2026-10-02 - Finance & Personnel Committee

>> Meeting of the Finance and Personnel Committee for 2027 budget hearings. I am a vice chair, Alderman Petersburg, Alice filling in for Chair Alderwoman Marina Dimitrijevic shoes on our way. I'm

joined at the table by to my left Alderman Scott Spiker Alderwoman Charlotte Moore Alderwoman Coggs also excused for now. She's on her way here. I'm here of a woman cause is joining us. Virtually

thank you very much. >> From the legislative reference Bureau, I'm sorry for script. Chris Lee is joining us. Our staff assistant and Keith is hear from the legislative reference bureau will get

started on our feet. The only item agenda. Our only agenda item today which is filed 2, 6, 0, 0, 0, 1, communication from the mayor relating to the proposed 2027 budget. Today we're hearing from the

city attorney's office, the treasure and comptroller this afternoon city Clerk Assessor Municipal Court. Welcome budget director called Back and Welcome for Comptroller, Phil Christensen. >> Thank

you, Mr. Chairman the covax Budget Management Division. We have a 6 department today. We're going to start with City Attorney Anslee Pettigrew present those Lights. Good morning, Madam. Welcome

Morning. >> Mister chair or rather and members of the committee into a Pettigrew budget fiscal policy analyst presenting to city attorney and its leadership team, >> though 2027 proposed that they

could to budget and answer any specific questions you may have. The city attorney, the city attorney's office handles are legal business for the city, its departments boards and commissions pursuant

to city charter as well as the Housing Authority and Public Milwaukee Public schools. The core mission is to protect the legal in truth of the city of Milwaukee and provide quality, timely and

impartial legal services consistent with the highest professional and ethical standards. Please know as I improved a new 5, 1, through 10. I will read the out in short hand rather than the full amount

on your screen. After slight heated, I will turn over the presentation to the department. It's going to the numbers for 2020 through 2027. Sorry. The total proposed operating budget is 9.7 million

representing a baseline increase of 394 K 4% while salaries wages, French benefit cough both saw an increase of 5%. This growth was partially offset by 6% reduction in direct operating expenditures

which dropped by 27.0. 7 K total authorized staffing remains unchanged at 33 Ft Eve, which are full-time equivalent. 5, 3, shows the positions and salaries overview. This slide breaks down

department's core personal funding line, total salaries and wages are up by 200 and K 290 K ferry bring in that their rate payroll budget to fix 0.4 million. This change is driven by salary

progression alongside job title classifications which I will explain on the next flight. Summary of change staffing changes before you Fte baseline remains the same but total authorized positions

change from 63 to 64. The budget removed one assistant city attorney position which was offset by adding 2 part-time graduate intern positions at 0.50 fte each. This establishes a cost effective law

school pipeline. 2 of 4 heavy case research work low. Additionally, 2 legacy administrative positions were reclassified into supervisor titles to better manage office flow. We'll move on to operating

equipment expenses. The operating expenditures are reduced to 418 k achieve in a 6% savings. I couldn't back on outside consulting contracts in a just in general office supply allocation by 30 K to

Matt actual printing and mailing rates. The equipment budget remains at 22 K split between Beagle reference book Furniture and Standard Computer rotations. Next we'll talk about the SPE special

purpose account. This slide covered the departments special purpose account which reflect a 22% over push to 7.4 million. The single largest cost driver is damages in claims which is up by 1 Million.

Well, 40% to protect the city against major pending litigation. Additionally, the outside counsel and expert witness fund is increasing by 279.7 K or 234% to ensure the city has adequate operational

buffer to secure official legal practice expertise. While the 234% spike in outside counsel for looks dramatic on screen. The real money is moving into damages in claims. Now with a look at the budget

by service, we're looking at the complete funding across the department's five-course service areas. The total combined operating and SB 8 allocations stands at 17.2 million. The funding is heavily

concentrated with the legal risk since the by the Civil litigation defense at 9.7 million to represent the city. This is followed by administration at 2.6 million neighbor who revitalized station at

1.8 million labor law and 1.5 million and transactional contracts and 1.4 million. Next. We'll move on to revenue to look at the revenues. We predict total collections to re to 1.5 million, which is a

16% increase representing an extra 204 K this increase is driven entirely by specialize. Legal service building provided to know in general fund departments, boards and commissions moving on to

capital expense. The proposed budget for 2027 Farrow to protect the city's financial baseline. On new borrowing request, including the 7.5 million office consolidation plan in a 98 cave video room

project have been tougher. This will conclude my summary of the 2027 executive proposed budget for the city attorney's office. If there are no questions, I would turn the presentation over to the

Department leadership team to discuss their Forest Service is operational highlights and updates. Thank you. >> Thank you. Welcome City attorney to look. Good morning. Thank you, Mr. Co chair and

members will just introduce who we have at the table and then I take it away like the city attorney. >> Deputy city attorney to Wilson once won a game. Business finance manager, Deputy City Attorney

Robert Patterson and Deputy City Attorney Mary Shannon. We have a tried to trunk 8, the number of slides. So we'll be pretty quick if you can go to the next slide, please. >> Our core services as many

of you know, on the council, we are primarily defense law firm handling cases that are against the city of Milwaukee in state and federal court. But we are we do prosecute and are proactive in certain

matters that we'll get into more detail. Later. The city charter requires us to maintain a docket of those cases. We provide both formal written legal opinions and on a daily basis, we're providing

legal counsel and advice to our clients across the city as well as the Milwaukee Public School system. And we have it as the council members know, our play an active role in the review of ordinances

as they travel through committees and the council. And we work closely with council members with the departments that proposed legislation as well as the RB and ensuring those matters are legal and

enforceable to highlight some of the key pieces so that some units hard to kind of summarize the last year. But we wanted to focus and highlight the work that we've done almost now 2 years ago,

announcing a new initiative to eliminate any kind of amendments or plea negotiations and reckless driving cases. We continue to maintain a high conviction rate on on those on those citations that has

included, you know, elevated the number of reviews of trials training with the Milwaukee Police Department, but very proud that that work continues and we can dive into results. Should the council

want to we do real estate work and have as as the city know, the city has continued to use its authority to create tax incremental districts to spur economic and housing development. We are an

important part of that effort. We've just highlighted that without going into a huge detail. You know, about 300 new state and federal law suits over about 2 dozen appeals administrative cases which

are are often in the employment context. Contracts come in and out every day as you can see, a high volume of contract review and help contract drafting claims over 450 new claims. Those are, you

know, the individuals that have damp property damage to their vehicle or to their property. A wide range of claims from small pothole claim for $200 to, you know, massive, you know, public a loss of

life and, you know, be on the council. And the mayor are kind of principle clients that that really drive the city government. We provide counsel and representation to a whole host of different

commissions and boards under the city looks like. And so just a couple of, you know, major initiatives that that we're proud of, that we've taken a lot of time to work on. The council pushed very hard

and unanimously passed. The mayor signed a number of pieces of legislation that were labeled the ice out package. We worked on ensuring that those initiatives were legal and enforceable. We are

continuing to litigate and defend our authority to prohibit it. Law enforcement from asking in concealing their identity. That case is pending in federal court. Now, you know, we have had, as you're

all aware and incredibly swift changing federal landscape of the different requirements and conditions that the current administration has placed on different grants and funding mechanisms. So that

has been initially an all hands on deck review from the city attorney's office with every lawyer trained and plugged in to reviewing programs and contracts the city. While that work has changed in

2026, especially this summer and this fall, we're continuing to see an uptick of different strategies and techniques from the current federal administration that require our review and dedicated staff

time. This 3rd bullet point summary judgment is an important procedural motion that is often filed in civil litigation. And in the last 6 months, we have obtain favorable rulings in summary judgment

on a couple of cases that have over 7 figure demands when embers that serve on jet lag or attend, just like of probably heard of those updates, but very proud that the city has successfully defended

or, you know, drastically improved our posture through effective pretrial litigation, primarily in federal court, though that is to in state court as well. We can go into this in more detail. The

neighborhood revitalization team is up and running. We have filed nuisance actions against property owners from the small one-off outside storage junk yard type property that has plagued block for a

number of years to a larger case like are nuisance action against Highgrove Holdings, which includes 138 properties. And, you know, zoning that we we are right now in the council is debating a

potential new, both moratorium and then regulatory structure on how to handle data centers. I would add short-term rentals as kind of 2 very large important legislative debates in the council now that

we have been involved with in assisting in our look forward to continuing to work the council members Im just finally and I didn't put it on slide. Before today's hearing, I sent a letter to the

members of the council. I just want to review quickly that we bring forward. 3 asks, as Andrew Leak outlined, the proposed budget does reduce and see a position. And we believe that that would be

harmful to our office, too. Our staff to retention tumor out of work product to the quality of the work product. We we got that 36 position back a few years ago. It and, you know, I've outlined that

we're a great parking for the city. And so in the letter just to highlight here and hearing all in French salary, everything, the average assistant city attorney is about $85 an hour and we do retain

outside counsel from time to time and you do not find private practice lawyers that are willing to take a contract with us for under $300. The state legislature sets the private bar rate for public

defenders that take indigent cases at $100 an hour. So we are worth every penny. And when we can't handle the volume because we're understaffed, we have to hire outside counsel. The work does not

reduce even if the number of positions as reduce the number of cases, the number of requests opinions, et cetera. That will not be reduced to. We'll have to figure out a way to get that worked on and

when it requires outside counsel just frankly more expensive. The second ask is that we have had and then track it. We've had a vacancy in the what we label legal office assistant lead. We are able to

sort of the work flow of that position being vacant. And I would ask that for roughly a budget neutral conversion that we would eliminate a legal office assistant lead and add an additional paralegal

position and of outlined in the in the letter how NY paralegals are essential employees and our office and how they really assist in our litigation. And then finally, I've tried my best to summarize

our use of outside counsel expert witness funds. You can see in my letter that the use of outside counsel 4 the Florida conflict of interest or for the fact that we didn't have specialized were

experienced lawyers in-house to handle the matters has fallen. That is because we are fully staffed. We've hired experienced lawyers, we're supporting and training and growing professionally, the

lawyers that we've had under my predecessor. And so we have not had to form out cases that we've had 2 in the past where we see growth and where what you can see in Page 4 of my letter is both the use

of expert witnesses that can be an independent medical examination on a personal injury case that can be an independent assessment or appraisal foreign assess assessment litigation. It could be a

police use-of-force expert in a section 1983 case in federal court. And then the other bucket where we've seen a lot of growth is when the city is a plaintiff. It is not uncommon that we join a case,

especially a national multi-district case where we have a contingency fund and there's kind of 0 cost legal, you know, the 0, the cost to us and our plaintiffs outside counsel agrees to pay for

litigation expenses. That is not always true. And we are involved in the case now and, you know, want to be more proactive and want to be able to have the funds to absorb that proactive litigation

expense. Should we should we need? Do you need a copy of the letter? C a see. We did receive that on Wednesday. It did not make it any that did not. I'm not in Legistar obviously gambling legistar. We

will add that to legistar as soon as we get to. Chris, thank you. So I'll just wrap up there to say, you know, with this S P a it is both outside counsel and expert witness. I've tried to kind of

break out where the spending those we've done our best to reduce reliance on outside counsel, as you can see, retaining experts or, you know, taking on costs of proactive litigation. I in my opinion,

are both smart investments for the city when where the plaintiff and we have potential recovery. You know, obviously sometimes you have to spend money to make money when we retain experts, even if

that is a case that ends up settling, went in litigation, matching it as is very uncommon that in a specially a large dollar federal case that the plaintiff does not have their own experts being able

to match what the plaintiff is bringing in litigation strengthens our position, even if the case settles, it may in improve our settlement posture. And, you know, ultimately, again, in May being

upfront investment. But if it saves dollars on the back and in my opinion, it's a wise investment. All right. Thank you very much for that. Will run a move on into questions. But if you're asking for

was a swap in one position and then adding the ACA back. >> And the funding source for that position to restore that position would be are we would be be able to produce outside counsel expenses for

the damages and claims or where is the money is supposed to come from? >> Yeah. That was a conversation that budget director called back. And I were just having as we began, all the big LSU have the

courage. You have a correct recollection of I guess the bargain. Maybe I think it was 2 years ago was a budget amendment from 2 years ago, 2 years ago, push down outside counsel and use those savings

to fund that 36th position. So, you know, here I am. I am asking for an increase or to maintain outside counsel expert witness and in and not reduce the ACA. I don't have an identified funding source

and trying to make the argument to you that it's worth the general fund investment to both keep us fully staffed as well as a quip. Our attorneys in litigation or allow us to, you know, go into

proactive litigation forth, I think, are are wise investments. But I don't have before you this morning, a funding source that would offset that increase. >> And I and I have multiple I have a second

round questions for you about MPs and last year's budget amendment that but looking at special purpose accounts right now, what happens if damages in claims has it need greater than the extra million

dollars that's been proposed in this year's budget? >> So, sorry, the question was, do we need that extra million dollars? Well, it's well. You've asked for much, much more than 1 million dollars

share, but what happens and maybe this is for the budget office. What happens if we trim Demars in claims from the proposal and our damages in claims are more than what is left in the budget? Well,

the answer is, I mean, the council asked to well over a certain threshold, the council's to approve all claims. But then if we have, if we have claims that are more and we have to find we have to pay

them. So if we don't budget for them. >> Then the backstop the damaging claims fund is the contention fund can to backstop to the continued fund is are we so continuing fund and a lot of the

contingency that we've authorized already in the recent years, at least from from what my knowledge is was for damages in claims. The overwhelming majority, if not all of it this year. Yes, oh, yeah.

There is a proposed increase in the proposed budget increase damages in claims from 2, 5, to 3, 5, which Angelica outlined in her SBA slides. Were that to be reduced to prior year levels? You would

likely see a repeat? Well, he always root for a new day. But based on the experience of last year, this year and all prior years in the last decade, you would likely see him even very early on in the

year. You would seeing requests multiple requests like Eugene and 26 for the contention Fund to fund settlements. >> The five-year average hovers around 5.1 million dollars and that does spike. And

you can see I think in the L R B analysis, there's a large spike in 2025 that's primarily driven by a settlement of the Danny Wilbur versus the city of Milwaukee settlement with the 6.9 million

dollars, if you take, you know, and that was obviously it's a huge settlement. If you take that out, that kind of 5.0. 1, 5, 0.2 average is what we look at for the last 5 years. Moving around for

questions. First Alderwoman Cox. Thank you, Mister Chair. >> You said we're Amazon. Last farm is about 5.1, but we're budgeting this year for 3 point time. >> Correct. I mean, really. And they were I

think the request was for 6 million valid request. It was part of the budget gap. One of the ways we close the gap we are. Yeah, we 3, 5, not enough. So certainly hasn't been enough for several years

in a row. >> We likely are going to have to go into the continued on and potentially borrowing base on the cases that are on the horizon. That will likely be settled within that the next year he will

leave that. Do you believe that it will remain about that 5 point? Yes, a few and China Vargas in a way that you can answer this public. It is it is not a secret that some things have happened which

are office that have cost the city financially. Do you feel confident that moving forward adjustments that have been made within your office? Well, not likely. We will not likely see some of those

same avoidable costs in this coming. >> Yes, I'm I am confident you do not see here. A 4th deputy. The a city authorizes 4 deputies. We have a vacant litigation deputy position. I am. I have not

rushed to fill that position. That has been the kind of interim we've tried to meet with litigators and really assess what is the best fit? What is the best office structure? How do we set them up for

success? I would share that in that process. We've met with each of them and ask them to develop the litigation plan for the next 60 days for each of their cases. And as you can imagine, that's a lot.

And we've come slogs through that in that exercise. I think we've really gotten our arms around the status of our litigation cases and are confident that our attorneys are on top of the pending

matters. But I mean, to answer your question, we do have to hire someone in that role myself. Deputy Wilson, Deputy Patterson, we're all kind of pinch hitting to get that done. That's not sustainable.

I hope to fill that position. You know, I think a reasonable timeline us before the end of the year. I would also say we've asked, I've had there's 2 other dynamics here. One is making sure that our

support staff is as engaged in a part of the process as possible. That's part of the ask for and the additional paralegal as that, sir and additional set of eyes and hands and each litigation matter.

And then, you know, we are we've we've put together a team rabbit out of 6 for folks to really dive into our technology and our software. What do we use? Is it best serving our needs? How do we handle

Discovery, which is, you know, at one point in time, all in paper and now largely not been paper and that I don't have an ask for that yet. It's pretty much did you know this hearing this budget is

premature for me to really calm and say what are the proceeds of that diagnosis? But we're underway to make sure that we have the leadership over that section that will ensure that those that those

mistakes don't repeat. Certainly, I know, can look at you and tell you that I'm not going to let them happen. But then also those other dynamics that I just mentioned kind of under the ACA, supporting

them with, you know, adequate support, staff and technology. >> Thank you. That's all I have at this time, Mr. >> All right. Thank you. Alderman Cars will move to our virtual participants were joined

by Alderwoman Marina Demetria much older woman. >> Yes. Good morning things for leading this morning. I should be in sun sickly. >> Good morning. I'm one of the questions I had. Well listening to this

on the specific position, the ACA. So just walk me through that city attorney. You requested that of the mayor and now the mayor's office is saying you probably need it. But they originally said no.

And now the council does the work to fix that. I'm a little confused about that chain of events. >> I don't know if the budget office. I mean, you know, I I'm here at the department, had advocating

for the staff that I believe I need, you know, the city attorney's position, as you know, comptroller and treasurer independently elected. So I'm not a member of the Cabinet and let the budget office

maybe answer how they. >> Yeah, I I'm seeing the letter today for the first time doing into its presentation. I was handed a letter. I'm not surprised by what's in the letter. The second request in a

letter which I think is basically budget neutral within $4,000 swap of administrative positions. Had that come to our attention in a more timely way, it likely would be in the proposed budget. A one

in 3 are related or used to be for a prior budget amendment. So this was a this is a position of vacant position at the mayor is proposing on funding. It was a position that historically did not exist

until 2 years ago. So if you're looking at well, you know, PRI prior years, I'm sorry to cut you off, Nick. It did exist until 2021, our 2020. >> They're worth traditionally. 36 ACA is under Evans

predecessor. One position was used to create a special deputy at some point during the last administration. The council left the position open but didn't fund the special deputy position. And since

city attorney going he was elected that 36 ACA position was restored in a budget Amendment west last 2 years ago. Sure what it. >> It's 36 positions that actually 34 funded positions because 2 of them

are reserved in case deputies bump down. But the tooth out the prior to 2020 history, I don't have in my head as well. I was on that side of the table. But I certainly know the history Post 2020 is

the position was not funded. It was funded by budget amendment 2 years ago and the funding source was a reduction in outside counsel expert witness funding. And that happens to be the 3rd request in a

letter which is to allow the increase in funding for that. So basically the budget amendment had anticipated funding source and the city attorney can watch the tape said we expect to use less outside

counsel their 4th. The same argument. It's a compelling argument in the abstract. $85 a lot cheaper than $300 an hour. So what I'll reduce outside counsel, if you let me have more in-house help, that

was the logic that convinced this council to support that budget amendment. I don't recall that we opposed the amendment once that was produced in that with that logic, the logic, the lodge it made

sense in practice didn't materialize. The savings did not materialize. So this would be a budget that would be adding previously unfunded position without a funding source. In the context of a 97

million dollar gap for all the departments have had their unfunded positions looked at very closely for reductions. So it's a judgment call for this council within this department should be treated

differently than the others. >> And I will note Alderwoman Demetria much great question. Outside counsel was budgeted at 423 24. >> And of. >> The expenditure was just over 200 for each of those

years. So it made sense that we it made, made that adjustment and reallocated to have. >> That position funded and still yet. And what I tried to outline in the letter, we have done what we can to

draw down or to push down the reliance on outside counsel due to the traditional we we cannot eliminate all conflicts. There will be conflict cases. That will never be a 0 line. But we've done our

best to keep things in house. We've done our best to not rely on those kind of specialized needs. I mean, our to to to kind of grow our own specialization. And we've done that by recruiting experience

lawyers and training and supporting our staff internally. So, you know, the the big drivers of expenditure there, as I've tried to outline our retaining experts to better defend or to to put ourselves

in the best defense posture possible and then to to be proactive, to be able to go after folks where we're able to do that. >> Okay. Us on the floor. Absolutely. Yeah. Well, you know, this is a >>

going to be a larger theme in this budget. And I'm going to be asking these very direct questions because we're the council's put in the position where it is hard for us to understand what you know,

kind of like we're in the middle here. What was requested, what was it and why was it denied? And we're the ones that have to in every department play cleanup. It feels like, you know, is the budget.

I know there was a gap to fill, but was it one that was we could never actually even implement. Each department is saying they can be real in day 2, but they can't, you know, necessarily exist this

way. Then then we did we really fill the gap and are we just having it come in and clean it up? I mean, that's so I'm trying to decipher that. So so to be more specific, Mr. Chair City attorney, you

requested this ACA position. If you don't get it, is it a cut or is an extra? That's that's the part I'm trying to understand after this debate. And then I mean to understand why the mayor denied it

and you think we should approve it using mean we're we're dealing with the same deficit as well. >> The position we requested to maintain the same level of attorneys, it would be a cut by one

position. And, you know, I think the budget director spoken to why the mayor ultimately made that choice. And my argument to you is that we're and incredibly sound investment and I respect all of the

challenges and that the balancing that the budget office and the mayor has to make that the council has to make it is extremely difficult job to have to pick priorities. And I understand that I'm

before you today making an ask that that is hard about as the city attorney. And it's my job to tell you that one I believe were worth it. And I tried to outline the fiscal reason why. And and, you

know, I'm I'm supporting my team and my staff it, you know, it is that it would be harmful to our office to reduce that attorney position. And I've outlined that in the letter as well. >> Ok, I madam

chair, relative to let this this year's budget. 26 in the prior year's budget isn't cut. It is a proposed. It's an infant. I mean, it's a funded, but they can position. So it is a cut. They're not the

only department that has such a cut and you have a chance to ask every department about the effect of those cuts as they come forward. >> So then thus are director called Back? I mean, is this

sustainable, like, I guess, you know, we don't just arbitrarily cut one position from every department like how how will we see is if the city attorney is saying that outside counsel be more more

expensive? What do you all think about that? Well, like I say the. >> When you look at it in the abstract, it makes sense. So if it's truly a choice between fund a city attorney or a sign all of that

work to an outside attorney, then clearly it's cheaper to have an in-house. But the question is, given the given the scale of it, given that there are 33 or 34 depending on council action attorneys

available, the hope would be that work can be distributed as it was between 2020 in 2024. And that's the kind of request we make of all departments. If you know, are you able to maintain and services

in the context of an ongoing 100 million dollars structural deficit with what the position is? >> And it sounds like from the city attorney. The answer is no. I I do not think that 2020 to 2024 as the

heir of the city attorney's office, we would seek to replicate. >> All right. Looks like we're getting somewhere here. Mister Chair. Okay. So what? I have another question, but I don't want to take a

spot in line. And I do have a question about I think it's related, actually, because one last position, I'm just like worried about the overall capacity of this department as a legislator that has had

to learn kind of the hard way to lean on you all in early on to help and legislative drafting rather than like a last minute kind of barrier. I want to make good on on my word to have that you have

the proper resources. And with that is I'd like to know specifically how is there a position, one complete position or 2 that is dedicated to our great partners at Milwaukee. Public Schools mean there

going through a massive lawsuit right now suing lead paint companies that might possibly placing our children. It's kind of like a really big deal. So I'm just wondering specifically what is how much

resources are dedicated to our partners. Mind you. We own the buildings and have a natural relationship that is stipulated in the state statutes. Can you tell us how much resources city attorney

you're giving to Milwaukee public schools because it does seem like they need more. >> Yes, thank you. Madam Chair, Altenburg Ellis had a budget footnote and followed with the resolution asking us to

track the hours that we spent my second run for the time. So we have and I would our calculation today and that in any given day just to kind of so you understand the org chart for our office, we have

one ACA whose primary assignment is general counsel for the Milwaukee Public Schools. So her assignment, you know, if you think about it is is pretty much full-time their general counsel. She has a

backup who probably spends a half or so of his time and also has an expertise in real estate, so handles their real estate issues. We then are frequently called upon in the employment and labor

context. We have 3 lawyers in our employment labor team and and that will ebb and flow. And then there's litigation and we handle a lot of their litigation. And so sometimes that could be a federal

case where 2 or 3 lawyers and a paralegal are assigned. And it's it's really, really work intensive. And then other times it's a slip and fall on an MPs property. And it's and it's less demanding to

date. Now. I would I would just say this. One of the recruitment tools that we have as a public law firm is that we don't bill by the minute for the hour. But to date, we have tracked 2084 hours from

Jan 1, 2, this hearing spent on representing Milwaukee Public schools. And can I just interrupt its actually? We started tracking March 1st come March 1st. So so that's that's about one full position.

