is indeed, whether she's a member of the commission or not, she's a strong community advocate and she's always present to make it known that our older, seasoned adults must be heard. and we must honor their contributions to our society and many of them having paved the way for some of us. And so I wholeheartedly affirm approval of her appointment.

Excellent. Thank you. We have a motion to approve. Any other questions or comments in the room or online?

Seeing and hearing none, we can call the roll. On the motion by Supervisor Martin that item number five be recommended for confirmation. Supervisors Gomez-Thom.

Aye.

Martin. Aye. Vincent.

Aye.

Rountree Jr. Aye. Mr. Chairman. Aye. Five ayes, zero noes. The motion prevails.

Congratulations. Thank you again for all of your service and for your willingness to continue.

You're welcome and thank you.

All right. We can go to the next item.

Item six, from the county executive reappointing George Banda to the commission on aging for a term ending on October 1st, 2029.

Good afternoon, chairs and members of the committee. Katie Domina, Director of the Office of Government Affairs. Here on behalf of County Executive David Crowley to present his reappointment of George Banda to the Milwaukee County Commission on Aging. Mr. Banda has more than three decades of leadership experience and social service expertise. He brings to the commission a deep awareness of the needs of older veterans and wants to help older adults navigate the systems and resources available to them in Milwaukee County. Mr. Banda has served on a variety of boards and commissions, including the Milwaukee County Veterans Council, as commander of the Milwaukee County Purple Heart Chapter 818, and as state commander of the American GI Forum National Latino Veterans Organization. We look forward to his continued leadership on the commission. On behalf of County Executive David Crowley, I respectfully request your favorable consideration and confirmation of George Banda's reacquirement. Thank you.

Thank you, Director. Thank you, Mr. Banda. Thank you.

I'm an Army veteran and a senior citizen. Army veteran by choice, senior citizen by the passing of time. So I know getting older, and then there's many challenges that I'm personally experiencing now. Being on the Committee on Aging has been eye-opening. There are many challenges there for a committee. And as being there, seeing the way the government works, the way we work here at this level of government, is just mind-boggling. The complexity of the government at this level is, you know, jaw-dropping. So I understand and meet the challenges that we face as a senior and as a committee member on the commission. And I want to continue that. I want to advocate, as I do for my veterans, I want to advocate for senior citizens since I am one now and have been for a long time. And I'm also a disabled veteran, so I also know that prospect. So with your vote, hopefully, I will continue to serve Milwaukee County and serve the community. Thank you.

Thank you very much. Vice Chair Gomez-Tom and then Supervisor Martin.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I am honored to move the approval of reappointment for Senor Banda.

Thank you. I'm glad you made the motion. I was just wondering, how long have you served on this commission? On this commission? Three years. Okay. Thank you. I do appreciate it and I appreciate all of your work. In particular, the Navy service. My grandpa was a Navy man also. Thank you.

Thank you. Supervisor Vincent.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would like to echo the appreciation I have for Mr. Banda for his service to our country. I'm in the process of teaching my students about Veterans Day, and I just feel that your service is just outstanding, and you're bringing that to this board or to this commission. So I want to thank you for that.

You're welcome. Thank you.

Thank you. All right. Any other questions or comments in the room?

Seeing and hearing none, we can call the roll. On the motion by Supervisor Gomez-Thom that item number six be recommended for confirmation. Supervisors Gomez-Thom?

Aye.

Martin? Aye. Vincent?

Aye.

Rountree Jr.? Aye. Mr. Chairman? Aye. Five ayes, zero noes. The motion prevails.

So Tom Petty said, you never slow down, you never grow old. So it seems like that's what you're about. Thank you. Thank you for your service. And we'll go to the next item.

Item seven, from the county executive reappointing Brian Peters to the commission on aging for a term ending on October 1st, 2029.

Good afternoon, Chair and members of the committee. Katie Domina, Director of the Office of Government Affairs. I'm here on behalf of County Executive David Crowley to present his reappointment of Brian Peters to the Commission on Aging. Mr. Peters is an advocacy and accessibility services specialist for Independence First, where he has been employed for 25 years. He is an advocate for people with disabilities, many of whom are older adults. Mr. Peters has served with distinction during his first term on the Commission on Aging as legislative officer and chair of the advocacy committee. Mr. Peters has also served on the National Council on Independent Living for more than 20 years. He will continue to bring his lived experience, knowledge of housing issues and disability rights, and advocacy acumen to the commission. We look forward to his continued leadership. On behalf of County Executive David Crowley, I respectfully request your favorable consideration and confirmation of Brian Peter's reappointment. Thank you.

Thank you. The floor is yours. Actually, could you speak that into the... Oh, you've got the microphone. There you go.

It was off. Sorry. So, like I said, I'm Brian Peters. I've been working on disability issues for over 25 years. One of the first things that I learned was that there's a big overlap between aging issues and disability issues. Many older people also end up having disabilities, so both of those issues do overlap, and it's very important to me as well. Personally, As I'm getting older, I joke that I want everything to be fixed by the time I'm ready to retire, so that everything's good for me, and I think that can happen, right?

That's an ambitious goal. Thank you for taking that on. All right, we will go to Supervisor Barton, then Supervisor Vincent.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I just want to say and acknowledge Mr. Peter's work and his professionalism and his passion for ADA and the aging, no matter what setting we find him in. He's often been here at our meetings, even at our board meetings. And to see a person who serves consistently and fervently is something that I have always looked for when we are confirming appointments or reappointments to the executive committee members. Oftentimes, when I first came on board, let me say this, I had multiple people, and I stopped counting after the 50th person spoke to me, about folks being appointed to committees and boards and commissions, and they don't show up. They don't even show up when they're being nominated for the appointment. So is that just a placeholder on your resume? And then to see someone such as Mr. Peters to come forward, and I see him in various settings, but advocating passionately for ADA and for the aging. It's just something that has planted him in my heart. And I really thank you, and I look forward to continuing to work with you. on some housing issues and other things. So with that being said, I'd like to make the motion to confirm for adoption.

Thank you. We've got a motion. Supervisor Vincent.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I definitely would have liked to have made this motion. I have a very close connection with Mr. Brian Peters. He is one of my constituents. And I must say, you know, I serve 55,000 residents, but Brian Peters stands out as one of those residents that is always looking out for others. He is extremely active. I don't believe he's missed a single town hall in the entire time I've been on the board, but he reaches out to me. Always respectful and always coming up with great suggestions and ideas. So I just want to thank you, Brian, for your service to the county and just for being so actively involved and for caring so much about others, not just yourself. You are always looking out for others. So thank you so much.

Really appreciate that from both of you. Thank you.

Thank you. Any other questions or comments in the room or online?

Seeing and hearing none, we can call the roll. On the motion by Supervisor Martin that item number seven be recommended for confirmation. Supervisors Gomez-Ton?

Aye.

Martin?

Aye.

Vincent?

Aye.

Roundtree Jr.? Aye. Mr. Chairman? Aye. Five ayes, zero noes. The motion prevails.

Congratulations. Thank you for taking on another term.

Thank you so much.

Best wishes. We can go on to the next item.

Item 8, from the County Executive appointing Barbara Tolis to the Commission on Aging for a term ending on October 1st, 2029.

Good afternoon, chair and members of the committee. Katie Domina, director of the Office of Government Affairs. Let me flip my paper here. Aha. Double-sided. There you go. I'M HERE ON BEHALF OF COUNTY EXECUTIVE DAVID CROWLEY TO PRESENT HIS APPOINTMENT OF BARBARA TOLES TO THE COMMISSION ON AGING. MS. TOLES IS AN ACCOMPLISHED PROFESSIONAL WITH MORE THAN 25 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE BUILDING STRONG RELATIONSHIPS WITH COMMUNITY PARTNERS, STAKEHOLDERS AND TRUSTED LEADERS ACROSS DIVERSE SOCIOECONOMIC AND CULTURAL BACKGROUNDS. HER CAREER INCLUDES EXTENSIVE EXPERIENCE SUPPORTING ADULT LEARNERS AT MILWAUKEE AREA TECHNICAL COLLEGE WHERE SHE PROVIDED CAREER PLANNING, JOB READINESS COACHING, AND CONNECTIONS TO COMMUNITY AND EMPLOYMENT RESOURCES AS WELL AS SERVING AS A WISCONSIN STATE REPRESENTATIVE WHERE SHE WORKED COLLABORATIVELY WITH CONSTITUENTS, COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS, AND COLLEAGUES TO ADDRESS ISSUES IMPACTING RESIDENTS. WE LOOK FORWARD TO HER SERVICE ON THE COMMISSION. On behalf of County Executive David Crowley, I respectfully request your favorable consideration and confirmation of Barbara Tolis' appointment. Thank you.

Thank you, Director. And thank you, Ms. Tolis, for being here. If you want to introduce yourself, the floor is yours. I think you're muted.

Yes, I'm happy to be here with you all. I'm actually at a conference in D.C., so if you hear a bunch of noise in the background, please excuse it. I tried to step outside the room, but I can still hear it very clearly.

You're doing great.

