Commuinity Development Authority - MINUTES - 11/13/2002
CITY OF MUSKEGO APPROVED
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
MINUTES
Wednesday, November 13, 2002
Chairman Waltz called the meeting to order at 7:01 p.m.
Those in attendance recited the Pledge of Allegiance.
PRESENT: Commissioners Rob Glazier, David Lidbury, Suzi Link-Manson, Gail Miles, Frank
Waltz, Ald. Rick Petfalski, and Ald. Nancy Salentine
Also in attendance Mayor Mark Slocomb, Finance Director Dawn Gunderson, Plan Director Brian
Turk.
GUESTS: Earl Duewel, Richard Knudsen
APPROVAL OF MINUTES:
Commissioner Suzi Link-Manson moved to approve the minutes of the October 9 meeting.
Commissioner David Lidbury seconded. Upon a voice vote, the motion carried.
OLD BUSINESS:
RETENTION OF LEGAL COUNSEL
Plan Director Brian Turk advised the members they still need to make some more contacts before
bringing someone before the commissioners.
NEW BUSINESS:
CODE OF ETHICS
Each of the commissioners had received a copy of the Code of Ethics for Elected and Appointed
Officials. Plan Director Turk called to the commissioners attention several key points in the code:
(1) make sure they review the conflict of interest and if they ever feel that they have a potential
conflict of interest to discuss it with the Mayor or him; (2) disclosure or disqualification, if they find
they have a conflict on an issue on a personal level to disqualify themselves, excusing themselves
from the table during discussion and/or action on the item; (3) compensations, gifts, rewards, or
gratuities, anything of real value is off limits; (4) confidential information, they will from time-to-time
go into closed session to consider items and items in closed session are generally confidential.
Coming out of closed session, some items may remain confidential and others brought out in the
open. They should feel free to ask about confidential items. Chairman Waltz commented that it
was important that they understand the ethics and standards that are expected. Mayor Slocomb
added to take nothing of value. Pay for their own meals and if the attend open houses where
refreshments are served, to inquire of the value and pay the value.
CDA Minutes, November 13, 2002, page 2
REDEVELOPMENT DISTRICT NO. 1
Commissioners were in receipt of a draft copy for Redevelopment District No. 1. Plan Director
Turk briefly explained why they have two documents for the same project area and why they have
different contents. They are adopted under separate statutes. The redevelopment district is what
allows the CDA (Community Development Authority) to offer financing to individual projects and
properties, to potentially condemn land or purchase land to consolidate it and resell it in a more
viable development configuration and to work, not only with the Common Council and its utilities,
but also the private sector in seeking development alternatives to remove blight. It is a very
general plan that shows what the existing conditions are, the types of projects considered for
funding. There are no specific amounts for financing plans because there is no specific project
attached to the plan. It identifies an area and identifies the things that are proposed to be going on
in that area. The project area that is being looked at generally extends from the intersection of
Moorland Road and Janesville Road, easterly along the Janesville corridor to Lincoln Point
Shopping Center, which takes into consideration the Tess Corners area. He went over the
County’s reconstruction project of the area, which includes acquiring, and demolition of some of the
buildings. Common Council has agreed to extend the water main and bury the overhead electrical
and overhead telephone lines, taking on landscaping including recreation trails and sidewalks in
the area. The CDA project plan may assist the Council in financing through lower interest rates
than what the Council could get on its own. There would be an agreement between the two bodies
on repayment of the debt. This could be for all or a portion of the project, or it could also be for a
portion of the private sector projects. Developers may come to the CDA regarding projects.
TAX INCREMENT DISTRICT 9
Copies of the Tax Increment Financing Project Plan or the Establishment of Tax Increment
Financing District No. 9 were distributed to the commissioners. Director Turk explained that this
document is running a parallel approval process with Plan Commission and Common Council. It
includes many of the same components as the redevelopment district plan and also includes in
addition to a list of projects, a list of potential costs that can be incurred by the district and repaid
through the increase in taxes that are generated by the redevelopment. This preliminary document
will be redrafted several times in several forms. He briefly went over the projects and the costs for
the projects. He explained that some projects were listed in the narrative because the plan is also
required to be approved by a joint review board consisting of members from the city, the school
board, the county, the technical college and a member-at-large. Final numbers on the project
cannot be exceeded without going back to the joint review board. Dollar amounts can be shifted
between the approved types of projects without going back to the joint review board. Council can
change how they spend the money, on what projects, as long as they don’t go over the cap for the
TID. CDA will be given additional drafts as they are prepared by Ehlers & Associates, Inc. It is
targeted for Plan Commission to look at on December 5, followed by public hearings in the month
of January, with possible adoption in March and projects funded after March.