Well, and this is on 6 months rent, I would say in a year the hours are going to add up to about 3 FT East. But that spread across 8 to 10 lawyers, the cea's or paralegals or support staff. All of the

of U.S. primarily the ACA are going to have the breakdown. I can't. Yeah, I I have it by pay period and I'll try to break it down per attorney. >> We're just not her attorney specifically but her

deputy assistant a paralegal Perry. >> I can do that. I didn't count my own time from time to time. I'm talking to them as well. >> Ok, I'm just last point is how much would you say it's an entire >>

position that >> is working with year your clients being the legislative branch and the executive branch because I think I can speak for many alders and I know share this with you personally. We

continue to need guidance. You mentioned a few whether the short term rental, you know, also obviously data centers. It's pretty obvious that things are changing in the nation, our community, and

there's greater demands on us as elected officials to not just kind of settle for the status quo. And that takes some true legal analysis in backing in want to be sure we're receiving that in a timely

matter and you're adequately resourced to do so. Can you speak more on that city attorney? And that's my last question, Mister Chair. >> Yet, thank you, Madam Chair. We don't have an attorney assigned

to research and respond to council requests or departmental requests. We receive requests from, you know, across the city that's kind of catch to into a database. The deputies and I meet regularly to

assign those out. And what we try to do is take the file and the contents of the file based on that issue area and assign it to an attorney that either has professional background. And that issue area

has worked on a similar filing the past and then in some of them, we want to make sure as well. Madam Chair, you you, you spoke about high-profile legislative initiatives that we should be thinking

also pro at, you know, of in the future about potential litigation. And so it is not uncommon that we have multiple lawyers working on that review from multiple angles and you would not want a non

litigator providing that review and guidance on if you really need that specialization and expertise to ensure that we're getting the as well-rounded of a review as possible. I'm certainly conscious

of the time crunch. It is. It is challenging at times to meet those time limits. But we certainly, you know, we do our best and I've tried personally to make myself as available to council members and

to department staff to make sure that we are doing that in a timely fashion. >> Ok, thank you, Mister Chair. All right. Thank you. Madam Chair will keep the government keep the questions proceedings

over to the left shoulder inspector. Thank you, Mr. Chair, I guess so. Take a crack at the damage to some claims and the outside counsel. >> I do remember the budget amendment or a couple years ago

and there was an amendment. The administration agree to the increase with the funding to outside counsel. And I think I was the sole vote on this committee to vote against it because I was skeptical

of those funds materializing, which unfortunately I was proven right about. But it was an amendment was suddenly all the wind was a sponsor and you guys supported what we didn't oppose it. >> It

ultimately did vote know that. But with respect to the argument for an additional city attorney in the letter, there were 2 prongs to one was they were cheaper than hiring outside counsel. But given

how you have diversified, you're departments expertise. Is there such a need to seek outside counsels that really true that if you don't get this text or ACA, there will be billable hours to an

outside from that. They're one of bin. Is that what's being contended enough? So what is the gap and expertise that it's be remedied by the hiring? Well, it's it's both capacity and and potentially

expertise very hard to see around corners here because there are often novel things that come up, whether that's the legislative body creating new legislation or a new lawsuit arguing, you know, you

know, finding new ways to attack the city's the city period or a regulatory authority. Okay, I can't. There is a breaking point in which our attorneys cannot do. I mean, we went through core services.

If I have to choose, we have to defend the city. I will have to move someone from their assignment doing man. And I'm not just please do not take this is a threat. If we do not finish the legal and

enforceable review of of of an ordinance before council, there is a measure in which we can get a delay if there is a deadline in federal court that I don't have that same luxury to say to the federal

court, we need an extra cycle and so we will put our resources to that deadline and it will pray place pressure downstream on other things that aren't as pressing. It will challenge our workflow. And

when we just can't do it, we will have to go outside, right. And but that argument could be made for why you need 37 to make the load. So I know you have a handle on your department and workflows and

stuff like that. But it seems driven by what was historically the case as opposed to an argument that 36 is some magic number. The 37 minutes, if not, you know, obviously you would take more if you

could get it. But yes, I'm a little worried the doom and gloom will happen at 36 as opposed to 35 or 36 as opposed to 37. But you also said in your letter, though, that there was some discretionary

work on initiatives considered to be most impactful to constituents that might not be addressed. If if you don't have the additional city attorney, do you want to just briefly mention what your touch

or I you know, it is very important to me personally. And I think it's important to the city of Milwaukee that we >> hold problem, property owners or problem licensed businesses accountable. That is

litigation that can have a major positive impact to a neighborhood. It is also massively time consuming and resource consuming. And this is you know, the bottom line is I have to meet the demands and

obligations of those core services is suing bad. Landlords is not one of our core services should be frank. It is. It is in my core arrest. One of the reasons why I ran and wanted to be city attorney.

I think it's critical for the city. But if we have lawsuits that need attorneys to defend and we don't have enough for that purpose, I will have to move someone from plaintiffs side work to defense

side work. And that just means there isn't a body there to manage the plaintiff's side work. Now, alderman speaker yes to 37. We support your motion. I I think look, we also we have been hiring

experienced lawyers. Many of them, though, are new to the city. It does take time for it, takes its taken me time to learn city language and how things operate. We still on average have a less

experienced office than we once did historically. So we look back to that. 36 number, is that the magic, you know, strength? I'm not sure. But there was an era in which those 36 had a, you know,

average experience with the city of more than a decade. And that's not true in our office right now. I totally believe in and the team that we have I at I think we've got great people. We are

supporting one another. We're growing together, but that that read that reduction displaces, you know, I feel like we've made credible progress over the last couple of years and losing that position,

pushes that progress or or or, you know, stops that progress. >> Okay. And that just yeah. Just on the discretionary work being curtailed to that, that being a more powerful argument in your letter,

at least to my mind. But and to briefly for the budget director damages in claims we go over it regularly usually say every budget cycle, what we don't want to put more on there and then have that be

an attractive. The city's loaded up with money. So just come come calling. So that argument wasn't given. >> Oh, yeah, we did. Yeah. Between 20 2024 the city transit. I'm good. Make that argument and

you don't. I mean, I would defer to the city turned him in to what he's alluding to it I'd like is whether or not having too much money damages and claims is a traction for plaintiffs to. I don't

think so because of that was that the U.S. are going to be. >> It's so the fact, though, that where regular the NLRB right up on Page 6, you can see the adopted and the actual on expenditures for

damages and claims are off. We always go over. You mentioned the historical coverage being 5.1 or something like that. I think so. If we if an enterprising councilmember word, take it down to

historical levels as opposed to what's proposed this year, basically, is that a way of kind of backdoor borrowing because you're going to have to go historical trends hold, you're gonna have to go to

contingency and then eventually to borrowing. And then last question can be brief with respect your work on your offices, work on reckless driving. I know there was the agreement that we weren't going

to be pleading down reckless driving case so we could get a reckless driving municipal case to then cue up the second reckless driving offense, which would be a criminal one. So it's been a while

since we talked about it. Public safety might be time to review it. But could you just very briefly say how those trance up and working out? >> Happy to come back and refreshed the both the council

and the public on the data. We have not made any change to that policy and continue to not negotiate a plea down or amend reckless driving case is I would say that coffee at there are instances in

which the driver is also criminally charge say with a felony fleeing. And, you know, that case is kind of heavier than the municipal citation. And that work has been, I think, very successful. I think

the kind of culture of enforcement, both at MPD and in our office is really in sync in uniform and how to write quality citations for reckless driving and how to prosecute them successfully. So I

think we see both the quality of the citation coming in has improved. And then that new policy is as allowed us to to continue. I don't have the, you know, the data. >> Right now we can have that for

future time. But would you say in general that you're successful in municipal court with those first? Yes, sir. Okay. Including taking them to trial and getting convictions. Took a very good. All

right. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Checked. >> Moving on a little more. >> Thank you so much on Mr. Chair Shameless plug before I begin, I just want to give a shout out to L R b. They've done such an

amazing job. Synthesizing all of our day to thank you all so much. I know you work endlessly and we appreciate it. So thank you. And so I've been you know, I'm not they tell me not to Sam Newby

anymore. So definitely learning learning a lot. I think you so a couple things, number of staff that we currently have filled. Are we at capacity or do we still have vacancies? >> Our office has

vacancies. We have a vacant paralegal position. Unfortunately, we had a member of our team passed away very suddenly at the end of the summer, we have 2 vacant EC, 8 positions and one vacant deputy

position. And then I should also mention as referenced in the letter, we have a vacant legal office assistant lead and then we have a vacant office assistant, 3 position. >> And then are we to your

knowledge? Are we have wages, you know, appropriate rages for the vacancies that we have to just get good talent. >> I think that we are competitive and we've been able to recruit experienced lawyers

that have left partnerships in prestigious law firms in Milwaukee to join our office. I think there are areas where we could be more competitive and especially the paralegal position. The city has

paralegal classification that apply citywide and the work that our paralegals to is far more litigation intensive in that it is imminent kind of makes sense. They're the ones in the city attorney's

office that are going to go to federal court and be there and really be active in the litigation in a way that's different than, you know, being more behind the scenes as a researcher, compiling

information. So I do think that that's an area that we need to look at where where I I'd like to advocate to, to be closer to what I think 8 a market rate is 4, 8, litigation paralegal. That is not to

say anything negative about the staff that we do have their fun on. >> As far as just so that, you know, not only we can, but our listening audience to get a sense of you mentioned that, you know,

prior there were staff here that worked here for over a decade or more. What are we looking at right now from the like the most senior staff? They've been here for roughly X number of years, too. What

are most new, a staff that has probably been here 6 months. What what does that range look like? Roughly? I don't need exacts. >> I'm looking at the letterhead. Julian are doing some counting. I think

the most experienced lawyers been on staff for about 25 years or 10. And, you know, I drawing a line here at about I'd say we have 10 lawyers that have a decade of experience in the city and then we

probably have. >> Tonight they're there. >> 9 cea's that war hired by City Attorney Grant Langley, some that departed and came back. And then we have just counting are newbies. You know, another 10

that have less than 2 years, 2 years. Thank you for that. >> Another question that I have is because, you know, I'm looking at again, the whole damages in claims always high mean just the the trend

sort of over over the years. And we've never funded at capacity when when we have cases that are taking lots of money, right? Are there typically recommendations from the attorneys office to provide

policy recommendations to say, yeah, we have to pay out and we could have avoided this. These are some policies you all may look to consider. >> Yes, I'm LaSalle more. Yes. And older cars has a budget

footnote that has been attached to the city attorney's office for a couple of years that following the settlement of the case or cases that that kind of risk assessment or risk management be a

component of our office. I think that's when we have. It's it's it is more intensive when there are, you know, high dollar. And obviously that kind of public is paying attention and really engaged. I

would say, you know, there are ongoing dialogue that we have where we could weaken, improve our systems, even in the high volume, low dollar claims category. So we're looking at how do we receive and

process claims and potentially more expedient and efficient way? How do we get in front of that? I know, you know, you'll have the Department of Public works up soon. And you know, they have I don't

know if it was in 26 or 25, but, you know, more of their fleet has cameras. And that type of that is a, you know, Ben, a help and a number of cases where we have a claimant that says DPW hit me and

DPW says no, we didn't as well. And video is really helpful. Piece of evidence. You know, those type of system improvements. I would say one additional nugget that leave here is I do think we need to

have a better system of recouping when we can. And that is a let's say the reckless driver hits a street light. We do try to suffer gate and and and go after either the individual or their insurer.

But I think we could be more efficient faster and more effective there. And we're kind of internally working on system improvements, not just for ourselves but other departments, because we're we're a

piece of that process. But ultimately it's the other departments that are seeking reimbursement when our property is damaged. >> So when you talk about systems, because I wanted to go back to, you

know, when we asked for for thing, sometimes, you know, it can take months to get a recommendation from the attorneys office and we just can't move forward with any of our legislation on less. You all

provide us with that information. If you can talk a little bit about systems, because I want to make sure that again, you know, the capacity that you all are at, we're able to do our jobs effectively

knowing the constraints that you all have have as well. Is it just is it a structural issue? Is it you know what? We just don't get working on the right systems to put in place? Can you talk to me a

little bit about that? Because I really want to address sort of the timely issue as well as you know, the the you mentioned this before holding. I mean, art, my residents talk to me about the neighbor

next door that has the. >> You know, the animals that he's breathing and no leashes and I mean, going on for years or the the boarded up House or the landlord that doesn't, you know, do what they're

supposed to do, the challenging landlords. And you know for us because we hear it all the time. We want to, you know, it's just like, yeah, we can live gate, but it can take so long and it's just such

a quality of life. So if you can talk a little bit about what that's how structurally, what are some changes here looking to implement? >> Yet the we receive requests and this team in front of you

meet every week and sometimes multiple times a week to assign those requests out council members and departments interact in our legal and enforceable or advisory capacity in lots of different ways.

Sometimes we see a file and it's just very birth and we're see seed with the IRB saying my ideas this and let's work together to get there. Sometimes we see the file is on the matters of new business

and the clock is ticking to get our review done before council. You know, 3 weeks later, the 2 and that same is true with the department's. I'm not trying to pick on the council that that is been a

massive improvement in the flow of work. We have asked I'm not gonna say out loud that email address that we received that work publicly because they don't want that to be flooded with outsiders

asking for stuff. But you all know and we've provided, you know, the flow of communication to our office and it allows us. So we're looking at a couple of things we're looking at. What is the request

who has the expertise? Who has the capacity, right? Who who's, you know, really, you know? And especially with the litigators, it really absent flows. Yeah, right. There are times in which there could

be a three-month span in which they are really pushing extra hours every week. And if those cases resolve, then, you know, it kind of ebbs. But for the and I can lift the deputies speak finally Sky,

you know, for the concerns in the neighborhood task, one was just re launching the neighborhood revitalization team generally yet task 2 was really rebuilding the relationships with the client. The

city attorney's office does not issue citations. We do not go out. Walk on 43rd Street and say unleashed dog hears your citation yet. You know, we are partners with the departments that have that

authority and so its hand in glove. And we rely on the information that they obtain and we present that information in either municipal court state or federal court. And I think that the partnerships

that we have with our enforcement agencies are to Fort enforce and departments is light years ahead of where it was a year ago. And that is not to say we don't have continued work, but I I can see on

a weekly basis, this partnership really developing and departments thinking about, you know, enforcement strategies and involving us earlier asking us thoughts and it's so helpful that went on a

Monday were brought in before folks go out on a Thursday, you know, in receipt. So so again, I would say we've as a management team, I think the flows receiving and assigning work is much better than

it was in April of 2024. When I started the flow of like the kind of quality of life complaints I will say went from, you had almost no where to go with it, too. You've got a team that is responding.

That team is building out specialties. We've got an animal person and we've got a, you know, licensed premises person. We've got a, you know, more of a kind of building zoning and lead person. One

small durst bikers amendment passes will add another person. So, you know, I I I that's a long-winded answer to say, you know, the management team is conscious of capacity and expertise. When we

receive a request, we do our best. I I have never it is. It is always surprised we get a request. Can you review this file? And sometimes it's something very simple. But you pull on that thread and

you start seeing other issues that aren't really envisioned. It looks simple, but it really involves other areas of law. And so the best I can say and I'll stop talking is, you know, we also we had a

we had a training yesterday afternoon, a continuing legal education presentation. We're really are some of our really experienced lawyers are hammering home how to have the best client communication.

So if there are delays were telling you, we're telling you why, because sometimes, you know, we can't predict how long that review will review will take. It might seem simple, but it's not. >> Al tied

up with this. Does bodies equate to the sort of like if you had more bodies as and staff would that drawdown on? So, for example, from looking at damage isn't claims, right? Is it more people to

drawdown you not for being able to address our damages? Claim better to get what I'm saying? >> Yeah, I'll I'll have Julie chime in as well. I would say because it's like you're able to save us 5

million dollars. I'm just like you have people write like, yes, you know, the number of staff would not impact whether or not a plaintiff brings a lawsuit and to the same degree as our earlier

conversation of what the dollar amount in damages in claims is not going to chill or inspire plaintiffs to bring their case if they believe they have a case, they're very likely to sue us. Regardless

of today's conversation for November's action, how we respond matters and the capacity of attorneys that we have to respond matters when it cases filed. The clock is ticking. Guests and early quality

defense is worth twice as much as of late. There are time lines, especially in federal court that if you miss them, you're out. If you do not have your expert witness identified, you do not get to say

the raise your hand nicely 2 days before trial to say I'd actually like to add one more person. And so if you aren't ready at the beginning, it impacts where you're at the at the end. And that is

about bodies that is about do we have 2 lawyers working together to brief and challenge issues on summary judgment instead of one lawyer challenging for that is a capacity issue. That is a manpower

issue and less lawyers means that we just have to divide the work up and there's just less of that immediate attention. Did anybody else want to add anything? >> I think city attorney going he did a

great job of explaining it in the litigation context to just more generally when we talk to our peers in private practice or communities that are insured and have that release valve of being able to

send off unique are very time-consuming are complicated issues out for defense without adding up and the and the columns before you today there in awe of how much breath we have to cover, how much we

have to now. And it's hard to speak in terms of number of bodies exclusively because it said it's it's a knowledge positions that were not making widgets it. We have at the collab libations we talked

yesterday during this training about the duty of competence and how you can achieve competence in a subject matter. You've never touched before. Under the right circumstances. You can learn from

others. You can have resources to sort of train yourself. You have to have enough time to do those 2 things. Your mentor has to have enough time to contribute to that education. So it's it's a

constant balancing act. It's not just straight numbers equals straight potential claims and damages. And then I'd say we're limited by the facts we receive. If something has happened and we can't

change the facts, it may settle. You know, it may contribute to the damage and and claims total for that. Your regardless of how well staffed up or how aggressive or civilian to our current attorneys

are our future 36th and 37th attorney C. >> Let me just as really quick, this was a good question that I just wanted to get a response to the insurance SBA increase from 2.0. 43.5 million. What is a

driving increase for that? I can speak to that. So I mean, insurance across the board is just increasing for everyone everywhere. Actually, that amount of increase is probably pretty low compared to

what is actually happening in the insurance industry elsewhere. One thing that we are looking to add this year, which we've not done before is event specific coverage for things like Bronzeville and

some of the others council sponsored events that we do across, you know, across the year and it never had insurance for before. So there's a sliding to increase in anticipating that that additional

coverage will be added. But in general, the amount that it is budgeted for an increase is actually pretty low in the industry for insurance which is just skyrocket. And thank you for that. Thank you,

Mr. Chairman it before we go. >> Back for other members. I do want to go back to something older women commit you haven't touched on and relieve charters for services in the budget is up $204,000. Up

to 1.5 million in 2027. And can you speak to how we charge how we build? Who are? Who are we building? It says boards and commissions are those tents for no the primary. >> 2 drivers are the employee

retirement system and the housing Authority of the city of Milwaukee. And they are those bills. Yes, general and its hourly. Is it a market rate? I think it's that one item in it. It's our actual, you

know, the 85 an hour on average. That's the average ACA. So does that include? Does 85 an hour include French? Yes. And then are there other staff that participated that are we only going for

attorneys? >> At this time, we're only billing for our ACA time. >> Should we be going for paralegals and support staff for the Housing Authority? The Housing Authority pays for all sports staff time,

but not everybody. And I cannot recall in my time as city attorney ER asked having an issue that it's not that they don't have litigation. They do. It's not high volume. And I don't recall that having

support staff that is often not super fact intensive and is often much more document intensive. So it's not that they couldn't have a paralegal, but I'm just not aware that we've assigned them to it.

I'm not opposed to billing them for that. I mean, how much time does the office spend on development, preparation, paperwork and how much to be bill for that? So it varies. We've got a team of for

real estate, real estate lawyers who do that work myself included. >> We do Bill, an annual amount to the redevelopment authority. Is that correct? We're still doing that. But it's you know, those are

city and redevelopment projects. So we don't we're not filling the seat on the floor of a city developer has legal costs and has to pay for and so should the city. Right. So there is an administrative

fee that the Department of City development charges annually for Tidd monitoring. But we don't charge anything for our up front document drafting document review to create or amended other than that.

My other than that charge direc sounds like that might be an opportunity to help pay for that extra ACA. >> Another opportunity might be the 2040 hours that we spent in 6 months with MPs. So that

budget resolution for last year required you to count the hours. What would MPs in the meantime, has hired were allocated 2 positions for in-house counsel, in-house in-house counsel, not the city

attorney's counsel in their own budget. How has that changed the workload and are those positions at APS filled? They have filled one position. >> And they did so by hiring away in ACA from our office

who was in our labor and employment division or section that position was filled, I believe, in the very beginning of September. So it's still very new that the underlying law here is that chapter

one, 19 of the state statutes assigns us as general counsel. So so we are required. We are. Your office is required to represent MPs as general counsel. But it doesn't say that you must do it for

free. It does not. It also doesn't say that they have to pay. So the idea of some kind of payment is not. I think it's not legally impossible, but there because of that state statute, we very likely

have no enforcement mechanism to kind of drive that except that we on their buildings and we have a long-standing intergovernmental really on the land, the land. I'm sorry. We do work closely with

them. There are 3 provisions in that state law that allow for outside counsel or for our office to not act as the lawyers for the school district under certain circumstances. One of those

circumstances is if we do not have the capacity to do so and recently we did have to push so 3 matters out outside counsel due to lack of capacity. That's because we have a couple of attorney

vacancies. We have 4 attorneys out on paternity or maternity leave right now. So >> who pays for the school district? Us quick math so that so the 6 months of staff time for MPs, $85 an hour would be

$173,400. That's approximately. So that's one more for half of 1, 1, Lord lawyer and 6 months, 6 months, time from March 1st through September. >> Yeah, as I said to your question earlier or to the

chair woman's question on this topic, I I think these hours are low. And I think that, you know, we're probably closer to 3 a on an annual basis when we at all the numbers up, which we will do this

and I'm hearing in additional budget footnote or resolution coming. And the S p Anderson. That's yes. Alright, Alderwoman Cox. >> Hughes spoke about the enforceability. I just I do think so. The bill

I don't scene is likely the bill. I will never pay given a thing. So I think the chair's point about them getting be are not. I think it's important to to the billing just on that. There is one of the

requests for buying into them visually saying the amount of money has gone into U.S.. Representative, I just think that's an important step. I do understand your point about the statue being. I'm not

really giving you enforce mechanisms for it, but I still think that the best things to go full understood. >> A technical question for the comptroller. At what point would you recognize revenue when

an ordinance is proposed considered a budget amendment or do you need to have a signed him? You to recognize revenue for external? Sorry. What was the term charges for services? >> I think it depends

on the specific type of revenue could use elaborated the exactly what you have in mind if there was a council action to amend the budget and change charges for services and increase that dollar amount

of revenue, you can't simply amend the revenue line you would have to. They would have to be layer of them require an W or or direct the department to charge for services. So if there wasn't a Nemo

you in place, we likely wouldn't be recognizing that revenue because we do not the high degree of confidence that there would be that that revenue would ultimately materialize of an M O U was in

place. I think that's something that we could consider recognizing in something that requires where state law requires representation. What kind of notice this might be more of a legal question, but

what kind of notice would be need to provide? Should we begin to charge for services that were previously performed at no cost? That's probably more in the Italy may not even require an emoji. >> I

would say. And I you know, the superintendent is and the school board members are capable of speaking for themselves. I would say in our dialogue the want the public school system as 10,500 employees,

the Madison School District has 3 or 4 in-house counsel. There is I would like to see in the future MPs being able to be equipped with the lawyers that they need and have their staff there and

responsive to their needs and guiding them. They're separate legal entity and certainly, you know, allowing us to kind of chart our course and be focused solely on the city. That is not yet a

possibility. We would need a state law change. But to your question, Altenburg, Alice, we certainly can, you know, materialized like I think there's as we've as we've documented the hour spent, you

know, we have not put it into a bill. We can try that if the council would like us to. I would just again advise that there's a backstop there in the state statute that says, well, you you are signed

to a 6, 0, good luck could even even people who get assigned to represent indigent defendants. >> I think it will still get paid when they're directed to represent them moving on to older Taylor. >>

And thank you so much chair that think they are. They did come to do the things that because my biggest concern was the amount of hours that we're just giving to MPs and that recouping anything's. I

was just wondering, like, how is it really benefiting this to possibly provide counsel 2 MPs? And then there is that one. The cost of one hole attorney he said, is just going to MPs and then the kinds

of cases that we're handling for them. It injury cases. I know you can't get specific, but is it student a teacher injury cases? Is it Torch? Mps has a hole like that. It's so how is it really

benefiting the city to handle those cases and not get any thing in return for it because we're not building them. I'll start at the end. It's a lot of labor and employment cases of thing. >> There are

injury cases. There are suits against the district. So all of the above that you mentioned, I would want for historical context if we go way back the city, there was no MPs. The city ran the school

district in the alders were school board members and the superintendent was an employee of the city building. And then in the 19 Ten's, it started to separate right and Ps became autonomous chapter

one, 19 dates back to think the 1970's. So I just to be clear, I didn't wake up in April of 2024 and say I'd like to be your lawyers. Let's get this agreement for free. The state legislature assigned

the city attorney's office to be the lawyers for MPs. It is the only school district. This is the only East School district municipal lawyer, collaboration in the state statutes. So there may have

been wisdom at the time. I think you can pick up what I've been putting down that in kind of the modern execution of this structure. It's challenging. And I hear what you're saying. And then we its

it's also hard. We're here. They're they're, you know. So when you have a case and you need documents or you need answers, it can be it can be challenging. And I'm sure they are challenging challenge

that we aren't there so that they can't walk down the hall and knock on our door. >> I agree 100% with Alderwoman Cox. And I think that they should see the numbers because then I think Bill,

understand what the city is really giving up. It would what else could be done if we weren't there? So I think that I agree with her that they need to see those numbers. >> Are there. Thank you.