Oh, thank you. I'm Barbara Tolles. That's how you pronounce my last name, Tolles. And I'm excited about joining the Commission on Aging because my education, I have a BA in social work and a master's degree in counseling. My education combined with My work experience has always been focused on trying to improve the quality of life in our community. That's a passion of mine. That's what I've done. And it's something that I know is desperately needed. For the past four years, I've had an opportunity to work with seniors with the Milwaukee County Dine Out Program. And it's very disturbing to me to see the number of seniors who live in poverty. And I say that because one of the questions on the registration form for the Dine Out program is, is your monthly income above or below $1,330 per month? And I'm just, I've been in shock to learn the number of seniors whose income is below that. So for me, I would like to be on this program so that I can use my voice to inform people, inform the public, inform the county, exec and others, what it is that seniors need and Their needs in terms of health care, their finances, and it's just the needs that you have for an aging population. So I'm interested in becoming a commissioner for those reasons. So that's the reason why I decided that I want to work again to help improve the quality of life for seniors. I turned 70 July 31st myself, so I understand fully the issues surrounding aging.

Excellent. Thank you very much. Number one, our apologies, Ms. Tolles. We got it now. As somebody whose last name is mispronounced literally all the time, I feel you. So, Ms. Tolles, thank you very much. Number two, happy belated birthday. Hope you had a good time. And number three, we'll go to Supervisor Martin.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I'd like to make the motion for confirmation. Mrs. Tolles. appointment to the commission and just to thank her for her years of advocating on behalf of our district and for all the work that she does that she's she does so much that I don't think people know the half of what you do and it is so refreshing and so uplifting to have my little nieces and grandnieces and nephews to have a person such as herself to look up to and look forward to meeting and always attentive to what she has to say. Thank you for your years of service and we look forward to working with you.

Thank you.

Thank you. We've got a motion. Anybody else in the room or online? Seeing and hearing none, we can call the roll.

On the motion by Supervisor Martin that item number eight be recommended for confirmation. Supervisors Gomez-Thom.

Aye.

Martin. Aye. Vincent.

Aye.

Rountree Jr. Aye. Mr. Chairman. Aye. Five ayes, zero noes. The motion prevails. Excellent.

Congratulations. Enjoy your conference. Safe travels back.

Thank you.

We'll go a little bit out over here. We'll go to item 12 just to dispatch that so we don't make a mistake on that one.

Item 12, from the county executive appointing Chris Strollinger to the Commission for Persons with Disabilities for a term ending on October 1st, 2028.

All right, I would entertain a motion to lay over to the public chair. By Supervisor Martin. All right, all right.

I move for delay to the call of the chair.

Thank you. Supervisor Vinson.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I just want to share because we have several appointments to make right now for the Commission for Persons with Disabilities. And I just want to go on the record and say I was very concerned to see that Supervisor Johnson Jr. was not included among the appointments to the Commission for Persons with Disabilities. particularly given his more than 25 years of service. I also believe it's important to have county board representation on this and other county commissions to maintain communication and accountability between these bodies and the board. Recent concerns raised by a constituent have also highlighted the need for greater clarity and transparency regarding how appointments and reappointments are made and what is expected of those who serve. I'm going to request today that the county board receive a report outlining the appointment and reappointment process for each county commission with specific attention to the commission for persons with disabilities. INCLUDING THE CRITERIA CONSIDERED EXPECTATIONS OF MEMBERS, THE BOARD'S ROLE IN HOW COUNTY BOARD REPRESENTATION IS DETERMINED.

THANK YOU. DIRECTOR, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU WANT TO SHARE ANYTHING.

YEAH, THANK YOU. THANK YOU, CHAIR, COMMITTEE MEMBERS. THANK YOU FOR THAT STATEMENT, SUPERVISOR. I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE'S OFFICE WHOLEHEARTEDLY AGREES THAT SUPERVISORY PARTICIPATION IN OUR COMMISSIONS AND BOARDS IS REALLY valuable and not optional. This is by no way by means of an excuse, but simply a clerical error that resulted in Supervisor Johnson not being put forward for reappointment. I'm happy to own that mistake here today, and we look forward to getting him back on the roster here in short order. Thank you. Thank you. Mr. Chairman? Yep.

And again, I just want to reiterate if, you know, not only with my request with this, but just the communication factor amongst commissioners and the process, I think is something that should be reviewed as well. I've had several outreach regarding this. And so I do appreciate you taking ownership for the clerical error. But like Supervisor, I don't want to speak for Supervisor Johnson Jr., but it's my understanding that he did put in to do this. So, you know, again, it's probably a clerical error, but I hope it doesn't happen again.

Understood. Supervisor Johnson Jr. has been a really valuable member of that body, just like this body, for a very long time. And we look forward to getting him back in good standing. And then, Supervisor, also have taken note of your request regarding the appointments process broadly and happy to bring that back to the team. Thank you.

Thank you. THANK YOU. ANY OTHER SUPERVISORS HAVE A QUESTION OR COMMENT? WE'RE STILL ON 12, AND THE MOTION TO LAY THE ITEM OVER TO THE CALL OF THE CHAIR. THEN WE'LL GO TO THE ROOM. ANY QUESTIONS OR WE COULD DO PUBLIC COMMENT ON THIS ITEM? OR DO YOU WANT TO... I KNOW, YEAH, GREAT. I KNOW WE'VE GOT SOME COMMENTS FOR LATER IN THE AGENDA. IS THAT FINE? OR DO YOU WANT TO SPEAK NOW? 11 through 14. I think 11 through 14. It's up to you. Come on up. And then if you could just turn the microphone on to green, then the floor is yours. And then Mr. Myers, we'll come back to you after we hear from public comments in the room. And then we'll start. So we'll do two minutes. Let me know when you're ready.

Thank you, Chair Rowland. I know how to pronounce your name.

Thank you. Thank you.

And supervisors and everyone else. I'm Deb Falk-Pelec. Any person who wants to volunteer their time to serve on the Milwaukee County Commission for Persons with Disabilities in service to Milwaukee County residents with disabilities truly should be commended. Ordinance, as we all know, calls for the county executive to appoint individuals and the board to approve. So you're the last stop. Ordinance for the Disability Commission calls for 13 members. Currently, there are eight, and there are five openings, and there are five names before you. And as we heard, Supervisor Johnson Jr.'s name was missing. So, to get... I served on the commission a little bit shorter than he did, and so I've known him the entire time. I can say nothing but positive things about Supervisor Johnson, Jr. He's been an integral part of the Disability Commission. There are elected officials who people know can be counted on to be a voice, to be an advocate for the disability community, and Supervisor Johnson is most certainly one of them. He did express in the May meeting of the Commission for Persons with Disabilities, he publicly expressed his desire to be reappointed. He did contact the director for the Office for Persons with Disabilities to be reappointed. He has not heard anything. This is the similar case with other people up for reappointment. Unfortunately, we learned on Monday that the main meeting of the Disability Commission, the file was corrupt and the recording cannot be shared for public viewing. But there are enough people who will stand behind Supervisor Johnson Jr. knowing that he expressed his willingness to be reappointed. I did, when I was still chair of the commission, ask the DHHS staff, because we were sent a roster with term limits or term expirations, And Supervisor Johnson Jr.'s name was on there. And then we get a new one where his name is removed. And so this is from both...

I'll give you an extra 30 seconds. If you could just wrap up.

Absolutely. So I'm not sure where the clerical error is because this has been... an ongoing issue. And so I strongly feel that an action not to reappoint Supervisor Johnson, Jr., or really any supervisor who has interest in serving on the Disability Commission, does nothing but weaken the voice for the disability community. so i stand with him i stand with what he's done and i would ask you as the last stop that if he's not being reappointed or coming to you from the county executive that you as board members or supervisors um bring this forward and i agree with what supervisor vincent sent about the process it is needed and it needs to be transparent and clear and people need to know what the reappointment is for people who are still wondering if they're being reappointed Thank you very much.

Thank you. Supervisor Johnson.

Welcome to the big meeting. The floor is yours. Mr. Chairman and committee members and any other supervisors and whoever's listening. or are viewing today, I'm not asking for any special appointment. In the past, any special consideration, I should say, in the past, whenever there were reappointments, they were done seamlessly so that persons, if they were to be reappointed, they could be in front of this committee or whatever committee on the county board was considering the reappointments. I've been a member of the Commission since after I was elected in 2000, and I found out a few months ago that my appointment actually expired sometime last year. Now I wasn't aware of that and I've acted as if I was on the Commission by attending, trying to attend a Commission meetings and participating as I have done for the last, at least up until that point last year, whenever that was, 25 years. So again, I'm not looking for any special consideration. I heard on the Commission, I heard from those whose names are on the list today, I heard what their qualifications were and I understand that they are very well qualified to be members of the Commission. So again, And I appreciate the comments that were made by Supervisor Vinson and by Mrs. Deb Falk-Pellick as it relates to my participation. There are times when I've given information as to what could be done through the county board or who need to be contacted within county government regarding particular matters that have come before the commission for a number of years. So again, I'm not asking for any special consideration, but I believe that having been elected initially and re-elected nine terms that do fit the mission and vision of the county government. At least that's what my constituents have affirmed by re-electing me for the times that this happened. Some of the persons who have whose names, I should say, who were looking to be appointed or reappointed to the commission were told that they do not fit the mission and the vision of county government, which to me is very appalling when looking at whatever they brought as it relates to their experience, their credentials, their education, and their participation in the disabilities So I'm going to leave it there. Again, I'm not asking for any special consideration, and I did. indicate that I wanted to be reappointed. It didn't happen. And if I'm not reappointed, well, I will definitely be circumspect as it relates to what happens in county government as I've tried to be for the last 26 plus years. So thank you very much for your time. If you have any questions of me, I'm here to answer those questions.

