Business Improvement District Board #5 (westown Area) - Regular Meeting

Good afternoon, everyone. Welcome to the community and economic development committee. I'm the chairman, Alderman Russell Stanford the second. To my right is the vice chair, Alderman Marina Dimitrevich. To her right is Alderman Mark Chambers and to my left is our trusted staff assistant, miss Carmen and to her left is older woman, Charlotte Moore, and to her left is Alderman Deandre Jackson, and to his left is older woman, Andrea Brett, and to alderman chamber's right is alderwoman Joe Costa Zamoripo.

So we're gonna get started with number one. Thank you for joining us today. We do have an extensive lineup, and I'm looking forward to some great discussion. So with that, we'll get started. 251069, appointment of Michael B. Hinrichs to the business improvement district number four. Mister Michael B. Hinrichs. There. Are you available? On the

On the board? Board?

I am available over the camera.

Yeah. Mike, I don't feel like I said your last name properly. Would you say it

for alright. It's, Barron's.

Barron's. Alright. Thank you for your willingness to serve. Please let us know why you would like to be on this board, business improvement edition number four.

This is an opportunity for me to help the city. I very much love doing that in any capacity, and this falls right in line with my line of practice. I'm a business attorney. Wherever I can help out and do some, call it, pro bono, this is a a perfect opportunity for not myself but also for the city. So just wanting to help.

Excellent. Happy to have you. Let me see if we have any questions by the committee. Would anybody else to act like to ask any questions? Hearing none, older woman, Demetra Evich moves for your confirmation. Hearing no objections so ordered. Thank you, man, and have a good day.

Thank you.

Alright. Number 2251113. Appointment of Mary Reed to serve as the director of the Department of Compliance and Engagement by the mayor. Miss Reed, welcome to CED. I see you're joined by miss Amber. You guys have the floor.

Alright. Good afternoon.

Good afternoon.

Yes. Mary Reed here. I am the interim, director of the Department of Compliance and Engagement, the newly created Department of Compliance and Engagement. Mhmm. Thank you, chair, and I appreciate, all of your time and attention this afternoon. Mhmm.

Alright. This is an appointment for you. Right? Amber, you have some comments?

I don't. I was good afternoon, everyone, mister chair. Thank you. Amber Daniels, council liaison for mayor Johnson. I'm just here to, introduce Mary. We're really excited to put her before you all today. She had an opportunity to meet with a few of you guys,

and so thank you for having us.

Alright. So, Mary, you ready for this leadership position?

I am ready for this leadership position. I've been, preparing for this leadership position for the better part of the last three years

Mhmm.

And more intensely the last seven months.

Alright. Awesome. Anything new you wanna bring to the office or innovative? How would you like to move us forward? Yeah. And making sure people get employed.

Absolutely. So, I just wanna share that I've been a public service all of my professional career dating back to the early two thousands. I started working in workforce development as a case manager, and so I've always served City Of Milwaukee residents. I also worked for the state of Wisconsin as a regional director

Mhmm.

Working with regional administrator, working with W-two agencies as well in another role where I was the state director of a long term care fiscal agency, all public facing public service positions prior to coming here to the city of Milwaukee as the contract officer. That work is very fulfilling. I really, found my purpose in doing that work, and that is what led me to this interim role that I have here. So I wouldn't say that there is much to change. We have a great foundation that has already been laid.

There's always room for improvement. Right? So if we can find ways and we also know that the landscape is changing, the economy is If we can find ways to better serve City Of Milwaukee residents, that's what I'm here to do. As those things are brought to our attention and as we find those avenues, we pursue them.

Excellent. Excellent. Let me open up to the floor.

Mister

chair. Yes. Alderwoman, Charlene Moore. Thank you. Thank you so much.

Mary, can you talk

a little bit about, like, just the because I think for our listening audience, in our community understanding because this came from an office to a department. Are there any big changes that are represented by moving, you know, from an office to a department?

So, yeah, we started out as the office of equity and inclusion and due to council action, we became department, that we are today. We did some introspection, and we found that, although equity is a great part of what we do, more so is compliance and engagement. We have multiple functions within our department that and I'll just name a few. Contract compliance, small business certification, ADA compliance, and servicing and staffing, the equal rights commission. So that work remains the same. So really us going from office to department is just an administrative feature.

Awesome. And mister chair, I just wanna, you know, share with my colleagues that I had an opportunity to meet with Mary, not this and this that it was just recently. Sure. But I've met with her, prior, in the past when, some staffing was, shifted, and, I'm very impressed, with your background and your responsiveness when we send out when I send out an email, I typically get a response back. Mhmm. And those sorts of things for me is is just really valuable because it shows that, you know, you're on top of your stuff. Right? And so when the when it's appropriate, I would like to move confirmation.

Awesome. Awesome. Do we have any more to comment? Order one Demetraevich.

Good afternoon, and thank you, Mr. Chairman. Of course. I also had the opportunity to meet with Ms. Reed today, although we've had a lot of interaction, and you are definitely excellent and prompt at communicating.

We truly appreciate that because we know it's a lot of stuff coming at all of us all the time. I just want to kind of ask briefly two of the items that are really important to me that I had asked discussion today. With the complete assault and attack from many places, but really starting at the top in the federal government by really our President and his party on diversity, equity and inclusion, How do you plan on leading with that complete assault? The largest, most diverse city in Wisconsin, how will you be the a very loud, status quo challenging, you know, leader that we need in these times?

Yes. Thank you so much for that. So you're right. This is a very challenging environment to operate in. We care dearly about diversity, equity, and inclusion. It is ingrained in a lot of the work we do. In addition to that, we've always been gender and neutral, gender and race neutral in all of our programs.

Mhmm.

So that hasn't changed. Now we just realized we have to be, a bit more mindful of how we carry out our functions. And we work very closely with other city departments, legislative reference bureau, and the city attorney's office to make sure that we're remaining compliance with federal guidelines. Right? We understand that that they have a measure of authority that we need to abide by, and we want to do that while also doing the work. We definitely don't want to put ourselves in a position where we can't do any of our work. So it's just having balance with regard to that.

I admire your diplomacy. I wish I had a little more of that. I'll work on that. Maybe a 1% increase for me. No, there's a mixture of opinions and we have different abilities and positions to be that way. So I do admire it. My second, Mr. Chairman, and it's a follow-up to that, and had asked you this and I think it's really important to get on the record, is there will be uncomfortable times where you will need to challenge your own administration. It could be a mayoral initiative. It could be a council initiative.

I was saying that, you know, I don't want to cast a vote and then find out later that it had a disproportionate, disparate impact on the people that I care the most about. And so one of the things that I think is important in this office that I'd really like to see formalized more and Ms. Reed talk about coming back to us at the council and kind of talking about how to use this. I don't say how to use the office but how to improve upon our using of the office, like an equity statement, an equity impact statement. To me, this should be integral in almost everything that we do.

But are you going feel comfortable in an uncomfortable situation where it could be a council member, it could be a budget item, it could be a mayoral initiative, if you think there is, you know, inequitable harm speaking up in advance so that we know we can make the changes necessary?

Absolutely. So it is very important to me that this position has autonomy. I think I've been very well supported in that. I voice those concerns often to leadership. They are supportive. Right? They want this position to be autonomous. They trust my leadership, trust my expertise where I have expertise, and where I do not. I lean on my staff. I have, an excellent team, and they are very well experienced in a lot of matters concerning the community.

So we'll rely on each other to come to those conclusions. Also, I recognize that each equity impact statement or analysis will be unique. Right? They won't there won't be some cookie cutter response or a way of of going about it, but I'm glad that you mentioned formalizing what that looks like, creating a system so that whoever's requesting it knows exactly what to expect. And in full transparency with regard to a recent equity impact request, I realize it took several months.

So just being fully transparent, that is not something that I would prefer. However, in being collaborative with other departments and trying to work with all parties involved, it it it genuinely took that amount of time. Right? But also recognizing that they all shouldn't and won't take that long to get a response to. So I will make that a priority and making sure that if there's something that we can come together and resolve quickly, we will do so. And also, if it takes longer, right, I'll be open and communicative about that as well.

Yeah. You, mister chair. Awesome.

Questions. Any more questions or comments?

Mister chair.

How's woman?

My immediate past position was in the office of equity inclusion as an equal rights specialist.

Mhmm.

And so I'm excited to see the direction of the department and your vision for it. I was I had the opportunity to meet with miss Reed and talk with her about some of my experiences in that office when I was there and and she has taken that and she she knows firsthand what's going on and and how to to shape the department. I'm very confident in her ability to do so and look forward to working with her going forward.

Excellent. Alright. It's a's across the board. So we have high hopes for you. We believe in you. And with that, somebody like to make them oh, yeah. All the women more moved for your Congratulations. Here are no objections to order. Thank you so much. Thank you. Alright. Alright. Number 3252070. Reappointment of Thomas Argins to the business improvement edition number 21 by the mayor. Mister Organs, how are you doing?

Doing really great. How about yourself?

Good. Good. Thank you for your willingness to serve. What year is this for you?

This will be my fourth go around.

Excellent. Excellent. Why don't you introduce yourself on your own?

Let us know how you're gonna continue

to make progress in the city of Milwaukee, and I'll put it up to you for some comments. Alright?