Alderman Taylor, are there other? >> Governmental bodies with their own taxing authority in the state of Wisconsin that receive legal services at no cost from another self taxing governmental body. >>

It's a moment that not all that you had make that an up day one or month for mission ready to get the day one they teach. It depends, you know. So it's hard that I don't want to say yes or no, because

God knows that there may be a township and the county out there that have an agreement that I don't know about. I think in states what I will say in state statute, the union, what's really unique here

is MPs is huge. Their budget is massive there. You know, they have a a huge responsibility. School law is unique and complex and there's a reason why school districts either hire firms with that

expertise or have and train and support their in-house counsel because it is very different than what we do on a daily basis of the city. Thank you for that. And I'll just reiterate that this

information request. Is there another self taxing a governmental body that receive snow cost legal services from another self taxing? I see older woman Prep has joined us online. Thank you for joining

us. Are there any questions from anyone else for the city attorney? All right. Thank you very much. Thank you. Thanks for joining us. >> Right on TIME. 90 minutes to that when on our next play

department that will be hearing from is the treasurer's office it takes to talk to she gave it is well, we transition to the treasurer's office. We do want to recognize and appreciate everyone who's

sharing brewers colors today. Go Brewers. I'm glad that no one wore their hats or jerseys to committee. But I I'm just with the play's. That's that's how we do it. Here at City Hall, one budget

director. >> Continued good morning to the committee back. Director of Budget Management Division Tyler carrier will now present the treasure slides. And we're joined by Sen Treasury Spencer Cox and

his team as well. Tyler Calavera Budget Management division here today to present the 2027 proposed budget for the city treasure jumping right into the budget. Summary, as you can see here over all

expenditures in the proposed budget are going up by about 246,000 power, about 5%. And I'll jump in and go into further detail in the next few slides. So sellers and positions, there's no new

positions in this 27 requested budget that the Fte mount did go up slightly. And that's just too account for extra hours for temporary customer service reps overall salaries and wages went up about

120,000 or about 5%. And that has to do mostly with the raises that were given out and the 26 adopted budget and then r-class that was done recently, moving on to operating equipment operating went up

about just about 4% or 27,000. And most of that can be a cause that is due to increased costs and postage for mailing services equipment. There was no request for equipment this year. So just a slight

decrease there. Special phones, all of the city treasures, special funds have to do with tax collection. That's there's systems and services for that. And there were slight contractual increases this

year. So just about 46,000, more than 26 adopted going into budget by service, there's 3 that they can be broken down by financial services, investment portfolio. And then the other big thing is

property tax bill and collection enforcement and of course, the cone collection costs that city treasurer deals with. And then last thing, 27 proposed budget calls for a $700,000 increase in

anticipated revenue about 13%. The lion share that comes from the anticipated return rate being estimated at 3.2 versus 3% last year. And with that all being said unless there any questions will not

be handing off the presentation that city Treasurer, Cox and his team. Thank you. Thank you very much for that. Welcome Treasure Cox. >> I think in this chair and members and and not to pander but go

Brewers. Yeah. And to Richard Bunch of dogs and would he is my deputy. Look, we should read. I'd like to start with tax collection and I'd like to report on theory pleased to report our our office

continues to achieve a problem that lets you rate of that. We 98% and 90 times, which is one of if not the best of alleged priest in the country regarding taxed delinquent the at the close of the

August election period. There was a slight increase over the same time of last year. Give me a couple of them pulls and one e 25 we've filed for luxury gets 560 properties. The city in a wire 166 of

those properties with is that it's a 390 or were we mean by the owners? And that was a 27% that we acquired of. We've filed in 2026 against 678 properties 189 work wired by this ad, but 49418 and were

redeemed by their owners. We will continue to pursue. We are back to rob tax collection and for some and to maintain our out and inglett you rate by continues the large repays to action portion

process. We makes several options a little from tech peers to be making this. As in last several years, Bradley text payment drop box is little new. They'll build or incorrect election. Every police

station except district one as well as you're around drop boxes that the market, the entrance inside City Hall, the broadly insurance to the side of the building, I decided to building on Market

Street. I just remember 2025 to fit very 2026. Current let you in the area. 9.5% of all accounts with fate in person down from 11 and during the previous year. Now we encourage we continue to

encourage that used to mail in their payments, use our tax being drop boxes, pay on fine in bay over the telephone to avoid paying in person, which Wheatley will reduce the traffic out 5 of the hall

and Long Lines. Inc City Hall. We do it. I have to use new earning the investment beef and 7.8 million General Fund investment income in total was realized in the pool cash who want to get you,

Leland. 2020 on our rate of return is in the short term. Let's get this and Senate did meet with the continent, local government in this and pull rate of return. Well, the long-term pool game in a

little under and in closing my death and injuries to under police, serve walking tech ears and has collected much needed revenue largest from any department in the city, too. Sure. The continuation

miss the city services. I could not be more proud of much asked for the work they have done and continue to on the basis. So with that, I'll stop. And can you take any questions? >> All right. Thank

you very much for Congress will pass the gavel back to Chair Demetria. Thank you. I do want to know what thank you all are under goes for handling the city attorney's office and get things started.

Really appreciate that, OK? Well, thank you. Treasure of cars. So great to see you and your staff. >> I'm now going to go to which side should the left was that they are doing it. We started on the

right previously thought. So it seemed like to try to get these are contract that would actually so white only if you're reading Alderwoman more. Did you have any questions? >> I do. But I kind of

passed out. Pass it to my colleague. Okay. Is that works to him? And I am, you know, I should add some housekeeping things. So I'm going to try to attempt the left the right thing each day because

first want you to remember, we all have short memories of. But if you're not ready with his passing, go through just a reminder, people listening, will it start with finance? That will go to our other

wonderful colleagues that are here. So just want to mention that as we kind of get into our flow and I do have to make press on the board to press on the board. Great one. Other reminder for everyone

who is listening. We had sent out a number of letters reminding departments years was incredibly succinct. Thank you that we city attorney was little bit longer, but we do need to keep bringing it in.

We're trying to reduce presentation time to maximize question time. So I will at this point going forward have to like bring in a department and, you know, cut give you a number of warnings if we get

closer to the 10 minute mark. So that did not happen here, actually, but it is not. And any intention other than to maximize can all others questions. And with that in that Spirit Alderman Scott

Spiker. >> Thank you, Madam Chair. So we've talked to pass a vote. How with changes in technology and stuff people. >> They're paying online. >> And it's still have those lines, you know, during tax

season tax being season at City Hall, even though curiously the with the standard deduction, changing the speed of the humber of the folks in my speaking too far away from the sorry with the the

standard deduction changing the need to get in before the end of the year might have changed. So what I'm wondering is what started trends you all have been seeing in terms of online payment is that

still ticking up visit becoming a diminishing minority of people who still want to pay in person. Are you finding any interesting trends, demographically, with respect to anything age, whatever and

who does which or just looking for a snapshot of where trends are now in terms of payment? Good morning. Look what you're straight or the deputy city treasure. >> The online payments have kind of

holds steady around between 10 to 15 per cent of total payments. And, you know, if you're paying by credit card, I mean, there's a feat that gets past. And if your tax bill is high, then mean that

he's going to be pretty high as well. So that probably tempers a little bit of the people. So actually the drop boxes. We've seen gains of people just putting that in the drop boxes and having them at

the police district stations, you know, out in the community where people can make those payments easier. We've seen that that tick up as well. So that's really kind of where we've seen the the

biggest growth. I mean, people who are on the installment payments where they can make them 10 monthly payments. A lot of those are also online where people where that money can come. If you're paid

directly from your checking account, that is no fee. But, you know, if you pay by credit card, then you have that we pass along the credit card processing fee by. So that's kind of where we've really

seen the growth is in the drop boxes. >> Okay. For folks with mortgages, their banks are taking care of. These is that there's this. >> I mean, it depends. I mean, that number. He's kind of health

study between 55 and 60% of people whose mortgage just more just mortgage company still directly make the payment on their behalf. Okay. And then. >> So the Unisys to get adopted a while back. I don't

know how many years ago and there were some challenges with how how do you all think that's a long-term solution? Are you actively looking at other software? Have some of the kinks been worked out

with that? It's still I mean, I remember the predecessor to be in a system which seems easier. We need to work. But I'm just wondering if there's been any changes, sir, seeking improvements and and

that system with the vendor. >> Managers have been talking about that. >> I guess I would say the system isn't as stable as we would like. And so that has also kind of and they're also our ability to

kind of explore other things with as far as you know, doing paperless billing. But it's really hard to do that when it's kind of like when you do an upgrade or something, something expects and

something else breaks. And so you're kind of starting all over again. >> How big a Lyft would it be to switch to another system? >> We haven't explored that yet, but there has been the idea kicked

around a little bit with the assessor's office of trying to exploring moving to one system because they passed their data to us, you know, to the billing, then we've in passing, you know, the assessor

and I have kind of said, well, maybe that's something we should look at is maybe if there's a possibility of moving to one system that both of our officers can use. But that's just kind of passed in

the hall discussion. And. >> Yeah, I'm not sure which which committee has oversight there, but that might be worse. Well, you know, communication filed to just kind of figure out with the challenges

have been within the system and whether there's, you know, a time and a place to consider moving on if if it's limiting our ability to to to exercise all the capacities we want to. The question is I

saw it's been an LR be right up about in-room foreclosures and that those have dipped since 10 years ago or so. Do we know what that trend line looks like going forward or do we expect that to

continue? >> The demand for shares? >> I think it's hard to project because I think a lot of it's really kind of economy driven and how people are feeling about their ability to make their payments on

time. So I think if you people's economic situations are better, the baby bill to make those payments on Time vs. That's so I think it's hard for us to kind of predict how that's going to look in the

future. >> Yeah. And as you can see, the on the land we serve, what would your files on a number of people number of owners in that? And before they go into for Bush, you will go ahead and read the

those properties. And we are very glad that they do. But it isn't Brando as the instability of, you know, especially older people on fixed incomes and that kind of thing. >> Yeah, it's interesting

because the 2 trend lines look at Page 6 that or be right up are kind of going in opposite directions. So the redemption rates looks like it's kind of climbing over time and then the exposition rates

going down. So maybe a simple economic solution. I don't know. Might not be the whole story. There might be something more. >> Mr. I'm just going to have for them members and vacation just from

personal experience having the second district in the city with the most for closings and coming in during the kind of crisis for thousands that same year long, 10 years. And I think we were just

beginning to come out the downturn, citing. I would hope that the numbers just keep decreasing. And I think I think they will unless we had another Valentine. But I said it because prior to the

downturn, the number of and Rams were extremely low. But what we ended up possessing so 2008 and for about a decade or so those numbers skyrocketed. So I think what we what we're what we've seen over

the last 10 years, is that the you know, saying I don't think the but I think the draft as a justice or is not enough explanation of law that we van through union among there helps to indicate why

we're seeing that down worship now. So I think like literally the number one cause of my office on a first down and now it was about people trying to save their house home for clouds to the number one

meeting that will have a residence with people trying to save their family now for a home foreclosure. That's why I started them housing care that Stephen, the workshops on how to save your house from

foreclosure. And now it's probably more like 5 or 6 as opposed to the number one thing south visually saying it less green boards last, you know, blocks that are ravaged by by. But I've also

experienced it so hard. Residents keeping our homes a little longer. So with the complaints about the taxes now. But yeah, but if you are of them. >> Appreciate that context. The amend chair and just

real quickly, all the cuts as mentioned, something that kind of piqued my interest because I think we both were at the h*** you part of ration. And I got a number of people who asked him about

seniors, you know, having some at least some of the leaf because they're on IX incomes. And I know older Kaag says the pilot programs in that car. I don't know if you want to touch it or any other. >>

So I'm just I'm members probably already know this. But just for the public, there are some cities that do deferment of tax breaks for seniors or veterans or service like groups of people. We're

unable to do that type of thing because of state statute because of the uniformity closet state that requires us to keep the same kind of property taxes for everybody. But what we have been able to do

is partner when KU 98 will hold a phone as caught anti displacement. Fine. We did it and the projections of the downtown and best man before the and around the time of the arena being built and all

that kind of thing because we know what normally happens. The neighborhoods around such development, the level of justification, cove and displacement. So myself Artemis tamper and Adam and Perez and

that whole bunch of work around displacement of one of the things that came out of it was work towards this anti displaced new funding currently to this that I think this is the 6 of 7 here that NK

United has to offer to folks in the displacement zones, if long as they meet certain criteria have on their house for some time CERN, different criteria that they can get access to this fund, which is

the funding is provided through the investment of area plan to be area developers and people like that have put into the fund some of that money that accounts for that increase than shop in their

property tax assessments to help them defray the cost south. Several of the residents within High Park area have had the opportunity to to to benefit from that fund. But you now, of course, residents

member from Pakistan. Ah, you know, we also have passed legislation directing the lobbyists to lobby for a change or exemption for the uniformity class to allow us to do some things. I finished do

happen. But the council we we recognizing our time, I think every day in ways to help give scenes of it is really for possible. >> Thank you very much. So alderman spike or so have the floor. Anything

additional or an yeah. One more. Okay. Thanks. All right. In the forehead, right? I'm going back to all the women more. Thank you so much, Madam Chair. >> I wanted to ask along the lines of

foreclosures and how we sort of communicate and address that just so that, you know, the listening audience knows that, you know, after year we don't take your house like it's a it's a process. Can

you talk a little bit about like that? How that process works? Sure. >> Under previous mayor we partnered and we are partnering the current year city, Milwaukee, just about one people's homes. That's

it, OK? You only do it, too. I have as much open dialogue with people as possible, but we have a 3 phase in force meant that occurs for them. These hot election. Okay. In the week, right to left in as

a been a into our total election. We like 98 99 times cent of taxes. The delinquent he's that occur. A are read out in the second phase. We used to call off to force a tactic. Portsmouth, then in the

3rd is least we stand out final letters and we get to ride to indicate as much as possible to people that if we did get and making the arrangement of them is going to go to court after it goes to

court, it is our our department's hands. >> Thank you. Thank you so much. And so once we have an individual's property are there. So I've had it where again and elder, as you know, loses their

property family steps and wants to retrieve it and help them, you know, get it back. That sort of thing. Are there are additional fees that are passed on or are we asking Kate just catch up on

property taxes? >> Once the city acquires the property, it then becomes under the purview of the Department of City Development and they have to work with them to do paid all the taxes. And then

usually when we do it for closure, there is like the fee on there that accounts for our office time in the city attorneys time and those costs of making the filing the court case, it usually just

maybe $180 property. So it isn't like a huge fee. But these have to work with the city to if they want to. We own the property. Thank you. That's all the questions I have. Madam Chair. While we're on

that topic, that process can it can take roughly year Cup years, right? More? Yeah. Okay. Yeah. I mean, if so in November of each year, so whatever properties are. >> Delinquent like at the end of the

installment payment process, then those are set to Cohn. And as long as Cohen is making progress, you know, because you can set up a longer payment plan with Tom Ridge camp with in-house, you can set

up a longer payment plan with KHON. If Colin feels like, you know, they're getting in or whatever, then they will send those files back to us. And those properties will go into the Enron for closure

process. But if you're working with Colin and you are responding to them and you've set up a payment plan, I mean that you stay with them. You know, until you get through that process, usually the

ones that come back to us are the ones that are not responsible for, right. Because in a few times in my district, I've had what I would say like somewhat abandoned properties that are full like

raccoons and things like that. And it's not totally abandoned. >> But a a. >> I mean, we've heard of we all want to any all their here is laughing because they know we're getting these phone calls and

they're aggressive and they're scary. And there, you know, not that's not healthy. And I tried, you know, with the city attorney's office so like it's obviously it's different than the situation. But

I would hate like that big that seems so cumbersome and hard and long. I would I would how Kate compare these 2. I feel very opposite when there is a human and a family trying to, you know, to

survive. And I feel like we should have as much time as needed to to have them, you know, remain in their house, like the treasures said. But on the other hand, it felt like it took extremely long and

that someone had mentioned this one property. And I know I contacted your office, but that it was like foreclosed on and what not. But it wasn't occupied. So like I think it had to go through more of

a nuisance process. I just think our constituents are trying to navigate that a little bit like what is he the city treasurer's office roll in what I'm talking about where it is not actually occupied

by a human generally before. >> During that process, the lists are set to the city and for the and asked to review those properties, OK? And sometimes they will. Also they will recommend you do. It's,

you know, abandoned ECB may say, well, do that acquire that property tools, leave that and by the criteria that the use and you can follow up with that more closely. But the NSA and the city, we do

send them the less to review those list. You know, DNS may determine, you know, that's a nuisance property. So it isn't us working to get back. And so we do it is a collaborative. But is that going to

the cone process, too? It's usually once it's kind of been through that cone process or we haven't gotten a response back. Mcallen has said, OK, what? We can't do anything with us and them those lists

will then go to DNS and dcd to renew them to be. >> A leader on this route, 8 law changed to moms at the end of the process and be please give us calls an unknown to him more time in what go. She

because of the change in state law and a certain point we're just cut out of the Treasury Department, got out of it. And and yet >> it would be C E I guess I'll just leave this feedback is. >> You

know for me, I want to talk for me when we have individuals struggling to keep up with bills fixed income. I believe that we are most of the Fed a gracious time because in the end we are saving so

many cost financially and morally of keeping people in their house. And I know you'll do that. On the other hand, when it is like this happen to be out of town landlord that just didn't want to clean

up and it just abuse the system. And, you know, so like we got to have 2 different pictures and open up the same set of rules. Yeah, but if we can look into that a little bit, because I there's just

certain house on the block that I probably receive at least 20 phone calls from and they were in foreclosure. And it's not like so I'll bring it up to all. But I just want to paint 2 very separate

pictures of how you know, 1, 1, process, I would hope would almost be expedited. And it seems like some more coordination with the N S. I like that. We're increasing the fee for vacant properties and

I think we just need to update that registry to there's fee increase of I think 40 per cent from yesterday for registered vacant properties. Seems like a nice was sharing to like double checking last

but not least I guess a more positive note. I still get a general amount accolades and I try to pass it to your office when we do actually get a compliment from any department. I know I try to send it

over because it's nice and it personally makes my day. People still in my district. Really appreciate the what I would call the personal touch that your office provides its not found very much in our

community or even our nation. And they appreciate that. You can normally talk to a compassionate human person when you have a question. So, you know, I know that's expensive to provide. So thank you

for doing that. >> Well, thank you. I-10 East. I'll be as a our customers are nervous. Tried very hard. I listened to a lot of the calls and, you know, the people aren't stress on them. And week I did

on the Dow. If the customer service rep cannot go ahead in in, put it manager the management and rise to have people and to the extent possible what we can and will be again, you when that doesn't

happen, he goes to me. Yeah, we sure. And that's where the buck stops, where the really to try to get people to untouched and our system. Look, when those comments do come to pass on our employees.

Graham, happy to hear that. Thank you. >> Thank you so much. All member Ghost. Thank you, Madam Chair. >> And I'll echo that same sentiment any time I've had and stich will concern or anything come to

my office. Your staff is and that we should have been incredibly helpful to care of everything that needed to be taken care of. Last year. The mayor's office cut some funding from your office for

postage on mailing out receipts for tax payments. What has happened in this year's budget? I didn't see any mention of it and then you can change it. >> Yeah, I can discuss that there was an amendment

or I should say a footnote. That was there was an amendment to cut funding back in last year. And the footnotes says beginning in 2027, the city's method of tax receipt delivery will be the same

method as the property tax payment. The budget office worked with the city trader and that's what's reflected in this budget. Perfect. Thank you for that. And then for those of mortgage company,

mortgage services that have that are paying electronically, are we sending a wire back with the receipt? >> To the mortgage company or are we sending a simple? How are we taking care of those? >> Tax

payers, those receipts will go out to the homeowner I postal mail or by electronic because usually they'll call because sometimes they don't trust or mortgage company has paid William. But the reason

for that, I've heard that before. All right. Thank you very much because they wait until 11:59PM, right? Just so they can. But for the viewing public of and the tax bill payment is available online on

the website, you can. >> Go to your property of a page and those are public documents. Anyone can pull off anyone else's receipt. Yes. >> And Bill and I'm sure okay, although in Cannes. >> And this

and this might not be a question for you, ma'am, because to me the right direction. I've had some instances in my district where also complained about we'll have tax a Rear Inc for multiple years but

have not being foreclosed upon. I'm usually a palm investigation. It was put in the category do not acquire in recent times several properties that historically mob 7 tow are do not acquire. We have

acquired. I just I guess I wanted to know who makes that decision 4, what the city requires and what we choose not to. >> That's typically when we send the pre-foreclosure when we send the list to the

Nassar dcd, the city may decide, you know, to put the property on the do not acquire list and the criteria, the user probably best to follow up with them with their with their team to determine how

the make that decision. Thank you. >> Okay. We've completed our first round of another on the Franco to others. >> Just super prevent. So just following up on all the Bergdahl says so the receipts

thing that was said, the policy is the same as we do with property taxes. Does that mean there aren't perceived as a matter? Of course, it matches the method of payment that sun. >> Oracle of Delphi

response and the to amend the U.S. team. >> And so if you if you pay online, you get a confirmation. So we kind of see that as like year, your receipt that you paid, you can still get the official

receive off of our website. But if you pay online and you receive a confirmation that your payment went through them, we don't send those people. Okay. A separate person. Yeah. >> No. It didn't make

sense. If I paid off. Mine was going to paper receipts. I just want to make sure understood that. But it's good to know 2 in case somebody calls us to know what the the policy is and then we can send

them. And if somebody for some reason says they they want a paper receipt. Is that something you would do? Sounds good. Thanks. >> Okay. That completes the Finance committee's questions Alderwoman

Taylor. Any questions for judge or? >> I don't really have any really is just that we talk about those vacant properties because there's so many of them and in right now. >> I says the state is

looking like a the price of real estate is a really risen in those interest rates have gone up. So eyes that list getting longer and longer of individuals that are losing their homes. Because I know

is that you pass that list on the CB, Indiana's, but >> I'll have to like get the full data as to how many are still out there and the trends over the years. And when I can provide you with that. >>

And then does I was just thinking about how aggressive are we would trying to those that are that are not paying their taxes or just letting the homes go into foreclosure. We a little more aggressive

now in trying to help to maintain those homes so that we are losing all that revenue. >> I mean, we send every, you know, property through that same enforcement process. You know where at the end of

the like this year's collection cycle in November, whatever hasn't been paid, then goes on to call in. And then the tools that cone has at their disposal. They will use to end if you don't, if they're

able to reach an agreement with the homeowner for a longer payment plan and they will pursue that because as we all know, the end goal is to not and we have the city take it over. So it takes that

property owners long as there working with cone. You know, that little. That's really kind of what we want, because as we all know, our tools that we what you can do and how certain limit it wears,

Palin has a much greater flexibility as far as making payment plans, extended payment plans. And so that's what we want as long as that owner is working with calling to, you know, to make those

payments. >> And again, just as the comment using the coal off sometimes uses people because they want to deal directly with us, we try to ensure people that the Koran off and leave had some checks

with the law firm is just leaving people with that. And so we have judged and is truly trying to keep people entre wrekin. Sometimes you talk to calm but didn't want to talk to us again and they're

buying into. So there's that then a little bit. Usually in the past. >> Madam Chair, Hollermann Cox. I knew. And if you don't have this information right now, this time I would like it out to get it

in the last year that the houses that you all have to for calls on what percentage of the taxes that they owe, what's city fees. >> We have to get back to you on that from. Thank you. >> Can you also

remind us or I guess me just refresh. I didn't necessarily see it in. Here is everything remaining the same for 2027 in the ability and the fees to kind of use installments and also my residents to

another property taxes or >> what tools are also available for the municipal bill. He just got to go through that real quick, what waterworks, you know, handles the municipal bill. So they build that

separately. But for our bill rest 10, Pete, the 10 installment payments are still still available for taxpayers. No interest. We're still a location where people can pay that municipal. Yeah, you can

still come in yet. But if you need to arrangements to possibly pay that, that's that's through waterworks cells. Okay, because I I do have many people who come in for municipal bill to pay you what

what every state you that's kind of rather new in the last couple years. I think that you're accepting that. But no, I guess what I'm looking forward to is no changes in 2027 to any of those

arrangements or fees included in those arrangements are still checking, if not now. And any last questions or comments on the treasurer's office we see in the board. Well, seeing and hearing other

questions. We thank you for your service and we'll move on comptroller. >> Have a wonderful day. And once again, we know there's definitely yes. All right. Just light rain after comptroller will be

taking a break in the beginning promptly at 01:00PM. We will begin right at 01:00PM for city clerk manifesting that it'll be a lot of that. So justly at one. Yes, that if I say it could be used to get

it first, no, we will do that. I think we'll have a pretty some break-ins. Lets you got like a >> hour-long presentation to us a a. >> Well, we appreciate that. And with that, we will welcome our

comptroller's office and >> we'll let you go to director come back and then you all can plan your presentation. Thank you. Madam Chair, the covax Budget Management Division. We're joined here by the

comptroller and his deputy and Angelique Pettigrew. But then was for the council will now go through their slides in a very timely manner and turn it over to them. >> Well, good morning. Good morning,

Madam chair. That can officially say it that you're here. Oh, yeah. And committee members and again that are watching this morning, Angelique Pettigrew budget in fiscal policy analyst to present the

comptroller 2027 proposed to click into budget. Joined that today. Our comptroller Phil Christensen, as well as the deputy comptroller turn the radio. The Department mission focuses on delivering

strong fiscal oversight, transparent reporting and tying the financial services. This look at the numbers. Again, I will short make the numbers short hand instead of the full amount that are on your

screen and I will go and 2, I will go up until Sly 10, which is the capital and then transfer the presentation over to the department. Starting with the budget summary, the table summarizes the

department's overall operating and maintenance budget requests. The proposed budget for 2027 is 6.6 million. This represents an increase of 749 K or about 13% over last year's approved budget. This

change is mostly driven by several things, wage adjustments to the reclassifications and putting money for independent financial audit to ensure operational compliance which I will break down over the

next few fights flight. 3 details. The department's personnel numbers proposed salary and wage budget is 4.2 million, which is a 10% increase of 377 came driven by the business operations market

study. You will notice a reduction of 2 positions overall. This happened because the an M F T E's dropped by 2 point. Sorry, 3.2, 4 due to eliminate E temporary Work Day project positions in payroll

in General County to partially balance that the operational O and m Fte increased by 1.2, 4 this small show reflects moving the time tracking lead position into a permanent office funding. A role

created in 2025. For New Work Day functionality and pass it by a position of elimination in the 2026 budget. Moving on to the staffing summary 5, 4, shows an overall total authorized positions dropped

from 58 to 56 because the budget eliminates the 2 vacant position to balance the department's workforce needs a finance manager position with added and the to take positions previously mentioned were

moved over. Additionally, various legacy titles have every class to meet the department's current workload, specifically a senior financial analyst with upgraded to a finance manager. This creates a

much needed backup for the capital finance manager in a similar move to fix staffing battle mixed in accounting coordinator position with up, also upgraded to a supervisor role. This Israeli took a

heavy administrative burden off the county manager who previously had 14 separate employees reporting directly to them. Now we'll move on to the operating equipment and see what the changes are. Just

like to explain the reason the city is entering the final phases of migrating from his decade. Legacy people staff platform to Work Day a modern cloud-based E R P system changing an entire city

enterprise database requires serious technical oversight to review validate and partake recurs doing the data transfer. Moving on to the official purpose skill. All right. And we come back. Many of a

I have to ask if this lioness by sea and that's the office operations and equipment. So let me go over that spot. Before we jump into the special Purpose Council, it gives me for jumping over that

slide assigned seats. We look at the operating budget which is up by 201 K bring in the proposed operating total to 465 K. This entire change comes from the professional service line which increases

by 188 K to 354 K and you will see that in the second bullet. The funding is for higher mandatory independent outside. It's for in compliance auditors to review city account. General office expenses

were adjusted to 48 K 2 met actual annual mailing costs while it equipment funding remains at 40 K for routine replacement. Now we're going to talk about the special purpose accounts. Alright, managed

by the department. The proposed total is 290 K which is a minor increase of 4.5 K one 8th of the fire insurance premium disbursement received from this state of Wisconsin is paid to the firefighters

relief associations. So the increase in the fireman's relief and is driven by increased dispersed. Now we're going to review the cost breakdown by service which had a question and they were good.