Thank you, Supervisor, and thank you for your long-time service, not just on our board, but on the Commission. So, thank you for being here. Thank you, Mr. Chairman and committee members. I will... If you'd like to speak... Okay. If you'd like to come up, then we'll just set a time for two minutes.

I am... I guess my time's running out now. Commissioner Rosenheimer? Yes. I have been in a similar situation. Supervisor Willie Johnson, Jr., he's one of the people that really welcomed me, but also has really affected me in my life. really appreciating all of you. I have been to, since I've been a commissioner, I've been to all the budget hearings and because of knowing that he was also a commissioner and it would only be like the two of us there who are commissioners at those meetings and I've always felt that he has backed me and other people. We have a terrible situation with transportation. What happens with us is I have been a very active person in Dane County and here, and I used to teach MPS with special ed kids. Unfortunately, 20 years ago, I had you know, the stroke. Then 17 years ago, I had stage four spinal cancer, which put me in this chair. I was a professional dancer. I ran programs for land and a lot of the community centers and after-school programs teaching African culture through dance and art. Now that I am here, I still dance and I walk a little bit, even though I was told I would never walk. But I like to go out. I like to be with people. We write trans dev and the others, but people don't a lot of times talk for us. And whenever there's a cut, it is our rights. We get very depressed, and when you get depressed and you can't go out and be around people, then you don't have somebody like him sitting there who understands. You know, it's very hard.

I'll give you a couple more seconds if you just want to finish.

Yeah, I had the same problem. My name was removed. I had to write to them and say I did not resign. And so I don't understand why I was removed. And I would really love, he needs to be there with us.

Mr. Chairman. Go ahead. This is Rose. Can you go on the microphone now? Mr. Chairman and committee members, this is Rose Onamah. Her name is before you today, so this is her opportunity to speak to you, and she's done that. And so I say that to say that maybe she doesn't have to speak a second time as it relates to her reappointment. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

But that's okay. I think that that's great. So I do hope that you keep me on to approve me too because I've got to fight for the ones who can fight. There's a lot who can come out and don't talk about the stuff that needs to be talked about. I'm very passionate. I don't miss any advocacy meetings or your budget meetings.

Thank you.

I won't say anymore.

Thank you. Thank you for being here.

You're welcome. Thank you.

Then I will go to Mr. Myers. You've got two minutes.

My name is Kevin Myers. I'm a member of the Same Day Pilot Program Task Force, co-chair of the Transportation Advocacy Team at Independence First. A number of different transportation committees in the state of Wisconsin. I'm also on the board of directors for Vision Forward, Blind Outdoor Leisure Development, and the Greendale Lions. I've been sitting in on the Commission for Persons with Disabilities meetings for the last month or so, and I have definitely seen, I cannot understand how in the world this committee is functioning the way they do. with asking people to be on the commission and rejecting others for being on the commission. Just like Kathy Vincent, my supervisor, has specifically said something needs to be done to review how they're bringing people on and how they're letting people not be on because we're trying to have advocates that are really going to help people out, not just sitting there and doing nothing. I think it's a very strong suggestion by Supervisor Vinson that something needs to be done to look at how this is functioning in terms of bringing people on and actually the functionality of the commission. Thank you.

Thank you very much. Any other questions or comments, wanting to talk, public comment on this motion to lay this item over to the call of the chair? Number 12. Seeing and hearing none. I guess before we move past this, With all due apologies to my employer, I've been on the phone a lot today, to talking to people and trying to, I guess, navigate and understand this issue. It's my understanding that Supervisor Johnston Jr.'s appointment will be brought to us the next cycle. I don't know if you want to just say it publicly, and it's likely almost definite that we'll be hearing that in the next meeting.

Yep, absolutely. Katie Domina, Director of, geez Louise, I can't pronounce my own name correctly anymore. Katie Domina, Director of the Office of Government Affairs. Yes, that's correct, Mr. Chair. The intent of the administration is to advance Supervisor Johnson Jr.'s reappointment to this body in the December cycle. Again, with deepest apologies, it was not anyone's intent to have his name not forwarded. So, thank you.

Thank you. Thank you. More conversation to come with the report, but hopefully all's well that ends well, and we can take the roll.

On the motion by Supervisor Martin that item number 12 be laid over to the call of the chairperson, Supervisors Gomez-Tom?

Aye.

Martin?

Aye.

Vincent?

Excuse. Oh, there she is.

Aye.

Roundtree Jr.? Aye. Mr. Chairman? Aye. Five ayes, zero noes. The motion prevails. Excellent.

Thank you very much. We can go to Item 9.

Item 9, from the County Executive appointing Patricia Powers to the Commission for Persons with Disabilities for a term ending on October 1st, 2028.

Good afternoon, Chair and members of the committee. Katie Domina, Director of the Office of Government Affairs. I'm here on behalf of County Executive David Crawley to present his appointment of Patricia Powers to the Commission for Persons with Disabilities. Ms. Powers is a dedicated public safety leader and community advocate with 20 years of progressive experience serving the Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee. MS. POWERS HAS SERVED AS LIEUTENANT WITHIN THE PUBLIC SAFETY DEPARTMENT, OVERSEEING DAILY OPERATIONS, EMERGENCY RESPONSE, STRATEGIC DEPLOYMENT PLANNING, STAFF DEVELOPMENT, AND COLLABORATIVE PARTNERSHIPS WITH LOCAL, COUNTY, AND NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS. WE LOOK FORWARD TO HER SERVICE ON THE COMMISSION, AND ON BEHALF OF COUNTY EXECUTIVE DAVID CROWLEY, I RESPECTFULLY REQUEST YOUR FAVORABLE CONSIDERATION, CONFIRMATION OF PATRICIA POWERS' APPOINTMENT. THANK YOU.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH. MS. POWERS. Are you with us online? Yes. Great. I don't know if you can turn on your camera. Oh, is it on? Okay. Yeah, for some reason it's not on our screen. Okay. Well, tech issue on our end, now to your end. So our apologies, and why don't you go ahead and introduce yourself and explain why you're excited to join.

Absolutely. Good afternoon. Thank you for having me here today. I started my career with the Housing Authority approximately 20 years ago. I started as a dispatcher, then was promoted to an officer, and now I'm on the leadership team serving as a lieutenant. I do understand the challenges that NOT ONLY WITH HOUSING, WITH AGING, WITH MENTAL HEALTH, AS SOMEONE THAT'S BOOTS ON THE GROUND, AS A LEADER, AS A TEACHER, AS AN ADVOCATE, AND ALSO HAVING FAMILY MEMBERS THAT I CARE FOR WITH DISABILITIES. and aging disabilities. I feel that every single day I evolve more and more in the position that I'm in and I'm willing to share my time with the Milwaukee County Department of Aging. I realize at the end of the day and the reason why I do what I do is because I'm here to serve my residents and that's approximately 45,000 that I take care of. So I take this very seriously. And we're also where I put my time and dedicate my own energy into.

Thank you for dedicating your energy to all of us in the county. Committee members, questions, motions? Vice Chair.

I move for approval.

All right, it's been moved for approval. Any questions or comments in the room or online? Seeing none, we call the roll.

On the motion by Supervisor Gomez-Tom, that item number nine be recommended for confirmation. Supervisors Gomez-Tom?

Aye.

Martin?

Aye.

Vincent? Excuse for now. Rontree Jr.? Aye. Mr. Chairman? Aye. Four ayes, zero noes. The motion prevails.

Thank you very much. Congratulations. Thank you. All right, we can go on to the next item.

Item 10, from the County Executive appointing Erica Wilson to the Commission for Persons with Disabilities for a term ending on October 1st, 2028.

Good afternoon, Chair and members of the committee. Katie Domina, Director of the Office of Government Affairs. I'm here on behalf of County Executive David Crowley to present his appointment of Erica Wilson to the Commission for Persons with Disabilities. Ms. Wilson is passionate about creating brave and collaborative spaces for all individuals to engage in meaningful occupations to their desired extent. Ms. Wilson has gained a thorough understanding of the connection between holistically provided care and an individual's well-being and quality of life. THROUGH EVIDENCE-BASED AND CLIENT-CENTERED CARE, HER GOAL IS TO EDUCATE INDIVIDUALS ON THE IMPORTANCE OF MENTAL HEALTH AND ITS IMPACT ON ALL OCCUPATIONS. WE LOOK FORWARD TO HER SERVICE ON THE COMMISSION, AND ON BEHALF OF COUNTY EXECUTIVE DAVID CROWLEY, I RESPECTFULLY REQUEST YOUR FAVORABLE CONSIDERATION AND CONFIRMATION OF ERICA WILSON'S APPOINTMENT. THANK YOU.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH. MS. WILSON, WE SEE YOU. GOOD AFTERNOON.

GOOD AFTERNOON. Thank you guys so much for having me here today. I would just like to add that as a person with a physical disability as myself, I would not be where I'm at today without the many, many folks who have really strongly advocated for me in my life. My goal as a commissioner moving forward is to do the same. And I would really like to put a lot of action behind a lot of these thoughts and words that have been discussed today and even in the future. So once more, I am extremely passionate about advocacy, as well as able to use my occupational therapy degree and my experience with Wisconsin Adaptive Sports to really just advocate for our community.

Thank you very much for your willingness to serve. Committee, questions, comments? Vice Chair?

I move for approval.

Move for adoption. Any questions or comments in the room or online?