Good afternoon, everyone. Appreciate appreciate your consideration today. My name is Tom Ergans. I'm with Ergans Development. Our organization owns three buildings in Business Improvement District Number 21, most notably the BMO Tower across the street from City Hall, the 770 Building next door and then we also own 833 East Michigan Street which is right next to the U.

S. Bank Tower. I've been involved with the bid since we made our August investment. We're dedicated to the success of Downtown Milwaukee and the bid, really all of Milwaukee. But my role is to with Bid twenty one is to continue to make downtown a successful and a wonderful place to come and visit. And I look forward to the opportunity provided I get through here and be able to continue doing a little piece, but let Matt do the hard work.

Matt, feel free to make some comments.

Absolutely. Good afternoon. Thank you, Chair. And good afternoon, committee members. I just want to say thank you to Tom and his father, Mark and Ergen's company for their tremendous investment and transformation in Downtown Milwaukee.

Over the last decade alone, and Tom mentioned some of the investments have truly transformed the city skyline from the lakefront and then right across the street here in City Hall. It really have added assets that have been key as we continue to grow economic development in Downtown Milwaukee. They've been highly successful in bringing companies in from suburban locations and those types of investments are incredibly important as we continue to grow Downtown Milwaukee. To Tom and his team for continuing, you know, for a number of years obviously with their support of our initiatives. Just couldn't be more grateful to have Tom continued interest in supporting Downtown Milwaukee.

Excellent. Excellent. Did either of you attend visit Milwaukee's event last night?

I did have an opportunity to attend. So I'll come to your colleagues. Yes. I did have

an opportunity to attend.

What a what a what a tremendous honor for the city and another thing that's continues to outgrow, you know, the note on the the, you know, our continued Right. You know, face out towards the nation. So this is really what an honor.

Yeah. Awesome. Awesome. Alderman Chambers, you have some comments? No. I'd like move confirmation. Alright. Alderman Chambers moves for your confirmation. Hearing no objections are ordered. Thank you so much. Thank you so much. Y'all keep up the good work. You have a good day. Alright. Next, we have number 4. Real 252071 reappointment of Josh Weber to the business improvement district number fifty one by the mayor. Mister Weber, are you available?

Yes, sir.

Alright. How are you today, mister Weber?

I'm doing well. How about you?

Doing well. This is a reappointment for you. How many years have you been serving?

Oh, I've been here since we we we founded it. I think it's my tenth year. Awesome. Like, this will be, like, my last term that I gotta I know this is, my last go around.

So Why did why did you say that, mister Weber?

Oh, no. I mean, I gotta take a break. I I I think I exceeded by bylaws. Like, after this, it's like my my term setting. I hit my maximum.

But do you want to serve this last term, mister Webber?

Absolutely. I love it. Alright.

Well, tell us why you would like to serve this last term, mister Webber.

I really enjoyed just seeing like the improvements we've done in like the Harbor District area and as an example, how we're bringing people into the community. We're beautifying it. I'm really happy with it. I love seeing how we got the Harbor Fest lane where we have just some positive educational things going on in the community.

Excellent. Excellent. Let me open up to the committee. Does anybody have any questions or comments for Mr. Weber? Alright. Hearing none, Alderman Chambers moves for your confirmation. Hearing no objections to order. Thank you for your service, and I hope you have a wonderful year.

Thank you. You guys have a good day.

Alright. Number 5252112. Substitute resolution authorizing a partnership between the city of Milwaukee and Milwaukee succeeds to improve collaboration between the city and youth serving organizations. This is sponsored by Alderman president Perez. We are joined by his chief of staff and the great Vincent Louse. You guys have the floor. We're excited about this opportunity and thank you for thinking of us, Vincent. I'll let you guys continue.

Mr. Chairman, thank you. Committee members Clifton Crump, Policy and Administration Director for President Perez. Thank you for hearing this item. I just want to do a brief summary of the purpose of the Emerging Youth Achievement Advisory Council and then link that to this proposal to show the symmetries.

Okay. So a portion of Emerging Youth Achievement ordinances reads in part create or utilize an existing partnership structure that engages other local government officials, community and faith based leaders, families, youth founders and other stakeholders within the city who are dedicated to improving outcomes and underrepresented youth in the city. Secondly, to strengthen data capacity that supports the city's efforts to use data to document needs, targeted resources, assess effectiveness of strategies and programs and measure progress in improving life outcomes of the city's underrepresented youth. Lastly, to develop and advance new policies and practices that are sufficient that are of a sufficient scale to generate significant improvements. So with that in mind, this partnership, some of the outcomes would be improved collaboration between the city and youth serving organizations, established structured opportunities for youth to serve on city committees, task force and councils, support youth influence over public resources allocation to improve outcomes for Milwaukee's youth.

President Perez is committed to creating a pathway to these many appointments that he oversees including the pending legislation to add to youth members to the Emerging Youth Achievement Advisory Council. This is one potential outcome, this exercise that will be fluid and evolve as directed by youth. The potential policy recommendation from this population we all want to see improve and flourish are boundless for offices committed to this project and I will likely serve as the point person on the city's end as chair is the president of the Emerging Youth Achievement Advisory Council. So with that, if I may turn things over to mister Lyles.

Sure. Let's do this. How are doing? Thank you. I'm great. How are you? Excellent. Excellent. Good to see you. Good to see you all.

Yes. It's ironic that I was here today because I was here back in between '90 and '95 when the DEI office opened.

Oh, wow. Mhmm.

So to see, I mean, miss Rice Full circle. In there. Yeah. Pretty cool. Right? Yeah. Yeah. I'm here today representing Milwaukee Succeeds. Milwaukee Succeeds is a program that operates within the greater Milwaukee foundation. Our focus is a cradle to career focus.

So we've focused on early childhood education, and we've got a component of the work that's high school success. Within that high school success umbrella, one of the things we we did 2024 was held a youth leadership academy that was a four week program that we held over at Thrive on King where young people came and well, all these young people indicated they were interested in becoming leaders in our community. And so over that four weeks, we talked about, you know, all kinds of aspects of leadership. You know, obviously, put them expose them to some people in the community who are leaders. Mhmm.

But we also talked about, you know, reading a p and l, you know, being able to hire and fire people because those are parts of leadership that people don't always talk about. But with that, we also then placed them in various nonprofits around Milwaukee that that work led to one of them in particular is gonna become a board member at data we can use. Mhmm. So very excited about that opportunity. Really, really exactly what we wanted to do. We shared some of that work with the EAC. You all were there, and they got excited about it. And for for us, we're part of a national network called Strive Together based out of Cincinnati. And Strive Together partnered with Results for America, which is one of the leading data resource organizations in the country.

Mhmm.

So results for America and strive and and more succeeds are looking to partner with the city on a community of practice. Right? So the city's got EACT, and they wanna do more things with you. This community of practice will create an environment for that to happen, right, where these results for America folks will be able to have data, collect data, help you all figure out how to facilitate, you know, different things. And, again, you guys are are doing same things that other communities are doing. So the other members of that cohort will be other peer cities, right, who have their own issues. They may not be dealing with you. They might be picking up garbage, but they wanna do it more effectively. They do it more efficiently. And this is a eighteen month experience.

The first part of it is really kind of that data gathering, understanding the issue, articulating what what can happen. But you also have an opportunity to not just hear from other partners, but we're also be looking at bringing in, you know, some of the youth serving agencies in Milwaukee who are already doing some of this work and how can they do some things more effectively. One day, they might become an alderman. Mhmm. Right? Mhmm. And or the mayor. Who knows? Right. But the idea is that through this city accelerator, you're learning, you're growing, you're building community, not just in Milwaukee, but you're doing it in partnership with other peer cities, and that's what's exciting to us.

And we're very excited about this opportunity. From our point of view, you know, this is really, really kind of a neat thing for Milwaukee to get some exposure to. So with that, I will take questions.

Excellent. How many youth are you gonna be able to serve at

at what We don't know about the number of youth, and that's really not

the

point.

Okay.

Alderman Samper, respectfully. No problem. The point is really kinda getting what I would call kind of your infrastructure together. So for example, when when said to us, hey. You know, we could appoint some youth to the committees. You know, the feedback we would get immediately would be that youth would say, well, when do you meet? Mhmm. And you say, well, 09:00 on Tuesdays. Well, I I can't come on 09:00 on Tuesday. Yeah. But that's how the city functions. If the city wants youth to be a part of this, you might wanna have your meeting at 05:30. Right? So those kinds of things. Got you.

Youth wanna be paid for the work that they're doing. So everybody who went through our leadership academy got paid to do that, and then they got paid to be a part of the placements that they were involved in. That's a small group. So, you know, we're not talking about 10,000 people. Mhmm. But the fact that they got you paid, the fact that they got respected, the fact that they said to us, for example, yes, we'll go work at data you can use, but we're not going there by ourselves. We don't wanna be listening to some 50 year old guy tell us what to do without a buddy. So we make sure that kind of thing happen. So learning those best practices is really

what this think it's all. Sure. Okay. Let me open it up. Do we have any questions about alderwoman Moore?

Thank you so much, mister chair.

Of course.

Quick question, Vincent. How many youth serving for Milwaukee Succeeds? Because I used to be a part of Yeah. When you all started. Well, when it started years ago, and it's, you know, transitioned into a, you know, a variety of different things to sort of just where it is now. How many youth agencies do you all work with through Milwaukee succeeds?