Okay. It's like a breaks down the total service cough across 4 main areas combining regular operations and special purpose accounts into a total of 6.9 million, the largest area, accounting and

payroll. At 4.4 million now enclosed includes 2 permanent software positions to support the work they play additionally under the debt management at 329 Kay, an analyst position with upgraded to a

finance manager, remove operational risk and gives the department the management depth needed to handle financial planning moving into revenue. It's unchanged at 480 K the office brings in these

dollars by charging standard service fees. Tune and city agencies. They utilize department's financial network to break that down 370 k of this revenue comes from the fees associated with doing quick

tax collection. The remaining 110 K is generated by the county services provided directly to Milwaukee. Water works capital. I'll stop here in just a varias and that the department does not manage

physical infrastructure and facility construction there for in the capital. Budget include in the enterprise software capital modifications are handled centrally through the cities, of course, it

network. Therefore, this concludes my financial overview of the Comptroller of Budget for 2027. I will turn the presentation over the department's fast to guy that committee through their core

services operation operational highlights and updates if there are no questions for the Budget Department. Thank you. >> Okay. Thanks so much. Bull just hold for the budget. Specific questions before

you know until we get to the presentation. So with that Bill Christian Center City Comptroller, Good Morning. >> Good morning. Thank you, Angelica and Good Morning. Madam Chair Committee members, Bill

Christensen, City Controller. So what Charlie introduce himself to the Rebels deputy comptroller. So in the interest of time, the slide covers the organizational chart and demographics for the

comptroller's office. All just highlight the the key changes that are new to the 2027 budget. So one of those is the elevation of the system support division to reporting directly to leadership. And

this involves the elevation of the system, support manager, the functional applications manager, who's in that role to our senior management team. And this is a recognition of the elevated importance

that systems primarily our new work day system is going to play for the foreseeable future. I think we're as we go live in the beginning of 2027 that we will be constant communication, collaboration

with other city departments trouble shooting, working this out. And then as we move forward with workday system support is going to be kind of our and the controller's office, our in-house guidance

and expertise on taking the system to the next level and fulfilling its its full potential. The other change that's new in our organizational chart to 2027 is in our General Accounting Division. And

Angelica mentioned this earlier, the general accounting manager had 14 direct reports and in some context in some situations that may be inappropriate span of control. But given the the level of

individual contributions that this individual is expected to make its its really not, it doesn't make sense for that person's bandwidth to be spread over 14 direct reports and their individual

contributor roles. So what we did is we elevated the lead, a paraprofessional position in the General Accounting Division to become a supervisor of the paraprofessional staff. So that person

supervises the 3 individuals and then reports to the manager. Our demographics were proud of the diversity that we've been able to achieve and work. We're always striving to do more and do better. And

we work with the when we have recruitment for open positions to achieve that. And finally, our managerial positions, you might look at our total number of managerial positions, 12 out of the office of

when we're fully staffed closer to 55 and think that that's a a large number and a half I, you know, kind of staff to to manage or number. But as I mentioned with the county manager, it's true of

nearly every managerial position of the day have a significant individual contributor role and are not simply supervising and managing the work that others are doing. They do a great deal of the work

themselves. And of course, I want to thank and acknowledge the hard work that everybody in the comptroller's office does. You know you sometimes you might wonder got the whole 4th floor up there. What

are you? What are you guys doing all day? Well, Charlie Ragle deputy controller is going to cover the highlights of what each of our divisions does and recognize leadership within each one of those

divisions. But first, I'd like to recognize somebody who is in attendance here, financial services director Tony Biscobing, who will be retiring at the end of this year under decades of service to the

city. I've really come to rely on her for her expertise. She's seen so many situations. Whenever something comes up, I she's use my first person to go to his head. How do we handle this? And she's

most of the time. 99 1% of the time has an answer and sees things through to the finish and it's going to be a big loss for the office. But we certainly we wish her all the best in retirement without

a will turn it over to Charlie for going through the course of this is by Division. >> Okay about the Finance Committee. We wish you well as well. So. >> Okay. So for the first of the court services

is counting the county and diligently compiles the financial statements, processes financial transactions and provides financial oversight necessary to enable the city to have major capabilities such

as being able to issue debt, receive grant funding and demonstrate accountability for public funds. As you can see, they're quite good at it, too. Having received the gf away, a certificate of

achievement and financial reporting in 4 years in a row, the overall county function is led by a county director and special deputy director of air with the General Accounting managed by Sheila Scott

and Grant County and managed by Brad Lawn art financial adviser in public debt. Also provide major services to the city led by revenue and financial services manager Gloria Lucas. The Financial

Advisory Division perform such major activity is compiling the Municipal Financial report, which is the basis for state Transportation AIDS preparing an independent revenue estimates for use in the

city budget and creating the tax per sure, which is the insert that comes with your property tax bill and has the dollar bill graphic. Breaking out how much of each tax dollar is going to each taxing

entity. Public debt manages the city's 1 billion dollar debt program which includes both the issuance of debt and the maintenance of relationships with rating agencies to help the city maintain

investment grade debt. It is led by new capital finance manager Brian de La. And I want to give a special thanks to Jesse Hagen who led us through the fall debt issuance. While we were between capital

finance managers, Parrot City Peril. Administration manages citywide employee payments and taxation along with departmental payroll clerks, their hard work and dedication help the city to pay its

employees accurately. And on time they're managed by Joanne Balinsky with direction from financial services director and special Deputy Tony Biscobing, who also directs the Financial Advisory Division

System Support provides functional assistant citywide for finance and HR applications, which is always critically important, but will be even more so with the workday implementation, it is led by

functional applications manager and special Deputy David Klein. And then finally for the court services is internal audit. Internal audit provides an additional layer of oversight to the city. It

primarily performs operational financial information, technology and compliance audits of city departments as well as operates the city's fraud hotline. It is managed by Adriana Molina who sent each

of you an email on September. 21st soliciting your input for the 2027 audit plan. Your input will go into her enterprise risk assessment which ultimately leads to that 2027 audit plan. And that will

that audit plan will be presented to the committee in early 2027. with that country are Christian center will take you through some of our major achievements and initiatives. >> Thanks, Charlie. So

this slide covers our service highlights and I won't go through all of these, but I'll just touch on a few. We're really proud of the city of Milwaukee's first 5 year financial forecast that was done

at the direction of the council. It was something that I think will help shift the focus, which is often, you know, as it is now on the subsequent years, budget and a highlight some of the challenges

that we're facing over the longer term and help guide our decision-making. We also completed the first quarterly budget to actual reporting for city departments. So this is something that gets email

to council members shortly after the close of every quarter. So you'll be getting this probably sometime in the next 2 or 3 weeks. And these 2 things. The 5 year financial forecast and the quarterly

budget reporting are 2 things that were cited in our most recent bond rating report from S P global as indicators of strengthening financial management here, the city of Milwaukee. So that's a a I

think, a positive thing to be recognized by bond rating agencies for taking steps to improve financial management. Proud to say we received a clean unmodified opinion from our external auditors for

2025 annual Comprehensive Financial report. We, as Charlie mentioned earlier, we've received the Gf a certificate of achievement for excellence in financial reporting for 4 years running. And I'm

optimistic that we will receive that same acknowledgment for 2025. we implemented a third-party vendor verification should be. >> Well, the idea of 2. >> We implemented 3rd party vendor verification

services through a firm called sure. And what this does is they verify that a company is tied to the bank account that that we have in our records. And when we bring out a new vendor, they come from

that that the vendor is associated with that bank account. And they also guarantee payments made by the vendors that they have approved up to 1 million dollars and for the relatively low cost. I think

the safety security, the benefit that that provide the city is a very good deal. And it's also streamlined and simplified some of our processes for verifying vendors within our office. And we're on

track to complete 13 to 15 audit work products in 2026. Compared to our target of 13 in the year. So we're optimistic that we'll be able to exceed our target for audit work products this year. Major

updates. You've heard a lot about the workday project, both as part of this budget hearing and in the past finance and personnel committee meetings work is scheduled to go live for payroll and pay

period. One of 2027, which is actually December 20th of 2026. financial implementation will be about 2 weeks after so are nearly our entire office has had some involvement in this and system support.

Payroll administration in general accounting are the real heavy hitters on a workday implementation. And we're a major change in our 2027 budget is bringing on a a consultant who will be doing some of

our payroll related services. So they'll be taking on certain aspects of payroll administration, including tax reporting and W 2 preparation. And they will also have a dedicated support specialist and

the advantage that they have is their native to work day. They are intent in work day whereas any other vendor is outside of the system so they will have the same level of access that city employees

have. We eliminated 2 auxiliary positions in the 2027 budget that were related to the ERP or the workday project. As Angela mentioned, that I'm tracking lead position was moved from a capital funding

to operating funding as this will be a permanent ongoing position due to the needs of the work that project, the senior financial analyst in the public, that division was elevated to a finance manager

position. This is for several reasons. One is if there are additional responsibilities, including the five-year financial forecast, quarterly budget to actual reporting and it really thorough,

diligent estimation, an analysis of sales tax revenues and in order for this position to to serve as a as a viable backup. The we felt that this reclassification elevation of this position was was

necessary in order to ensure that we have the quality of candidate the concert as a reliable, viable backup to the capital finance manager. And finally, we're we have been and continue to explore

opportunities to use AI in our in our operations. The audit division has used a gov AI, which is are the city's AI platform to help them with their planning process and to expedite certain facets a

lot. It's and general accounting is also using it and certain functionalities too verify the accuracy and consistency of figures in our annual comprehensive financial report. And they were using it

across the board and relatively low risk use cases. And in every situation that we are using it, we are checking and checking its work, checking our own work and making sure that, you know, we're

we're sort of starting small and building up because I think we were really just here at the city generally, we're really just scratching the surface with the the potential of AI to streamline improve

and bring efficiencies to operations. And with that, I'm happy to >> take any questions. Okay. Great updates. Thank you so much. Well, we will be starting in the right side here for comptroller. Just

a reminder, we will very likely try to conclude no later than 12, 15 kids are going back at one. So with that, I will start if you have anything, all the real money like Hogg's. Okay. All right. All

the money. You never go past my goodness. Gracious other than Scott Speicher. You ready for Showtime? >> Yeah, I guess so. I was not going to ask for and extensive update on the workday stuff. But

because we've talked about that, it can see is that this committee and elsewhere. But just checking in, do we have any sort of update on? I mean, this is going to be a seismic change. The amount of

staff time that's been devoted to this is is kind of an same. Do we have any updates on whether or not and I can ask it do this one when they come for DEO on whether or not we're we're looking good

for go live date. >> We are optimistic that go live is going to occur on the current schedule. Are there challenges that remain to be? >> Overcome certainly. But we're we're working. >> To identify

remedy those those deficiencies where they exist and also identifying areas where there's functionality that we would like to have, but isn't necessarily critical for go live. So we're pushing some of

those items off into 2027 or potentially later, just depending on, you know how urgent they are. And we're keeping a running list of those items because it's going to become a part of future budget

discussions. You know, what functionality gets implemented when and I guess one other thing a positive note is we've started citywide training and I'm sure the CIA we'll touch more on this. But I

think citywide training at work day where everybody is able to get in and actually access the system, used the system as it's intended to be used, whether it's just for their own kind of self-service

functionality. There's been manager training. So for things like approving time, things like that. I think once people get in to the system and see the system, it sort of takes away some of the

hesitancy, the fear, the mystery associated with it and the people that are most hands on with the project that I talked to, they say that, you know, when we're when we're alive and we're in a, you

know, kind of a steady state, we the system is going to be a significant improvement. It's just, you know, getting there. It's going to be a challenge we're going to encounter. We're going to counter

problems along the way. It's just making sure that we have well thought out well developed systems in place for triage ing those those issues and resolving them as they as they come through. I think

that's going to be really important for a successful go left. >> And along those lines, I thought in your proposed budget, there are a couple of auxiliary positions that you would requested and they

weren't in the proposed. Maybe I read that wrong with SAT act or not. >> Yeah, I think that's largely a feature of the uncertainty at the time of the go live date. So, you know, we wanted to kind of

hold in our back pocket just in case there was going to be an extension. We wanted to make sure that that was at least on the budget office's radar. But so what's the plan an F? >> If something that

happens and we don't go live and we don't have those auxiliary or positions >> than that, that will be a challenge. But I think we'll we'll find a way to make it work. >> Okay. And and I guess

questions it can be about your department but tempted to take advantage of you being at the table here. Not over there because it's so much easier to talk to here. The TSA, it bounces and the Knicks

very large withdrawal that's proposed for 27. >> Between that withdrawal and the PDF withdrawal, do you think are you feeling at all queasy about the possible future impacts on bond ratings or

anything of that sort or I talked about yesterday on the sustainability of of such a large withdrawal approach towards the TSA? >> Sure. Well, up first on the PDA of the 6 million dollar drawn, the

PDA I think is is sustainable. I think that is a sustainable level of withdrawal. Give him, you know, the history that we've seen, the inflows into the system and, you know, rising interest rate

environment. I think the 6 million dollar dries sustainable and bond rating agencies, they're they're aware of it. But they don't really put a lot of emphasis or important on the public that Evers

ation fun. The TSA draw. I I agree with the what the budget director said yesterday that that is not a sustainable level of drug. The replenishment that we've seen in the TSA, you know, despite

drawing down seeing actual growth and the TSA year over year, I think that's highly unlikely to continue in every bond rating agency report that that we get they cite growth in fund balance of growth

in our tax stabilization fund as a reason for a potential upgrade. They see a decline in TSA balanced as a reason for a potential downgrade. So and that won't really the next opportunity for that to

manifest itself won't be until the 2020 6 app for is complete. So that will be sometime in July of 2026. 2027. I'm sorry. So you have to wait and see on that. >> But as far as advice for us is as

policymakers is the advice, yeah, maybe can squeeze it out this year, but just don't get used to it. Is that basically the advice or I mean, at some point, if we are going to have to be? >> Less

bullish on our with draws served less aggressive in our withdrawals. The question is why not start as opposed to what changes in a year? >> Yeah, I mean, without the ideas. >> Changes at the state

level at changes in. You know, there's a lot of things we talked about as part of the the intro, the state shared revenue, you know, some of the strings that came with that 12. And there's a whole a

whole slew of things that I think are what's really needed in order to close the structural deficit over the long term. But I guess my advice in the in the short term would be control expenditure

growth when and where we can. And, you know, we're looking at, you know, I guess at this point amending the proposed budget to look at is this program or is this amendment going to add recurring

expenditures? Is this going? Is this something that is going to it add to the structural deficit over the long term? Because we're just putting ourselves further from a, you know, up a balanced budget

from from structural balance, every step we take in a direction of increasing expenditures that are going to be need to be sustained over a long term. >> All right. And we can talk about the CWS when

they come up with that. That is one place where the mayor, you know, when I asked whether he was going to give love the funding for that, and it did, it's not at the level. But it's, you know, to of

the same number of community outreach, folks, but that that is. But, you know, it's all the more maybe mention yesterday, you know, when health grants and other things expire than sometimes the people

expired 2. But that's not what's happening. Even though 3 Kasten another big round and arpa money, it's all gone. So that is one place where there was a decision that looks like to for something kind

of petered out and it was on the levee. So and last thing is, I do appreciate proactively answering the question and kind of wondering how Gove Q A has been as a tool to feels a little clunky to me.

But you think with the kind of low-risk use as you described, that's been adequate, your purposes are understaffed. >> Yeah, I mean, I use other platforms is kind of for personal use abuse, Claude.

And I think this is kind of a business based on chatgpt that I understand is Kawhi and it I haven't really encountered much where didn't do what I've asked. And I've kept my asks of Gov. I too what I

think are pretty limited circumstances. And I haven't yet encountered an issue where it just simply didn't have the capability to answer a question or to kinda, if there are no limitations, I guess

that I encountered in my my limited you. So we're kind of expanding our horizons a little bit. So I I'm satisfied with Gov. I as a platform. I think it's met. Our our needs so far hopeful that as we

kind of pushed the limits a little bit more, that it will continue to do so. >> And how is the department had? Have you encourage that? Just as we're looking like when we talk to other department

heads and how they can get traction in their office for exploring this use, what has been the reason for your success is just the staff was more amenable to this technology use so they could what's in

his heart to train them up on a or what? What explains how it's gotten traction? >> A strong encouragement and I give a lot of credit to the deputy controller Charlie Ragle for ended insisting on it

as when you know, when issues come to us, hey, you know, there's a bandwidth issue to address this need or, hey, you know, we're not sure who's going to take on this responsibility will that we

explored got a I as a as a way to either limit the amount of time that need to be spent on it or, you know, have take it completely off of somebody's plate. And Charlie's been really instrumental in

pushing that. And both him the both of the examples that we side of the audit division and then General accounting, you know, it's just it's just being being persistent about, you know, having that

explored as an option. I think sometimes we we like to do things ourselves and we'd like to get in there. And, you know, I like to put formulas together and spreadsheets and kind of do things in a way

that, you know, make sense to me. But I think having Gov AI as an option. >> To address some of these problems is it's been great for our office. Okay. Appreciate the efforts. Thank you both. >> Okay.

Heading down. >> Concluding that we can do another round was with other women. More on the comptroller's office. And thank you so much, Madam Chair. I I only have a few questions. Comptroller

Christensen, can you talk a little bit about the audit process and how you all decide which that because I'm sure the probably get quite a few recommendations and obviously capacity doesn't allow you

to do all of them. How do you all decide which ones too? I move forward with or not? >> Sure. So what we start with is a risk, a matrix. So what that means is we evaluate departments based on several

different, you know, kind of criteria as to their level of risk. So what is risk too life and limb? I think that that scores very highly where there's a, you know, a lot of cash transactions, and

that's also scores highly. So that's that's just kind of the general, you know, backdrop, then we look at things that are of unique public interest. We look at things that are of interest to you all

as as council members. And we just recently sent a letter of soliciting your ideas for audits. And, you know, we're were all years on those. Please send them our way. We're happy to meet with you to

kind of flesh out your ideas. We strongly encourage you to do that. And, you know, we're obviously word limited both with our staff capacity and with our budget for consultant, let audits. But, you

know, we we prioritize evaluate and, you know, we do our best to do what's in the best interest to city residents. And, you know, going back to the the risk Matrix, there are yes departments that

score very high on the wrist Matrix, but we can't just keep going back and auditing them again and again and again. There's a risk of audit fatigue. You want to be fair to those departments so that

they can actually, you know, do their core tasks without, you know, constantly being bombarded with requests and requests for information related to audit. So there's a there's a balance to be struck,

but I think spreading it out a little bit more. It's got the advantage of making sure the departments are, you know, updating their policies and procedures abiding by the policies and procedures

because, you know, the next audit could be could be down. They don't be sitting on the side of the table answering for a number of audit findings for things that, you know, they could have had cleaned

up so that I think it's it's it's good organization, Ali, both from an organizational perspective, both in the the findings that we know that the audit team, you know, identifies and sees through too

satisfaction but also in creating a culture of we we don't want to be sitting here with the lights on answering for things. Let's let's clean it up ourselves. >> Yeah. And do you all have an audit

process for your department? >> Sure. And let Charlie speaks to the audit process. He is our former audit manager. So he's got a lot of. >> We're talking about on a day in the the functions that

happened within the comptroller's office. Yes, so. >> The. >> So the audit function to keep their independence does not audit the comptroller's office. So then we rely a lot management review and with

that, so we have a ton of management review of the transactions that are occurring within our office. And we need to stay really vigilant about making sure that all the underline transactions are hope

happening, how they're supposed to be happening because the audit function is unable to on it last because of independence reasons, interest and got it. >> And we do. You know, just it's it's it's

slightly unfair to say that like, well, we're going to ot of these departments, but we're untouchable. So we try to hold ourselves to a high standard as we can. You know, just a. >> Alicia?

Absolutely. Thank you so much. Thank you, Madam Chair. >> Okay. Any other questions on the comptroller's office? >> And Taylor, anything is so too. >> As we get from one using the gov AI and every

time which I think is great cause we got to stay relevant and competitive. But I can imagine that when someone brings an AI than the employees go, oh, no, because it's more efficient, makes you more

efficient in. Is there any risk of losing positions because of bringing in the AI system? >> I take the the approach of I think it makes our people capable of of doing their jobs better as opposed to

replacing anybody. I mean, I don't think that's that's our intent with exploring this. It's to make us process things more accurately better faster, also take things to the next level. So, you know, a

lot of times from an accounting perspective, you could look at that particular fund account and say, well, this reconciles and my work here is done. But I think what the AI allows us to do a lot more

easily as the analysis cable. Why? What are some of the trends? What are we seeing year over year? Why is this happening? What are some red flags that that we should be looking out for? Maybe

something that, you know, because I see this every day and I'm sort of lost in the weeds on this, but like this might allow us to kind of zoom out and catch things that we might not otherwise notice.

So I don't view it as something that is going to to somebody said, you know, at least not not right now, not today. I it's not something that it's not a goal of our office to eliminate positions

through the use of that. >> I appreciate that because sometimes it might not be the goal. But if you just become so much more efficient, then will we will need it. >> Put it in the universe. Yeah, I

think, you know, like with the the workday system implementation, you know, we're hoping that efficiencies in operations, citywide or realized as a result of that, we don't know exactly where those

are are going to be. And, you know, I think it's something where you kind of have to. It's unfortunately kind have to wait and see all that where where opportunities are going to be. >> I thank you.

And then the last one, there was some position reclassification that just took place as does that increase your budget because it it increases the salaries. >> For yes and shuns the so there was a

business and HR position market study the affected. Probably two-thirds of the positions in our office of that led to a lot of the growth in salary that year seeing year-over-year. And then the other

think there were 2, 2, other reclassifications that were cited that were not driven by that HR market study. But a good result and you know, the additional compensation. >> Any other questions? Okay?

I had one. That was actually a great question in here that I would just love. I would love to know the government Finance Officers Association recommends that local governments have about or minimum

about 2 months in our operating reserve in our general fund. Where do we sit on that? Is it they estimate that is probably about a little over 14 Million. Where do we sit in that? >> So >> the GFA

way. You're right. They recommend having 2 months worth of general fund revenues kind of on hand. And you know what we would call or text it was issued for. So the stat, you know, 2 months where the

Kuwait so like 16.7% of year general fund revenues and a given year, that would be about 160 million dollars. Whereas we are currently of that at the end of 2025, we had 125 million dollar says TSA

balance. We're we're still short by by pretty good measure. But I think as has been cited is, you know, one of the higher tax legalization fund levels that that we've seen in a number of years and as

far as have a look back. So so, yeah, it's not where we like to see it or where the government finance officers association like to see it. But I think it's still, you know, I I would call our reserve

position, you know, across the board, you know, the city's 3 key reserves, color reserve position relatively strong. >> He and what we need to do to move in that direction. What does that look like?

>> So the tax tables, ation fun grows primarily by you. Having revenues exceed their estimates for by expenditures coming in lower and budget. Those are the 2 primary ways in which the tax sales ation

fund balance grows. >> It will come and more. There was a slide in yesterday's revenues dsf at towards the end of the revenues. Yet his F which showed the line on top of that slide was Jeff a

benchmark of 2 months of general fund expenditures. And yeah, we're we're closer than we have in the past 4 still below. Got it. But I can I can rescind that. You know, you don't resent it. But thank

you. Yeah. Thank you for that. Thank you. Madam Chair. When take 2 last questions all there. >> Alderman Speicher had one and then all the member gala. So other inspector good. Okay. I'm going to take

for one. Think the the. >> All right. So the percentage of actual revenues to readiness to mention 25 for actual as we're about 4% over revenue estimates. And 25, you know, we're trending in. 26 is

are we trending into early being consistent with that conservative estimate on? >> Revenues. So for 2026 sales tax, we're not looking as good as we were in 2025. And we're forecasting the 6, 6, and a

half million dollars above what we put in the in the 2026 budget for sales tax as opposed to 16 in 2025, you know, we talked about yesterday we talked about the hacking pilot which was budgeted likely

not coming in that municipal services payment of 1.9 million dollars of that being reversed back to the state. So I don't think it's going to be as favorable in 2026 as as it was in 2025. But I do.

You think it'll be a positive at the end of the year? And that certainly contributed to some of the applause that you received earlier from. >> One and a half people at the table for 1.02 EUR

accomplished months. And the frankly the bond rating is the important one. Right? What other things come into play for the bond rating that the city has. >> There's a lot that's kind of outside of the

you know what I would call city government's direct control. There's, you know, kind of economic factors, you know, that are much broader than what we're able to kind of directly control and

legislate. But >> bond ratings don't necessarily consider the state or the condition of our infrastructure, right? So if if the sofa to its elaborate on that a little bit, if a city's roads are

garbage and we are infrastructure in our city city is terrible. And we have record numbers of potholes because we haven't made decades of investment that we should have in our roads. That doesn't

affect the bond rating at all. >> I I wouldn't go as far as to say that it wouldn't affect the bond rating at all. I mean, if if roads deteriorate to a certain point where you know how much hotter

said it can't happen, yeah. Then then I think about it. It is. They look at property values, right? Yeah. Began to impact property values. I think that's a that's another good point. I would say that

it has no impact on that would be catastrophic, right? Yeah. And that catastrophe would be well known by the business community and by residents alike long before that it actually hit the bond market.