DOWNTOWN VISIONING
Commissioners discussed their thoughts on the downtown area, Pioneer Drive to Bay Lane, and
how it relates to what they are trying to do. Thoughts expressed by the commissioners were that it
was an eyesore, an embarrassment to the community, a road through Muskego, should be a place
CDA Minutes, November 13, 2002, page 3
where people can go to socialize, major land is undeveloped. It has no individual character to
define its place. It’s a road and has no individual area that defines it as a place. They discussed to
what extent the city has control to create a downtown with definable features, creating an image. It
needs to be made attractive enough to attract businesses. Due to the development at Moorland
and Janesville and Racine and Janesville, the downtown area should be conducive to businesses
with specialties. Plan Director Turk informed the commissioners that the Mayor’s Task Force is
doing a full retail market analysis of the entire community. Mayor Slocomb stated that the issue is
bigger than the Parkland Mall issue in the area. It was noted that the library in the area and the
medical center is a step towards defining the area.
MISCELLANEOUS BUSINESS AS AUTHORIZED BY LAW
MAYOR’S TASK FORCE: Sustainable Economic Development Strategic Plan
Plan Director Turk called their attention to the upcoming Community Vision Workshop scheduled
for Thursday, November 21, sponsored by the Mayor’s Task Force. The Task Force is also
meeting on the November 19 to discover what the staff has put together on the Tess Corners area,
zoning regulations and architectural guides. They will also be meeting after the vision workshop to
set a direction for the strategic plan. CDA members will get their agenda and minutes.
2010 COMPREHENSIVE PLAN & DESIGN GUIDE
Commissioners were in receipt of the 2010 plan and the downtown design guide. The documents
were a wealth of information. The community survey with the community comments was very
interesting and a real insight into what the CDA is doing.
CITIZEN COMMENTARY:
Mr. Knudsen addressed the commissioners that over the last thirty years they have been trying to
put the downtown together. He questioned if the issue was being looked at realistically? However,
today, the CDA has tools available to do something with the area. They can go in and offer
financing. He mentioned the conception is that Muskego is a bedroom community. You pick up
items in another community before coming home to Muskego. He suggested that they broaden the
downtown area definition.
Mr. Duewel, property owner since 1955, mentioned that it was a Town of Muskego, 6 miles square
that became a city. Years ago, it was Tess Corners and east to Milwaukee County where the
people did their shopping. This is where development took place and it is still growing. The people
in that area didn’t bother going west into Muskego. The city needs to encourage the people to
come into Muskego to shop, not go east.
Director Turk had received an email on why Muskego has not been active in pursuing businesses
and broadening the tax base? The community survey done in 1998 and part of the comprehensive
plan, the community really didn’t want it. He also mentioned the regulatory function of the Plan
Department and how the strategic plan is also to look at the organization structure and the
promotion that needs to be done.
CDA Minutes, November 13, 2002, page 4
Commissioner Lidbury said they should also consider who do we want the city for and what part of
the community do we want it for—young, middle-aged, elderly? Are we planning a city for that
population so they can get around easier without cars? Chairman Waltz said the whole concept of
community identity was strongly made with the high school referendum, to have one high school
focused on community identify, instead of an east side and a west side high school. Commissioner
Link expressed her thoughts on the world changing and they can make the change happen and
how are they going to present it to the community.
FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS:
Items on the next agenda would include, but not limited to, legal counsel, Redevelopment Authority
#1, TID #9, Mayor’s Task Force, open meeting law.
NEXT MEETING:
The next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, December 11, at 7:00 p.m.
ADJOURNMENT:
There being no further business, Commissioner Link moved for adjournment. Commissioner
Glazier seconded. Upon a voice vote, the motion carried. The meeting adjourned at 8:13 p.m.
Stella Dunahee, CPS
Recording Secretary