You know, you know, I'll I'll see it this way. Right? So we have regular meetings with various youth serving agencies. And sometimes it's the youth themselves, sometimes executive directors. Sure. And those meetings happen on a monthly basis. Mhmm. And there'll be a 150 people kinda on the email list. Yep. But there's a generous cohort of 25 to 40 who kinda show up every month and and talk about the issues that they're facing. You know, obviously, one of the challenges that all of the youth are facing is, you know, their relationship with schools, whether it's public, private. So, you know, those have been a lot of the topics and discussions that we've had in recent months is around, you know, how do I how how am I gonna be successful in a school setting?

Yeah.

And thank you. Thank you so much for that. And I love the fact that we're looking at sort of creating this ecosystem, this sort of infrastructure. I think that's one of the, you know, many different pieces that are missing, you know, from our city because there needs to be, you know, sort of guidance on how young people can get plugged in, what are best practices, and what better yet to, you know, work with, an entity that's already working with, other youth serving, organizations. There are definitely some missing pieces that we, you know, got to figure out how to tie together.

And I hope to, know, for me personally, just because I love the young people, honey, that I continue working with you all and how to figure out how to build that just because as an entity I think we just have to particularly as a as a city we have to figure out how to do that you know especially across departments and agencies that sort of thing how can we value and plug in young people? And again, doing it when it's convenient, paying them, right? You know, supporting their well-being, those sorts of things. But it's but it's a value. Yeah. When the time is appropriate, I would love to move approval.

Sure. Sure. Sure. Do we have any other questions?

Mister chair.

Absolutely. Okay.

Quick just Amber Daniels kinda serving into two hats I suppose as mayor Johnson's council liaison and then also a member of EAC. Excuse me, the mayor was able to get a briefing about the partnership and is excited to put his full support behind it. Just ask that there be a commitment from the EAC chair to have this partnership be discussed at EAC as it is an advisory body and some of the decisions that may need to be made. You know, there's like a leadership component, components and travel, time commitments, etcetera. Stuff like that to be discussed before EAC and I think we meet on the twenty first or the twenty third this month. And so that would be his ask before supporting.

Sure. Cliff and I discussed that prior to this meeting, so we would expect the presentation and the conversation at at EMAT Alderman Chambers.

So would that mean you're asking us to refer it to EAC as opposed to moving?

Just nope. Just have it. Just voicing that commitment. Yeah.

This is a it's actually a it's a grant proposal. That's why it's here. The EAC is an advisory board that would always this we report to this body, so to speak. Alright. So any decision that we make, we can't spend funds, for example. It has to come through this body. So that's that goes without saying. Yeah. So

because I've been impressed with the amount of organizations that I had not heard of coming to EAC. Mhmm. With 25 to 40 organizations, do you have a database that we can refer to and invite Yeah.

To EAC? Absolutely. Your database, we've got tools. You know, one of the things we came up with a couple of years ago was a youth equity ladder.

Mhmm.

Right? And the idea of youth equity ladder is that you as an organization measure yourself about how the the the latter was developed by the youth. Right?

Yep.

Saying, okay. These are the things that make you an organization we're willing to come to. Okay. And we've had organizations take those that that assessment on multiple occasion because you can always improve.

Yes.

Right? Because the kid of 2026 is different than the kid of twenty twenty two.

For sure. Right?

So, you know, those kinds of things are tools that we'd love to see the city and others incorporated to the work of young people.

Amazing tool, by the way.

Yeah. One last topic. I I attended Auto Women Moore's youth symposium, successful, and I had a good time. Congratulations on that. You. So one of the discussions was, you know, there's a bunch of youth groups there, and there's a plethora of things for youth to do. And as I talked to the youth leaders, you know, they're irritated by youth have nothing to do all the time. Yeah. What it is, and I didn't realize this too, that supposedly we're talking to all those leaders. They have something to do up until 9PM.

So it's a 9PM to a 2AM gap where youth need something to do. I don't know And the the to the 2AM. Yes. They should be sleeping. They should be. So that was I was about to say that, Ottoman Chamberlain. They're supposed you know, at a certain age, you should be home or you should know where your children are. But I'm just telling you that's what reality is, and that's what some of the conversation was. So in your Milwaukee succeeds initiative, I don't know if that's a topic of discussion that can be approached and see if we can get some get some feedback on that.

No. I appreciate that. Alright. You know, there's a lot of challenges. Right? You know, so last Saturday, we hosted a youth grant making event. Right? So we invited six different youth organizations who essentially brought their young people. They came up with the idea, basically guaranteed them the money. Right? Mhmm. It's just $4,000, but they're getting them into the process. Understanding what you need to do to write a grant. Understand how you need to sustain a grant. And oftentimes, their ideas are might be a thousand dollar idea, but if you don't have a thousand dollars, it doesn't make a difference.

Right. So those are the kinds of things that we're gonna try and do, but, you know, getting after your issue that you raised, right, when when I wore younger man's clothes, it was the midnight basketball league.

Yes. It was.

But we can't do that for everybody, and we can't do that if people aren't interested in it.

So we gotta think other things. We do. So thank you for coming down. We look forward to the partnership. Order when more, order woman more moves for adoption, hearing no objections, so ordered. Thank you so much. See you in the community. Alright. Next, we have number six two five two zero five four resolution relating to the acceptance and expenditure of a Wisconsin Arts Board 2026 regranting program grant. This is sponsored by Auto Woman Cox. I see her in the building. Auto Woman Cox, would you please come up? Mhmm. Sally's online. Also, we have our Sally, we have Sally online to collaborate with all the women kinds. All the women kinds. Hey. Hello. It's good to see you as always.

That's right, sir.

We got a you got a few things on here today, so you may get started.

I would allow Sally to go ahead and explain. Sure.

Hey, Sally.

Hi. Good afternoon, chairman Stamper, committee members, and community members. My name is Sally Stuttik, and I am a neighborhood business development specialist with the Department of City Development and staff the Milwaukee Arts Board. The grant acceptance resolution before you today is a continuation of a regranting program that the Milwaukee Arts Board has received for decades. Grant funds are from the Milwaukee or sorry, from the Wisconsin Arts Board and are matching funds for the sustaining grant program.

Okay.

In 2025, the Arts Board awarded 47 grants for a total of $276,600 to support local arts focused nonprofits. And before I hand it over to Arts Board Chair Alderman Cox, I'll just mention that I will be before you all again in May with the Arts Board Annual Report Communication File.

Okay.

So if

there are any data points or programs that you'd like me to report on, please do let me know, and I'm happy to follow-up on that

request. Do. Will do. Aldwoman?

I just would urge you all to support it.

Okay. Do you feel that the art board, awareness is in the community?

I think most experienced artists and arts groups are aware

Okay.

Of the art sports.

You in that

community. But when you talk about newer organizations and artists, maybe there's more awareness that they could have. Mhmm. But I think established artists and arts organizations are well aware of the arts.

So no need to do some more promotion or

I mean, promotion. More promotion is always

Yeah. Okay. So we have an adoption. You have a question. Alderman, do me a favor.

Thank you. Sally, are you aware of the request that I had in my district from Arts at Large for mural support? So, like, is this something they can apply to? I guess that's where I'm having a little bit of a disconnect.

It is. Yes. Arts at Large has applied year after year and typically about two of applicants are able to be awarded. We're thinking it might be a little bit higher, more like 70% of those who apply will be able to receive funding this year. And then the organization is able to allocate the grant funds to whatever program they deem most relevant to the arts board purpose. Okay.

I just want to yeah. Sure. Sometimes I didn't know exactly where to connect them, but I'll connect with you offline. Just want to make sure that they know about that cycle. Thank you.

Shelley, do you have offshore? Do you have offhand the highest grant awarded last year?

Yeah. So the highest grant would be $6,000 The grant amounts are based on the organization's budget. So those with a budget of over a $100,000 per year are able to or are eligible for 6,000. And then the smaller organizations under a $100,000 a year are eligible for $3,000 grant.

Is that three?

Okay. Three. Yep.

Yeah. All of them are more.

She answered. Thank you, Sally. That answered my And really quick, on average, how many grant recipients do you or applicants, not grant applicants do you normally apply for this pot of money every year?

Yeah so this year there are 61 currently being reviewed by the panel and scored last year I believe there was sixty sixty five sixty six so yeah right in that range between sixty and seventy each year. And we're usually able to award about 47.

And based on those sort of applicants, what's the total that as far as funds? Just because I want people to understand that, you know, this is a coveted sort of grant award right that so many applicants apply. Do you have any sense of the total amount that based on the applications what's the total amount that is applied for? Because I think the capacity was a 57,000?

Yes. So the total awarded last year was 276,600. I don't have the amount that was applied for in front of me. I don't want to waste any time looking that up. I'd be happy to bring that back some statistics on the past couple of years in May. And then by May, I'll also have the information from this year's grant if that's an acceptable answer

Yes, ma'am.

For you all the one warrant.

Yeah. Appreciate that. Thank you.

Thank you. With that, Alderman Jackson moves for adoption. Hearing no objections are ordered. Thank you very much, Sally. Number seven two five two zero nine six substitute resolution reallocating up to $1,000 in the community and economic development fund from the MKE Business Now Entrepreneurship Summit to the two thousand twenty six Girls Day at City Hall event. Auto Woman, congratulations on another successful event. Next year, I'm gonna sign Kendall Imani Stamper up early. And get her part of this learning and leadership opportunity. Senator Taylor did awesome. I'm just how did I'm almost done, brother.