Seeing none, hearing none, we can call the roll. On the motion by Supervisor Gomez-Thom that item number 10 be recommended for confirmation, Supervisors Gomez-Thom?

Aye.

Martin?

Aye.

Vincent? Excuse for now. Rountree Jr.? Aye. Mr. Chairman? Aye. Four ayes, zero noes. The motion prevails.

Excellent. Thank you very much. Thanks for your willingness to serve. We can go on to the next item.

Item 11, from the County Executive, appointing Quincy Hinton to the Commission for Persons with Disabilities for a term ending on October 1st, 2028.

Good afternoon, Chair and members of the committee. Katie Domina, Director of the Office of Government Affairs. I'm here on behalf of County Executive David Crowley to present his appointment of Quincy Hinton to the Commission for Persons with Disabilities. Mr. Hinton is a disability employment leader with more than 15 years of building and directing competitive integrated employment services in southeastern Wisconsin. Mr. Hinton is the owner and CEO of Accessible Career Options. He grew the organization from 40 to 30 staff and from $200,000 to over $1.3 million in annual revenue while placing 1,200 individuals with disabilities into integrated jobs. We look forward to service on the commission and on behalf of County Executive David Crowley, I respectfully request your favorable consideration and confirmation of Quincy Hinton's appointment. Thank you.

Thank you very much. And I see Mr. Hinton. Good afternoon. Good afternoon. The floor is yours if you want to introduce yourself and explain why you're here. Sure.

Yeah. Thank you to the committee for this opportunity and everyone here today. I spent the last 25 years serving individuals with disabilities, helping with self-advocacy, employment, benefit-related challenges, workplace accommodations, And I've been working with a wide range of individuals from ages 14 until whenever someone chooses not to work anymore. So along the way, I've seen firsthand some of the systemic challenges individuals in our community face, and my focus has always been the same. helping these individuals land jobs, navigate public systems, and getting them the support that they need while they're on the job. So the commission, you know, being able to serve on the commission will allow me to bring what I see on the ground view into the room where the fixes get decided and made. So, yeah, I just want to thank everyone for the opportunity.

Excellent. Thank you for applying. Committee, questions? Vice Chair?

I move for approval.

All right. We'll move for adoption. Seeing and hearing no comments in the room or online, we can call the roll.

On the motion by Supervisor Gomez-Tom that item number 11 be recommended for confirmation, Supervisors Gomez-Tom?

Aye.

Martin? Aye. Rowntree Jr.? Aye. Mr. Chairman? Aye. Four ayes, zero noes. The motion prevails.

Congratulations, sir. Best wishes. Thank you very much. All right. We can go on to the next item, which I believe is item 13.

Item 13, from the county executive appointing Rose Onama to the Commission for Persons with Disabilities for a term ending on October 1st, 2028.

GOOD AFTERNOON, CHAIR AND MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE. KATIE DOMINO, DIRECTOR OF THE OFFICE OF GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS. HERE ON BEHALF OF COUNTY EXECUTIVE DAVID CROWLEY TO PRESENT HIS APPOINTMENT OF ROSE ONAMA TO THE COMMISSION FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES. THE REAPPOINTMENT, I SHOULD SAY. MS. ONAMA'S HISTORY OF SERVICE FROM TEACHING CULTURAL AWARENESS IN SCHOOLS AND FOUNDING NEIGHBORHOOD FESTIVALS TO MENTORING YOUTH AND SUPPORTING SPECIAL EDUCATION STUDENTS IN MILWAUKEE REFLECTS CONSISTENT LEADERSHIP AND COMPASSION. In addition, her personal journey navigating disability has strengthened her dedication to advocating for aging and disabled communities, giving her valuable insight into the challenges many residents face. Ms. Onama's record of service, resilience, and community engagement has made her a strong and thoughtful commissioner. We look forward to continued leadership on the commission, and on behalf of County Executive David Crowley, I respectfully request your favorable consideration and confirmation of Rose Onama's reappointment. Thank you.

Thank you very much. I don't know if you want to re-talk to us, but you're welcome to. Yeah.

Several things I want to bring up. It was very hard for me. Nobody told me whether I was being reappointed or not. Ms. Deb mentioned to me that I was not on the board. I was not. I mean, my name wasn't up. Nobody contacted me. So I had to write them a letter saying I didn't resign. But I don't know what the process is. One of the issues that I've really also had that I would like to continue to do is we as commissioners are appointed, but we never get to meet each other. I offered to get together, meet and greet. I wrote to the people that organized it, never got anything back. My other thing that I would like to say is there was somebody who was rejected. Rebecca Rabenton, I went to every one of her meetings where she advocated for our transportation while she was working at Independence First. And she was always 100% behind advocating for us. So it was very distressing for me when I heard that she was said not to align with, you know, with the commission of the county because she was very, very valuable. But I won't question, and that's up to the people who make these decisions to do that. I have been 20 years disabled now. I am paralyzed on half my body. Both my hands don't really work. In addition, I also almost, I escaped heart transplant. by four months. And that's because of what I knew about my background is research in veterinary medicine, my master's degree. And I knew that there was medications that would have brought my heart to work from 18% to 100% now, and it's been 12 years. So I know what it is to be disabled, but I speak up. I come from a father who is one of the four people that got independence for Uganda from Britain. So I am my father's daughter. I fight for those people who cannot fight for themselves. I don't care about titles. I have to do what I am trusted to do. So it seems that there are several other people, Barbara Lee, everybody. I worked with her for 20-some years. She's been trying to ask for an arts program for people with disabilities. My hands used to be like this, but I'm a crafter. That's one of the things I teach kids about how to go and use found objects instead of spending money. And I've wanted to work with Gansden School, which is the MPS school for the children in wheelchairs and disabilities. I want to show them and the elders that, you know, it's up to you. You can struggle and you can do the art stuff so that you can get back to doing things. And, you know, people can make money from that, especially the older people. I mean, all these people are making money on Etsy. A lot of them are disabled and older. And they need to see somebody like me. I got back to dancing. I can dance better than those people who can walk. And I can teach them. All you guys, too, I can teach you. Anyway, I think there's a lot that has to be revised and changed with... our commission and many more things. I wish we would be given much money to do a lot of these things. I know a lot of artists. I have taught a lot of young African-American girls to do their own business and stuff. And so far I have three that I taught from high school that are all doctors, four lawyers, A bus driver, by the way, I'm the bus queen. I love riding the bus. So, you know, I know all the buses and where they go. So, you know, I just would be very happy to be back, to be on this commission for years and years and years. You know, after all, I am only 37. That's 73. So, please, put... Willie Johnson, Jr. I don't know what has happened with people like Leon Todd and Barbara Lee. I haven't seen them on the commission at all. And Barbara Lee is the person who got me on this commission. I've worked with her since 1994 running after-school summer programs for children in the Lisbon area, neighborhood, and also the Harambee. neighborhood house, and a lot of these places. So thank you for listening to me. My profession is a public speaker and storyteller, so I could talk forever. But thank you for considering me.

Of course. Thank you for being here. you for sure can dance better than me. I'm more of like this kind of, you know, a little bit back and forth, keep it tight. That's okay.

We have African dances that you do with the shoulders.

That's what I need. You don't have to stand up.

As long as you can shake your shoulders, you can dance.

Supervisor Roundtree and Supervisor Martin.

Thank you, Chairman. I'd like to move for approval, but also I'd like to commend you for your work as an artist myself and a former arts educator, just to hear your passion for the craft and for the field. the idea that art is healing because I don't think you fully finished it but what you were getting at was that you use your hands to craft and you said your hands were like this and I see that hand has movement and mobility now so when you put things to use you get the opportunity to reignite those muscles reignite those atoms those tendons whatever happens in there but it's also the thought process of creating something out of nothing. So I really appreciate what you said, and so that's why I wanted to take the honor and make sure that I recommended you for approval. So thank you for your work, and you might be able to dance better than some of us, but I don't know why I had to see you on the dance floor.

I'll challenge you to that. Supervisor?

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you for coming forward and looking forward to working with you on the commission. And I want to be like you when I grow up.

I'll hold your hand.

Thank you. Seeing no and hearing no other interesting commenting, we can call the roll.

On the motion by Supervisor Roundtree, Jr., that item number 13 be recommended for confirmation, Supervisors Gomez-Thom?

Aye.

Martin? Aye. Roundtree, Jr.? Aye. Mr. Chairman? Aye. Four ayes, zero noes. The motion prevails.

Thank God we are not agended for a dance competition. Yes. So I'll just have to say that for another day, but thank you for being here.

Thank you.

Congratulations. We'll go to item 14.

Item 14, from the County Executive appointing Joe Craveo to the Commission for Persons with Disabilities for a term ending on October 1st, 2028.

Good afternoon, Chair and members of the committee. Katie Domina, Director of the Office of Government Affairs. I'm here on behalf of County Executive David Crowley to present his appointment of Joe Craveo. to the Commission for Persons with Disabilities. Mr. Carvello is a mission-driven leader with more than a decade of experience in community partnership and outreach for individuals with disabilities and families, currently serving as an outreach specialist for TMG Wisconsin. He has developed and delivered presentations, attended meetings, events, conferences statewide to present on or exhibiting programming, as well as distributed educational and outreach materials. We look forward to his service on the commission, and on behalf of County Executive David Crowley, I respectfully request your favorable consideration and confirmation of Joe Crivello's appointment. Thank you.

Excellent.

Thank you, Director. And I see Mr. Crivello. Good afternoon. Good afternoon. The floor is yours if you want to introduce yourself and explain why you're interested.