Yeah, I think that's what I think the year in which we have elevated pothole reports probably doesn't rise to the level of impacting our our bond rating. >> Very fair. We've had a fairly consistent

proposed budget for capital improve investment in our community over the last number of years of of the mayor's office come back at one 16. We've increased that to one 20. The last 2 years were back

in one 16. Again. Forecast moving forward are less than that. Investing less in our community after this 20 to 27 budget. We look at revenue growth and and and and inflationary calculation as

something to kind of project where we should be, where we should be spending, where revenue should be for funds that we should be collecting. But we haven't applied or an inflationary calculation to

increase our capital investment in our community, only on roads or not, only on fleet in our communities needs as a whole will bond ratings negatively? Look at Milwaukee's a lack of growth of

investment in our community from a capital perspective positively or negatively. >> So that's a difficult. But I don't know that they would look at necessarily our level of investment. They would

probably look at the condition, the infrastructures. So again, it was impacting property values ability to conduct commerce. I could see that entering the discussion as part of bond ratings. But I

don't know that just as a stand-alone fact your hour level of investment in in roads or other infrastructure for that matter is something that's going to really be a major factor in and bond ratings

cushions. >> But they will look at the total amount of bonding. That means polity. Yes, yes. And if that bonding is a little bit higher, that inflation, that's probably a bad thing. If that level of

investment is less than in an inflationary rise, is that also a bad thing? >> Well, I mean, they look at overall debt levels, including unfunded pension liabilities, things like that. I don't know how

closely they would look at kind of year-over-year change is incremental changes and level of investment and inroads that what I the points that I just I just I'm just not sure how much of a factor it

is in bond rating. >> What a what a inflationary increase on capital expenditures for municipality negatively affect our bond rating? >> I I don't think so. That's that's that's fair enough. And I

appreciate the complicated question and the putting on the spot. But this is a common theme in budgets where budgets are valley statements from our community. The mayor makes a proposal. The council,

I won't say corrects that proposal but improves it to better align with community values. That's why we're here. Thank you very much, Markham Fuller. Thank you very much, Madam Chair. >> Ok, thank

you. Any outstanding questions or comments for the comptroller's office? We thank you so much. This committee will break now until 01:00PM. We will begin promptly at 01:00PM with the city Clerk's

office. Again, we will adjourn and come back at 01:00PM. Good afternoon. Welcome back to our Finance personnel committee. And we're now beginning at 1 o'clock here on item one to 6, 0, 0, 1, R

communication from the mayor relating to the proposed 2027 budget. We on our 01:00PM shift here have 3 departments to go through city Clerk, assessor and municipal court. And that now leads us to city

clerk. We haven't been here for a quorum and if you'll begin Mr. City clerk introduce anybody, everybody that you want after. >> The budget. See, I think, sir, thank you know, we'll do a budget first

as usual with director. Come back and then we'll go to the city clerk and please introduce 71 when that time is right. So Draco that mentioned the COVID director of Budget Management Division. >>

Brian lenders will present the Common Council Sacred Budget for turning over to Jim and there. Good afternoon. Madam Chair Committee members, Brian Riders, Budget Management Division presented the

Twenty-twenty some proposed budget for the Common Council city clerk. The 27 proposed budget includes 13.4 million dollars in the city clerk's office. That's an increase of 0.6% or roughly just over

$73,000 on go through each account in greater detail in the coming slides. Sellers in positions total of 8.1 million dollars is in the 27 proposed budget. That is an increase of 2.8% or $223,000 for

increased wage rates from 26 carried over into 2027. We do have some activity in the positions. In June, 6 of Celery X executive administrative assistant were added to the positions ordinance to

provide for a part-time help for for vacancies. A lot of time in 8 sessions and then the community plan and or position was also removed. The deposition was unfunded a number years ago in position of

authority was U.S. remaining. So that was pollinated in the budget request and then carried over into the budget proposal, operating and equipment up operating account is very flat. At 1.4 million

dollars. And the equipment account is up almost $29,000. That is for some replacement equipment for a city channel. 25 special funds all spend a minute on this particular side. There's some change for

the 2026 adopted budget. The decrease as you see for the 27 proposed budget from the 26 adopted budget level is because we do anticipate a carryover funds be available at your in 2026. Into your

claim. 27. So as an example, let's take a look at hip-hop week. Ford is in the middle of the table. There you see the 26 adopted budget is 50,027 request was also 50,000 and working with the

department throughout this budget process. We came up with the euro projection and in 2026 that would have $20,000 of bailout year in 2026. To be able to carry over to 2027. So reduce the budget

request of 50,000 by 20,000 to 30,000. So should carry over 20,000 be approved in early 2027. There will be $50,000 of funds available for that particular fund in 2027 which would match the budget

request that was submitted by the department. So use that methodology for special funds. And we also use that methodology for their special purpose account under the control of the Common Council.

Using that methodology, there was no reason or rationale to reduce anything from the requested level. Revenues are down about $552,000 or 6.5% to 7.9 million. That reflects the 2025 actual revenue

experience as well as declining cable franchise fee revenues. We've got to the capital budget. You received a lengthy and detailed presentation by my colleague Miss lady yesterday on the difficulties

of the 2027 capital budget. Difficult choices are made and there is no funding for the capital expense projects in the clerk's office in 2027. My final slide. Just budget by service. You know, the

Common Council and city clerk was a number of services. The city of Milwaukee. The 2027 proposed budget includes nearly 14 million dollars for the services and funding for a 103.9 f to ease. That

concludes my portion of the presentation and happy to turn over to the city court. >> Okay. Thanks so much. And we will head over to the city clerk. So please introduce yourself and the one that you'd

like to introduce today. Thank you, certainly. Thank you. Madam Chair members to was our ski city clerk. Pleasure is ever to be before you buy it. Dawned on me this morning that this is the 20th time.

I've sat at this table in front of all viewing. So it's a pleasure to be with you get I am joined, of course, by Dennis Lee, deputy city clerk, as well as the division heads and the area heads within

the office of the coastal City clerk. I say with really no for that at all that these are the people that serve this office. They're the people without whom this cannot be done. And I'm grateful to

each and every one of them that you see behind me, the court services slide is something with which you should all be familiar. I think it is. These are the various tasks that by either statute or

charter code or your own decisions we have been asked to take on. And I think that this is as an informative as most power point slides tend to be. So if I can ask for the next slide, this is our

organizational chart, which again reflects very much an organization, which I think you're all familiar, although I certainly glad to answer any questions about it that I might if I can then turn to

the key performance indicators, which are next. This is sort of how we look at the year on an ongoing basis, trying to track whether things I see in the regular basis that it's difficult to compare

what we do, too. The private sector. We don't make widgets. I can't tell you, you know how many radios we make or how many shoes we make or what to do with the demand for them is we do see at times

try to assess, for example, why the number of license request is decreased and things like that. But these are at least the ways we try to see where our businesses and where it's heading. It also goes

to the demand that is placed on us by the actions of the Common Council. What it is that you have asked us to do and I'll get into some very particular ones when we talk about the individual divisions

within the office that we have highlighted in these slides. So if we can go to the next slide, please major updates for licenses. As I think everyone here knows we have been working for several years

now. I want to commend Jim Cooney and also Fabio Lopes down in the license division as well as Mister David Hay que of the activity for their ongoing effort to get us off the lira system. The lira

system was a great innovation for us when it was first implemented it. However, when you walk past the server which is found can be heard creaking and groaning, we have been working to try to migrated

to the Acela platform as quickly as is possible. We did make a decision a little bit earlier this year to postpone a go live date that had been set for next week. Actually a tow bar and push off to

the very start of the new Year. We can certainly go into those details, should you wish? But we think that the reasons for that were foundational to the way the license division operates and will

result in long-term efficiencies that we are hopeful to see. We are very, very glad to have our business outreach special specialist on board. Some of you have already met her and we are looking

forward to her going out in the community, continue with a lot of that good work that's been paused while we waited for replacement. Notably, of course, our our pivot program that is such on such

great Success. Public Information Division is the next slide. These are all council projects. I don't think I need to introduce. And if you talk to Bill Arnold, Mr, Difficult. You know, Britney and

Anna, Dan and everybody else over the public information division. These are people of great gifts and they serve this city admirably and that an astonishingly low cost compared to what you could get

in the private sector. And I'm also proud to say I haven't yet once caught them using artificial intelligence. So that is entirely to their credit. And here are the various things, of course, that

they've done over the course of the year over to the city Channel. This is I remind the council every year and I hope I'm not being to use when he said this is a staff of 4 people led by coach Poker

chips and these are for people who keep us on the air. If you would have asked me 20 years ago when they started doing this, what was the point of the key functions of this office? I would give new

standard statutory answer, which is keeping the records of this body as well as Israel licenses. Those are 2 I've had over the years to add a 3rd and that is the city channel. This is the primary way

that individuals interact with the city since its integration with the legistar. That's where the granicus system. It's becoming even stronger and the amount of broadcasting we take a look at the live

events that they create and the amount of time that they provide for that given a staff of 4, it is remarkable. I'm also very grateful to Paul into his whole crew for there constant watch focus on our

system. You see the cameras there behind you there behind me there in the chamber. This is all part of making sure we don't fall off the air. And that is why also next week, there will be crews, the

Palos leading Polish. But I will have a nest in the show me he's been drilling holes in the wall years so that he can pull wires through here to the switch. That's over in 301, K that's a switch room.

That's right here as you leave. And that's all built to keep this from failing. And you can make sure we're on the air to make sure that we can reach out to the public and show the community what's

going on in the government that is responsible to them. I want to highlight the next slide. The Historic Preservation Commission, the Historic Preservation Commission sometimes unfairly accused in my

mind of being too focused on particular types of buildings, particular types of properties, a particular communities. I think they've always I think that's always been true. But I also think that this

year there are some significant strides made in opening up people's eyes and getting a lot of public attention on projects like the one you see right here, it's received a lot of local media coverage.

It's even statewide. And it has also and I don't I don't want to promise too much, but it has also opened the interest of the state. Was these the state historic preservation, folks that with the call

it the ship they in the past have been reticent to acknowledge the role of Bronzeville in the city's history. And we think preps for the changing of the guard pressure, the changing some of the staff

there that they have even come asking us, what could we do there? And this is very preliminary rustic want to stay in touch with the Alderwoman but to to really open this all up. We think this is

vital preservation is something we want to see citywide. We want to see every community that built the Waukee honored in this way. Service uniformity is another one of those metrics that we like to

use to make sure that we're that the work we do. It's spread as broadly as possible to the community. It's and if we don't see it in a particular place, we want to why and we want to evaluate. Can we

do more? Can we do better cover differently? It's just another value Tory tool that we have major updates. These this slide is my major presentation. I will begin by saying this is indeed the 20th

year. I've come to the table and asked the Common Council to redo its chambers. And I don't mean the council chamber. I mean, room to a 5, I again will state that I can prove that the infrastructure

of that room, it dates back to the Eisenhower administration and that most of the facilities you see back don't go back to either the Nixon or the Carter administration, depending on where you're

looking in the room, it is out of date and it is the last area to have received a major upgrade. I understand that the political exigencies, but I think it is my obligation to keep bringing that to

the table. It is my hope that also one day and I draw your attention to it. We've only started asking for this one. This does not have this much antiquity. If you go down to the basement of City Hall

and you get off the elevator and you took a right turn, you'll see there is a closed door room there. If you are here for a tornado drill, you will see that there is a big room. They're we all stood

and there's a great opportunity, I think. And this is many, many years ago now. But it was suggested that this could be a community space, looked just like this Roomba collects 3 when a book by 303

for the use of bigger meetings. It is a large space and I think free fairly reasonable cost. There are. I'm not pretending there are the engineering issues that have to be addressed well past my scope

and capacity. But I think that is something I'm going to continue to look at it. You can you talk to the great folks to TP W and trying to get ahold of, you know, try to make that happen because as

you all know, well, when we get above a certain size, really the size of this room, we struggle to find space to hold community events and we would like to see that change in the future at some point.

And finally, city records last year at this time, we had asked for the implementation of a city record system in enterprise wise system that was not granted. I think it's an important piece of its one

of those things that nobody notices until you don't have it. And it was something we requested. Costs were submitted. Costs were estimated and that was not gone. Instead, I design study was authorized

was budgeted and that study is well underway. It's all part of the public eye get weekly updates, Mr. Brown Housten has been leading that effort, sort of holding the hand of our consultants, helping

introduce him to not just this office, of course, but the entire city and to make try to grab a hold of what our records look like. It had been our expectation based on the conversation at the last

budget that this would be followed by the implementation. The budgeting weather again, will tear in a single year basis for this record retention system that was not forthcoming. That runs the risk of

turning the design study into a waste of money records change very, very rapidly in our environment. You all know that all of that into that lead, the longer this goes out from the time that the study

is completed, which will be completed in the very near future, the less useful its findings will be and given the cost to give the amount of money that was invested in that study. It strikes me as

wasteful decision are as one might release a penny wise and pound foolish. I am, however, despite this very grateful to the office of Mayor to Mr, Cole back and to Mr. Riders who had the great fortune

of having our budget thrust upon him this time he I'm sure he woke up that morning and said, gosh, I hope I get the Common Council city clerk that. >> And that would be the best for bait the U.S. that

would be the very best to. And so I know. So it's never easy. It's no budget is simple. No, but it is easy. I'm grateful for their professionalism for the open this can be been able to have. And of

course we have a department demographics that would never be never dismiss that. Showing you how we've change. We have been undergoing some pretty significant changes. We have a generational change

coming on with retirements. You attended some of those retirement yourselves. You're seeing the note, but I think there always part of what we do. And finally and certainly not last. I am grateful to

my deputy and his lady for her role and also is Maggie Turner who you all know for their particular roles in helping put this document together and get it before you with that. I and we are stand

ready to answer questions you want. >> Okay, wonderful. Thank you. Great presentation. I'll start and then I'm going to move right? So people want to prepare that way. I have brought to your attention

what and the number of occasions what I've seen as a very large increase in constituent means. And I know from talking to my colleagues since we are the branch that is closest to the people we I mean,

I've honestly seen we've actually had I have tried to calculated, but anywhere from a 30 to 4.30, to 40% increase in constituent contacts. So whether be phone calls or e-mails or, you know, people

chatting less at the store, a lot of it is due to things in the community that aren't meeting people standards which could be street lights, pothole repairs. There's been an increase in what I would

probably call like dn us, you know, violations and stuff like that. But I just haven't seen that type of a surge over a year, you know, use it like a slow incline. And so we're struggling to keep up

with that. I don't know that people realize, you know, the average councilperson has themselves and then one staff person. And so how will this budget meet the need needs of those increasing demands?

And I've talked a little bit about our staffing model. And if we do need to make any changes in this budget now would be the times my colleagues can hear and understand specifically in that area. Yes,

and I thought a great deal about what you brought to our attention. I think you've got 2 separate questions, both, Alex. >> The first is filling in for in circumstances where those that person that

same person is unavailable. We went to a model about a year and a half ago in terms when it got started where we went from a pool of part-time villains. Actually not even part time. They're just

available Fillon's to a staff of 6 in theory, part-time persons. Once that started we have since in just that short time, we have had 10 people hired in that role of who 6 have left in that short

time. All of them have left to take full-time employment and who's to blame. And I think on one hand, I think it's a great credit to this. Angela Ward and the state is Lee who have both sort of top

kicked the hiring process for that, that 4 of those people have taken other jobs in the city, including one stolen from us for the license division. He said turning around slowly and looking at Mr,

Cooney. But, you know, this is this is a testament to the fact that we heard the people and I want people to get even better jobs. That's what that's the theory of anyone. But when you have that sort

of a dynamic where you're trying to fill these part-time positions, and, yes, we are currently recruiting again to try to get us up to the full 6. So that's one challenge. The other challenge goes to

try to right size this so that the individuals that work are gainfully employed. And it's just for filling some of the talk. But the other piece a second to make sure that they're gainfully employed.

We do not want to get to a situation where individuals are of are being used or being utilized are being grab on Fridays, which was very popular on holidays, days with holidays, very popular. And then

3 days a week they sit, that can happen and frankly has happened. We've been monitoring is a problem. It's a huge problem, but it does occur. We don't want to exacerbate it. So trying to strike that

balance is part of how are trying to think about it. And so we have multiple ways that were that were debating. That will obviously be discussing that work to going forward as to the permanent help

situation, which is a little different that probably involves making individuals available on a more regular basis. The problem there and always is is funding and what the I don't want to use the word

pain tolerance for the silly phrase that comes to mind. But the pain tolerance of the council is in terms of that level of funding because all say the other thing, there are 15 council members and

each one of them has very real need title disputed want and so trying to bring people want to do that is difficult in terms of apportioning. So I we've been trying to right size it. And I do want to

make sure that before we hit the amendment process that we come up with at least a suggestion. I'm not saying that it'll be the right one. I'm not saying it will be the best one, but at least be a

starting point to deal with that portion of that, which is to help when there's already a legislative assistant place that is working. But this is additional help. As you know, we currently have a

structure that does allow Payton turns to be funded out of our operations budget, which is, of course, balanced against your newsletter funds something more than that, I guess is what we're

discussing. The final piece, I will say, and I will always say this data, particularly is very aggressive in sending out you, hey, this recruitment is open. You, you know, you know, best what you

want, you know, and you please tell it you. So if this goes out, please share it with those individuals. The part-time jobs tend to be for people that are being very specialized life situations. Where

works for them? So whatever those things go out and if you know, people would like it are interested in that, please let us know. I will also observe those are civil service positions. So they do make

you eligible for transfer into other areas of the city. As I said, is it happened? >> All right. I'll move it to and I will be looking for that suggested language and possible amendment. So that's

that's the real concern that many elders we can talk a little bit, too about the internship. Maybe part of that is possibly separating the paid internship. So it doesn't account with the newsletters

that could be another option. But let's work on it together. I mean, result transparent. But we are, you know, separate coequal branch of government that has a very important legislative oversight

function in this democracy. And we need to be able to get those things done. So and things are changing and we're getting a large increase of constituent contact, one that I haven't seen the last

couple of years. Alderman Peter Bergen, Listen, I'm gonna go to all the women Cox. Thank you for the first round. Just a couple easy questions. We're spending. We're investing $150,000 and >> city

memberships. You talk about what we're a member of. >> I don't see exhaustive list with me. And that's eggs. He or she would not. At the top of her head. The vast majority of that funding is for the

National League of Cities membership. The League of Wisconsin, municipalities membership. There is an association of mayors membership, which I want to say is the third-largest. And then I believe

there are nice smaller membership with the comptroller's office that we might fund. >> Doesn't that cause of the big one? So we support we support all of those out of our department. Our department.

Yes. Charges for services is down slightly licenses and permits. Revenue is also down slightly. Although it seems like some of those costs are project proposed to go up. Why would be the receiving

less revenue are there are fewer license applicants. It's all in the budget slides. I believe that we had a consistent number of licenses issued. >> The revenue piece is really strictly based on its

first recall on this story. But we will let him speak to them. >> Thank you. Madam Chair, Jim Cooney, places division on. There are a couple of different factors moving in opposite directions. As we

look at the number of applications that we've received in 2025 versus 2024 and projected to go forward, Maine. And that also impacts a number of licenses that we issues. But the main drivers of that

are a couple of changes that were made at the state level. There's now a state class D operators permit or bartenders license that individuals can apply for and that license is good in any

municipality in the state prior to that from its introduction in 2023, every single municipality licensed, every single operator that worked in there. And the classy operator license is a very high

volume license, but relatively low revenue. And so that's driven. I don't have the exact numbers in front of me. But about half of that decrease in the number of applications that we've received, as

well as the number of licenses that we've subsequently issued. The second biggest driver. It is an elimination of what's called an additional site licenses on the food licensing regime. So an

additional site is we give you an example, if you think about a stadium or in a Reno with all of the individual boosting stance throughout it, there's typically also a commissary kitchen or main

production facility somewhere buried deep in the in the basement. And that serves to support all of this retail locations. And one point a separate additional area license was required for each one of

those foods. And state guidance has changed such that if that additional area is dependent on the main kitchen cannot operate independently and must be incorporated into that. I mean, kitchens license

that can increase the complexity factor of that main kitchen. That can also increase the gross sales from that kitchen, which is the driver of the license fee for us. If, however, that additional site

can operate independently, it now needs a full-blown for dealer license. The average cost for food or licensed about $1440. And the cost for an additional site license was is was $100. And so I think

you see that in the trend where the number of applications, a number of licenses are decreasing. But now what we have a case called the frankston, you've answered the call. So the here you can see

that the it's in the clerk went the number of apps number of applications and licenses issued has decreased. If you look at Bill 6% to no 10 ares, Phil Gramm figured out just because I was hearing

different statements that conflicted with what was in the budget presentation. >> So this shows the licenses are consistent. License is issued. Applicant applications and licenses issued its

consistent 30 years. Yeah, its and look. And then when we have a 17% drop in revenue slide deck. >> I'm wondering if that isn't because the the timeframe to perhaps not. It's the same time frame

annual. You're, you know, January one to January one versus meteor to meet here. And what if that might not be? >> The address in a slice and page 5 on the clerk stepped in to make the next one is 25

over. 24 here. The clerk snacking issues facing the same page 5 for 25 up from 25 26 Brooklyn about this. And get we don't have your deck. We don't have what whatever you call the clerks that. >> That

is. So that is the budget presentation, though, one that we've been following along. We I think the confusion is perhaps comparing licenses issued to listen to this process. And then also you're

looking at a reduction from 24 to 2025 in the L R B Dec versus what is shown in the budget department decades. Basically. 25 26 27. Okay. We'll go with what you say. But maybe let's update that. So

when we go back to our records and whatnot. >> Continue to re feel good about it. I'm so so that accounts for the 70% drop in revenue, even though fees are going up, presidents going to drop. So a one

percent drop. >> The majority of the revenue drop for the city clerk's office is in the cable franchise fee. That's the big drop, all that several $100,000. That's based on statutory framework that

limits the revenue that we can charge and I would say likely reflects reduced cable viewership in general. That's correct. >> Yes, the bigger drop because of that. Those got to charge for services is

the thank you, Madam Chair. Okay. Before you go to other men cause just because that issue fresh. >> Are we charging anymore? Sometimes these like on the bus feet things it's hard to know. Now. I want

to ask and probably department we charging more for license applications from last year. >> We it was a significant increase in license applications in the 2026 budget. The food license fees second

can not been increased for about 10 years prior to that. Okay. So they came up to meet cost of cost recovery. >> So increase issue yes or no income. So nothing from 26 to 27. Not in this department

and this one OK for you or are you mentioned we're talking about the underage restricted sales. Know those are the fines. Yeah, I'm so concerned about that. But I'm interested to see when businesses

are caught for infections of selling to a minor, though, where those extra fines golden, those going to separate place, you know, for the tobacco should get it done. Such a sure that I thought so.

Okay. But I am actually I was wondering about the actual application. Fyi went up significantly from 25 to 26. And now there's nothing more in 26 to 27. A cool all the money like Hooks. >> I see

$20,000 donation a nation get. >> And that's when I sing given about Kerry hour. But I'm out sometimes I know when you we designed the budget. It's a little early on here. So some money may not have

been expended here. So I guess I want to hear from you. I am a clerk like will this will it actually be a reduction of July? We're already they're carry over to keep some of the same, right? >> Madam

Chair, I trust the the older woman given her background will forgive me. If I say it depends, it will depend on a number of factors with relation to the youth Council. Participar tick you early and I

would be wrong if I did not think Alderwoman more for her championship of the youth Council. She is have a deep interest in moving more young people to Washington, D.C., to participate in the National

League of Cities and their youth programming easily, our most significant expense. And so >> if indeed, if we stay current state or perhaps smaller, it will not prove a reduction. If, however, there's

a dire desire to expand that the resources will not be there. What do you mean percent? We currently take between 5 and 6 young people depending on who's available. >> And refunds is long gone now.

And so it is less money. It just depends on how you want to spend in that wheelchair. And that's a point, yes. >> If I could just give you 2026 account information as of last week that count at spent

$6600. There is still $30,000 remaining. So if they spent up to $10,000 total for your and they're to be about $26,000 available for carry over into 20 20th request for 27 was $20,000. >> So would not

be a reduction in current pace of spending fact be an increase if you carry over everything. >> All right. For big claim, icy wind action 130. >> And that has to carry over to correct what we project

that there be $130,000 in the account at the end of 2026. Available for carry over into 2027. How much was spent but so far in 2020 big, clean year to date is 100 and $28,350. And again, the

projections were in conjunction collaborative really with the department. So it's not just budget office here. >> I would just add to that that we have received. We do have a contract with middle

ground. We have not been able to make any payments to them because they've not been able to get there. I would say they're invoicing in order. So that would be another $30,000 that could go out the

door before year end. But again, we're not quite sure that's going to happen or not. >> Was that type of senator senator proposed to learn? >> They spent 128 grand year to date and we are projecting

that those spent 220 2026 in total. Yeah, some say this. So we are already put in 90,000 beyond what was currently spent in consultation with the department. I assume that includes a 30,000, but I'm

not with his 90,000 of potential additional spending that we used for calculations. >> And I have probably I find them. >> Absolutely. We projected there will be $20,000 available at the end of 2026.

Over carry over that 20,000 in with additional 30,000 of 2027 appropriations. That would get up to $50,000, which is consistent with the request for 2020 something. >> I thank you. And just real quick

compete computer system upgrades. What? What is that? So we can't get our computers are. >> Let's do the same logic that we expect there will be money available at the end of 2026. In the terms of

looks like we're projecting a year and balance at $28,000. So the request was for $24,000. If there's 28,000 available and 26 per carry over and he cared overall, it actually exceeding the requested

budget for 20 points up. >> Is that for sales force or what isn't? That's for hardware upgrades. We just completed a large purchase of hard. We're about to come to new computers for staff. This is

primarily to address computers or feeling entirely that were not able to upgrade to the newest windows version. That is the older versions and are supported. We did just complete that large purchase.