Let me know. So when finish your cachetto,

you know. All the woman cogs, you're on the floor. You just you just moving some money?

Yeah. Just moving some money.

Alright. Alderman Jackson moves for adoption hearing. Objection. So order. Thank you. Okay. Number 8251707. Substitute resolution directing the Department of City Development to work with the Milwaukee Health Department and any other relevant agencies to create strategies for the retention and attraction of the full of full service grocery stores and pharmacies. This is sponsored by a number of older men and women. Order woman Cox is the lead sponsor. We have order in Pratt, order in chambers, order woman Taylor, order in Perez, order in Jackson, and order in Stamper. With that, Matt, Alderman Cox, you guys want to start the discussion off?

Yeah. I know that it is worth that many council members and the administration is attempting to do to address the issue of food deserts, the issue of food apartheid, and the issue truly about the health of the citizens that we represent and their access to grocery stores and pharmacies. My district, like many others, has seen grocery stores leave and pharmacies leave as well. And I always sit back and look at a problem and think about, you know, what are the things that we could be thinking about and planning for that could help to lead towards solutions. And the combination of the two offices of Department of City Development and Health Department, I thought, were good to start to have that dialogue about what can be done and what should be done in order to both retain and attract full service grocery and pharmacy.

If you read the legislation in totality, though, it also speaks to, you know, people's buying habits and how the pattern of how people access goods changes every single day. And there may be some neighborhoods that a a a full service grocery store may not be realistic, but the need to have access to fresh fruits and vegetables is still there. So it also encourages them in their recommendations to think kind of holistically about just access and what kind of recommendations they will bring forward to so my hope is that along with the other pieces of legislation that we'll have a body of things to look at as a council and make some decisions about what we might be willing to support or not or how to design certain programs or whatever on how to make some of the stuff happen. Throughout time, I know it's almost every one of you I've had conversations with about this access stuff.

Right.

And we've talked about everything from delivery to people's doors, Audra Woman, Demetri, and I've had that conversation to the mobile stuff. Mhmm. I took one full service grocery stores Yeah. To replace some of the ones that have left each of our neighborhoods. And we're all having the same conversation, but just trying to be intentional in what those things look like to help that we should be doing. Mhmm. So because what I don't want is years from now us sitting here in store after store

Yep. Yeah.

After store, pharmacy after pharmacy continue to leave because the need in our community is great. And lastly, I know everybody's focused on grocery predominantly, but I chose to make it both for this reason. When we were dealing with the aftermath of George Floyd situation,

I

a Walgreens in my district had been vandalized, and it was closed. And I remember the next day standing outside and seeing so many elders pull up or walk up off the bus and be disappointed to read the sign and say, hey. You need to go to a different pharmacy. And I saw the anger from family members who were bringing their grandma and their mom or whatever, And it really hit home for me how critically important it is for us to have pharmacies right in our neighborhoods for access, not just for the elders, but overwhelmingly. Like that day was heavy, not just because of everything else, but I didn't go out there thinking I would see that.

Right.

But I did. And so I know how important the pharmacy is to our residents as well. And just as much attention as we're paying to the food, we should also be paying attention to the pharmacy. That's why in this legislation, I put it together in hopes that they come back with some great recommendations that we can vet with the community and make some decisions as a council on how we can proactively work to both retain and attract Excellent. Including firms.

Excellent. Did you put a

time limit on this one? Sixty days.

Sixty. Okay. So this aligns with the other others we did. So I appreciate you and your patience and letting me hold this to this cycle so we can do all of the grocery store initiatives together. We did a bunch at steering the rules on Monday. We did three. Mhmm. And we have three today. So after this council will put a big push on what the city and the alderman and the community can do to support and retain grocery stores and pharmacies. So questions? Let's see. Audrowman Demetra Everest and Audrowman Moore.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you, Aldrowman. If you're accepting, I would love to be a cosponsor in support of this. I really appreciate you adding pharmacies because that is huge.

Your introduction of this item here, it's not introduction because you've been talking about it for a while, About the changing models, I think, is so important because there are a lot of different methods and, you know, there's even just new grocery store. Like I just recently even tried out a Meijer's the other day. Hadn't even been into Meijer's. And like it's just such a different model, like that has everything in their department store too. But for some people, it might be much smaller.

And so where I'm going with that is I hope that since DCD is here, too, that we're looking at other models like co op, and I hope that you will also include full municipalization of grocery stores as well because I have to say it because if maybe someone else say it, but I'll say it too, and I've been saying it, is that part of the reason we're here is corporate greed. So they're the ones that gave us the bad data. They're the ones that blamed it on other people. When they're only making money making decisions and when they make a little bit of a different profit or not, they don't care who's left out in the cold. And they're leaving our city and they're leaving our neighborhoods because they believe it's not making a model for them.

And that is not what other groups do. We have some other community groups. I could go through all the pharmacies. Think of one that I like a lot, Hyatt. But these are neighborhood led that care about our community. They were giving out formula and diapers and things like that. So I just have to say that I do believe this is part of a corporate greed. It has to be said over and over that it's not, you know, by chance. It's a premeditated corporate divestment that they keep doing, whether it be pharmacy, grocery, youth recreation, name it. And I'm just really tired of it.

And so I want to make sure that we include municipalization because it's funny because once we start even saying that word, then they want to come to the table and talk. Right.

That's what it's wanting.

Yeah. I didn't mean to snap but ahead.

No. Excellent. Excellent. Alderman Moore.

Yeah. Thank you. Thank you for your words, Alderman. And I I too, Alderman Cos would love to be added as a cosponsor Absolutely. To this really great legislation. When you talk about the pharmacy closing, that Walgreens is right down the street from my mother-in-law. And I remember when we but pulled up

and it was just like

oh no you know where you have to go somewhere else and trying to coordinate and figuring out and again she's not a driver. Right right so she has to either uber or we pick her up drop her off that sort of thing- and so really. This you know comes to the crux at how do we keep these. Things in the neighborhood- I you know the way here- to City Hall- I stopped off to see my daughter she works at a Walgreens and the GM was there and I said you know and I said let me introduce myself and say. Hey please. Talk to us connect with

us let us know how

we can support because- they're the only ones in the neighborhood you know because I and I don't have. I have one full service grocery store which is a century which is located on 71st. And Lisbon we're doing construction. On Lisbon the barricades are up and there's not good signage and he's probably lost about 40 of his business. You know due to the construction and people not knowing how to access you know him you know easily so I so I'm glad that the pharmacy portion is on there but you know hope that we also think about our existing spaces and how we can support those grocers as well because they've been in community for many, many, many years. So thank you so much for your leadership on this.

Yeah. Thank you. Thank you very much.

Mr. Chair? Yeah.

Alder Woman.

Yeah. I just wanted to speak also to the pharmacy piece. I'll say in my since I've been elected, two pharmacies have closed in my district, Walgreens on on Setonia and Capital and CVS on Setonia and Villard. I have one Walgreens left that the last time I got the police report they had 68 items on it. And so I know that a lot of these companies use, they say that you know it's theft.

For instance, the Aldi's told me the issue was decreased foot traffic, which I do not believe, but that it is important that we know that when it comes to pharmacies, the medicine is important, but sometimes those pharmacies are also our grocery store, and so many people use those Walgreens and that CVS to get formula, to get diapers, to get essential needs that you can't get, and usually your local corner store is not going to carry because even when I try to get corner stores to carry that kind of stuff, they say I can't make, you know, I don't make money off of it. So they don't. So we need these pharmacies. They are important to to our neighbors and to our to elder elder neighbors, especially those who don't drive and can't access it. I felt like the Walgreens on Tetonia and Capital, I felt like everybody's grandmother lived near that Walgreens.

It really did when they closed. Right. And trying to get medicine to people's grandparents from there has been difficult. And a lot of people do have that barrier with technology so it's not about you ordering online because you don't know

how to. You don't have

a phone that can allow you to do that. So we have to think out of the box, think about what we can do and I appreciate working with Alderman Cox to to create this and see what we can do going forward.

Yeah. Yeah. The is that we want every option on the table. Alderman Zamaripa, do have

the permission to be added as a co Spencer

as well?

Sure. For sure. Alright. So, Matt, earlier this week, we discussed that our internal group you have. How does it align with what this initiative is going to do?

Yeah, Matt Redrick, Department of City Development and I think it aligns very well. I think under the leadership of the mayor's office, the Department of City Development and the health department are already doing research on the quantifiable data that we have, but also expanding that into the lived experiences of residents to make sure that what we are ultimately looking into is realistic and is going to be best informed by the best practices of So this absolutely, we will be you know, working hard and working collaboratively with Alderman Cogs and we look forward to continue diving into this issue.

Excellent. So on that topic and the discussion, we would like to add a community portion. And this particular group called the Food Justice Collective has been meeting for nine months. And there's a bunch of leaders in the grocery industry as long with leaders in the community. So, is there a pathway to add them part of this initiative and this this, these meetings and ways to all come to the same purpose in bringing grocery stores and pharmacies to the community?

Yeah, I think there's definitely involvement that we can have with the Food Justice Collective. I've met with them on a number of occasions and I look to continue doing that and continuing to liaison with them. But that is I think a really important part of when I mentioned lived experiences. That's we want to hear those voices and incorporate that information into that. So, I think that's something I'll coordinate with the mayor's office and try to see how we, you know, might be able to incorporate, you know, that organization in particular into this effort.