Yeah. So I've pretty much spent my whole professional career working in Medicaid-funded long-term care programs, worked for family care for about four years, been working with IRIS, with TMG since about 2013, have had multiple roles as far as case management roles. Been in and out of thousands of homes, heard thousands of stories from people on long-term care programs that had to survive on these types of programs on Medicaid. I've had multiple family members, young and old, who would consider themselves to have a disability. And I understand the unique challenges of each demographic, people coming from different cultural backgrounds, that their needs are very diverse, as diverse as they are. I also kind of understand with a spouse with a permanent health condition, the challenges of, you know, now raising a family and having kids and juggling, you know, those barriers and trying to be able to succeed and make a life. REALLY FLATTERED TO BE CONSIDERED FOR THIS ROLE. NEVER REALLY BEEN INVOLVED IN A COMMITTEE LIKE THIS IN A ROLE LIKE THIS BEFORE. I'M JUST HERE TO SERVE, SUPPORT THE COMMITTEE, AND JUST DO WHAT I CAN TO REPRESENT THE FOLKS THAT I WORK WITH AND HELP EVERYONE ON THE COMMITTEE JUST DO BETTER TO SERVE THIS COMMUNITY.

Thank you very much. Thank you for your willingness to apply. Committee questions, comments, motions. Vice Chair.

I move for approval.

Been moved for adoption. Any questions or comments?

We call the roll. On the motion by Supervisor Gomez-Tom that item number 14 be recommended for confirmation. Supervisors Gomez-Tom.

Aye.

Marchin.

Aye.

Rountree Jr. Aye. Mr. Chairman. Aye. Four ayes, zero noes. The motion prevails.

Congratulations. Thanks again for your willingness to serve. Best wishes. We can go on to the next item.

Thank you. Item 15, from the County Executive appointing Shelly Reynolds to the Combined Community Service Board for a term ending on October 1st, 2028.

Good afternoon, Chair and members of the committee. Katie Domina, Director of the Office of Government Affairs. I'm here on behalf of County Executive David Crowley to present his appointment of Shelly Reynolds to the Combined Community Service Board. Ms. Reynolds is a mission-driven leader with more than 25 years of experience supporting individuals with disabilities and families, currently serving as recreation manager for Easterseals. She has led inclusive recreation and camp programs serving youth and adults with disabilities and has experience collaborating with county systems, schools, managed care organizations, waiver programs, and community partners. We look forward to her service on the board and on behalf of County Executive David Crowley, respectfully request your favorable consideration and confirmation of Shelly Reynolds' appointment. Thank you.

Thank you, Director. And I see Ms. Reynolds. Good afternoon. If you want to introduce yourself and go in to why you're interested.

Yeah, I'm Shelly Reynolds, and I'm currently the Recreation Program Manager at Easterseals Southeast Wisconsin. And I believe equity inclusion is the heart of every community. And I look forward to being a helping hand and using my experience to help make a difference in our current community.

Excellent. Committee, questions, comments, or motions? Vice Chair Gomez-Thom.

I move for adoption.

And move for adoption. Seeing and hearing no interest in speaking, we can call the roll.

On the motion by Supervisor Gomez-Thom that item number 15 be recommended for confirmation. Supervisors Gomez-Thom.

Aye.

Martin.

Aye.

Rowntree Jr. Aye. Mr. Chairman. Aye. Four ayes, zero noes. The motion prevails.

Thank you, congratulations.

Good luck with everything. I look forward to serving.

All right, have a great day.

We can go to the next item. Item 16, from the County Executive appointing Amanda Beller to the Combined Community Service Board for a term ending on October 1st, 2028.

Good afternoon, Chair, members of the committee, Katie Domina, Director of the Office of Government Affairs. Here on behalf of County Executive David Crowley to present his appointment of Amanda Beller to the Combined Community Service Board. Ms. Beller is a program manager with 10 plus years of progressive leadership experience in human services, specializing in multi-site operations, staff development, and services for individuals with disabilities. Ms. Beller has experience leading large teams, improving program performance, ensuring compliance, and implementing operational efficiencies across diverse service environments. We look forward to her service on the board, and on behalf of County Executive David Crowley, I respectfully request your favorable consideration and confirmation of Amanda Beller's appointment. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Director. Welcome, Ms. Beller. Good afternoon. If you want to introduce yourself and explain why you're interested.

Hi, thank you. I am going to apologize if my dogs begin barking. My son's bus just arrived, and if anybody knows, the bus is the most evil thing in the world.

We all get just as excited about the bus in this room.

Absolutely. But thank you again. I am looking forward to this opportunity just to further serve individuals. As stated, I have worked with individuals with disabilities for about 14 years now professionally in many different capacities, whether that be mental health, education. developmental or any other capacities that may come along in multiple different fashions from obtaining work to recreational to hands-on skills, things like that. So I look forward to seeing where I can support the greater community and how we can improve our society for those who need more than just one voice.

Excellent. Thank you very much. All right. Committee, questions or comments or motions? Vice Chair Gomez-Thom.

I move for adoption. Thank you.

Thank you very much. We've got a motion. Seeing and hearing nothing.

We can call the roll. On the motion by Supervisor Gomez-Thom that item number 16 be recommended for confirmation. Supervisors Gomez-Thom.

Aye.

Martin?

Aye.

Brown-Tree Jr.? Aye. Mr. Chairman? Aye. Four ayes, zero noes. The motion prevails.

Thank you for applying. Congratulations. Hope all goes well.

Thank you.

Thank you. Have a great rest of the day.

You as well.

Thank you. All right, we can go to the next item.

Item 17, from the County Executive appointing Kendra Funch to the Combined Community Service Board for a term ending on October 1st, 2028.

Chair, members of the committee, Katie Domina, Director of the Office of Government Affairs, here on behalf of County Executive David Crowley to present his appointment of Kendra Funch to the Combined Community Service Board. Ms. Funch is a mission-driven program leader with years of experience advancing community inclusion for individuals with disabilities. She has led innovative community-based programs and built strong partnerships with a variety of adult day services across Wisconsin. We look forward to her service on the board, and on behalf of County Executive David Crowley, respectfully request your favorable consideration and confirmation of Kendra Funch to the Combined Community Service Board. Thank you.

Thank you. And is Ms. Funch with us? I don't see her online. Supervisor Martin.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. If she is not available, I would move that we lay her over for one meeting cycle.

All right. We have a motion to lay the item over for one meeting. Questions, comments on the motion before we vote? One last check for Ms. Funch. All right, seeing and hearing now, we can call the motion, call the roll on the motion to lay the item over for one meeting.

On the motion by Supervisor Martin that item number 17 be laid over for one meeting. Supervisor Gomez-Thom.

Aye.

Martin.

Aye.

Rountree Jr. Aye. Mr. Chairman. Aye. Four ayes, zero noes. The motion prevails. All right, go to 18.

I hope there's somebody online that's unmuted, but if you could please mute. Sounds like there's some side conversations. We just don't want to catch any weird strays in the room. Alrighty. Item 18.

Item 18. From the County Executive appointing Taquanda Brown to the Combined Community Service Board for a term ending on October 1st, 2028.

Looks like I may be missing Ms. Brown as well.

Okay. Yeah. Supervisor?

If she's not available, I would like to make the motion to lay over for one meeting cycle. I believe it's important. And it shows people's interest in wanting to serve. And it goes to a concern that has been raised over and over again over the years. And I'm not saying that any of these folks wouldn't serve their terms honorably, but we'd like the opportunity to see and speak to a person or even have dialogue or questions with them. So again, I make the motion to lay over for one meeting.

All right, we've got a motion. Any questions, comments? In the room? Online?

We can call the roll. On the motion by Supervisor Martin that item number 18 be laid over for one meeting, Supervisors Gomez-Tom?

Aye.

Martin? Aye. Roundtree, Jr.? Aye. Mr. Chairman? Aye. Four ayes, zero noes. The motion prevails.

Thank you. We can call or read in number 19.

Item 19, from the County Executive appointing Catherine Saldute to the Commission of Combined Community Service Board for a term ending on October 1st, 2028.

Folks must be sick of my voice here at the end of the day. It looks like I'm missing Ms. Saldute as well.

We still enjoy your voice. Thank you. We still have, give you a favorable opinion. I wasn't looking for the affirmation, but thank you.

No, I know.

I know. Just wanted to put it out there. Appreciate it. All right. Any motions? Supervisor?

I'd like to make the motion to lay over for one meeting cycle.

There's the motion. Questions? Comments? In the room? Online? Nada?

We can call the roll. On the motion by Supervisor Martin that item number 19 be laid over for one meeting. Supervisors Gomez-Thom.

Aye.

Martin.

Aye.

Rountree Jr. Aye. Mr. Chairman. Aye. Four ayes, zero noes. The motion prevails. Thank you very much. Thank you, Director.

You did great.

Yep. We can go on to item 20.

Item 20, a report from the Executive Director, Department of Health and Human Services, requesting authorization to increase the estimated value of an intergovernmental agreement with Racine County for youth placements to its secured residential care center for children and youth, SRCCCY. This item was referred to your committee today for informational purposes only per Section 59.52, Sub 31, Sub D, Wisconsin State Statutes, and is referred to the Committee on Finance for action. Good afternoon. If you want to introduce yourself, the floor is yours.

