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

Yes. About to get started, auto woman. You ready? Alright. Good afternoon, everybody. Welcome to the community and economic development committee. I'm the chairman, Russell Stanford the second. To my right is alderman Mark Chambers. To my left is alderman Deandre Jackson, and we'll be joined shortly by alderwoman Zamarepa and alderwoman Dimitrevich, and I see alderwoman Cox is on the big board. We're getting started with number 1251306 appointment of Travis Landry to the Milwaukee Archboard by the mayor. Travis, are you available?

Yeah. I'm here. Can you hear me?

Yes. Good afternoon.

Good afternoon. Good afternoon. How are doing, sir?

Alright. Alright. Thank you for your willingness to serve on the Milwaukee Arts Board. Please let us know why you would like to serve.

So I've been doing a lot of community work, of course, with my dad at WestCare. Okay. I do I'm a graphic designer, so I've been doing a lot of stuff throughout the community with the arts. And I'm currently at Northwestern Mutual as a product designer, so I'm just thinking me being a part of the committee will help bring the youth together because I'm only 32. So, like, I speak for the younger generation and stuff like that. Okay. And I just wanna, you know, help out the community any kind of way I can through my through my talents.

Well, it's excellent, Travis. Excellent. Happy to have you. Do we have any questions by the committee? Hearing none, Alderman Chambers moves for your confirmation. Hearing no objection, so ordered. Have a good day.

Who's driving the lights from?

Number two. Alright. Thanks, miss Cox.

Okay. Number 2251307, reappointment of alderwoman Melele Cox to the Milwaukee Arts Board by the mayor. Order woman, are you there?

Yes. I am here.

Alright. Tell us why you like serving on this board.

As you all know, I have the honor

and pleasure of chairing the board, but also representing Brownsville, Milwaukee's African American cultural and entertainment district. Mhmm. So as a result, the last eighteen years, I've been immersed in some of what I think are the nation's best artists of all types and forms of art Mhmm. Because of the work in Brownsville. So when I was asked initially to be on the arts floor, I thought it was a a great fit. I dabble in art myself. I don't call myself a artist, though, but I'm also the daughter of an artist. My mother was an artist, and I'm also the mother of an artist. My daughter, Kayla, is an artist. Yeah.

I appreciate, understand, work with, and I'm an advocate for the arts. So finding ways for the city of Milwaukee to have as good an impact as we can on the arts community. I think communities are made better with the utilization of arts in them. So if we could find ways for the city to help support, you know, public art and help support arts organizations, I think we should, and that's one thing that this art board does really well. And so I've enjoyed serving as the chair and being a member, and I look forward to continuing to serve.

Awesome. Awesome. Excellent. Long lineage of artists in the Cox family. Do we have any questions or comments? Hearing none, Alderman Jackson moves for your confirmation. Hearing no objections to honor. Thank you, Alderman.

Thank you.

Have a great day. Number 3251329, appointment of Brian Litzy as a representative of the Milwaukee Public Schools of the emergency emerging youth achievement advisory council by the common council president. Shoot. Got

five You got your choice, man.

Big one. How you doing today, Brian? How's everybody? Good. Good, man. We've had a few meetings, and we are getting into the groove of the things. So this is a good timing for you to join this board. Would you like to tell us why you would like to join on the board?

Definitely. I've been immersed in youth development work with Milwaukee Public Schools Department of Recreation for almost twenty four years now from the very ground level to the upper level. I recently took a position as Chief of Family Communities and Partnerships with the district and it really encompasses everything, right, youth families and all that. So I think it's just a natural transition from my years, COCs, after school. Yes. I mean, half the people in the room I know, we've worked together. And as a connector of community based organizations, the city, the county, just think it's a natural progression that I join this team.

Happy to have you, man. Looking forward to all your expertise and input at the next meeting. So if you can be prepared to talk about your organization and and how how we're gonna collaborate. Alderman Chambers.

Who took your role at Verec? Are you still with the record or you transitioned from Yeah.

