In 2025, by State statute, Monona is due to begin the development of a new 10-year Municipal Comprehensive Plan. Think of the Comprehensive Plan as a large-scale blueprint of our priorities as a community.  The Wisconsin Comprehensive Planning Law does not mandate how a local community should grow, but it requires public participation at the local level in deciding a vision for the community's future.  How fun! 

I’m bullish on the opportunity this represents for Monona.  And I have been a strong advocate for the creation of an Ad Hoc Plan Steering Committee to add to the leadership dedicated to this process and outcomes. I believe we need to strategically take a fresh look at land use and zoning, housing, and all things around economic development.  

I also believe we will find value in collectively looking outside of (some traditional) boxes as we tackle this Plan. The land use and development landscape has significantly changed. I look forward to candid discussions around what we envision, as a community, for the next decade.  The opportunities are exciting! 

I’m taking a deeper dive into Monona’s fiscal realities and constraints because it is top of mind for me and for many in Monona.  I trust it helps illuminate the challenges we face, my understanding of those challenges, and my commitment to both fiscal responsibility and accountability.  

The City of Monona has very little control over the property value increases we have all benefited from or the independent assessment process used (an industry standard) to evaluate property values.  And Monona will continue to be “a great place to live, work and play,” driving demand and likely increasing property values further.  

That said, I am very cognizant of and sensitive to the burden that higher property taxes place on the residents of Monona.  As Mayor, I will do everything that is within our control to manage annual operating and capital expenditures and keep property tax increases in check – and I will expect the City Council to do so as well.  This includes: 

1. Full and consistent implementation of the Short-Term Rental (STR) ordinance as a known contributor to higher property values;

2. An annual, independent review of property assessments in advance of disbursement to taxpayers to ensure assessments across Monona are more equitable and reduce resident need for objections/appeals to assessed values;     

3. Continued advocacy for smart economic redevelopment which promises a high rate of return in property taxes; 

4. Limiting annual capital expenditures to the minimums required to meet federal and state regulations and statutes, and without sacrificing the quality of our public safety, parks, and critical infrastructure; and 

5. Pursuing new “own source” revenues and increased user fees, wherever possible, to lessen dependence on property taxes.

The tax code has many moving parts, and it would be remiss not to mention that a significant part of the solution to escalating property taxes rests with the State.  Monona must also advocate at the state level - through elections and the League of Municipalities – for improvements beyond the much-discussed levy limits. 

During our recent operating referendum, I was wisely asked “why are Wisconsin property taxes (i.e. not just Monona) higher than other states?”  In short, our legislature has forced an over-reliance on property taxes to pay for even basic services.  It is a systemic problem at the state level, not just a Monona problem.    

There are, at a minimum, 5 systemic problems that result in Wisconsin residents having higher property taxes in comparison to other states:

1. The WI legislature limits a municipality’s ability to generate local or “own source” revenues other than property taxes;     

2. Municipalities (other than MKE and Baraboo) are forbidden to add local  sales taxes, even by a small fraction, in recognition that the cost of doing business in our metro region is higher than rural areas; 

3. WI has a “uniformity clause” which requires that mostly all properties are taxed at the same rate, while some other states tax residential property at lower rates and commercial and/or manufacturing at higher rates; 

4. The amount of state aid that comes back to municipalities is low in comparison to other states and earmarked (i.e. not allowed to be used for general operating as needed); and

5. Wisconsin property tax relief for qualifying individuals through statutes, like the Homestead Tax Credit, is significantly below many other states. 

Here’s just one example of the impact of these systemic issues.  From 2011 to 2023, according to the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau, state aid to communities was cut by 9% while public safety costs alone (i.e. police and fire) rose by 16%. Act 12, passed in 2023, very marginally increased aid for fire departments, but it did not address the overall shortage in state aid, all while the state has a surplus of more than $4B.  

Another state issue has been what is known as the “Dark Store Loophole.”  Beginning in 2017, “big box” retailers including Walmart challenged their tax assessments using this loophole, arguing that they should be taxed lower, as a “dark store” or storage facility rather than retail establishment.  A bipartisan bill to close the loophole never made it to the floor of the legislature because of a single committee chair.  Walmart alone used this loophole to lessen its tax assessment from $26M to $18M.  A more recent Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling which closed the loophole has made little difference.  Walmart and other big box retailers continue to regularly argue, in court, over their assessments.  And with every fight, the City burns limited resources.