Okay. Good afternoon, Chair and Supervisors. Kelly Pepke, Administrator for the Children, Youth, and Family Services within the Department of Health and Human Services. So before you today, we're here to request an increase to our contract and our intergovernmental agreement with Racine County. This is an agreement for kids who are court-ordered to the Secure Residential Care Center for Children or Youth, or CERCI. These are all kids who... are placed there on a correctional level placement and who are court ordered. So we do have a current contract in the amount, well, we had original contract in the amount of $99,000. We were here before you in March to increase that contract to 1.2 million, 1.299 million. And we're here today to request another increase to 1,398,000. We are requesting this increase with just planning for the potential to need the increase to go through the rest of this year if any additional youth are court ordered there. So I can tell you as of today, we have three kids who are in the Racine Searcy. We have not had any kids who have been court ordered there since We opened our own Milwaukee County Searcy in March. I don't anticipate necessarily needing that additional funding as of today, but we still have a lot of time left in the year, and we want to be planful in case additional kids are ordered there. And with that, I'll be happy to take any questions.

Thank you. I saw Supervisor Martin.

I'm sorry, I was just cracking up.

Oh, okay. Vice Chair Gomez-Thom, then Supervisor.

Yes. Thank you, Mr. Chair. So my question is, if we approve it, then what happens if we don't need it?

Ms. Chair and Supervisor, we just won't, we won't pay out the funding. We have the funding in our budget to be able to pay for this because of other correctional level, other correctional placements are also decreased this year. So we'll just be able to reallocate that funding to somewhere else. So we will not be paying for any kids that are not in receipt.

So we'll be able to absorb it within our, get it to other things that are needed. I move for approval.

I move for adoption. Supervisor. Mr. Chairman, just to clarify, this item is for you for informational purposes only. Is the motion withdrawn?

I withdraw my motion, thank you.

Very good.

Supervisor. Thank you. So I appreciate that the placement pathway is statutory and everything like that. And our county doesn't necessarily control the outcome. But I'm trying to understand just a smaller, a bigger piece of it. So our facility opened in March and is already near or at capacity?

So, Ms. Chair and Supervisor, we currently have 24 boys who are in our secure residential care center for children, youth, or Searcy. We can have 32. So my next report actually goes into more detail about that. We did have 32 kids for one day this year. Otherwise, we've been below the maximum capacity of 32 the rest of the year. And like I said, today we have 24 kids who are in the program.

Okay. And then I'll follow up on that on the second one. But then just like predictability, like, so this is the second increase to this contract in under a year. Is DHHS able to give like a possible rolling projection, even a rough one, of like future increases to come earlier than rather like a series of after the fact asks?

Yeah, Mr. Chair and Supervisors, yeah. For sure, we did budget more money in our 2027 budget for this. So lesson learned from what we did this year and did better projections for next year. So hopefully we won't have to come before the board again asking for an increase in 2027. Okay.

And then just my last one on this. So the report shows like a commitment to eventually serve these youth entirely in Milwaukee. Is there like a defined like capacity expansion plan or a timeline tied to that goal?

So, Mr. Chair and supervisors, we do not plan to expand beyond our 32 beds at this time. This project with the Searcy goes back to 2018. And there's a lot of discussion, a lot of like how many beds, right? How many beds is the right size for Milwaukee County? So we did end up at 32 beds total. for kids in Milwaukee County. And that was based on a lot of different discussions around wanting to make sure we don't build too large to where we fill it with kids who don't need that level of care, but also wanting to build it large enough to where we don't have to send kids to corrections. But also a lot of that was based on the funding and how much funding we were able to get from the state and other grants to help support this. So at this point, we don't have any plans to expand beyond 32. We've been able to serve all of – I should go back. We have had one kid who we have sent to corrections, who have been court-ordered to corrections since we opened, and that was recently, within the last couple weeks. But otherwise, we've been able to serve all kids here in Milwaukee County since we opened in March. And we still have eight beds available.

Okay. Okay. Okay. All right. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you. Any other comments online? I know we've got a comment card from Lisa Valente Jordan, if you want to come up.

Let's get this up here.

And if you just want to turn on the microphone, because it looks red, we should turn green. Yep. And then two minutes, whenever you're ready.

I don't think I'll use it here. I may on the next agenda item. One of those was already, one of my questions was already sort of answered about why we expected to need those Racine beds. The other one is how many vacancies are there at the Racine Searcy now? Do you know that information?

I know with public comment, we try to not have it be back and forth.

That's the only question.

Okay.

Yeah.

Okay. Administrator, I don't know if you want to answer that. If you don't know the answer, that's okay.

Mr. Chair, I don't know the answer to that.

Okay. Okay. Okay. Any other questions or comments on this informational item? Supervisor. Supervisor.

Just a comment. Thank you Mr. Chairman and Ms. Pethke. We've been having these conversations over the years and I just want to say thank you for all the work that you all have done and the goal is always to keep the kids out of other facilities and most certainly most importantly within our state because I recall we have one kid was in Tennessee or someplace And the goal is always to keep the children within our proximity and also finding those ways to prevent our children having to be in our facilities in the first place. That's the ultimate goal. And to right-size the facility we struggle with because you don't want to build too big and then, of course, we'll fill it up. So thank you again, and to the whole team who continues to do the work, and to all of our community partners who are so passionate and committed to doing this work, especially those in that Credible Messengers program. I know that they oftentimes get discouraged, but their work is really working, and all that you all are doing is truly working. So thank you.

Thank you. Seeing and hearing no other interest in commenting, thank you very much on that item. We can read them the next time.

Item 21, from the Director Department of Health and Human Services, providing an informational report regarding the implementation of a secured residential care center for children and youth in Milwaukee County under 2017 Wisconsin Act 185 and commitments in the State of Wisconsin Division of Juvenile Corrections. This item is informational only unless otherwise directed by the committee. If you could reintroduce yourself.

Good afternoon, Mr. Chair and Supervisors. Kelly Pethke, Administrator with Children, Youth, and Family Services. So before you today is our quarterly report on the number of kids who have been court ordered to the Department of Corrections Division of Juvenile Corrections. As well as this month, you'll see it broken out by also the number of kids who have been ordered to our Milwaukee County Searcy, the Racine Searcy, and then kids on a regular correctional order, and then a serious juvenile offender court order. And so when this report is written, things change every day. So you'll notice I'm just going to give updated numbers as of today. So for the month of August, we had one kid who had been ordered to our Milwaukee County Center for Youth. We had none ordered to Racine, none ordered to the Department of Corrections on a regular court order. We had four kids who were ordered on an SJO court order, a serious juvenile offender, for a total of five. And so far this month in September, we have had no kids ordered to our Searcy or to the Racine Searcy. We did have one girl who was ordered to... Copper Lake or Division of Juvenile Corrections and no kids who have been ordered on an SGL order for a total of one kid. And like I said earlier, we do currently have 24 boys who are in our Milwaukee County Center for Youth and that leaves eight beds that we have open that We could use, there are several kids who are pending court who have been staffed and approved for the Searcy, but just in anticipation of if that is a court order. And like Supervisor Martin did say, we're always advocating for kids to be held in the least restrictive setting. If they are ordered to a correctional placement, working with that youth and that family and all of their community team members and partners to get that kid out of secure care and back home as soon as possible. I think that's it. A few other numbers I can provide, I guess. The number of kids who are in the Division of Juvenile Corrections as of today from Milwaukee County on a regular correctional order are 14. So there's 14 kids on a regular correction and then 44 kids who are on an SJL court order from Milwaukee County. And then one of the differences is kids on an SGL court order, it's a longer-term court order for up to five years, and Milwaukee County is not fiscally responsible for them. But we do still work with DJC and work with that youth and family. And then moving on, updates on our CERCI. We continue to make progress as far as developing more partners. So we're working with MATC to bring in their culinary arts program. We have restorative justice circles through Marquette University who have come in. working with a couple other community providers, continuing to build out the programming in the community because kids often do well in secure care and it's when they transition home is sometimes the challenge. So we had built up dialectical behavioral therapy groups in the community for the kids, but also their parents. So there's parent groups and youth groups that are occurring in the community. So we just continue to make progress, continue to identify what's working, what's not working, and be able to pivot when needed. And with that, I would be happy to take any questions.

Thank you for the report. Supervisor Vinson, I see your hand up.

Hold on one second. Sorry about that. Mr. Chairman, if you could mark me back in attendance. And I did have a quick question because I just caught the tail end of that. And this is something that I'm working on, and I'll be talking to Director Pethke about, but did you talk about the 17-year-olds in our care that are actually in adult facilities, or is that not part of this discussion?

Mr. Chair and Supervisors, I did not talk about that. It's not part of this report. But I know you're interested. We could talk outside of this, or if you have any specific questions. Yeah.

Well, I do, but is that Director Pethke? I can't tell. It is.

I'm on my phone.

Okay. I know we didn't connect yet, so we'll talk offline about that. Thank you. Okay.

Thank you. All right. So let's see. Supervisor Martin.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Ms. Pesky, I just wanted to remind folks that there is a dashboard available on the Milwaukee County website for Youth in Our Care. If anyone is wondering where our children are being placed, that is located on the Youth in Our Care dashboard on the Milwaukee County website. government dashboard website. And it is a useful tool and we want to continue to monitor that. I have almost, I haven't given up, but almost given up hope of ever closing out Lincoln Hills, Copper Lakes and bringing our young people home to Milwaukee County where they can be closer to their families and with culturally relevant resources. Thank you.