It staffer can vary. Is diligently working with a team deal. Want to shout out to them. Thank you very much for their assistance with imaging these computers. I would say that without additional

funding, the carryover will not be quite sufficient to purchase new computers for the remainder of city clerk, employees that have pretty old equipment at this point in time, including staffing 205,

yourselves and your legislative assistance. I don't know that the remaining balance would be sufficient. Computers have gotten far more expensive. It depends on what kind of models we want to go away.

So we would be able to certainly by some, but perhaps not all sounds like there wasn't. It was a request in May was for 24,000. >> I don't work for now. Hearing the 24,000 times erode out what went on

3 months later, less than 24. It would either be 28 available if you carried over the balance. So 20 34,000 more than request of the department share with you. They were anticipating of state spending

in the last half of the year. Yes, the total here projection for total spend on that account was 46,667 $1000. So we anticipated with the remaining balance for the 26 budget. There was a carryover

from 25 26 than a total budget of 75 grand. They projected they win or at the end of this year that they would be $28 available at the end of 2026. Which exceeds the amount requested and 27 in May.

Okay. >> All right. Knee which changed I? >> I wouldn't say anything change. I would say that we were planning on having to carry over money. Plus the new requests to complete all of the purchases

next year. So we were hoping to have both pools of money to satisfy our harbor purchasing needs. >> For the record, Markopolos officer, it's what it is we do in and I'll be on the transfer of the only

reason that we keep we're keeping them because it's taken us time to move the fines from a deceased assisting over the 18 years worth of files over to be able to use in a computer. But we're talking

to Kim daily about issues that are competing. So that's that that is a relation. Okay. We have to take a look at that for sure. They move on the on the runs biker. >> Thank you, Madam Chair. So going

back to the capital request before 75 K for the Enterprise Records management system. So for the 26 Budget Week, Putin 120 and love is spending 4 a needs assessment and science study feasibility study

for the Enterprise Record management system. And as was mentioned that I think it's going to get old over time. But there was no money put into stage an such a system. So I'm sure doing public

numbers. Folks in general are probably wondering like what's the big deal? So I kind of wondered to hear from the experts, what is the big deal? Why is the system so important to discuss that at Crmc?

But if we pushed it off, if we have deferred maintenance for records, management structure, infrastructure, what happens? What could happen? What are we risking? >> Good afternoon, Brad Housten City

records office or so. >> The >> we talked to I talked a little bit about this at last year's hearing, but it's basically there are a couple of big categories of risk for not purchasing the system. So

one. >> Is we continue to have the same efficiency is and in operative process is the pass. >> We have been using for 20 plus years on all of them very assistance. Even with these new some information

systems, we still see enormous process and efficiencies, enormous risk factors for managing the records within them. I'll give you worked as an example with the current system. >> Are there is a >>

process change upcoming for financial records, too require with electronic submission of invoices and vouchers AMS. All of those are >> being maintain within the system. >> So you are >> creating

first of all, you're creating a and from the mandate on the department's to take any paper in voices that they're creating and scan them in and get them into a format that is useful for that system.

But second of all, you are putting the information and the actual additional artifacts in that system and without a plan for managing the 4 saying this is this is the official record. This is after

certain amount of time we're going to purge the system for system maintenance, for protecting the privacy of our suppliers and our accounts, receivable clients. And eventually you're going to get to

Santa to a similar situation that you have to work day where you have, you know, 25 years of records piled up. But also now you have 25 you're going to have 25 years of records that you can't poll

information out of directly because we didn't pump for the the ISIS to of a reader for that information. So it's just sitting there. >> So with the new system, we spent millions and millions and

millions of dollars coming up to some the work day. Yeah, yeah. Side had a while to go before it got there. That new system doesn't have records maintenance system as it were built into it. That would

allow us to pull what >> you're talking about it or it does. But it hasn't been configured to have some of the priority for configuring its Ann's. It doesn't have a it does have a real pause for

system percent. That's says, OK, this is this is where these are going to live. This is how you're going to get to it. It's just sort of there's a perch function. So you can say, OK, on this schedule,

cardinal of information about the, you know, >> attachments, we don't need. So what what happens if all that stuff just accumulates and is stuck in there and nobody can access it out? Why should we

care? >> Well, so all one reason is the operational efficiency eventually will create a drag on the database. You'll have the same problem that you have with my office where it takes all that. It

takes 2 minutes to do a query. The other problem is that you have all that information in there. Well, what happens if there is a data breach? What happens if there is a no problem with security

Ann's? I brought this up to the work to working with Haitian. So now we have all of these, you know, safeguards and security measures and everything to prevent this from happening Ann's? Well, I think

that misses is that the number one because of data breaches is what's called a lead pipe creek. Talk of it, which is somebody beat somebody with a lead pipe pounds, makes them give you the

information. So in other words, somebody who has access to the system improperly using the access of the system and a bad actor getting in there and getting the data outs and that's can have major

financial and operational consequences. Again, just a few examples. All that land and 2018 victim of ransomware attack all shut this city down for basically 3 weeks entirely. 9.5 million dollars to

repair the damage. Baltimore a year later, 18 million dollars in damage, Dallas. They had a 20 terabyte of data loss and subsequently they also had a Rams were attacked at 8.5 million dollars. So

these are the these are real numbers. These are the yeast circa is real money. So what would? >> The adoption of the Enterprise record management system to 2 insulate us from that. >> So what it's

doing is it is number one, providing a a system to monitor and control the data so that we're not keeping at it. We're keeping everything that we need to keep for as long as we need to and anything

that we don't need to keep it encourages of city employees to get rid of the timely matter. And it also prevent its creating a huge efficiency if they were, you know, we're talking with with all of

this emphasis on AI, we're going to do this for efficiency, say we're going to do this for make people's lives easier. Well, one of the things that's gonna make people's lives easier is not having to

enter the same data twice in 3 different in 2 different systems are 3 different systems. We're seeing that all over the place in this design study that we're conducting. We're going to partner up.

Alright, I can think of at least 3 sons 3 off the top of my head. That's so yeah. We have to add to the state in 2 different places. Wealth. Why can't we have the systems talk to each other? That's

the kind of thing that Donald Trump records system does. The other thing is, you know, it's you are going to have controls on how those records or use your to have the controls on whose accessing this

who's, you know, making changes to its what's the accountability for having these records? And if you do have something like somebody is being a little more lax with all their security protocols at

the new speed, that's something the it Monday to see and get flagged and deal with that problem before it becomes 8, 18 million dollar problem for the city. >> And I guess for budget knew what I know.

You're we saw the capital improvements budget and how there are. And Vincent had mentioned how there's a huge list just in the queue as it were waiting. Was it the office's estimate that these

concerns were overblown or no, they're serious, but we're going to take him on in 2 years or why would we do the feasibility study and then just kind of let it set and get out of date and especially

if the feasibility study kind of if it did anything underscored the need for what we were looking to ultimately our people are. >> It's a fair point. I guess I don't know the timing. I I did. We did

budgeted our interview with him, a source who's the one who's on spending down the 120,000 allocation. And they're continuing to do interviews. And that report is not yet available. So I would just I

would say we have not was we have not issued a strong opinion on the ultimate merits of the larger request because the one 20 was was funded for the mayor and the council's recommendation last year.

And there's a question of whether it's going to be too late. If we wait or 2 early, if we pull the trigger, because as your your question of bread was pretty impression in the sense of workday, does

have a built-in system here not configured, Jen. So we might want to evaluate that system so that whatever RFP with an issue isn't redundant to okay to functionality that works with the functionality

doesn't work and then there's and then there's also the desire for you. If it does work and want their some of the redundancy them are Easton described, I guess I would say there's a lot still

unanswered questions. We'd like to read the report consider and then consider in the report. Also me, I assume it will have some kind of estimate of what this system should costs, although to what

extent they're going to factor in a work day, didn't sound like they knew much about it yet. We still don't miss things. We do know that word because we haven't been in training and we haven't

actually using u N so, you know, the penny in the pound that Mrs Ask you for 2 before the pet, you know, the one 20 has been spent. And then the question is to not ways that penny, are we sure we want

to spend the pound because the pound, the current estimate is 1.2 million within an issue over spotted over 3 years old. And you're weighing that against all the other capital needs Mason described

yesterday. So I would not say that we think the concerns are I would use or educated. Yes, and we think we have not if we have not issued that we don't have a strong opinion yet on the merits of this.

We like to see the report evaluate against all the other capital priorities and have some knowledge of how the records are actually working work day before we begin designing a records retention

system forward to to be fair, a lot of that they'll be reckoned with. Tensions on the old system says the schedule. So some of the stuff we keep 7 years or longer. So it's not just about work day, but

I think whatever system, whatever records management system we use should work for both work day and the PeopleSoft, Oracle system. >> Okay. I think we've done enough to raise that to say Lance for

the committee and we can pursue maybe this offline to some meetings and go from there. So thanks for your indulgence, Madam Chair. Okay. >> We're getting close to an hour that I had budgeted for this.

So let's go to all the women more and then any outstanding questions. There shouldn't be too long. Thank you so much, Madam Chair. First, I want to preface it by saying I work in one of the best

apartments in the city. Really, really I could not speak for myself and my colleagues, but we really couldn't do this work without the support of every single division in the city clerk's office. I

tell you, like I'm just honored every day that I walk into this building that I get to work with such incredible human being. So just thank you all so so much city clerk. Can you talk? Just so this

was sort of the first time that it's really piqued my interest in reference to going back to the Capitol projects and like the basement. So looking at have there been any sort of talk about sort of a

phased in approach how we can? I mean, because it's great space and how we can begin to startups to sort of have a phased and plan our approach to get here versus, you know, maybe looking at

everything all at one time, Madam chair. >> That project goes back to when we still had significant presence in the basement. Those of you who are of sufficient antiquity will remember the legislative

reference bureau was down there. We had a big win. We had a pair of restrooms or to the right. And then over to the left, there was what we call vote was number be want. It was originally a civil

defense space in 10 because that was actually labeled and somehow the DPW got away with the sign was labeled a fallout shelter. I always wanted that. But it wasn't an actual nuclear get Cold War

follow each other. That rule was regularly used for retirements for events and also for trainings. And those are useful for that purpose. And so when the work on the basement had to begin, I had a lot

of conversation going back to DPW commissioners ago about the possibility of converting that whenever that was done, it was 10 to me that there would be a space and it could be used. I want to be

clear that we put out the request for capital to kind of put a marker. I want to be very respectful of the Department of Public Works and the challenges that are going to come in that room is below

grade. Yeah, which creates unique ventilation concerns. I had that explained to me. But you know, things like that. But I would very much be interested in seeing some sort of approach. And I don't

know if that needs to be a budget amendment or just an initiative on the part of the the Department of Public Works to say, how can we get there from here, what resources are needed? How do we get

there? What should look like? And particularly there is a standing resolution of the council that date back dates back over a decade calling for the creation of a city hall. And for that space that's

intended to record the history of city Hall as a seat of government. And the great folks live in this case, Williams and alleged and what I was about to which they referenced your library and she

smacked me. It's the Municipal Research Library and an unusual research library. They've got a pot of information of records and things that we would love to display there because we have some pretty

amazing ones. So all these ideas are out there. We even have a small amount of money that was raised a bunch of years ago to undertake design. We have little over 15,000 think sorry. I just put up

13,005, 25 30,005. 25. We've got just under $50,000 that could be used for design of that space. So very long way of saying, yes, we'd certainly be open to that. I would never wag a finger on this

with. This is very new stuff. I just noticed during that run in a drill looking at it, that space is finally unfair. Yeah, he's finally something we could use and given the needs that we have in the

history of that space, that would very much like to see it go forward at some point. Yeah, that's awesome. Thank you. Thank you so much for that. >> Can you also talk a little bit about so the

percentage decrease specifically for the charges for service? I believe that was the David French as cable cable franchise. What is there? Are there any talks about how we supplement see an end? I

don't know. I don't know if it's going to continue to go down or if this is a trend. But, you know, just with other things that are, you know, coming up just with technology that's been of technology.

Is there any talk about how we supplement that rent revenue? >> And there's always talk about supplementing revenue. Madam chair. However, this particular fee was involved in the passage of the state.

I was in the Legislature course, but I was involved in the researching in the passage of the law that so fun when we change the franchise fee structure in the state. Those of you know, those you

remember Kimberly Montgomery, which is the head of the ire DEA. She was the one trying desperately to save what little resources. We have a few all the way back to the 1980's when the cable companies

are promising us a pony the trip to Europe. If only we granted them the cable franchise, they granted is very high percentage amounts of money as time has gone on. And as the technology has changed,

their world is changed. You know, there was only one way to get ESPN. There's only one way to get Nickelodeon was through your cable channel. Well, now there's a million different ways. And frankly,

now spectrum is only one of many providers that will do that to you. I mean, it's it's almost dizzying when you plug on the fires to can see what's out there. So they argue to the state of the state

agreed with them that that money should eventually decrease over time. This money is going to continue to decrease that piece of it. So, yes, we are looking at that. I will also say that to the budget

directors point, we do get the counts from the providers from both spectrum and 18 to universe, which is still out there. And we do get those numbers and those are turned into calculations that become

this revenue. So as far as that goes, this will continue to decrease. I thank you. >> And I'll just end by saying that I just want to give preface shout out definitely to the youth council EU council

members. You know, the past we were looking to grow where actually moving full speed ahead, full speed ahead in that direction where we're looking to have almost a full. The goal is to have a full

youth council and that consist of about 17 members, 15 new council members that represent each district as well as 2 at large members were very, very close to that end. My goal is to make sure that we

get there in the next couple months. But you know, the resources for that doesn't it's not a indicative of what we had done in the past just because we haven't been at full capacity. But the goal is

to be at full capacity every single year moving forward and to be able to provide more opportunities for our young people that and they've talked about it often just the experiences that they've been

having in the addition to the to the summer program. So, you know, I'm biased. I definitely want to make sure that we continue to support our young people. Thank you for your leadership, mister clerk

and deputy clerk. I really appreciate you both. Thank you, Madam Chair. >> Thank you so much. Any other questions? You know, all the member goes. Thank you. Talking changing technology is a

consequence of we're changing. Revenues are consequence of changing technology because the city publish its of broadcast on YouTube or collect revenue from YouTube for use. >> We do publish that. You

too. We do have a YouTube channel. Our viewership is very, very low. It would not qualify for my decision. I just joined is the 189 subscriber and the first the last videos, 3 months old for that last

year. So that may be an opportunity in the future to embrace that changing tide and also use it as a opportunity for revenue. Thank you matter. >> Ok, thank you. Any other questions or comments,

Alderman Taylor, anything okay? Anyone else's dollars bike or any outstanding questions or comments on the city clerk? I'm saving all my outstanding questions for later. But thank you. >> Okay, Madam

Chair. Yes. Alderman hugs that. That is the future. >> And capital place should be built in the bathroom for all students. >> It has long been my plan. I think I've said this too, that because I think

you brought this and that I think all of the cars brought this to my attention. This goes back to a conversation I had with Alderwoman Phillips that will give an idea how long ago was there was a

men's room in our office it into a 5 hits, give or take where Mr. Crump says based on what you described it to me, I'd have to look at the floor plan, but it is absolutely been my intention. Should we

get the capital requests to explore where there's a soil stack and where we could place a small bathroom? Much like the one at the top of the stairs, but the gender neutral course. Yeah, after all

right, Amber goes well, we have a clerk here under oath. >> And probably wanted to ask if we had to choose between updating the 8th floor or building out the basement, what would be a better benefit

to the community? >> May I have the entire is floor. If I may have the 8th, if I may have the entire to the 8th floor, that would be the better trust you meant for the clerk move, move to naturally in

terms of trying to create. >> Public space, it would be a Sig. The difference is the 8th floor would be a massive renovation to turn into a public space. Yes, it has been considered to move the entire

Common Council to the floor that has been thought of. There's Friday. People spoke against that. I've not had a formal opinion on that to see should not be shooting from within, but no it to

intentionally want something under of. All right. We could see where you went. Yeah, but no, I I'm thinking about it because we you know, and and the budget director night back when he was in a

different role. We talked a great deal about the possibility of what >> could be done to benefit the community on its face. Time up there, something yeah, with food bill. So so you know that these

these thoughts have been funk as it were. It is evidently and underutilized space. It is a great space. And if it could be cleared out and turned into a public space and a space that could use that,

that is clearly the better choice. I would also think he said not even Gary, if Mr to our coast is watching apologize for some icing. I would think it would be much worse expensive because if you

missed some of the conversations we had yesterday. >> There has been a consolidation of city staff over the past decade or 2 and there has not really been a consolidation of square footage or the

footprint that city staff occupies. There are a number of departments are offices outside of city property that are renting or leasing space. And another department is asking for new space in this

year's budget. And I think that's absolutely ridiculous. We'll leave it there. Thank you. Madam Chair, the these are fair points and options have been explored the floor. >> I was it was early on in

my counsel tenure. I think when we made a budget amendment to block the tenant Island city attorney for moving their, that was 3 city attorneys ago. Current city attorney is not asking to move to the

floor. So at least it isn't. It isn't interest. They are asking for a they are asking celebration. Consumption is significant. Yeah. Inside the building most likely the 7th to 10th floor like 87. But

then we have to move what else is on the 7 somewhere else. All of these and this was 6 extensively studied their instant young report, which I think I still owe you a fresh copy of, I think I think of

as we distributed whenever or summary copies were distributed back when it was done. >> You know that there were a variety of takeaways for office consolidation. We talked about this a bit yesterday.

I'll just give you when Hughes, when you squint, you know, what are what are they thinking? How can they how can they have spent 70 million on the exterior of the building and then 50 million on the

basement of a building and then some repair work. On the 70 million we spent there over the last couple decades. So you go well over 100 million dollars investment, a building and the top floor,

mostly a news or not, use that as well as the other 7 floors. You know, we we we do use it to search space and now for the medical. But, you know, the check ins for that for that to let, you know,

annual checkups for city employees. So the dilemma is just you've got to him. You've got to have a plan. But more than a plan, you have to have the funding to make the plan happen because it would you

do want to just move somebody up there without doing replacing the HVAC because right now if you don't need it, if you do need to bear all the time, it works, it usable space to have it actually be

permanent office space. You probably need to make what back in 2010 would have been 5 million is now probably north of 10 Million. So do you have 10 million to make that floor what you wanted to be

and you have a plan for the right thing to put their that will save you money somewhere else. So there's just a lot of moving parts. It's a game of Tetris and I'd say the main impediment to the game

of Tetris is not lack of a plan or lack of ideas. It's lack of funding to make them work. >> All righty. And why did why was the Innovation District special fund eliminated to 0. >> Same methodology

rationale as the previous changes for the special purpose for special funds we just made there will be out money available for carry over the Innovation Fund. The district has spent no money as of

today so we would be able to carry over the entire $75,000 amount. That's in that account. And there was no projection for any mon money to be spent during twenty-twenty sex based on my work with the

department. >> There's that and that's the rational you guys use for every department. Justin Elzie for men was always it wasn't the most part in most of those funds or what's pending. Any other

departments like public works at something. It's not a controversial with the other part. Both happens as matter. Of course, when does I guess what? I'm hearing 2 different things. So it's one thing

if it's 100% unused in. Well, now we're in October. It's another thing if it was unused in May. >> And that would have been like the >> computer other things that we talked about earlier, sir. Yes,

the department for that projection was supplemented with the queer Senate already been spent with the department's projection. And that's that we used the department's number a discrepancy. So take

away the Innovation Fund one because that one sounds like it's 100% unused and will be eligible for carry over. So it's obviously going discrepancy was in the computer kind of where we're counting on

carryover, which is news to us as of today that the only thing where there's been news today. >> That's that when we put the request in early in the year for another $24,800 in the computer system,

that was with our calculation that we would have a significant amount of carryover available in the 27 after remain friendly. Your purchase. And then we would use those combined, pulls a fund and to

make more significant purchases going into 2027. So that's right. We request a 24 8 knowing that we would have carry over to supplement them. Right. And I heard the similar >> point of view on the big

clean. >> Well, that in the case of the big clean, they'll be plenty of money to maintain annual expenditures. Sounds like in the case of these computers, they may not be annual expenditures. They're

one-time bursts, although it could also just be it could take 2 years to replace computers are says one year. That's frankly how we would hand with most of the departments. Well, I say we if they say

this isn't enough for all of our computers this year would say, well, we'll get you next year. >> Plenty of money is an opinion that that you all my home. But I mean, that's the average Milwaukee. And

they think the city's full trash like I mean, I know plenty of money. There's a trend that we know the computer things. News was on the big clean. There was a number of spending, which was what the >>

the clean year to date to spend 228,000. The projection for all year would be 220 1190 1002, the spending in this year based on what the department said they might spend and the year-end balance was

expected to be one 30's. So we add that to the $20,000 that's on the slide. There be 150 matching the request from the Department of $150,000 for new money in 2027. >> Do you have any questions

president? You can knows it in here. Just a little bit of the innovation district. Okay. We were just about wrapping up but we definitely have space for you coming. Council president has said that it

is. Well, thank you. >> The $50,000 of the 75 for the innovation was for a match. And we wanted to increase that to a very high amount to not only work this base and provide resources, but we already

have a $50,000 match to the 50. We have it at 100 and we just got the position filled through innovation district. The other 25 is a program meant we've had in Kuwait from other all. There's about

wanting space into different districts on the north side. So it's just the amount of time of executing it. But we already double the money and were very close to figuring out the space. We had a space

in mind, but it it had to close because the operator had to move on to another position. But yeah, we feel very excited about what's going to happen in. 26 just took longer than what we expected to be

executed. >> So on the innovation, a district special fund in the 20. But this up, I understand in the 20 27 budget. >> You're anticipating we carry over 75 grand. It's available to carry over to

decision the council would make in the spring, but it's available for carryover. So I mean, to some extent we're assuming that would likely occur based on the numbers are getting, which in past years

is what happens. You're not assuming it go to the bottom line. You're not using it to close a budget gap and understand we were assuming the council is likely to want fo Kerry overall counts, which

has been the pattern less sometimes. >> So, for instance, the additional 75 that we would like to have would be for an additional district. I know that, although on the premise Express interest with a

building she has in her district, all the men Jackson has. So we we want to have the same concept that 25 of the 75 the programming and that each innovation district in the neighborhood is leveraging

that 50 to max out services for founders, accounting, legal space, creatives, reduce rent, whatever it takes to get innovation up and running off the ground and every district around the city and and

that they're working with one another. >> I mean, any that's helpful clear on the item. So any other questions or comments on the city clerk's budget? >> Madam Chair. Okay. Other more just really

quick city clerk. Is it an option just going back to our computers? Is it an option to phase it in so that it could stretch over 2 years or is that ultimately met? I'm sure that's what we're doing. >>

The real challenge because we're we realize how far we've gotten behind. And we're always trying to keep up because the problem is we try to plan for you. Set aside a certain number of computers.

Let's making this up 10. And in the meantime, 3 break. And so suddenly it's now 7 that are available to do just routine replacement. The big challenge we have and it's always the same is when we get

to and where there the 15 council members and their staff. That's that's the one that is hard to break and it would be better if we didn't have to. >> I thank you so much. Okay. I think that concludes

with a little over the plan but anything else on city clerk's office city clerk's office looking around here. Okay. Dokie seen hearing them. Thank you. Thank and remember, we shall see soon because we

see going to see that every every sale that in every way. So we'll now move on. Cue the city assessor's office come on up. And after that, we will conclude with municipal court. >> It's, you know, a

lot and over because once I heard a little crush, a full moving on to to the assessor's up. >> Thank you to Covax Budget Management division director here to introduce Nathaniel Hackett will go

through the SSA slides and then introduced a commissioner Larson and her team to a super team. >> Good afternoon and colors and commissioner assessments to my right is Ryan rancor, deputy commissioner

and to his right is Collin Williams are real estate Modeler. >> Good afternoon, Mister Chair members of the committee. The panel Hack Budget Management Division to the present the 2027 city assessor's

proposed budget. The department has a true cost to continue budget with no changes in positions are FT East from 2026? In the coming slides will talk a little bit more about the details of what the

drivers of the 4.5% increase in the departmental budget. First on salaries and positions are no proposed changes to the personnel. Despite the sellers participate to increase by about 4.6%. Few

drivers of this, the primary one is C 3% increase of 2. Also, the staff of one percent increase to residents that last year with a 26 budget was included. Centrally now is in departmental budgets.