Awesome. Do have any questions or comments by the committee? No. Well, we do have members from the Food Justice Collective here. I'd like to offer them some time to discuss their program and see if they how they can align with the departments and the strategies on bringing forth

While they come up, I will say this. I told the story about the unrest in the Walgreens standing there.

Yeah.

That Walgreens later, as you all know, did close as well. So the community is dealing with the devastation, all of that. But I've also had and it's funny as you bring the community up. But I've also had the pleasure of fighting alongside active community members for a full service grocery store when the owner of the building was trying to though he promised a full grocery store, was trying to deliver a big box retailer. Okay. And so Beef? Yeah. So, we had the success of. Uh-huh. Blocking the Dollar Tree so that and attracting the Pete's and it was very intentional work that had to be done in order for that to happen.

So, so part of the thinking behind legislation like this Okay. Is from a lived experience from and it took community. It took the stakeholders in the area. It took, you know, city officials to really think outside the box about how to make it happen. And it took a willing partner in Pete's and the ownership in Pete's to to go to go into the space as well.

Oh my god. That was a big moment in Milwaukee history. What year was that?

I don't know. What? Five years ago, maybe?

No. Wait. Ten? Wait. Oh my god.

Yeah. But what what

A lot of years ago.

I think I think it's like ten.

I'm trying

to figure out where I was.

I think we're in the eleventh year now.

2000 and We're

in the eleventh year because I think they just celebrated ten years last year.

That's why was at the because I remember that, and I remember the crowds. I remember the community stepped up and said, we don't want this Family Dollar. We want a grocery store. Mhmm. I don't know what the key was. I know you brought I know Rocky did a good job in bringing the leadership of Pete's. But Pete's has been doing so they've been sustaining over there.

It's definitely not been easy, but they're there. They're still there, and they're still offering fresh fruits and vegetables and meat and all that to the community, and they hire from the community and all of that as well. I give great credit to president Perez for coming to me and saying, you still need a grocer? Well, I got one in my district that I think might

work for you. Yeah.

And he made the introduction, And we went over there, sat and met with the owners, and then then I have connected them to Rocky Markku, who was the commissioner of DCD at that time. Then Rocky, myself, and the ownership went over there, and we did a walk around. And, ultimately, it is Kaylin Haywood with Haywood Development Group Mhmm. That was able to help them get across the finish line with the development of the full project. But MEDC helps and several other entities.

But also, ultimately, the big box retailer did have a twenty year lease for that. And by zoning rights, they could've just opened. In fact, they had stuff on the shelves, had a countdown in the window, had higher staff, and everything. But 51% of their sales was food. So it's the one thing that they still had to come back here and that community got to weigh in

on. Right.

So when I talk about collaboration and the power of community to get what they want, over 60 members of the community and stakeholders showed up and testify on things relevant to the ordinance about food that they didn't that they didn't want the license here for. Other council members took pictures of their Dollar Trees and the the litter and the stuff like that they were able to use. So we introduced evidence like that. I got the the the police car report from six other Dollar Trees across the city that one of them had 1,200 cars or so. So through the through the tools we have Right.

In a way that we're allowed to, we were able to present a case that the big box retailer had didn't they didn't see it coming. With all those residents, all those stakeholders. Community. And facts and data and information. So ultimately, DCD continued to work with them and and they decided to to not open that location and to move away, then the work began of actually attracting Mhmm. A store. And we had to meet with several before we ultimately got to the right fit, which was Pete's. But none of that would have been possible

Yeah.

If it wasn't for resident involvement

Yeah.

Along the way.

I wonder, is anybody from DCD still here from that time frame just for because that was a perfect example. Mhmm. It's it's different times, but that model can be used as we try to promote and bring grocery stores here now. So, I don't know. Is anybody still there? Matt, were you here?

I'm fine.

Yeah, you were here, weren't you?

I was not. I was not. I I can assure you, there were DCD staff who are still who I have actually learned about that history from.

Yeah.

Who are still around. So, yes, that is definitely something.

More than in Milwaukee history. Alright. Excellent. That's a great for the story. So, we have Metcalf leaders, food, justice, collaborative leaders. Thank you for coming down. You guys had a busy day today. I saw you earlier. It's always good to see you. Appreciate your time and effort to coming down to City Hall. Please let us know about the food justice collaborative and how you like to partner with the city and and our effort to bring healthy and fresh grocery stores and pharmacies to the to the neighborhood.

Help you out because you keep messing up the name, Russell.

I got Food Justice Collective. Collective or collaborative.

Let me

start messing with Okay. Collaborative.

How y'all doing? I'm Melody McCurtis. I'm the lead organizer for Metcalf Park Community Bridges. Good to see y'all again. Two times in a week.

Yes.

So just to clarify, the Food Justice Collective is a county wide group of folks. We have folks who own grocery stores in that collective. We have folks who ran a pay what you can grocery store during the pandemic. We have farmers. We have folks that have big land, and we have folks that have small land.

We have inspiring food entrepreneurs in that collective. We have community members not just from Metcalf Park, but throughout everybody's district that's been coming to the table for nine months. The first goal was to just do emergency town hall which we did nine months ago. We had over a 110 folks come to that that that first meeting and the first goal was to make sure that Pick n Save didn't leave quietly. So, as we heard on Monday, three years ago, Walmart left.

Walgreens made an announcement that they were going to close 1,200 stores by 2027. So, we knew that this was a trajectory that not just Metcalfe Park was gonna face, but the whole city of Milwaukee was gonna face. Two years ago, we lost our only clinic. So we saw the trends when it came to food, pharmacy, and then even housing, right, when 50% of Milwaukee is not owned by folks who live in Milwaukee. Right? So these are layering issues our community is facing. So we can't just focus on groceries, so I wanna clarify that too. The Food Justice Collective works on four different things. So the working groups is policy and zoning. That's why we're here today.

We need some policy. Why are these folks able to just leave with no notice? Right? Mhmm. What other land use out there that we can look at to really be like, hey, these four lots is specifically for food. Right? Whether that's outdoor market, whether that's I'm pulling up with the groceries, right? Can we designate land and underutilized commercial buildings that the county might own and that the city might own to make sure we're creating walkable communities and creating a whole new food ecosystem because we're up against corporate greed. So that that that group is working on that. Then we have community led solutions and mutual aid.

So all the community power fridges was birthed out of that. Right? All of the the community pop ups, the mutual aid sheds, really folks circulating what they have in their excess, working with farmers to go glean from other markets, bringing that back so folks can have access to food in real time as we work on the long term solutions. Mhmm. The other working group is the coop and grocery store creation.

So we have folks that are finna go get trained at UWM to get that cooperative education so that they can start a foundation to actually build out what does it mean to be in business and and practice with each other to bring the things that we need. We need to start with that same foundation. We also have folks looking at municipally ran grocery stores. So, we're working with the county as well to look at that and I know the county wants to pursue a joint city county task force around food and pharmacy. So, that group is working on that.

We also have another group which is the political struggle group. So, we have been doing opt ins. We have been working with media to really dispel the lie of these stores are leaving because of theft. When we know it's their bottom line, right? Really making the connections around Snap is under attack. Medicare and Medicaid is under attack. All of these things is domino effect. So, that this group over nine months have been able to really get some some amazing things done. The Mekkah Park people's pantries was birthed out of that. Advocating, going to these different hearings, the county declare a food apartheid, a public health crisis because we gotta name the real problem.

And if we not naming the real problem, if these stores are not naming, they don't got foot traffic because the city been doing this this road work for three years with no end in sight, and they just going with the theft model, that ain't helping nobody if they ain't keeping it real. Right? Mhmm. So if if the stores I just met with Century, they're locked into a deal with Century. They have to spend 8,000,000 in food before they can end their contract with Century, and their food is high. The milk was $6. If p if your milk is $6, but I can go to Aldi's and get my milk for $2, why am I coming to your store? So we gotta really name what's really happening Yeah. And we have to work with media and ourselves Yeah. To really say what is the root cause, what is the problems, and then that political struggle group is also hitting doors.

So going to folks that's not at this hearing. This hearing is at 01:30 in the middle of the day. My community can't come here if it ain't after five. Right? Because they're working. So we're gonna be here, but we're gonna also go and check-in with community at the start, middle, and the end because they need to be the beneficiaries of whatever is developed in a community. So that collective has been open for everybody. So we got folks from every body of government, different departments. We got county departments on there, city departments on there. So I feel like if the city is creating our door has been open.

We need y'all doors to be open too. We do not want to rubble rubber stamp anything. We want to be in the process with y'all. So, we will want the mayor and whatever he cooking up, it needs to be a centralized

Yeah.

Location. And I'll pass it to Corinne and Danil if I miss something.

So what was big in this legislation by Alderman Cox is and any other relevant agencies to create strategies. You guys been working for nine months. It's only right for them to see what you guys have and work together. Danelle?

Well, first, I would just wanna say thank you so much for caring for me. I felt so special when y'all talked about the elderly and their medicine.

Donnell. I mean, really. Everybody know you, but we still

need No. What I'm

saying is that yourself. I'm Danelle Cross.