This position that I took actually oversees the rec department. Okay. Yeah. We just hopefully, a name will go to the board December 18.

Okay. Yep. Alright. So you still be the head of Yeah. Verec. Cool. Is that I'll move for confirmation.

Alright. Alderman Chamber moves for your confirmation hearing. Objections are ordered. Thank you so much.

Appreciate

it. See you at the next meeting. Yep. Okay. Number four, two five one three five five, substitute resolution declaring Kings Connect as an official city event and authorizing acceptance and an exponential of contributions for the perp for this purpose. Autumn Taylor, are you available?

Yes. I'm right here.

Are. Hey. How are doing today?

I'm wonderful. Thank you so much.

Alright. So Kings Connect, you wanna let us know what's

going on? Yes.

So so as many of you know, I work with the domestic violence sexual assault, commission here in the city. And, so we do a lot of work to, arm individuals so that they can protect themselves, from these pitfalls that exist that that plague our our society. And one of those pitfalls that does not get addressed enough is the issue of human trafficking among our youth. Mhmm. So so that our youth are not exploited or taken advantage of, we try to arm them with information to protect themselves.

So we already do it with what's called pot of gold for our girls. And so it is a luncheon where, we have individuals come in and teach them of what to look for, and that there are resources available to them in case they find themselves in those situations, that they're not alone. And so it has come to my attention doing that, that individuals have requested that we do the same for our young men. So it's most unfortunate that our young men are also victims in many cases, and and we like to really call them survivors. But sometimes we know that that's not the case.

But it's so important that that we really would like to make it a city event so that we can maximize our our potential resources to devote to to this great cause.

Have we mister? Yes, sir.

Have you held a king's connect yet?

So this is our first one this year, and it it will it's scheduled for February 9.

So you you

hold it at twenty six, not twenty five?

In twenty twenty six. Yes.

Alright. Thank you. Okay. But we is the pot of gold an official event already? Mhmm. We are Yes. It is. Official. Okay. Alright. Great. Any question? What questions? Alright. Orderwoman, thank you for your leadership on this and helping out in the community. You know, this is heavy in my district. So with that, army Jackson moves, adoption, hearing, objection, so ordered. Congratulations. Thank you. Alright. Number 5251031, and thank you all for coming down for the third time. Y'all ready? We will pass it today. Alright? Along with my colleagues, COVID, but I appreciate your patience.

And on the summertime, it's y'all came out in the in the cold weather. So let's let's get it going. I do wanna acknowledge you all being here. Okay? All three times. Thank you. So substitute resolution relative to the establishment of the year 2026 funding allocation plan. Mister Higgins, good afternoon.

Good afternoon.

Afternoon, mister James as well.

And members of the committee, Mario Higgins, director of community development grants administration. And, yes, we I do have my posse behind me, meaning staff and funded agencies. So I I would also like to thank them for their for their persistence and, you know, continuing to show up to talk about the issues and funding sources that they use the activities. I do appreciate all the work that they do as well. Yes, sir.

So mister chair, we had two public hearings in the community. Both of those public hearings were well attended. And so, you know, we talked about a diverse, you know, agencies and residents voice their had their voices heard on, you know, variety of issues that they Yeah. Understand that affect our city and where these funding sources should be dedicated to. 2025 was has been a very interesting year, to say the least.

For recap, obviously, we had to deal with a lot of different new executive orders and policy decisions made from federal government. The funding for 2026 and the budget for 2026 has not yet been established by the federal government. We're currently under a sixty day continuing resolution. That resolution should expire right around the end of the year. At this point in time, I don't see any committees meeting on the subject of any block grant funding or any of those types of funding sources.

So my inclination would be that we're probably headed for another continuing resolution or some type of a shutdown. I don't know. So the last information we received from a subcommittee that is over block grant was from the Senate T. H. D.

Subcommittee. It's Transportation Housing and Urban Development subcommittee. That was at the July. So the proposal that we are or the funding source funding the amounts that we are looking to recommend are based on that last proposal. So that showed a cut in CDBG funds and holding somewhat stable home funds, emergency solutions grant funds with a slight cut from last year and HOPO funds, housing opportunities for persons with AIDS.