There are also some internal promotions to the department had one position that was affected by the HR puts the Sox r-class and 74% Departmental residency. Ok? Thank you. Operating expenditures are

proposed $361,000. A 3% increase from the prior year. This is to account for him placed or increases optically mailing and printing. It's also a slight increase in the state manufacturing a suspect

payment. This is based on the actual 2025 invoice that was received. This is an invoice received from the state because they are actually responsible for oppressing manufacturing properties, not the

city. Then they charge us the cost of doing so 50% of the state's casas. What's in the statute? I'm gonna hold my question about inflationary calculations between municipal governments and state

governments. Later the department does have one special purpose account which is their mission of taxes account on this returns taxes, the property owners who successfully appealed their valuation

payments for this fund, our obligations. They're not discretionary. As you can see from this chart on the slide, there is a pretty high variability from year to year what the actuals might be. This is

often highly dependent caseload timing of judgments or settlements as well as success in court. 27, the mayor post has been cutting 1.5 million dollars in the special purpose coat, which is consistent

with the allocations. And 24 25 you may remember last year we are about the allocation of 1 million dollars to do is planning to carry were $500,000 to keep the fund balance. At 1.0, 5 million says is

still maintaining that same ballots for that you may have seen in the news out of you have heard otherwise that the city didn't recently lose 2 major cases on default judgment. So unless over

overturned on appeal, there is a no liability of 1.3 million dollars. So even though the 26 year to date look slow that could easily spike up for the end of the year, depending on timing and

successful appeal. The department has no capital expenses and the proposed budget and the department's revenues are dissipates decreased about 10%. This is related to the appraisal fee on new

development additions and alterations. And the major reason for this decline is the completion of several major projects such as the QA toured the 3.33 Water Street building the 2 primary services of

the department, our property valuation, as well as responding to honor objections. There are some smaller services as well as the just processing tax and sanctions and staffing the Independent Board

of review. And with that, I will press to make to commissioner. Let's talk about the services they provide. Welcome. Thank you so much. Thank you for the opportunity to be here today. So our core

services while there. >> Still down to 4 major categories. There's a lot of work, a lot of detail that goes into each of those categories and to find lasting over anything. And if you'd like to know

anything more, please let me know their core function really as property valuation. And that consists of 3 main areas discovering listing in valuing all taxable property in the city of Milwaukee

discovering is really when those permits commend all of the permits at the dentist permit desk issues. We investigate where we put eyes on all of those. If it's something simple, like a boiler

replacement for his replacement, that might not change value of the property. We can look at those do a quick desk review and then put those back, put those to bed in closed mouth. If it's something

big like new construction, commercial property or residential property, somebody put is putting up a new garage or they're doing in addition to their building, putting on a workout facility on a

commercial building. We go out and we do inspections. That's that's cover part of it. Listing it putting it in our database meeting, recording the square footage accurately recording that condition

accurately and then we value those. We put value on all those changes to the assessed value of that main property. We also objections, no objections. We think of, you know, when people file an

objection to their assessed value and then we process that. I also consider objections processing the pre objection Work, right? We have open book for about 4 weeks each and every year. That's after

the notices of assessment are issued in April. And then before that 3rd Monday in May, which is the deadline to object to assessed values. And so we dedicate our office entirely. It's all hands on

deck for that entire month, taking phone calls, taking walk-ins, taking email requests and helping people review the assessment role effectively looking at their values. Sometimes they look at their

neighborhoods values they want comparable properties. Will. How did you come up with my value? What does this number mean? And so we will sit down with them. We will pull comparable properties and

we'll talk about how we got to that that contact that public relations aspect of our job often eliminates a lot of objections because once people understand and see the hard numbers, it often

alleviates their concerns on values. And I will say there have been concerns on values, right? Because if you've been paying even just a minimal amount of attention to the real estate market,

especially the residential real estate market prices are going up and up now. That's cooling a little bit. But we can talk about a little bit more about that later, if you so desire. But then we

receive those objections. We process all of those again from residential and commercial property owners. And we also do exemptions that are 3rd main area of work that we do. So the assessor is charged

with receiving new requests for exemptions annually and also receiving the by annual Property Tax Exemption Report. And that's those are both state requirements at properties. Owners seeking new

exemptions filed a request with the assessor's office. They prove why they should be exempt and we send out approval letters and we sent out to Nia Letters if they don't meet that criteria under

chapter 74 exemption. When we do grant exemption, we send a letter we have modified or letter believe we modified it last year. Changing it back to sort of the old way. We were asking property owners

that have been granted exemption if they would be willing to pay a payment in lieu of taxes. Now that they're off the tax roll. I believe we sent out 19 approvals in 2026. With that language in there,

we have not gotten any responses to those requests to participate in the fair share program. That's what we call it here in the city. And we again, we receive those property tax exemption reports and

we review all of those forms. And that's basically where the property owners report that, yes, they are still exempt. Yes, this is the purpose for which their over under which they're operating. And

if something looks funny to us or if they report unrelated business income, then we'll look at that and see, well, this property is fully exempt. Should they be taxed in part or, you know, is

something else, something else standout to a set of facts. They're exempt status and should they maybe be made not exempt? We haven't had a lot of those. I will say so that's good. But that is sort of

our trigger to review the exempt properties within the city. And then our 4th function to is to staff and support the Board of Review. The Board of Review is by statute in ordinance up to a nine-

member body of citizens in the city of Milwaukee that are appointed by the mayor and confirmed by the council and they are effectively our second level of review. When objection is filed. Currently we

have 6 members serving on the Board of review that was increased from 5 last year. And again, they hold hearings. If it gets that far. They also sign off on stipulations. If we get additional

information from a property owner and, you know, we can reach an agreement on the value. We think that maybe, yes, the value should be lowered or changed in some way will enter into stipulations with

those and the board hears all of those and signs off on all of those. And so the board does more than just hear those hearings that reviews all those stipulations. Sometimes dismissals to the board

has a requirement where they require property owners to confirm their hearing date. And lots of people don't do that. And so then the board will dismiss those. They also signed off on withdrawals.

Oftentimes after people file an objection, they get more information from us. We continue that customer service and public relations. We sit down with them. We give them the data and they voluntarily

withdraw their objections until the board signs off on that as well. And we have one full-time staff member that backs up the board serves as the board clerk. And so that person is a member of the

assessor's office believe counted within that. 44 and then what they do really full-time devote their time to the Board of Review source service and operational changes. What we have focused on the

last year is really improving. The online appeals processing online processing is something that was advocated for, I believe, by the chairwoman before my arrival in this office and really to make

things easier for our residents, right? Because before it was, here's a hard copy of the form. Fill it out, then drop it off or mail it to us. And so there is a real need for an online appeal

processing which we've grown to love. It allows us to integrate those appeals made electronically with our own electronic database are up 5 system. And so we wanted to increase those time and

processing efficiencies and assuring completeness because that's another part of the appeal filing is making sure that the statutory requirements, like opinion of value are on that form. And so there

are certain electronic feels that if they're not completed, that you'll get a message saying your objection is not complete and total trigger that property owner to fill in that information right then

and there as they are doing that. So it makes it easier and more immediate for the property owner filing that objection. And then it makes it easier on our end because it feeds into our electronic

database, save on postage costs as well. Because as I mentioned, that opinion of value. If that was missing on a hard copy, we would have to then mail them a letter and say we need your opinion of

value. Please don't post is for us to mail it back and then us income means and postage for that property owner to mail it back to us. And that was I want to say no cost because there's always a cost

everything. But that's not something we have a vendor out to do. We worked with it empty and they have any fantastic partner because as we go through the process throughout the years, we've seen what

changes are needed, what the barriers are, as we've use it each and every year. And they've been fantastic in responding to our requests for changes in for improvements. And so in 2026, we how do I

say this streamlined the electronic objection filing part? I should say the objection filing process and we limited to hard copy objections and went appeal or the online objections. We eliminated

email option which had started during COVID because that was causing some serious problems not only for office but for the city in general. Somebody files an appeal by email and there's an attachment

to it. We have to open that right because we need to see is this a legitimate attachment? But without security protocols, it was a real security risk for the city, you know, because senators know that

we have to open all of the attachments. And if there's a bad actor out there, you know, I heard the clerk's office talking about safety and security. If there's a bad actor out there, all they would

have had to do is send us an email and during objection time and suddenly we're in a really bad place. And so eliminating the emails eliminated that security risk and it reduced liability on behalf of

the city. We had can think of one example where we had a taxpayer sent 3 different e-mails on 3 different dates concerning one property objection and it it was difficult to reconcile. All 3 different

e-mails from it was from actually 2 different people within the firm that was representing the property owner. And it created a lot of delay, create a lot of confusion. And had we missed it, it could

have created some problems down the road. You know, we're 2 or 3 years out and they're, you know, single where's my appeal from 3 years ago. So we've really removed by reducing it to the hard copy and

online appeal has really eliminated that issue as well. Another thing we did is we improved have received of the agent authorization forms. What the heck are those rates? As you know, you know,

properties are often held in corporate entities like a limited liability company, LLC and also a lot of residential properties are now being moved into trusts as ownership. Right? Because it helps

avoid the probate process. What you under the Law LLC can't speak for itself, right? There has to be an authorized agent to speak for the alc. Same with a trust. There has to be an authorized agent to

speak on behalf of that trust. And so what we did was we incorporated the agent authorization form with the online appeal filing. And so that filers can just fill it out right then and there as

they're filing their appeal again, it reduces the need for us to send paper letters to those filers asking for completed agent authorization farm reduces their time or decreases. There can

inconvenience and mailing that form back to us. And it also reduces frivolous objections. Doesn't happen too often, but sometimes you have representatives that file an objection first and then solicit

the client later. We want to make sure that that age and that's filing on behalf of that property owner has that full authority to appeal on that property owners behalf. Another concern, too, is with

commercial properties with income expense information. There's a requirement under state statute as well as a local ordinance that requires OS the assessor to keep that information confidential. So

when we have a duly authorized agent authorization form, we know we can't share certain information or we can share information with that agent and rather than some of, you know, rogue actor who might

not have that full authority. We want to make sure that we don't violate our confidentiality obligations under ordinance and statute. So our assessment ratio, we're doing really very well. I have to

say I have to brag about her office in 2025, we're at 99.9, 4% in 2026. Estimated so far at 97.1% Somers very close to that equalize value or I'm sorry. This involves equalize value. It's very close

to when we talked in. I think earlier this year, maybe it was last year. We talked about being in compliance with the state requirements. Plus or -10 percent of full value. We're really close right of

the goal is 100%. But if you're at, you know, 90% or 110%, you're still within. You're still in compliance for state purposes. But also it's it's if these are really good numbers. I don't know what

else to say beside Khalid. You have something to add cited. Okay. Sorry that you or I thought you're offering some information we say estimated so far because there are certain numbers we don't have

yet the manufacturing again, that is assessed by the state. And so those numbers will be finalized until November. And then the remaining objections for 2026, the Board of Assessors, which is that

first level of appeal of objects to appeal is still in session. We finalize that on October 12th. And then any determinations that come out of the board of assessors, they have 15 days for men to then

go to the Board of review. So we're still within the appeal process or numbers are still for lack of a better word squishy for 2026. But we're just keeping very close to this. 97. 98 1% once all is

said and done. You know, this is also something I did put in here. And it's kind of one of those soft things but being out of compliance last year, I think, you know, that triggered us to really reach

out to the Department of Revenue or local branch that had a new manager be a permanent revenue is a state of Wisconsin agency. And I know kind of citywide. There's always a school being relations

between the city and the state. And we've worked really h*** o* improving those relationships. Colin has done a great job with Gary, our local manager in, you know, sharing information and and getting

information back and just really keeping that channel of communication open. So, you know, God forbid, we do get close to out of compliance at some point in the future rather than just the report.

They pick up the phone and say, hey, this looks odd to us what's going on. So and Colin has done that. You know, he's had questions about the forms or did the data that the Department of revenue

releases and he's been able to call and have somebody pick up his call to answer those questions. So I just think that's one of those things that we don't really talk about, that. That's something

we've been really working h*** o*. >> We're over time or the presentations. Certainly have happy to take questions. If you buy like a briefly, can you talk about your objections was off by the board

so that you're less like? Yeah, so we that's one of the things that we have sort of changed our approach. And so again, the board of assessors as the first level of appeal. >> And that's myself and 6

of our managers reviewing work done by the appraiser's after an objection is filed. And in the past, it was, you know, I think there because of the volume of the volume was seen seemingly so

threatening was like just to stay in the value Senate through. And then if it appeals beyond that, then we'll deal with it. We've been really focusing and getting that information up front, right? So

it's not just by default sustain it. Its work call that property owner right away. Have that first contact. Hopefully within 10 days of the objection coming in or the assessor receiving it and work

with that, that property owner, do you have an appraisal? Did you get a loan recently? You know, whatever information they believe, supports the opinion of value. And so we can get a fuller and more

comprehensive review at the board of Assessors. So right now, our numbers pretty high about 88%. But again, that board of assessors is still open through October 12th. So that number may change a

little bit. But our prisoners have been working really hard to get information on the front end. So there's less work for us on the back end. And certainly this is the Board of Review's work as well.

>> What's that all starts at the end of the presentation with questions, what happens for those 12% of the protections that are not result for the board. >> So they will go to build, make appeals to

the Board of Review. And we continue to work on those appeals again with the property owner. And unless and until there is a hearing with the Board of Review, all be frank, sometimes people don't want

to talk with the assessor right there like where they're unhappy because we sent them a notice in April. They they want their day in court as it were. That's they want this citizen board to hear their

complaints. And in those cases, those extreme cases, there's just no resolving and that they're entitled to that right there absolutely entitled to that. But if there is some additional information

that we can get out of them by don't having those additional conversations, we continue to work on those. So and it's pretty telling. I mean, our Board of review whole has both 30 ish hearings each

year. And I mean, full hearings, you know, when they're bringing in evidence, we're bringing in evidence for rating reports. And, you know, it's a full 2, 3, four-hour hearing. Sometimes they don't

only about 30 of those each year. And when you consider about 3,000 objections are filed each year, that's a pretty impressive number of resolution that our department does. >> Thank you for that.

Moving on to special funds, the state manufacturers assessment payment jumped exploded to 7.1% more than last year. Is there more manufacturing for the state to assess the city or why did that number

increase? Double inflation? >> We'll have a direct answer that we 6 foot. One of $5,000 upset. Some 0.1% may seem like a large percent, but actually $5,000. My guess would be that these they've has

also had no increases in labor just that the city has and that he, too, for those. >> That we're seeing more peels of manufacturing values as well. And so the state is working those up. They might

build that additional costs for processing those appeals in. But that's the number they tell us. We have to pay 50% of what their costs are. So that's what they tell us. >> Fair enough. All right. Any

other members with questions for the police going Cox? >> What is the current number IM potential down exposure pending assessment related cases? How much of that exposure is expected to resign? City

costs. >> So we have on current pending litigation as of legal September 9th. 43 cases with acclaimed liability of 15 million stick for some comparison. September of 25. We had 57 cases with acclaimed

liability of 13.3 million and in October 2024, 22 cases with a clean liability of 9.9 million in 2025. commercial properties experienced a significant increase in value. Want to see is about 70%. If

I'm remembering correctly, did not increase as much in 2026. But in 25 the litigation starts in 2026. That contributes to the higher number of cases. We don't believe that the liability will be

anywhere near 15 million because as you can imagine, property owners believe their property is worth 0, basically, right. And those are not realistic numbers. There's always value we're confident in

the work that we do in the work that our assessors do. And so it's it's a difficult question to answer all the Roman talks because these are kind of rolling to throughout the year. The numbers change,

the withdrawal is change the settlements change. And, you know, also there's compounding years, right? We have some properties where litigation is concerning. 23. 24 25. And then again, they might

filed for 26. So you might have 3 years worth of stacked litigation. Our goal is to reduce remissions payments. And if we can do that by sort of global settlements where these multi-year Libby

catalytic multi-year, where there is a multi-year litigation pending, that's what we will do because you want to pay as little as possible. And so I don't know if that answers the question or that

leaves anything outstanding for you noticed how many vacancies? >> And the department and how long have they been bank? >> We have 2 vacancies currently. One is a property assessment technician and

another one is an assessment service specialist technician has been vacant since August of this year and the assessment service specialist just since September. At the end of September, we have a

commercial appraiser. They can see. But we had a reinstatement very recently by the CSE. And so it is using we're using that position to under Phil, the reinstatement of that other position. >> Can a

patch is we've had a lot of discussion and I've done a lot of footnotes about pilots. I guess I just want to date on that. Mike White were any new. >> Pilots? >> Not under the fair share program.

Know, as as I mentioned, you know, in last year, sitting here last year at this time, we sent of those letters asked for interest in the fair share program. We got 0 responses same too with this year.

Now I know city development when they do development agreements or when they sell certain properties, there's provisions on the ongoing tax exempt and there's discussions about pilot agreements

depending on the types of properties are the types of developments. Those are not the fair share program. Those are kind of separate apart from what we do fair share. Know the ordinance is still the

same. It's still only authorize us to ask for payments in lieu of taxes. If there's a change and it's a new exemption and then for believe it or fix it, it's a change of causing some time to get his

just a new exemption requests and it's granted. So if if we want to look at existing property owners of existing property tax exempt properties and approaching them for pilots, and that would require

a change in the ordinance. So that would require, I think, a big picture view on how to do that and see, you know, what are the goals of the Common Council? Because, remember, all of these property

owners are exempt properties. Are all of your constituents right there in all 15 districts? And so we would I want to make sure that your view Point Inn or approaches are reflected when we do make

those approaches as well as you know, the goals of the mayor's office. And you know how as staff we would implement all of that because it would affect not only the assessor's office, but the

comptroller's office because they do the invoicing the treasurer's office. And you know what, you know, kind of what the parameters of what that would look like work to be implemented. >> The mayor

has declared this year the year of housing. It's been a tremendous effort towards increased investment through a variety of programs here at the city for new housing funding bill and particularly

affordable housing to be built bill, when that has 5 now local swan developers for agencies like Habitat for Humanity, given that those houses, the intention behind all times is with the bill for a

real estate for a segment of population to be able to access the ability for ownership affordable on the ship of new housing stock. And we have participated in the subsidizing of it so that it could

be affordable of those that have been done over the last year to all of these different programs and through the city assistance. Have you order last couple years? Have you looked at how you have been

assessing those and whether or not there have been increase it to the point which defeated the purpose in first place to create housing that was affordable for folks? >> Yeah, I have you know,

initially we were sort of the forgotten part of the team when, for instance, one nonprofit organization came up with the land trust idea, right where the land would be owned by the trust. But the

improvements or the structure would be sold to the property owner. And I think there were assumptions made on how those would be assessed without reaching out to our office. There's also been lots of

variations on that as well. Not necessarily land trusts, but a different developers pairing up with non-profit organizations to develop new properties, you know, in like the backbone to that we've

heard about and even outside of that heads. And, you know, how are those treated as far as assessments go? And so we've kind of, you know, nudged and pushed our way to the front and asked to be

included in those conversations because we need to be included in those conversations because when we're not, and if a property owner buys a property and then they suddenly, you know, they're

assessed. They bought a property for one $150,000. And then suddenly the market is 400,000. They get that tax bill on 400,000 and their surprise. But if we haven't been in on that conversation to know

that that property is offered to an income restricted buyer and the property has sat in conference that doesn't make it fair market value because it's only available to certain segments of the

population. That's where that communication is lost. And that's where we've asset for communication to be improved. And we've been in touch with all of the various offices. We've talked with the city

attorney's office. We talk to the mayor's office who talked with Dcd and Rekem. And, you know, recently we talked to reckon about habitat properties because they've sold a lot of habitat proper looks

sold a lot of city properties to habitat. And so we worked with them to identify the issues that, you know, we are concerned with as assessed values because the assessments, you know, as much as we

like to say, we don't do property tax assessments directly reflect work directly, lead to property taxes, right? And so we want to make sure that people understand how our work affect ultimately

affects the property tax burden. But we also want that information to flow back to us to make sure that we have that. So when we are valuing that property, we are reflecting any encumbrance is like an

income affordability. We're in for an affordability, encumbrance. You know, if that affects the value, we want to make sure that that is reflected in our records and some days it feels like Whac-A-

Mole got to say because there are different forms and different types of developments happening in different forms of development and different ownership structures. Our team has handled it

wonderfully and it's, you know, it's it's always something unique. It's kind of, you know, it like drinking out of a fire hose some days, right? Like we've in the prior years, we've had the city sell,

you know, couple of properties to habitat. And now we've had, you know, 50 some and there's another 50 some and the pipeline. And so we've really handle it. We've talked with the CD so that we talked

with habitat to make you to know that they're clear on it. And again, it's that information sharing that communication that's so important. And so I offer to you if you hear of any any housing issues

coming up, please involve us in that conversation because it informs what we do moving forward. We want to make sure that our records are accurate. Our values are accurate. >> So have you ran current?

We for informed about the backbone to ID's habitat houses that I've lived in the city of that? We're already past for the lots for them to have for this next year and for any other projects that we

currently. And they have already Paz Council and is signed by the mayor to involve some level of subsidy, individual home building to be solved. Have you been informed of all of those? >> I don't

know. We've been informed of a lot. And I you know, I read the cnd agendas and the other agendas to make sure that we on top of it. And you know, if there's a formal notification process in place, I

don't think we've been made a part of that. But I know you the city, it has been very good about reaching out to us and saying, hey, we have this going on, especially with kids. I think there's a lot

of tax incremental financing happening. And I think the majority of what's coming down the pike really kind of falls within td's. We do all the reporting on to as we report our office, the assessor's

charged with reporting that information to the state of Wisconsin. And so we get it that way when where we're always watching the resolutions that are past, we're tracking those. We are numbering

knows, you know, we do a lot of work on the tax incremental districts. And so we get the information that way. So it's again like that webcam or kind of looking at all of the different sources where

these are coming in and making sure that we're on top of them, where we see a new story about it. And we haven't heard about something we might reach out to. One member is coated in that new story to

ask for information. So, yeah, it's it's it's really unusual because it just, you know, it seem like it was just a trickle each year. But now that housing affordable housing, it's such a big topic.

It's so important that we're in on all of those conversations. >> And just so you won't be surprised. Thank you for answering a question from your answer. I think I will be working with the army to

formulate a resolution or something or these are some ways a formal communication for you all for you to now because I've dealt with habitat, folks got the House for one 50 and then that an assessment

from a $300,000 more than one. And because it's been such a for him in this last year to create opportunity for affordable housing and a lot more homeowners have to go through that. And if it's a

communication thing, I think that's something that we can for create a formal process that we that can do is I will be working on it. But thank you for that and say I'm Madam Chair. >> Mr. What

pronouns are sent to a gender is a social construct. >> Move it over to older women more. >> Thank you. Thank you so much, Mr. Chair all the cold. If you I just want to revisit the fair share

conversation. Just really briefly. Just so that I have an understanding of the can you explain what fair share? Is it that, you know, we want it for those that are doing or could do a pilot or those

tax exempt organizations? Is it, hey, we would love for you to pay X percentage. How does that work? Well, its really outdated. >> We'll start there because it references the Department of Public

works issuing permits for new construction, which the Department of Public Works doesn't do that anymore. So it's it's basically when a permit is issued for a and I'm going off of memory here. Forgive

me. I have not read the ordinance in a in a while, but if there is new construction for a permit for alteration or addition, that property is going to be exempt. And then the assessor reached out to

that property owner and reviews their project plan and then kind of sees what is happening at the site. What is going to be the exempt to use? It's like the full square footage or a portion of the

square footage and then asks them would they be willing to pay a payment in lieu of taxes and the amount of which has historically been the city's portion of the taxes. But again, it's it's very

outdated. It doesn't contemplate looking at already exempt property owners and requesting them to pay a fare payment in lieu of taxes. But again, it's all voluntary. There's no enforcement mechanism.

It's not like there's a contract where they're obligated to pay it. And if they cited one year and pay a one year and decide the second year not to pay any more, that's the right to do that. So it's

it's just sort of a feel-good program. Sure, and I don't I don't mean that in a condescending way, but its its reliant on the goodwill of property. >> Years and with that, so looking at existing tax

exempt organizations, is that a policy shift that we would have to make as a city or is that something state legislative wise? >> A local policy shift? Yeah. The the local ordinance would have to be

revised and we did talk about that internally the last couple of years. We want to say terminated in late 2024. We had an interdepartmental group that was meeting to talk about. How could we change

this? But, you know, we really need, like I said, input from the council input from those, you know, where that these properties are located to have, you know, some viewpoint on what >> you would. You

wouldn't be just how Lee would envision this morning. I definitely think it's something that we need to take a look at for sure. Really quick. What is the timeframe for appeals cause? I know it could

probably vary from something very short to something more extensive. Is there an average time frame if an individual wanted to appeal their assessment? >> Yes, so the notices go out to Cleveland 3rd

week in April. And then the deadline is set by state law. And it's always the 3rd Monday in May. >> Got it and so on. And most I'm trying to also understand the legal part of it as well. That at what

time frame does, it doesn't hit worse. Just like okay, we're taking their or maybe they decide to move to move into a legal matter. That's after were is that in the process? >> So yes, they have until

January 31st of the following year to file a lawsuit. So they have the 3rd Monday in May for 2026. that would go through the Board of Assessors process are preserved, be working with the property

owner to get additional information, the appraisals, any income expense information and then the board of Assessors issues its notice of determination if the property owner disagrees with our to

terminated, determined amount that they can appeal to the Board of review. And then it's not always scheduled right away for the Board of review because there's another power that the board review has

Nats the subpoena power. So the property owner has been ignoring us. They don't want to give the information to assess or the board can issue a subpoena for information. And so sometimes that takes a

little while to get that done or there's back and forth. You know, the governor says, I'll get that to you. And suddenly we you know, we take a look for 30 days and we still haven't gotten it. So it

varies by the type of property and the complexity of the valuation. But the good news can schedule it on the boards calendar. And then whether it's it's heard by the board or its not heard by the

board. That deadline to file is always that January 31st. So for us and appeal filed in May of 2026, the deadline to file in court is January 31st of 2027. And so people typically move to that point

because >> they don't like what they hear, right? Or I mean, how do people make the assumption that you know what, I'm going to move this or escalate this further? Do we not, you know that, you know,

when we're going back and forth with them, is it that you know what you were? You're sitting with the assessment. I don't like it and to go to circuit court to mean correct. Once they decide to move

like is it because they didn't like what we've told them as far as they are said, like we would like, we would say, you know what, your c'est value was this and we can't move it or is there a? >> I

hate to say it barred a breaking situation. I don't know how it I don't know how it works and it says his office, but you know, why would an individual move in that direction? I'm just curious that,

you know, because I've just don't understand why people sue us because they can because they have the resources. It's >> 100% commercial property owners in litigation right now. If so most of his

career commercial. Okay. Its commercial. Okay. They they can afford the litigation. Got it. Okay. I think that. Thank you, Mister Chair. I think that's all the questions that have for now. Thank you.