Thank

you. Representing Metcalf Park Community Bridges. Thank you. I'm on life sustaining medication and it's a difference between you getting a burn and you needing some cream or you needing medication to keep your life going.

Yeah.

And so, when pharmacies close, they actually put people who need life sustaining medication at risk of dying. So even, you know, I want good food, but I wanna be alive to eat it. You know what I'm saying? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I wanna be alive to eat it. So pharmacies, you know, it can't go without saying we have to say we need our pharmacies. Yes. The other thing I wanted to say is that Mekai Park has a reputation.

Mekkah Park Community Bridges has a reputation of success. And the reason we have a reputation of success is because we are led by the community. Mhmm. They make us look like some geniuses because they are some geniuses. They know the answers to the problems.

And so one of the things that we really want for our city is that we get to a place that infrastructure that we talked about where we all working together so that we can all benefit from the geniuses in the community, meaning making sure that the collective is at the table, designing what happens because they're gonna make us look good. Mhmm. That's what's gonna make the difference. And I see us getting to that point. I see silos breaking down everywhere. Mhmm. Today, we was together this morning. We're back together this afternoon. I see silos breaking down in the community Mhmm. Across communities.

And so even when bad stuff happen, great things come out of it. I think this is one of the great things coming out of it. And then I'm going to that's all I wanted to say.

Okay.

And I'm gonna turn it over to one of our community geniuses. Take it from there. Thank you.

Hi. Good afternoon. I'm Cameron Dennison, and I am here representing myself as a relevant community member. I live in Metcalf. I'm a owner resident. I have two raised beds and a vegetable garden. I have a master's degree from Marquette, which is a privilege of mine, which allows me to be able to leverage my position as a community member to come into rooms and sit next to these beautiful folks. I'm super thrilled to be in this space and learn for all of the motions and the things that are happening.

Is my

first time being in city

hall. Oh, really?

Right. Yeah. Right. Yeah. Right. So I had no idea what

we were in here to

do. I

was like, oh. Welcome. Business.

This is government business, and it's an opportune time for me to be in these spaces to better understand how they work, what is the language that actually lands, how do I actually ask a question that gets responded to, or you know what I mean? In those kinds of ways, civic engagement can be incredibly nuanced and inaccessible from even the es in the hood. Right? You know what I mean? I know stuff, but it's a lot that I don't even know how to wedge a foot in the room.

And so I'm super thankful to Melody and to Danelle to even, one, be passing me the torch to demonstrate trust to me, and I'm proud, and I'm super excited. So I've been part of the Food Justice Collective for the entire time. I'm also gonna be a board member for our impending need that's going on. And I'm in ECHO, which is a civic engagement program. And so of the young people, people wanna do stuff.

I'm I

I can I keep saying I'm young, but I'm 28, but I got childless?

You you a elder. You a elder.

Okay. I'll take I'm an elder youth. Okay. And

Elder youth.

I got a lot of energy and a lot of want and a lot of, like, ugh. And I don't necessarily know where to put it. Mhmm. And I don't know how to use it. And I think that it's true for a lot of people behind me. That is true for a lot of people that I I'm acting as the bridge between. And so it's important to me to be in here and then be like, y'all know, today, they they decided to move a thousand dollars

from one place. You know

what I mean?

And we have some conversations. So then

So those couch conversations actually become sincere knowledge conversions in

Mhmm.

For the people who are not able to get in the room. Yes. I don't know what my point was, but

I am ingratitude. Point is this is why we need a a a centralized place where all of this expertise, all of these different departments, the city, all that we need to be in one room because we can learn from each other and whatever is created is supported by the community like Alderman Cox said, the community was at the start, the middle, the end. Right. They're ten years in. They're utilizing the store because it's a store that they wanted. Right? What I don't want is somebody to be in one room and the outcome is orange. In a community in another room and they want a lemon. Mhmm. And but we got

a orange.

We create another problem. Right? So how are we cross connecting to create we we wanna grow Milwaukee. Right? We want a walkable city. It's some it's some ideas for that. Right? And, like, Korean, you're you're doing intergenerational teaching. You're showing people how to grow food. All of this money that's coming down should not just be for grocery stores that ain't even probably gonna stay. Mhmm. Because that's what they telling us. Right? How are we supporting the local farmers? How are we supporting folks' ability to grow their own food? So when we think about alternatives, not just coops, not just business models, but how do we have an abundance of food across our city in new and different ways?

Yep. And to that point, one last component, and that's for the local farmers and the people who grow food. Matt, there's one more group that I wanna add to this collaborative, and it's based on a bunch of organizations that I had gathered. So I'm a former actual group, but then added to the to this legislation. But here here are some names. Second Harvest, Cage Community Agriculture Growing. We got this. Alice's Garden, Walnut Way, the Food Network, and Victory Garden. So that's another group that works with growing food, producing food, and having young people, teaching young how to

I would

add teams grow greens as well.

Yeah. Who

who would add who?

Grow greens. Teams grow greens.

And a lot of those folks is a part of the collective art. Yeah. Absolutely. Yeah. So yeah.

So that's a specific local farming part. So this is great. Thank you all for coming down. Thank you for your leadership leadership to all of the council and particularly Alderman Cox. We look forward to this, Matt. You know, we got high hopes. Keep us posted. Please reach out or give us a process on how you're gonna do it. Anything from us, let us know. And we look forward to the next ninety days.

We'll do. Thank you very much. Approval.

Whatever action.

Before I move approval, I do

just wanna say this on the record for Mac.

I got you.

Although I didn't although I didn't put it in the legislation, my expectation would be, and it may be covered by some of the other food legislation. But other woman Pratt and I did had the opportunity to meet with some of the county folks and their real desire to to create some solutions around this issue too. Mhmm. And because they may have access to different resources than we do, I think it's important that as you all, you know, do community and the DCD and the health department and everybody as you think of these solutions that you also be inclusive of the county because. Right. It may be stuff they can do that we can't. They're working together. It's I think just better recommendations will come out of it because I I do see that desire there. That's right. Yeah.

So that's everybody. Right? City, county, community. Yep. Alright, man. You got a big job. Thank you. Alderman Moore moves for adoption. Hearing objects are so ordered. Thank you so much. Excellent.

I just wanna

say I. I.

I'm say I. Alright. Thank you. Number 9252. You got it. Y'all have an excellent day. Number 9. We got 252087. Substitute resolution designating April 26 through 05/02/2026 at U as youth victory over violence week in the city of Milwaukee. We are joined by alderwoman Taylor and mister Tracy Dent. Alright. You all alderman Taylor, you have the floor.

Thank you so much. Of course. Well, we're here to talk about something that I think is really important to all of us, something that, you know, that that we have been really working at just trying to figure out how to help our youth. And so Uh-huh. This is something that has been going on that I've been involved with for the last four years. I first became knowledgeable of youth victory over violence about four years ago when it was hosted in my district at one of our schools. Okay. And it's a a program where youth are given an opportunity to talk about what they need.

Mhmm.

Right? And and then it's it's another opportunity for adults to help focus their energy before the summer in a positive way. And so it's a program that was created by Tracy Dent where it happened all in one day. So it was where youth come to the table, they talk to the CLOs, the older persons, and other people that were in leadership positions and staff from the school to help talk about what they experienced and what the solutions could be. Yeah.

And the very first year, they did music video that really spoke against violence, gun violence, and I believe it was focused on a young man. His mom was present, and the young man lost his life to gun violence, and mom was there. So it just put a face to what really is happening in in our city. Yes.

So

so after about four years, I think the following year, we were in Pratt District. Mhmm. Where again, that program took place at another school.

Okay.

And then the last year, we were in Alderman Cox District at Howard Fuller School.

Mhmm.

And it's just been a really great program just focused on things that our youth could do positive to just really refocus their energy. Talk about what's happening. Right? But then say, hey, here are some alternatives for you. Just get involved. And and so instead of doing it for one day at one school, it would be really good to be able to focus on a whole week at several schools.

Yeah.

So eventually, that's that's what the goal is, is to begin to just branch out and just really get the community involved to come up with some creative ways of helping our youth. So this year again, it's going to be focused at, Howard Fuller School.

Okay.

Again, in Alderman Cox District. There's a peace walk at the end that we did, you know, just creating that, again, that positive energy and inviting community members to be involved. So there's other schools that really would like to take part in this. And so that's that's the goal eventually is that that week where this group can move that positive energy from school to school to really impact more and more of our youth in a positive way. For sure.

So, and I'm going to turn it over to Tracy Dent now, kind of talk about its inception and and some of the things that they do during that day that we hope to be able to do during that week.

I'm missing. Did you were you targeting middle schools or high schools?

Actually, it's been both.

It's been both. Okay. Mhmm. Mister Dick, good to see you. Hello, everyone

and thank you for having me here today.

For sure.

You know, I've been in this community as a activist and an organizer for over twenty years, about twenty years now. So, I've seen the good and the bad of Milwaukee and our youth and you know, the thing is is that when we are trying to solve youth issues, we have to bring them to the table. Because they can help solve the issues what's going on with the youth because they know what is needed and the past four years, we have worked with total of over 1,300 students. That's between middle school and high school. Working with Milwaukee Excellence and then two years ago, they integrated with they merged with doctor Howard Fuller School, which is in all the Women Cogs District for sure.