So that's sort of what we're sort of operating off of right now. Right now, we're also in the this is our funding allocation plan for 2026, and this sort of starts our funding process. So we go through the public hearings. We submit our plan as far as recommendations, those public hearings, and then come to council committee today to discuss those proposed funding opportunities. Okay.

Real quick for the agencies. So the sixty day mark, are you saying that we should hear something in sixty days? Let's say we pat once we pass this today, what can they expect as far as their budgets for the year?

They can expect that we'll that the that the city will move forward without actually knowing what the funding level and allocation will be. Okay. We don't no. I doubt that we'll get an actual number from what's funded for black rent black rent programs by the end of the year. Okay.

I've I imagine there's gonna be a continuing resolution. Like I said, the Hub subcommittees haven't even met yet. So I doubt they're going to take care of that in the next two, three weeks before the continuing resolution is over. So we will move forward and then we'd be waiting into the new year to figure out exactly where we would be. Obviously, we either got more cuts or a deeper cut than what we were expecting. We would have to come back to this committee and discuss reprogramming or any type of across the board cut or some level of cuts to to deal with.

So do anybody have any questions regarding that? Everybody understand that? Anybody got any questions? Come on up. Introduce yourself for the record and present question.

Yeah. Hi. My name is Kyle Mullen. I work at City on the Hill. We're one of the agencies that have received funding. So thank you for all your hard work on that. Sure. Just wanted to ask clarifying about the sixty day date from now or sixty days into 2026.

Good.

So that continued resolution that the senate is operating out. I don't know the exact date, but it was right after when they came back in session, meaning the shutdown ended, that's when that was the agreement. It was a sixty day extension from there.

So what is so what does that end? Does that end? I guess that's what we're asking. Like, is it February

or January? No. It's it's either the January or the end of the year. It's whenever the shutdown ended. I'm I can't recall the exact date.

So sometime in early Somewhere in January.

Early November is when the shutdown

ended. Got it?

Yeah. Thank you.

Alright. Thank you. Anybody else? Alright. Come on up, please.

How you doing today?

I'm good. Good. Good.

Alright. Let me yeah.

You can let me acknowledge all the women. Did you meet your neighbors? Hey, all the women. She has joined us? Okay. Alright. You'll say yes.

I'm Karen Higgins with Milwaukee Community Crossroads. So is the city making a kind of a somewhat educated guess that this is the the funding levels of things where we at?

Well You want to tell me how you cut the 2,000,000? Sure.

That was based percentage? Yeah. That was based on the last T. H. Subcommittee from the Senate. So they adjusted what the House T. H. Subcommittee had presented for funding. So the president's budget did not include funding for black grant programs at all. It was eliminated. The House of Representatives, their subcommittee put back funding for CDBG, ESG and HOPWA.

Okay.

When request went to the Senate, the Senate changed their, the House's version. They included funding for CDBG and then refunded HOME because that wasn't funded from the House subcommittee and the same with ESG and HAPA. So they held those consistent, but they did add back the home program. Okay. And based on the allocation that the senate, that's the last recommendation we have, it was a $200,000,000 cut to the entire CDBG program, which equates to about 6%.

Took that 6% and extrapolated It it over our will not be a 6% cut. This is not how it works. The formula will determine what the actual amount is, but that's the only basis I have of 6% of overall cut.

So it's our best guess right now.

Doctor. Correct. So yes to your question.

Doctor. And we haven't even gotten through it has to go back to the House Subcommittee to either approve the Senate's version, and so they haven't met on that at all. So we don't even know until the government actually passes a budget or a continual resolution that says we're gonna fund all of 2026.

Yes. On the chambers.

I just I I think it's pretty certain the the political climate that we're in. Mhmm. And I I just wanna be clear for the audience that is here to have questions, to have concerns.

Mhmm.