Thank you. SEEING AND HEARING NO OTHER SUPERVISORS, LISA VELANTE JORDAN, YOU'RE WELCOME TO COME OUT. AND TWO MINUTES WHENEVER YOU'RE READY.

THANK YOU, SUPERVISOR. I WILL DO MY BEST. I HAVE PROVIDED THE WRITTEN COMMENTS TO YOU ALL, SO IF I DON'T GET THROUGH EVERYTHING, I BELIEVE THAT THE COUNTY CLERK HAS THOSE AND WILL DISTRIBUTE EVENTUALLY. OKAY. SORRY I DIDN'T GET THAT TO YOU EARLIER.

OKAY. Go ahead.

So my comments here fall into a couple of buckets. The first one being girls at the secure residential care centers for children and youth. The second one being just a couple of concerns that I have about what is in the report that you have in front of you. And finally, and I'm actually going to start here because I think it is one of the more important things. Ms. Martin, on the May 5th meeting, you asked at about the 2-16 mark of item 19 whether we knew the amount spent on incarceration versus treatments at places like Mendota. That's an excellent question because I at least have seen a high level shift in funding from community to incarceration. That is in part through Medicaid recapitation, which I believe moved about $20 million out of financing for institutes of mental disease and disorder, including treatment, foster care, and residential treatment centers. That was followed by the creation of the Searcy's, which was also a large capital investment. So that's a big swing just at a high level. I also note that one of the goals of the Searcy is to better control secure placement costs, which is concerning given that Ms. Pethke reported in response to your question that the DOC rate was $1,268 a day. Racine was $1,200. That's only $68 a day less, which is $24,000 and nothing to sniff at, but still about $400,000. And if we assume that Milwaukee is at $900 a day, and I don't know if we have kids from other places that are paying us... but that would be $328,500 for a year. I know that neither program is a year long, but those numbers in and of themselves are questionable, and we don't know what our expense rate is, and that should be something that we should be able to determine because we are not paying for Lincoln Hills, but we are paying for this ultimately. That I think is a concern, especially since, and I'm going to skip down a bit on page three,

I'll give you an extra minute.

Thank you. The report states that the average daily population of Milwaukee County youth in Lincoln Hills has been falling fairly steadily since 2015. But if we take a look at the numbers on page two, from 2015 to 2025, the average number of detainees is 52. Well, the September report and Ms. Pethke did just update that, so my math will be off and my math on the spot is not good. So I'm going to take a stab at it. But I did look at the public dashboard and I saw three placed on the SJO based on other years trending the same. I think that we're at about 48 to 50 who would be at Lincoln Hills on top of those kids who are at the Racine and Milwaukee Searcy. So I'm not sure that we are actually seeing a decrease, especially since 2023, which was when the numbers start moving back up. So then the question, I believe, is how are we monitoring the success of these facilities given that that's where the money is going? In the Youth Must Be Served report, that was one of the disconnects that we had. I know we don't have formal recidivism numbers, but it seems like it would be a fairly simple manner to find and analyze those numbers at least with someone with popular clearance, looking at return to court in the publicly available information and then stripping out that data.

Thank you.

There are more questions there. I encourage you to think about them and look at them, especially I don't think there's green space in the Milwaukee facility. Thank you.

Thank you.

We got them? Thank you.

I've received the comments. They will be appended to the record.

Thank you.

Okay. Any comments? Or otherwise we can... Go ahead.

No further comment at this time.

Okay. Any other questions or comments on the report that's in front of us? It's just an informational item. In the room? Online? Thank you very much.

We can go on to the next item. Item 22, 2026 adopted budget amendment 31, a report from the Department of Health and Human Services, the Office of Corporation Counsel, Department of Administrative Services, and the Office of the Comptroller informing the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors about the efficacy of creating a revolving loan fund to support affordable housing projects in Milwaukee County. This item is informational only unless otherwise directed by the committee. Good afternoon.

Good afternoon, Chairman, committee members. I'll let Administrator Jim Mathey introduce the item, and then I'll move to represent the group and collaborators and talk further.

Administrator.

Great. Thank you, Connor. Thank you, Chairman. Good afternoon, Chairman and Supervisors. So this is an information report that stems from the previous adopted budget. There was an amendment asking for an informational report. Really what this is about is trying to find additional dollars for Milwaukee County to continue our progress on affordable housing. Through this body in the county executive's office, we've done a lot of affordable housing development. So I want to give a strong thank you to this committee for all your work and partnership on that. We are going to be struggling moving forward with additional funding. Now with ARPA funding being gone, we're very happy to be putting a package in front of committee for kind of our last dollars for affordable housing. So there was an attempt to find additional dollars in last year's budget. And this body asked for an informational report about what could be possible for potential loan products. So we apologize it took us so long, but this is a very complicated report. This was a collaboration between us, the Comptroller's Office, Economic Development and Corp Council. So we all had to work together on this report. that you have before you today. I want to give a thank you for Connor Goggins from Housing Services for all his work on this. So Connor, I'll turn it back over to you for your report. Thank you, committee member. Thank you.

Thank you, administrator. So to begin, my name is Connor Goggins. I am a senior real estate project manager with Milwaukee County in Housing Services. So as Jim said, you know, this is in response to a budget amendment and at its simplest to begin to explain what it is, a revolving loan fund. So it makes loans and then once they're repaid, they're reused for future loans. So essentially they can be what they call evergreen where, you know, it's constantly cycling in back and forth and then there are some that are not where some of the funds are granted. But essentially, it's a revolving door of loans. So it can be a very effective tool for acquisition, pre-development, what they call bridge financing between the construction loan, the permanent debt, as well as other gaps that prevent affordable housing developments that are otherwise viable for moving forward. So our conclusion ultimately is that they are of course very useful tools generally, but there are some important legal, fiscal, and administrative considerations regarding what role Milwaukee County itself would play. And I will start by saying, to Jim's point, we have made a tremendous amount of investments, especially since 2021, mostly because of the large infusion of ARPA dollars locally and from the state. With that said, we do also have our own HUD dollars as well. that we're able to use to support for developments. And one important distinction is that because of those funds, the HUD funds, they do allow us to revolve those. To Jim's point that he just made earlier, one of the items that we'll bring forward tomorrow morning in the SEED Committee will include program income, so repaid HUD funds. SO CERTAINLY IT'S VERY HELPFUL FOR US THAT WE'RE ABLE TO DO THAT, BUT IT'S VERY LIMITED, THE AMOUNT OF FUNDS THAT WE RECEIVE. SO WITH THAT SAID, YOU KNOW, WE DO HAVE THAT BENEFIT, AND WE'LL CONTINUE MAXIMIZING THOSE RESOURCES AND RECYCLING THE ELIGIBLE FEDERAL PROGRAM INCOME, BUT IT IS LIMITED TO THE FEDERAL FUNDS. AND THAT'S WHAT ALLOWS US TO DO THAT. So with that said, in our collaboration with Director Benton, Deputy Davidson, and Director Bryant, want to give a big thanks for them and their efforts to collaborate in putting this report together. One of the central legal findings, as we were advised by Corporation Council, is broader than the county's ability to use its own resources to invest in affordable housing. So with that said, under our current structure, Milwaukee County does not have an independent statutory authority under Wisconsin law to capitalize and operate a locally funded revolving loan fund. using county tax levy, county issued debt, and other locally controlled revenues. That would be for privately owned affordable housing. What is distinct about our own housing authority, for a brief explanation on that, is that it is a HUD designated public housing authority, but it's distinct from a county housing authority established under Wisconsin statute. So the public housing authority we operate today could not simply be used as the vehicle for a locally capitalized revolving loan fund. So a statutory housing authority could potentially be evaluated, but of course would... REQUIRES SOME LEGAL AND OPERATIONAL ANALYSIS, INCLUDING MUNICIPAL APPROVALS. AND IMPORTANTLY, QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW ANOTHER AUTHORITY WOULD INTERACT WITH OUR EXISTING HUD HOUSING AUTHORITY, OF WHICH WE WOULD WANT TO MAINTAIN. AND WE'RE VERY HAPPY WITH THE OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCY AND THE OUTCOMES THAT WE GET WITH OUR PUBLIC HOUSING AUTHORITY SINCE IT IS UNIQUELY CENTERED IN OUR COUNTY GOVERNMENT. So with that said, the county could consider allocating funds to an existing housing authority or another legally authorized entity. It would require an administrative structure, agreements, underwriting criteria, monitoring and oversight and coordination across the county government, as well as maintaining the relationship. So ultimately, as policymakers and as a body, we would have to determine whether, you know, putting local dollars into a third party revolving loan fund would represent the highest and best use of funds compared with other ways the county could advance its housing goals. So with that said, just to give an idea of why we were able to do so much housing investment. Again, as I had noted earlier, we had a tremendous increase in funding over the pandemic. So 90% of those resources WHICH 54 MILLION-ISH TO DATE. SO 90% OF THOSE RESOURCES ARE COMING FROM FEDERAL AND STATE FUNDING. SO BECAUSE ALL OF THAT IS SUNSETTING, THAT IS WHY WE HAVE SUCH SCARCE RESOURCES NOW. SO I WON'T TOUCH ON TOO MANY MORE DETAILS NOW, BUT I'LL SAY IN CONCLUSION None of this should be interpreted as us saying that additional investment is not needed. It definitely is. The need is significant and we see locally and nationally financing gaps continue to grow. The cost of creating affordable housing continues to grow. We'll remain creative and committed to pushing the envelope and finding ways to support affordable housing in Milwaukee County. AND WITH THAT SAID, THIS REPORT IS INTENDED TO PROVIDE THE BOARD CLARITY ABOUT THE LEGAL PARAMETERS, THE AVAILABLE OPTIONS, AND THE TRADE-OFFS, WHILE PRESERVING OUR ABILITY TO CONTINUE AGGRESSIVELY PURSUING AFFORDABLE HOUSING INVESTMENT AND MAINTAINING OUR CURRENT SUCCESS AND OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCY UNDER OUR PUBLIC HOUSING AUTHORITY AND THE MILWAUKEE COUNTY ENTERPRISE MORE BROADLY. THE REPORT SPECIFICALLY CONCLUDES THAT WE'LL CONTINUE TO MAXIMIZE EVERY LEGAL AVAILABLE AFFORDABLE HOUSING FINANCE TOOL WITHIN HOUSING SERVICES IN GENERAL. AS WELL AS EVALUATING FUTURE LEGISLATIVE ORGANIZATIONAL AND PARTNERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES. SO I'LL LEAVE IT THERE. AND ALLOW OUR COLLABORATORS IF THEY'RE PRESENT TO COMMENT. OTHERWISE WE CAN TAKE QUESTIONS.