So, you you know, some of the the topics that we work on is mental health which is a real big issue in in our community and especially dealing with our youth. We also talk about healthy relationships. You know, you know, boy, girl, what is what is acceptable, what's not acceptable. We also talk about healthy when it comes to social media. That was that's another important topic that needs to be addressed.

We also talk about bullying. We also talk about gun violence. So it's diff these topics come from the youth. They say that we want we wanna know more about these topics so that we can go out there and be leaders and and help reduce youth violence in our communities. I think that the reason that I chose the last week of April is because for people that do not know is that in the city of Milwaukee, May is violence prevention month.

That was a resolution that was spearheaded by Ashanti Hamilton back in the day and as well as myself. So we want to, like, you know, go into the month of of May so we can go into the to the summer month, you know, in a in a positive, you know, positive motion, I guess.

Yep. Yep.

And we do have the Office of Wellness and Safety supports this. They are a partnership since day one. Also, like I said, Doctor Howard Fuller School is also is a partnership. A lot of community leaders because what we do is we bring community leaders into the school and and and do the workshops. So, it's like, you know, we got community leaders, mentoring, and and working with the youth to try to make a difference in ours in our city.

Awesome. We

want we want to expand this to other schools.

So I wanna invite you to we talked about the youth emerging council earlier. I'd like to invite you down there to that next committee to Okay. Give a Because a lot of different youth activity and a lot of different youth development that we all need to be aware of. So congratulations to this. Tracy Denton, all the women, thank you for this. Appreciate your leadership on this, and I know the council has your full back and support on this. I'm sure you're working with all the more on some type of youth. We're make

sure I'm added as a cosponsor and just thank Sure. I'm Ottawa Matalin, Of course, Tracy Van for their leadership on this. I did get an opportunity to attend some of the activities last year. Heard from some well spoken genius of some young people

Yeah.

From how I feel of that. Quite honestly, their words will start moving that. I think one of the sponsors off the cuff went up there, and then his words were saying he was so moved that he was giving each of them a scholarship

Yeah.

For the words. The five young people spoke at this event we were at.

And who was inspired?

The law firm.

Oh, Michael Huepe and Abraham. Mister Abraham gave out five $1,000 scholarships to the students

Yeah.

That was speaking. They saw figures.

And he literally just made it up as he because he heard them and were was so moved by them. All of us were moved by the young people and the words that they shared and the testimonies that they gave. And I think, you know, it only gets better each year that you do it, and I and I hope that, you know, especially in a moment of all the things we talk about and see on social media with the takeovers and the lack of activities for kids, all these things that people talk about, it's great to see young people engaged and something so positive.

Right.

Mhmm. So I look forward to it being in the district. But even if it wasn't in my district, I think it's a a great idea and at least an opportunity for young folks to have an outlet Yes. As well. So I'd like to be a sponsor, and thank you.

Excellent. Excellent.

Thank you.

Please add me as well.

Awesome. Thank you.

Miss Carmen. Anybody else have any comments? Well, we look forward to that week. Please keep us posted on how we could support. If you wanna come to the fifteenth, Washington High School, all the MCPs, North Division is available. Awesome.

I would love to come and, you know, just need the the time and everything.

Sure. Details. Let me know. We could work together and get you in a presentation or some some workshops at one of those schools. Yes, sir. Excellent job. Thank you so much. With that Thank you. Alderman Jackson moved for adoption. Hearing no objections so ordered. Thank you guys so much. Thank you. Alright. Alright. Next, we have 10. Is all of them is on a repo line? 252104 resolution rescinding common council file two five one six five eight relating to an official city event. This is sponsored by Aldo and Maripa, Perez, and Dimitrevich. Aldo Aldo woman, you wanna talk about it?

Yes. This is number 10.

Yes.

Yes. This is simply a resolution we're sending the Cesar Chavez Day, allocation out of the Community Excellence Fund, and ensuring that it will no longer be celebrated here as an official city event given the circumstances around Cesar Chavez, as you know.

Yes. Alright. Thank you. With that, orderwoman Demetrevich moves for adoption. Hearing no objections to order. Number eleven two five two one zero seven, substitute resolution allocating up to $11,000 from the MKE Community Excellence Fund for official city events. Orderwoman Zamarepa?

Yes. Thank you, mister chair. Of course. And thank you for your support around this, very bittersweet time, as we were hoping to have this celebration in March. I appreciate the support of the chair and the committee around allocating

out of

the Milwaukee Community Excellence Fund something to celebrate. Sisat Chavez Day, understanding now that the community is asking for us to repeal that. Since our Chavez Day City event, I did work with President Perez, also Alderman Dimitrivich around how we can still utilize the allocation to lift up our community. Mhmm. And so you have before you a proposed substitute that Carmen should have handed out to everyone.

She do. Do we have a motion? Alderwoman Dimitrivich moves to present the proposed substitute a. Hearing no objection, so order.

Thank you, mister chair and

Of course.

The woman. And so the proposed substitute you have before you will still utilize that allocation from the Milwaukee Community Excellence Fund. Now instead of the Cesar Chavez Day event, we have three community events coming forward that will be designated as official city events.

Okay.

Mean Milwaukee, that's being led by Alderman Dimitrevich, as well as Hispanic Heritage Month, which is already a recognized, city event and Leaders Igniting Transformation, Bridging Voices in Alderman Perez's district.

Awesome. Alright. Do you have dates for these or are they coming forth later?

Hispanic Heritage Month, I do. As you know, it's celebrated in the fall mid September to mid October. Okay. The other two, I would defer to Alderman Demetra vich and Alderman Perez.

Alright. Well, you know, we want to support as much as we can. You want to let us know when they want to come about?

Yes. Thank you. The me Milwaukee. Mi in Spanish is mine, so Mi Milwaukee. It would be a day of action, likely actually we're considering possibly in September as well to highlight Hispanic Heritage Month, and the idea is to make everyone in the community feel included like a day of action, getting your library card, getting, you know, connected with the health department, The list could go on and on applying for an open job.

But we had to obviously recalibrate would be the word a little bit and still have a day of service, but we really want people to feel connected Milwaukee that they feel included. So that's the me Milwaukee and likely in September.

Okay. Excellent. Any questions or comments by the committee? Hearing none, older woman Moore moves for adoption. Keep us posted on the dates. Hearing no objections or order. Thank you all so much. Thank you.

Thank you, mister chair.

You're welcome. Number twelve, two five one nine two five resolution related to allocation allocating funds from the large impact development fund. This is sponsored by auto woman Pratt and I. This came about on some money that was discovered in the community economic development block grant office. Thank you to the leadership of director Higgins. Auto woman Pratt and I have had extensive discussions on how we would like to see this money money spent. They presented a program.

Why did you want

that money?

I'm sorry? Oh, I'm I'm

I'm saying that.

Alderman Jackson was a big part of it, I was gonna do it on the next because you found that money. But it's as I discussed this, it's this is

12. Right?

I am on 12.

Oh, how

So as I discussed this, y'all

Yes, sir.

I'm going how I remember idea by idiot, but Alderman Jackson is a big part of it. I was gonna highlight that partnership on the next one. But, yes, we're all part of this. This is a we all lose the grocery stores. We're all working together.

It's just who did what first. So we all have been meeting for the last couple months trying to see what's best. We had even had a matrix. So this this this this program came out of a matrix of a of a plethora of ideas from councilmen and the and the mayor's office and the block grant office bringing us a program that we can support. So we have a million dollars large impact fund going for grocery stores and once you guys talk about how it's going to be run and highlights of the program.

Sure. Thank you. Oh, excuse me. I'm sorry.

May I have a motion for this proposed sub a?

So moved, yeah.

Alderman Demi Travis moves to propose sub a hearing. Objection to order. Thank you, director Higgins. Thank you for good to see you. Tell us about this program.

Thank you, mister chair and committee members. The large impact development fund was created really just around economic development. When earlier this year or late last year, the mayor had talked to a bunch of the administration and departments to say, hey. Find us. Do some research and work on on grocery and food stores to as far as programs and other things in order to make sure we can try to retain and attract new grocery stores.

The large impact development fund actually fits very well for that because it's really just about job creation and supporting for profit businesses, whether they're expanding or new businesses out there. The idea to move it into the Department of City Development works really well because they already have the infrastructure for loan programs or grant programs through NIDC. And so that's why we wanted to go through to make it very, very easy and accessible and work with in collaboration with other ideas that the council had around being able to, you know, food and and grocery store and drugstores. I mean, all of that falls right in line with what the large impact development would do.

Excellent. Excellent. Alright. Questions by the committee. Alright. So who's eligible for this? And you wanna talk about some of the how you apply?

Yeah. So program design, I'll sort of leave that up to DCD because we work with them to get the funds there. It really needs to go through a nonprofit. Yeah. And so DCD has that arm set up with there. So we set up a program sort of based on some things we've already done with other businesses or that DCD has done with other businesses. And now we're just targeted toward grocery and food and drug and drug providers. Excellent. Matt, you

want to talk about it a little bit?

Sure. Sure. So, yeah, still kind of building out the infrastructure for an application form, but we hope to have something publicly available on our website similar to how the commercial revitalization grant funds are administered where an applicant could go to our website, go on form site and fill in their application information that we could then consider under this program. We're really trying to cast a pretty wide net in terms of who might be eligible here. It would be for profit grocery stores,

but we would

also extend that to co ops and certain nonprofits who are who would fit the criteria being able to sell groceries or pharmaceuticals to eligible applicants.