This is not the city of Milwaukee doing this. Right. So I just really wanna get that all open. If things get cut and we have to adjust or anything like that, we would do the best we can to ensure that each and every one of y'all are getting funded, but this is coming from Washington DC. So I just know that, you know, a lot of, you know, livelihoods are at stake, and it's unfortunate that we are put in this position, but unfortunately, we are put in this position. So, you know, mister Dickens, I director, gotta wanna thank you for your hard work and your due diligence on this.

Mhmm.

The question that I have is we're a meant so this is a substitute resolution. Mhmm. Right? What are we substituting from the previous file?

I think it just numbers? No. I think it just went from the original was a title only file.

And then

I when I filled it, it came in as a substitute.

Okay. No no changes I wanted to make sure there was any changes. Okay. Cool. Thank you. Thank you, mister

chairman. Oh, thank you. Thanks for making those points. But we are hopeful. We're positive, and that's why we're pass this today. Alright.

You may proceed. Alright. So along those lines, what the proposal or recommendation from the administration is to hold harmless as much as possible the funding groups from 2025. Mhmm. So basically doing a carryover allocation.

What we thought that's what we felt was prudent. And obviously, there's a cut that's involved of about $800,000 from last year's proposals to this year's recommended allocation. So we'd have to make those adjustments to any funded activities. A lot of what happened for where we made up the $800,000 and so if you look at the actual recommended funding allocations, it's going to be aligned with what got funded in 2025, any recommended changes in the next column, and then the actual recommended funding level for 2026. Okay.

And we had some we had pools of funds last year when we did the funding allocation that went unused I mean, unallocated at the time. So that's where the majority of the cuts were assumed from. So we didn't cut a lot of groups or anything like that. So it was mainly that. We had some activity that is not going to be active anymore, meaning agencies decided they weren't going to do the programs or be active.

So it was more voluntarily that they had to return their funds. So that makes up another part of it. And then we had to make some actual cuts to a few activities that weren't aligning with current policy that's going on at HUD. Alright? And we can go through that line by line if

you choose. I know that's That's published. Correct?

Correct. Okay. I think we're already thinking about What I would suggest is Yeah. So going by category.

Why don't you just do the allegations for the categories?

Sure. Because

I think we went through that already. You want me go through this already?

Yeah. I'm talking about the actual funding for each activity. Okay. So just to give it make sure and publicly known, what we're recommending or what we think our funding level would be for 2026 is about for CDBG 14,200,000. Okay. For our home investment partnership program, $4,300,000. And emergency solutions grant, which is our homeless activity of $1,350,000 I'm sorry, 1,350,000. And for housing opportunities for persons with AIDS, 1,400,000.0. Most of those were held harmless. However, the formula will decide what we actually get in in funding.

Yeah. For those who don't know, would you mind explaining held harm harmless?

Meaning that there was there were no there are no proposed cuts from congress to those particular programs except the CDBG program of $200,000,000 is what's proposed.

Okay. K. Questions by the committee? Anybody got any questions? I think it's pretty straightforward. I know y'all have read it multiple times, at least three. So with that, did you wanna add anything?

Director Egan? Just unless you want me to go through the actual recommendation. They are in the file, but

I They're in the file. We went through it. I think everybody knows where the money's going. Alderman Chambers moves for adoption. Hearing no objections are ordered. Thank you, and thank you all. Alright? You can always follow-up with email or questions as far as timeline. You're gonna keep us informed on dates and Yeah.

Idea is to go ahead and have the funded organization's recommendations, obviously, the council approved

Okay.

To start submitting their documents and paperwork. Know, we're behind them, but I think most agencies understood about where they would be. So they should be prepared to submit their budgets and documentation to so we can get ready to get them under contract for 2026.

Thank you. Alright. File's adopted. Appreciate y'all coming down. Thank you very much. Number 6251181, resolution approving year 2026 operating plan for business improvement, District 28 located in the city of Milwaukee. This is in the 15th District. I spoke with the business development management, and we're gonna hold this place this on file. Place on file. Thank you. Alderman Jackson moves to place this on file. Hearing no objection. So ordered. Thank you for your attendance today. Meeting is adjourned.

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