With the passage of the operating referendum, our City staff is compensated consistent with market rates of comparable positions and levels of responsibility.  Again, thank you.

My commitment as Mayor will include support beyond compensation.  I will actively listen and support each department without engendering dependence, “getting into the weeds,” or micromanaging their affairs while also being clear in my expectations around performance.  Perhaps just as important, I’ve already been working and will continue to work with the City Administrator and department heads to improve efficiency so we stop overworking our staff.  And I will also seek new ways to highlight their work and accomplishments and for this community to express its gratitude.  One such example, which began in December, is a new WVMO series entitled “Let’s Be Civil!,” mini civic lessons for all of us to learn more about what the staff does and how the city works. 

Madison Metro, including Paratransit, will begin service throughout Monona on March 3rd.  For more information, including the routes, maps, schedules and how to ride, here’s the link:  https://www.cityofmadison.com/metro/routes-schedules/new-service-to-monona.

I have always been candid about my support of this initiative.  All mass transit research indicates that accessibility, convenience, and affordability are key for individuals to opt IN for bus transit over their cars.  Improved mass transit was also a top recommendation of the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) Committee.  That means that transit should be accessible, convenient and affordable for everyone in Monona – equitable –regardless of need, work or play schedule, or where they need to go.  

I am very aware of resident concerns over safety.  I not only get it, I share those concerns.  I have been on the leadership team who have met weekly with Madison Metro since early December to ensure the service is not only well promoted but operates very safely from the start and always.  I am confident the service will deliver for Monona as expected. 

Monona needs to continue to expand our housing options.  As Chair of the Plan Commission and an Alder, I’m proud of the number and quality of housing developments we have approved, including Broadway Lofts and Townhomes, Monona’s first affordable housing development in more than a decade.  Recently, the Plan Commission has favorably reviewed another affordable housing complex, by the same developer, for seniors over 55 years of age.  It would be located immediately to the west of Broadway Lofts and Townhomes. Still other developments are in the pipeline.

I will champion Monona expanding both its housing diversity and affordability.  In 2023, I worked with our Economic Development staff to analyze and report housing progress over the past decade.  That study illuminated a scarcity of what is called the “missing middle” – a diversity of housing options designed to appeal to and be affordable for the middle class.  This includes townhomes, condominiums, and bungalow courts (also called cottage communities or pocket neighborhoods) which have heretofore been mostly elusive despite being identified as a priority in growth in our 2016 Comprehensive Plan.  We can and should do better.

Monona’s Public Safety Building (PSB) – Police, Fire and EMS – has exceeded its life span. Our fire and police departments have outgrown the current facilities as well. The first analysis of our civic facility needs was completed in 2011. I was a member of an Ad Hoc Long-term Facilities Committee, established in 2018, to further review site options and potential financing.  

It has since been determined that the most cost-effective site for the new PSB is the civic campus. And we have reduced our capital debt since that time to make more room for the expenditure.    

It is critical that we commit to a new facility in the near future, an investment that needs to serve Monona for the next 50 years. An Ad Hoc Public Safety/Civic Building Committee has completed its draft design.    

The City Council has approved a contract with a Construction Manager to provide accurate cost estimates of the draft design. As Mayor, I expect this design will be pared down, while still understanding our current needs and anticipating what we will need much longer term. And we will continue to pare down our current capital debt, ahead of schedule, to accommodate these new facilities. No timeline has been set to commence work.     

When these new facilities do become more viable, the potential investment will be brought to Monona voters in the form of a referendum.

My enthusiasm for San Damiano and its redevelopment as a largely natural and fiscally sustainable lake destination is well known. As a conservationist, I understand its unique environmental value.  I also strongly believe that everyone should have lake access. And just as important, I understand its cultural history and value to the Ho-Chunk Nation.     

A Master Plan for the redevelopment was unanimously approved by the Master Plan Steering Committee and City Council in 2023.  A key outcome and next step in that Plan is the establishment a longer-term public/private partnership between the City of Monona and the Friends of San Damiano (FOSD). That agreement may be complete before the election.  

This partnership will strengthen the Friends ability to program the space, generate the significant dollars necessary to care for and operate the property, and fulfill the much larger promise of the master plan, all without taxpayer funds.  It will also free Monona Parks and Recreation from property maintenance, allowing them to smartly focus on other park assets.  The agreement will be similar to the long-term contract the City already has with the Aldo Leopold Nature Center.