Excellent. Excellent. So, talk about some highlights. This Milwaukee has experienced repeated grocery and pharmacy closures, particularly in the historically disinvested neighborhoods. This program is designed to prevent closures, stabilize locally owned retailers, expand local pharma access, and improve fresh food and pharmacy access and build community ownership and long term neighborhood wealth.

So some of the highlights, maximum grant up to 50,000, flexibility, eligible match. It's it's it's kinda like like you said, a business improvement district, but we have a million dollars to try to improve our neighborhood. So we did add a few things. We had the local farmers, church bank group partnerships, technology apps. I know Alderman Jackson was was a leader on innovation for the grocery because there are different ways people are receiving and getting their groceries nowadays.

All the women Demetri Evans and I had a good conversation yesterday. Our communities shop differently. She does Instacart and What else you do? Apps. Well, I

don't really want you to share all my business.

Order Instagram. We you know, that's that's not something we up on yet. We're still going to the grocery store. There's there's different ways and methods that I mean, I haven't

I haven't done.

You do you do all that yet? No.

I'm still a grocery store shop.

I like grocery shopping.

Yeah. You know, I I'm I just don't trust people picking up my grapes. I gotta pick my own grapes out, you know. So but there's many different ways. And we may, you know, part of the next legislation is money may be available for individuals to develop us a a a delivery service

Right.

To the community. Delivery for your prescription and your groceries. You can hire somebody may have an idea to get a van and they go around the community, pick up their prescriptions, and drop them off. The same thing for grocery. So it's open. Yeah. And I wanna thank the administration, Alderman Pratt, and Alderman Jackson, and everybody really for coming together on supporting this.

Mister chair. Mister chair.

Sure. Sure. Sure. The auto woman more than director Higgins.

Just really quick. I just have a question around the match Because some because of the industry that working with and I know that. Typically it's like you know you put in 50% we put in 50%. But for this particular case I would implore us because most of the grocers that we're talking about aren't making. Correct. I mean, the industry itself when I thought I would never go in the grocery business. Love y'all back there. Keep keep love y'all. Love y'all so much. But the profit margin

2%.

Is very like, when I heard that, that's wild.

It is.

So the only thing that I would implore us to do and only because and I'm glad that I had this conversation with one of the grocery store. My colleague just reminded me that Monterey market is also in my in District 10. Love you Monterey. But, but the century, because of now the, the construction we're do it. Going going to to

And And

powers that be to look at that match do and maybe I we can reduce it. It- And or maybe use it by case can pay case by case basis but because of that. Profit margin because it's so low. I don't you know I'm worried about some of the folks that are that need. This support won't be able to come with the 50% match. So I want to encourage us especially for talking about a variety

of Yeah.

Folks that may apply for this stuff. They're not going to be able to come to the table with that level of a match.

Excellent. So excellent

thinking. Something about drawing down. Hold on.

Go ahead.

Excellent. Excellent thinking. That's part of the the file as you guys continue to create the program. We'll have tiers. So you got the 50%. You got the 25%. And then you have the option to be waived. So if you bring employment or if you grow food, let's say you hire from a community, then your match will be waived because you have hired and contributed to the community, and you're gonna stay here. Now all of it does have a requirement that you stay a certain amount of time and build in the community. But that is part of an option. And I'm sure you guys will judge it based on the capacity of that particular proposal or grocery store. Sure. So excellent thinking that is part of this.

Okay.

Go Because one of the things that the network gave us was thinking about the lower tiers like Sherman Park.

Yes.

Like Sherman Park. You know? So we wanna make sure they're eligible. And if they have some of committee, then they may not have to.

The network of the collective.

The collective network collaborative. Everybody together. So I thank you all for helping us put this together. Alright? So do we have any more questions on rejection? You want talk about your innovative part or the next one?

It could fly in this. Like I said, I just added the innovation part of it as far as delivery systems or just say for instance, they call McCabe Park or call Sherman Park to order groceries. Know, we we could think outside the box as we go forward and use different technologies to do it. You know, a lot of the elderly are not tech savvy, and I represent more the eldest population in the city. Mhmm. So I will look forward to somebody just calling Sherman Park and ordering their groceries and take it delivered to them.

Excellent. So excellent. Alright. Do you guys have any questions for us?

No. Chairman, I think we're we're we're willing to be as flexible as we can. Obviously, we just have the the only thing our biggest constraint is just the funding source, but all of the other things as far as match, those types of things, we're willing to be as flexible as possible. Sure. I think so we've been working with DCD and we'll just keep working together till we nail the program down to make sure it's highest and best use.

Excellent. Excellent.

I Thank really like the kind of what you're saying tiered system.

Mhmm.

For those because I know when we first started talking, I said that I was really leery of trying to bail out any of these corporations.

Right.

So maybe for those that need a little bit of help because of reduction of foot traffic, excuse me, or other different dynamics or systems or societal changes like we said, could I mean, yes, I was thinking about, you know, we have in our in in the immigrant community, we have people that just don't even want to go out of the house. So, like, we we're trying to, you know, that's kind of like a lot of the heart of mutual aid as well but so things are changing and they're changing around us. For those that could pay more, is it I would ask you to consider possibly like a revolving loan because that might help be like seed money, etcetera. So just something to look at as you're building out. I mean, I think I like that we're talking about it as a pilot.

I find out I find that that is innovative. Yeah. We've got to be willing to try things and also be willing that some things might not work out. And I think in government we have lot of pressure in politics in particular. It's easy to be risk adverse because it's usually not an environment that's available for making mistakes. But we have to be open minded. So I just wanted to encourage if there's any room in that tier for those that could pay and get a little loan, then it could actually leverage some other areas of need.

Excellent. Excellent. Any other questions?

But I'm here to be supportive. So, yeah. And I move, if you need, I don't know what you need to help move things forward. Remover. Yeah. Because I already did the substitute. So

Alright.

You can count that too, please.

So I got a message from missus McCurtis. Did you have any questions, missus McCurtis? No. I did.

This is really her. Ask her a question.

Well, miss Cross, you know how to text? Text?

See, I don't like the text of being a little bit too. But

Sure. That's alright. We'll answer on your questions.

Introduce yourself. Come on. Questions, Matt. Oh, my name is Danelle Cross. Representing Metcalf Park Community Bridges.

Here we go. The

question I have, Matt, is the question I have is about the the tiered system. It is a requirement around employment. Right? How many people you're gonna employ? Mhmm. Could you tell me that number? Because I know when we were applying, that was a large number for us. So I think we need to look at that number of employment like you say, Moe's grocery store. Mhmm. It wouldn't make sense for him to hire 10 people.

No. I don't think it's was it a a rule? Is it a does it do one part?

Yeah and that's. Let's talk about this. Yeah. Yep. So, for our our existing program under the commercial revitalization grants which isn't focused specifically towards grocery stores. The maximum you can apply for is one full time equivalent job for every $5,000 Understanding that this is a totally different environment here. That is now one time equivalent job creation would allow for up to $35,000 under this program. So that's it and that kind of gets back to all the Roman more your point about how. Yeah. These are such, you know, low margin businesses where the profit just isn't there.

And that's where, you know, especially in the case of Sherman Park Grocery, that's something that, you know, we would be open. One of the things that we were really thinking about was being open to expanding that beyond you know, just that $5.00 per each full time equivalent and putting that up to, I believe the that is the max that Hud allows is one job per $35.00.

Okay, I needed to hear you say that.

On record.

Okay. I did because that was a big problem. If you, the other thing I wanted to say is that one of the one of the the benefits of nonprofits doing this is because we're not looking for a profit. Mhmm. But because we're not looking for a profit, we need more subsidy to do things. Mhmm. We're looking to hire people. We're looking to make enough money to make sure they get paid.

Yeah.

But we're not looking for overall, you know, revenue source. But on the front end, it costs us more to make it happen. And so what I would say is that one of the other things that I would hope would happen is that funding can be layered layered that a capital stack can be created because sometimes when you apply for one grant, you can't apply for another grant. So I would hope that we're thinking about that too because we are gonna need to depend on our nonprofit partners to make this happen. That's all I had, y'all.

Thank you very much. Thank you so much for

letting me bring that up.

Okay. Okay. Alright, guys. I'm glad we're doing what we can.

Mhmm. And I'm here as a co sponsor. Yeah.

Jackson. Would you please have Alderman Jackson, Alderman Demodrevich Mhmm. What is Alderman Moore as a cosponsored group. And with that, Alderman Jackson moves for adoption. Hearing no objection. So order. Thank you, guys. Alright. We can get that out there in the community. Thank you. Yeah. We can get that out there in the community. So number 13. Now this is the one I was gonna highlight my my good the good brother from Alderman from District 7.

Mhmm.

Number 13252110. Substitute resolution relating to the exponential funds from the grocery store. Retention fund for the purpose of healthy food access. Alderman Jackson can tell you the story, but he was wise enough to find some funds, 1,800,000.0 to be in exact for a grocery grocery store food fund that will be alderman led and have access for initiatives and programs being run out of the city clerk's office. So the first allocation was 400,000 to the fresh food fund.

You know, city wins lawsuit, cities lose lawsuits. So sometimes we get money, sometimes we lose money. Alderman Jackson found this this funds and decided to put it towards, what's at need now, and that is groceries. So we thank him for that. Alderman Jack, did you have some comments on this legislation?