COLLABORATORS? ANY COMMENTS THAT YOU'D LIKE TO MAKE? Otherwise, we can, I'll start with committee members first in the room. Committee members, any questions, comments, reactions you'd like to make? Okay, okay. I'll make a couple questions and comments. First of all, thank you for this report. The summary that I'm hearing is that it's possible, there's a way to do it, but we have this... well-earned sort of like deficit mentality of like, we have scarce resources, we're trying to apply them to the greatest ROI that we can get out of the limited money that we have. But that's the environment that we're in today. But if there was an environment tomorrow where maybe there was more availability of funding, there is a way to do this that maybe mimics something like the way that we do MEDC where it's managed separately by a different or organization, right? And it's funded maybe not by county funding, but by maybe philanthropy or state funding or federal funding or something. So it sounds like there is a way to do it if we thought that was a good idea and if there was additional funding and we thought that funding, the best use of it was for that versus other things. Is that fair? Yeah.

Yeah, that's fair, for sure. And the other consideration is, for us personally, would be, you know, ensuring that we analyze the relationship between a separate entity and how that would impact our housing services agency as well as our, especially our public housing authority that already exists.

Okay.

Okay.

Vice Chair?

Thank you, Mr. Chair. So, and this is maybe my own naivete, so I just want to put that out there first and foremost. But I know that the way we're talking about it, it sounds like we're talking about it as like an infusion of dollars that would be needed to really like do something of this scale here in Milwaukee County. I am familiar with I think the city of Chicago doing some bonding specific to kind of having these grants and I don't know if it's specifically like a rotating loan but I know that they did something of that to that extent and I know that's you know something that would have to come before like capital improvements and it would have to be a a different strategic approach that we would be taking. But was that looked at in terms of this type of report and what those options and opportunities could look like?

Yes, yes. We did look at that. Appreciate the question. And that is typically municipalities, mostly municipalities, less counties, and then also states. They tend to use bonding authority to make the biggest investments from local municipalities. But with that said, the county's ability to bond itself for privately owned affordable housing is constrained by Wisconsin state statute. So that's where another third party would have to come in. And housing authorities under state statute are able to bond themselves But our public housing authority is not able to do that because of, it does not meet the definition of the state statutes version of a housing authority.

One follow up, Mr. Chair. And so you mentioned that it was for privately owned housing. And this is just, you know, ideating. What if it was publicly owned? Like what if it was county owned?

Yeah, there would have to be an ownership stake for sure. That would require further analysis. But with that said, if you think about federal public housing or HUD public housing, that is a... a different program as well as a different funding source than housing that is owned by, let's say, partially or fully by the county. So that's a different program. But with that said, my understanding is the main issue is the private ownership is a key aspect.

ANY OTHER SUPERVISOR QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS ON THE ITEM? SEEING AND HEARING NONE, WE HAVE A CARD FROM A GUEST WHO'S VERY, I'M SURE, UNFAMILIAR WITH THIS ROOM OR SPACE OR CONVERSATION. SO THEA LISCOMB SENIOR, THE FLOOR IS YOURS. And we'll give you two minutes.

Thank you, Chair and members. Yeah, I was so anxious. I thought I was a collaborator. So when I heard the call, I came up. But then I realized you meant the work group. So I'm Theo Lipscomb. I'm the executive director for the LISC office in Milwaukee. That's the Local Initiative Support Corporation. First off, I want to thank the board for unanimously requesting this report during the last budget cycle. And I would echo the comments about the recent history of the county and applaud the efforts of this county exec and this county board making historic investments in affordable housing in recent years. However, the demand continues to grow as documented in the report as well. So I think the report correctly identifies that Milwaukee County lacks independent statutory authority to capitalize and operate locally funded RLF, but the report also suggests on page four that the county could instead fund an existing legally authorized entity to administer a fund on the county's behalf. And that's not a workaround. That's the model most local governments across the country use. And I'm qualified to comment on that because LISC is one of the largest community development financial institutions in the country. We operate dozens of funds across the country, and that is how they are structured. Just two minutes. Wow, I'm not used to the time clock. Here's how it would work in practice. The county's investment would not stand alone. It would sit alongside philanthropic capital and bank capital. It's structured so that philanthropic and government dollars typically take the first loss position. Banks provide senior, lower-cost capital, but we are If we were the fund administrator, we're typically, it's recourse to us. We owe that money back. So we're taking that portion of the risk. The structure is what allows the fund to lend at below market rates. Every dollar the county puts in is leveraged by additional private philanthropic dollars behind it, often three to five times, depending on the structure. And as I said, this isn't hypothetical. WISC operates loan funds like this in dozens of markets nationally. We already have these relationships with banks and philanthropic institutions in Milwaukee. I'll give you an extra minute. Thank you. And, you know, one of the reasons you shouldn't do this on your own is that it would come with tremendous administrative burden, even if you were permitted by statute. So the infrastructure, underwriting capacity, loan servicing, compliance, reporting, it exists. We have that. I recognize the county's not flush with money. The county contribution doesn't have to come from tax levy alone. Other options, like lease revenue, land sales, TID extensions, are all funding sources the county has used or could use for a one-time or phased capitalization, an example being the one you mentioned of MEDC. This county board put a million dollars into MEDC in, I think, 2013. That fund, that leveraged several million more dollars, and that fund continues to revolve capitalizing small businesses across the county. And my request before you is to refer this back for some additional evaluation of some of those options and to do so for consideration during the upcoming budget. Given the scale of the gap that this report documents of 40,000 units, the question in front of you really isn't whether the county should solve this alone. It's whether the county is willing to be one investor among several, in a fund built to address these challenges. So I thank you and I'm willing to answer your questions now or in follow-up. Thank you.

Thank you. Any other questions or comments in the room or online on this report? Come on up. You can introduce yourself, then you got two minutes.

Sure thing. Thanks again. Deb Falk-Palik. Actually, I saw this and I'm really pleased about the affordable housing. One of the things that the, you heard a lot from disability advocates today. One of the things that I would encourage is using the word accessible too, because there's no greater problem for housing than individuals with disabilities who also need affordability. So we actually, Independence First hosted a meeting of the Disability Commission on July 14th of 2025, and we had a lot of questions about the ARPA-funded homes that were purchased with public dollars and that were foreclosed and remodeled them and the accessibility. We were told at that meeting they would be releasing in about 10 days, so again, July of 2025, where these homes are and ensuring that the Disability Commission would know about this, that Independence First would know about this, and then this could be spread out to the community. So I have a question about what's happened with these homes that we use public dollars to buy? When will we learn that they're available for purchase? We were also told that there's a grant fund, I think. was a grant program to rehab things. So how does the disability community, if they see a house and it has steps and they're like, I can't get in there. So every month this has been on an agenda for the Disability Commission for an update. And the director of the Office for Persons with Disabilities and Administrator Anderson have said each month to the commission, we've reached out to the housing department. They have not responded. So every month this happens. if that's what they're saying, if that's true, or where is the information on this? So I encourage you as supervisors, whenever you hear the word affordable, ensure accessibility is being talked about, especially everything you heard today from the disability community. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you. I'LL JUST SAY BRIEFLY, THERE WAS A FILE ON THAT, DEB, I CAN SEND THAT TO YOU, THAT PROVIDES A LITTLE BIT OF AN UPDATE. THERE WAS A PROGRAM THAT WAS, YOU KNOW, HAD A LOT OF OPTIMISM AND ENTHUSIASM AROUND IT, AND THEN A STATE STATUTE MADE IT COMPLICATED AND BASICALLY KIND OF TOOK THE BUSINESS MODEL AWAY FROM US. IT'S PROBABLY fifth grade way to talk about it, but we can talk about it more and I can refer you to Connor and to Administrator Matthew for more.

Any other questions or comments?

Seeing and hearing none, thank you for this informational report. We can go on to the last item.

Thank you.

Item 23, e-comments submitted to the Committee on Health Equity, Human Needs, and Strategic Planning via the County Legislative Information Center. Click.

There weren't any at the beginning of the meeting. Still none. If any do come in, we'll append them to the file. But that brings us to the end. So thank you all for your patience and your attention. It was a good meeting, and we are adjourned.