Moving out over months later. >> Briefly, so I don't know how many years back. We use segments it out somebody to do. Commercial appeals are a certain number of tattoos to do commercial appeals. Now

that that's been in place for, well, have you seen a drop and the number of commercial approvals are out for they go or how often we get sued or half. When we get sued, we lose versus when has there

been any trend now that we're a few years out? >> I don't think it's been related to the staffing of the commercial team. I think it likely relates to the percentage increase in the value is

regardless of how many staff we have doing the commercial appeals. So I I truly believe that the significant increase in 25 led to the increase in litigation for 26. But I think also there's just a

general I used to call it a cottage industry in challenging assessments. It's just an industry now, you know, it's it's the one area where property owners can fight their expenses right now. Can't you

can't fight their vendors, can't fight the materials that they have to buy if they can fight there assessments and ultimately their property tax burden. >> Yeah, that makes sense. But we we don't have

the cases as it were queued up that much better that where winning them because we have this focus and a few people in your office working on it or by that point, it doesn't matter what your offices

done. It's going to go to the lawyers. And I just wonder if we had more specialization from people who are highly skilled and commercial evaluations chewing it up so well for the lawyers that were

more likely to win. But I don't know. I guess that's a question for the city attorney as well. We haven't noticed any such trend. >> Good afternoon committee members. I'll just offer my $0.02 on that.

I do believe that in some of these cases, if we were to hire outside counsel or outside expert might change the equation a little bit. I think part of the reason that the liability has gone up,

although the cases are roughly always somewhere between 30 and 50 every year, we're kind of looking at. But it's, you know, part of its due to that just the increase in Waukee seen over the past few

years, in the large projects, apartments, hotels, office buildings like we're dealing with higher dollar properties and the U.S. the ability just kind of following that. I think our appraisers are

doing a really good job with it. But I think that's kind of some of the difference that we're seeing that. And, you know, it was 10 million liability notes 15, what we've also added, you know, 50

million 100 1 million, a lot of big new projects have kind of come on board, which are being appealed. And, you know, we're getting taken to court on Friday. >> And then the last question is

technology. I know we've spoken in the past commissioner about, you know, discover it. You know, there's other goals may be pertinent, interactive, mapping digitalization records, all that kind of

stuff. I didn't see anything new in the capital requests. So are there any efforts to engage technology more in the work you do? And in particular for this year, you know, Gov. I was brought on board.

Are 2 guys see any the comptroller kind of testified to how that's working out in his office? Just wondered if in your office there is an attempt to improve workplace and how to make things that in

the past would have and more cumbersome. >> Yeah, we've used to be, I think, on smaller scales annuities in the couple of instances, you know, with job descriptions and things like that as a tool to

help me kind of refined language and things like that larger scale. You know, there are applications that could supplement our work in valuation. They're just very expensive. You know, we're talking

500 billion 1 million dollars for these things and just kind of see the writing on the wall knowing that there's not additional funding for that. We haven't pursued it. What we what we have pursued is

the free option that, you know, we talked the digit digitization of sketches. We've been working with DPW the ER to use bridge to work. Folks who don't often come from sanitation are other more

physical jobs that can't go out in the field. And so we have about 4 bridge to work in place at any given time that work on are working on it U.S. digital sketches. So that's been a good sort of free

option for us. They're just, you know, we have not identified additional funding for additional sources that might help our work. >> I don't know. I mean, imagine if you're buying products off the

shelf enterprise products with an component built into them, that would be a lot of money. But I'm wondering if there might be and you might look heavy. Look to other assessor's office is in other

cities to see if they have engaged their staff to use them less expensive means whether it's COVID I or you know, we have to be careful because of the policy here in your public information is public

information so you can show that in. But if you want eyes things, then that poses problems. But just wondering, in, general, if there's been any kind of a smaller ball approach to encouraging your

staff to seek a fish and seas with AI instead of buying a very expensive product off the shelf and then putting it in your office. >> That was on my personal to do list is to have an office AI

taskforce to see how we could use it. It's been flat. We have not gotten off the ground, but it is on my to do list. >> And there's I mean, part of the problem is I don't think there's any formal

mechanism in place to make sure other than the CMC to make sure that departments are kind of enriching each other with that. But the to do list. Okay. Thanks. >> Excellent over from the trip which

okay. Thank you so much. The men just lot of my questions have been asked. So how many it sounds like, you know, kind of tap your head because it's so small how many nonprofits are actually in the

Fair share agreement. Meantime, a couple more than 10, more than 0. >> I don't think we have any that continue to pay. I think when we last looked there were 2 and I think will stop paying. >> No

Asuncion, no hospital, no market, nothing ball. >> That's my member Ascension because it was right when I started, they agreed to pay one 50 for 3 years when the hospital that built an ear for the

change. And then when the one 50 was here March for him, internal house child House kind of similar that happened in Wisconsin Center district. Not sure they've had like major losses. We have not had

major losses but 14 council members voted to change that contract. Yeah, okay. That's interesting. However, I have a request in to your office and we're still looking at it about. >> The amount of tax

exempt nonprofit properties as they correspond to something they do pay along being well, they're not paying property taxes. They do pay to municipal bill. Yes, yes, we can and will have searched

answer yet today, ever default on that. Whatever happens if they don't hit. >> So the response that question was a little complex because so we the assessor's office maintains, you know, the status of

the property, whether it's exempt or taxable REIT, we don't track fees at all. We don't check municipal service fees. That would be the water heat to Latino. That's got us on this haze nannies. But

they don't track tax exempt status. And >> so I've uncovered this and it's making me uncomfortable that there's like a lot of things going on. And I'm wondering, I mean, I thought it was roughly

please correct me if I'm wrong over 150,000 properties or so and it was like he was a 20 or 30% are not are tax exempt. Wasn't something like that with those in the whole city. Yeah. We have 151,000

taxable properties and then about 8,000 Texans act. That was was 8,000. But the percentage of what they provided asked that like in a pie chart of taxable property was large or something like that.

All public at the chart. Well, you are square footage. It was valued because you have to provide. So this is where I'm just trying to understand. I'm going to continue work on this side of this

committee. But you have to provide the municipal pill bill is still based not necessarily on their assessment but on their frontage. >> Wright is that with this 5 year journey yet for street light.

And so I said is correct that there are different charges that use different mechanisms. So that or fee, for example, uses amount of water that is used, some keep leaders stormwater Fiesta do with the

equivalent residential units. That is actually the amount of footage of the roof is effectively. So I colored bull market single story giant roofs, 3rd and a higher fee about of the bill upward. Have

a smaller group will be small. >> Ok, sounds like to continue my work with the water. Water works. But I think probably my colleagues here and might be going with us here on yeah. More for regular

for-profit entities are regular residents, but I would think then on pay me of those fees and the other would generally going your taxes. And that to me, right, pain of those taxes, levies on in 4

cars or I would think the same should be true for nonprofits. But as you do your research staff, that's what I think. >> Yeah, I'm gonna bring so I guess I'll just close it out here is I don't want to

get some time, but I'm it is something I'm researching Kath Cathy and keep them in like Keith Kathy have been helpful here is, you know, that's one of the only opportunity is that we have to

recuperate some of the services that are being used by everybody, especially when it comes from tax exempt. And I just want to be really careful that we're collecting that to cover our costs for sure.

And I just feel like as I'm looking at it, evaluating it as we may reexamined even that bill itself, because one that shared with everybody like when we look at some of these fees parking permit, for

example, I understand it. It's a certain amount of people. This is one that every single tax exempt or tax paying and t*** and commercial entity as well as commercial residential tax exempt pays. So

it's very it's one of our few progressive tools. I think maybe I would say are fair tools, press. It would really be income tax is where I where I prefer to go but don't have that tool point being. I

want to understand it evaluated and if we make any changes, but I'm still not convinced that it's all being adequately and accurately collected because of the nature of those 3 silos. So that's why

I'm bringing that up. Your office has a role to play last but not least are you reassessing commercial or residential properties had this question when there when they receive new zoning approvals.

I've been asked this by people in my district. >> We would do it as part of a regular evaluation work. We do one valuation a year. So whatever that yes, and the property is on January 1st. But if in

that year they had maybe gone to pose a okay, this happens a lot and things that you'll catch it. You're catching that. Even if there's a new development, you'll just catch on it. Will you catch the

potential zoning change the zoning change that could potentially impact the value and the banks are sorry? >> Yes, we we we. >> Capture that with the permits that are pulled as part of the vote of the

developments. We do have we do periodically update our zoning records in our system so we can see what the zoning is. But the flag for us to check on any new new development meant is permit. So you're

not nice to say the other way. You're not based on a zoning change prospectively without development pending that pulls permits. You're not re is that that value may or may not be impacted. A change

in zoning without any accompanying permits will not is not a flight to review for us at this point. But eventually when that comes to fruition, OK, right? Correct already. Thank you so much. Excellent

room, Taylor. We'll pass. I retired last question. >> Just on the nonprofit think this is nonprofits in the city are giving us a pilot. I'm sorry was 0 nonprofits in the city are paying a pilot. >>

Through the fair share program now there are the comptroller's office bills for. I want to say about 20 pilots that are not fair share pilots, but they're all they're nonprofits. >> I could do. How do

we get them to do it? And the fair share what they don't understand Kirschner program and the difference between them. >> With the comptroller's desk and yet there's like 6 different sources of

payments in lieu of taxes and fair share is only one of those 6. There's I don't know if this one's use very often, but like the sale of Milwaukee, public schools, buildings, there's pilots that

result from the sale of city properties when they have that deed restriction that says you should never going to try to do that. You're going to have pilot, right? There's kind of those one-offs like

the Wisconsin Center district or >> another was another college one where it's was suppose a case where us they bought something. Well, it was non profit before actually. But you know, school could

buy something and you could say, but that's you can't do that. I don't think you can say I'm not gonna miss you and pilot but okay. Yeah, no. The deed restriction thing makes sense. So yeah. If you

could tie if you it was city property, you're selling it and you say the requirement is you can't go nonprofit unless you do a pilot. That makes sense. Okay, thanks. >> All right. And then wrapping up

a revisiting what I do discussed the comptroller earlier today is if >> the poor condition or a seemingly dilapidated and neglected infrastructure adjacent to a property. I asked the couple if that

would negatively affect the city's bond rating by not investing regularly properly as we should to maintain our infrastructure. The assessed value for any given parcel the affected by poor call for

quality road in the front of the building or for those properties that have alleys. And we're currently on a 410 year replacement cycle for our cities. Alleys, would a terrible condition Ali adversely

affect any given parcels property value? And is that something that your office considers when determining market rate were assessed value for these properties? >> So for the first part of that

question to get a lawyer and turns, it depends right, because it's all we've heard that from the city attorney to it's it's all in what has happened in the market. And you might have beautiful, highly

desirable homes in a beautiful, highly desired neighborhood that are going for lots of money that have a completely Temple, Ali. And you might see that in Bay View just using that as an example. But,

you know, when you're where you live, that I'm in 13 SA anyways, know, it's it just kind of depends. We're not looking at the condition of the roads are now looking at because those are all is that

should you look at the condition of the alley? We can't when have to look at what's looking what is happening in the real estate market. So if that condition of that road or the alley effects, the

desirability or the sales prices in that neighborhood, more of that type of house, it's certainly a good time to value. Certainly affects the marketability of property. Right? And I've had this

landlords complained to me that they >> worked disappointed that they voted 10 years ago to not replace the alley because now they have tenants who don't want to rent from them because they're alley

access is terrible. I totally understand that. But they're back at the back of the line for Ali replacements and the district, right? So I think a number of properties have gotten to that point where

Ali access or road access is so terrible that it has an adverse the affected the value of the property. >> I guess my my answer didn't mean to be flip. Was it like this? Not a direct correlation if it

affects the sales, if it affects, you know, the sales prices of those homes like that is what we are looking at, because our obligation is to properties at full value. And that value is determined by

what has happened in the real estate market. >> So that is it would be impossible to say that this street, the price for $150,000 should have been 155 because it had the alley been repaired. It is

impossible to say that. Yes. So should be a consideration. If we understand that bad access to your personal to your real estate, which is a city responsibility to maintain is deficient, shouldn't

that be something that is considered an adjusted for assessed value? >> I don't know. Ryan do want to talk to the I think I have an answer that might be helpful. So we don't have the central

repository of data that we would be able to apply prospectively, however, as part of the appeal process in our continual customer service and public relations that we do if a property owner were to

come to us and say, you know, would there is some sort of obsolescence in this case I deficient ally that is lowering the value of my property. I have evidence of that. Whether it's via rents are

vague vacancy rates. In the case of the landlord that you just cited, we would be able to our appraisal team would be able to take that into consideration. Apply factor. And then as part of the

revaluation one review that factor for the next year to see if the obsolescence, the bad Ali has been remediated by the city. But then also to look at whether or not the same factors been uniformly

placed on every property. That's a that's affected by the alley, not just the squeaky wheel that happened to contact our office. So we do have mechanisms in place for not just alleys or roadways where

that happens. But if there are any sort of issue in a neighborhood like that, where there's a clear a clear issue and a definable impact on value, we be able to capture that and then regularly review

that. So it sounds like you might start. >> Polling service requests from DPW for potholes. I would say we would that for our office would be reflected in rents in your kind of example. So it's an

honor saying the infrastructure around my property is so bad we would and he sing the rest of the lower. We would then look to the markets. Yeah, you're right. There are 1000 bucks 2 blocks away, but

they're only 800 around here. Something is going on and that would be reflected in our model them. >> Another reason that participate in a week without transit or a week without driving and take the

bus. It was today. It was yesterday was day one today, the state and I must do this without any other questions. Just nothing says City Hall yesterday. That was yesterday. There's an Apple store today

staying on topic. Any other questions for the assessor's office. >> Thank you very much, Commissioner. Thank you, team. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Madam Chair. All right. Last one of municipal

court come on and it will court the couple each department like the Walk-ups on Monday in the next year. Be sure to check out the and maybe it isn't. It's you guys here has said he's determined to

have a walk-up song. >> Like it and nothing but a word to with any kind of cool experience. And when the U.S. keep it fun, I love the economy. Like guess what they were, what that is. There's only a J

you can adjust to a deal for us. So spirits are high here and of the day. The energy love spirit. I have too much to you. By the way. Yeah. Never actually ever watched a a no because I'm working with.

She's a on TV that you that, though. >> I appreciate it. Thank you for waiting official warm welcome to our municipal court per usual ago to director called back. And then we'll have a brief

presentation were asking for all combined less than 20 minutes, as you know. So we can maximize questions from committee members. So we are sticking to that director. Come back. >> Thank you. Madam

Chair and committee Nicole Beck director, the Budget Management Division and League pedigree will not present the budget slides for me to court. And then the court administrators and chief judge,

he'll introduce other team. >> Good afternoon, Madam Chair and member of the committee. And we had a girl before you today with the municipal court. Angelica a little closer, please. She knew or step

in. And yes, okay. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. With the municipal court leadership team to present the 2027 proposed executive budget and answer any questions you may have. The court governed by

state law and municipal ordinance operate is as his own independent branch of our city. Government is core mission is simple to impartially adjudicate ordinance violations to really protect everyone's

legal, too, right and look out for the public interest do not issue citations to prosecute cases. The largest category of cases the court handles are traffic related violations. With that being said,

we'll move on and look at the numbers before you is the budget summary for 2027. The total proposed operating budget is for 0.18 million representing a minor baseline decrease of 18.7 K or about half

a percent. While family wages in associated fringe benefit cost saw an increase of 5%. This was sucessfully off it by 47% reduction and direct operational expenditures. Departments total authorized

staffing remains at 33 full-time equivalent positions here after Fte moving on to cite 3 for the positions in felony ordinance. This like breaks down total families and wages are up by about 130 K

bring in the payroll budget to 2.7 million. This change is mostly driven by weight just months due to reclassifications which I will break down over the next 2 slides. Before you, you will see the

staffing summary, the list, the staffing changes as well as the core reclassification. Even so the department total head count is not changing. Staffing was reduced by one administrative service

manager position at 94 K increasing the to increasing leadership. We're close to be of sore requiring a curt a court clerk position at 61 K that was added to help facilitate court proceedings and

support essential courtroom operation. Additionally for existing job titles were r-class to better fit with the court actually needs. Right now. We are also changing a business manager title to a

financial operations manager to keep a closer eye on audits in money controls the other 2 shield simply tweak front window service and community program title to match the actual work being done.

Next. We'll look at the department is the office operation which decreased by over 207 K which is where that big 47% savings come from. We did this by scaling back the department's general office

pending in moving the building cleaning services over to the city. Why cleaning contract our equipment budget remains at 5 K to handle standard office manager updates moving on to slide 6. The special

fund accounts are staying and change it. 15 K to take care of the standard where we place means and minor projects. However, you will notice 150 K item here for a million contract. We didn't spend

extra money on if we simply move the funds out of the department's regular office expenses and the operating budget and put into his own tracking account via it Special Purpose account which is to be

created. Also note the collections contract has been reduced by 132 K based on actual expenditures. We went on for 5, 7, We look at our budget based on the actual services provided almost almost all

of it. The department's funding goals tour is one of the core services that means making sure the department has the resources to host a fear hearings, handle phone calls online payments, answer

public mail and take care of background checks and records request. Talk about revenue in it. Money brought in turning to court revenue. We expect total collections to go up up by about 178 k bringing

our total estimated revenue to just under 3 Million. This is based on conservative look and a 5 year averages for fine collections and service fees. To be clear, bringing in money does not drive the

court's legal decision citizens. But it does show us how will the court is doing when it comes to enforce an is judgment? It's we'll look at the Capitol budget. Finally, a major milestone in his

budget is a new capital project. Allocation of 400 K this investment will completely reprint replace the department's out of date Legacy case tracking database with a moderate modern unify system. The

upgrades secures the department's public records in approve staff workflow in establish a much more acessible online solution for public background searches. This concludes Preventing Municipal course

2027 proposed budget. I will turn over the presentation to the department to walk to their core services performance trends and key highlight if you don't have any questions. Thank you, OK, thank you.

>> We'll now go to Judge Valerie Hope that you want to. >> Introduce your team. Okay. I'm going to introduce everybody great. So this is a chief court administrator teen or foe Deputy court

administrator Charles. >> That behind me, we have our team manager who is temperature. It continues. >> Was she said, oh, yeah. That will operate. Thanks for being here. Okay. Team plays good

afternoon. Madam Chair and committee members. I will try to keep this as brief as possible. Organizational chart has changed slightly this year. We did have a retirement of one of our managers. So in

order to reorganize that and save a little bit of money on that salary and we have moved around keeping the it manager Tim Richter over the IT Department financial operations manager over the

accounting section. And then our deputy court Administrator Charles Hughes, is now overseeing 3 sections with the court clerks, the alternative section of the court services in order to assist in that

so that he's not managing that many different departments all at once. There are 2 former Leeds who have been elevated to supervisors, coreper court operations supervisor and I'm Andrew Administrative

Services supervisor. I will talk more and more depth about the new alternative services section later in this presentation. So I do just want to note that that is now on our on our side. The

department demographics, the department demographics reflect the community that the court serves. They've changed very little from last year. 91 1% residents. It's nice to U.S. service uniform and the

municipal Court regularly interacts with multiple departments to ensure a smooth flow of cases from citation filing through adjudication. Next slide. Key performance indicators. Overall case case

filings are up from the previous year. There's actually know it got changed. We have a typo in there before, but it is 37,000 for 2025 case filings. They are up from the previous year with a

corresponding increase in judgments rendered and the most significant increase in case filings, which is attributed to have digital parking offenders, which will be discussed further in this

presentation. Next slide, the types of cases traffic cases remain. The overall majority of the types of cases filed with the court, though the 3 other categories are growing compared to previous

years. The next slide shows the change in types of cases filed year-over-year overall case filings were up in 2026 year to date compared to 2025. In 2025. There were 36,000 total filings with the

court compared with well, I guess 37,000 I wrote this story compared to 41,000 in 2026. For that same time frame traffic and parking cases represent the larger increases with municipal another

remaining relatively on par with previous trends. The largest increase was in parking cases with 672 cases in 2025. Versus 3,463 in 2026 parking cases. So zooming in on parking cases you can see an

increase overall in filing of parking cases climb from September. 25 through August of 26 with the bulk of those cases being filed in the spring quarter and forsman of habitual parking cases began at

the start of the year reaching a heightened level of enforcement in second month and maintaining fairly consistently since the beginning of 2026, there were 1646, a vigil parking cases filed and so

far, 1509 judgments out of those 1498 were adjudicated as guilty with 11 cases dismissed. This represents $716,000 in fines. So I how much and finds 716,000 community connections, the 2026 amendments

unable to court to bring its alternative services in-house. The municipal court started its alternative services program in 1983, with the goal of presenting alternatives to municipal ordinance.

Violators in Louisville forfeit your payments, although there is no statutory requirement to provide social services support to defendants. The court believes in these alternatives as a way of

supporting its mission to administer justice equitably. Since 1983, the court has contracted with a number of different providers for this service. At last year's budget presentation, the court

proposed building an in-house program for provision of these services. Previously, the contract for the services was nearly half a million dollars annually. And in the 2027 proposed budget, the

staffing for these services is approximately half that amount at $250,000 in building the program. The court has an interest in providing additional services to defendants on top of the previously

provided community service to mental health programming. These additional services include resources for housing, jobs and further education, as well as more frequent contact with clients. The court

is grateful to the Common Council for amending the Budget last year to provide position authority to hire this in-house team consisted of court alternative services coordinator Sarah checking off

court case workers, Jackie Aguilar, a and Amanda, all fours and office assistant for Sarah Pope being eager to hit the ground running on building the program. The court hired 3 temporary professionals

with social services experience to support the creation of the alternatives program in alignment with core principles, standards and ethical responsibilities applicable to the profession. 2 of those

original, the original temporary staff members who served as the architects of the program are now part of our permanent staff Jack. In Amanda, the alternative staff immediately got to work, creating

the program, including drafting the workflow and foundation of the program with policies and procedures forms tracking and making connections with the community organizations that are briefly

summarized up here for referral services listed on the slide of the types of organizations. Our team has made connections with for PRE for provision of services. The next 2 slides show some of the

metrics. The program has been tracking a note about metrics in the 1st quarter that he met with 20 clients. However, true tracking begins in March of 26. Next slide referral numbers on this chart

show. A comparison of new referrals act of referrals completion of the program. And clients not serviced. New referrals began to pick up pace in the spring and hold study. During that time frame act

of referrals began to climb as new clients were added by the end of August. The alternative section had 82 active referrals moving into the summer months. Clients began completing the program. The

total number of clients not service during the reporting period is so low that it is not visible on the chart. Is that 4th bar that you can't even see? However, the total number in that group is for

people do to one of 2 reasons inability to maintain contact with a client or the client declining services. Next slide. This chart shows a breakdown of the category of services provided to clients

with the largest category being community service. While these numbers present, the court quantity of services provided the alternative staff also provided me with a few brief highlights that

showcases the quality of services provided multiple clients completed their community service hours in a timely manner resulting in their fine being permanently state. In addition, they obtained

gainful employment by drawing on that community service experience. One client told one of his friends about his positive experience with the program and that friend reopened his own case in order to

satisfy his judgment and receive the services. A client who received an eviction notice while working with the alternatives team received assistance with connecting with an organization that was able

to provide their landlord with the past due amount and avoid eviction. A client was unable to pass the written portion of the DMV. Test Andriese was referred to a literacy program where he was able to

complete a foundational literacy course. He is now on track to become a deacon in this church, which was a position position. He was previously denied due to his inability to read. And with that, I've

concluded my part, but judge, who actually has a couple of pieces that she wanted to share from just this past week in her report. >> So actually, that last guy was my goal. Is that okay? Yeah. So

just this week in my court ahead, actually, she was last week I had a young lady who told me that she was not in school right now. And so I asked what was cool. You're supposed to be in it. You told

me to ski. And I said, well, wait, school started are ready. She said I didn't have enough money for my tuition. So we have a social worker working with her to help her find scholarship and grant

money so that she can complete her senior year. I also had this week, a woman who got a paid internship through participation in this program. And then I had finally a lady who told me she was

appearing from her car for her court appearance. And she told me that she was homeless. And I said, Oh, you're homeless. And I said, do you have any potential, you know, places you can stay, you know,

you know, what are we going to do about your situation so that you're not leaving living in your car? And she then proceeded to tell me that she was also pregnant. So we had the social worker is

working with her on trying to alleviate her homeless status of the she doesn't have to work in a currents and working with her on getting prenatal care. So these are things that and we would not have

been able to do previously. And we are meeting our defendants where they are and trying to help them become productive members. >> Milwaukee, so that you know what they give us, we give them and then

they get back. >> And that's because you feel now that it's all in-house. You can basically supervise that and. >> Well, and there are no limitations. Yeah, the you know, prior service had

limitations. They can only provide mental health, the and community service and they were all just for for OEMs in our social workers are working with people hands on. And there's consistent follow-

ups. There's and you know, the other thing is folks that we have hired are extremely good at what they do and they appear in the court hearing with us and they get sent immediately to the person. So

you come right into the courtroom and you get the person right on the spot if they are appearing virtually there is a phone call that is made on the spot so we don't lose them between our courts and

then sending them to see somebody else for services. >> And I believe on that matter, we have kind of metrics coming in was its spring of next year. I think there was like a rip. It has that footnote.

Yeah, they'll be in this coming spring yet to the best of my knowledge. I I don't think the resolutions is yes. I think it is. We were trying to figure that out will be best. Yeah. Ok, scheduled for

next. Ok, OK, OK, cool. Thank you for that. On slide 19 remind me what CS is Community Service, community service option and that consistently is the largest amount of services. Correct? Okay. Well,

fresh in my mind, the woman that you talked to who is pregnant, any other pregnant individuals, please have them. If you can apply for the bridge project. The city of Milwaukee supported it and

applications went out. Work could begin to be received yesterday. This is a unrestricted cash transfer for pregnant women and provides immediate 3 years of stability. I will get you it. We've had a

couple news letters go out. Yesterday was the day people could start applying for it. And the city is a two-time now partner in funds with the Silver Foundation and just last not least now that you're

seeing some individuals like this, even if they're not able to get this first round of state bins, they're on a list and we can continue to have that relationship. So I think, you know, now that you

are doing addition, additional social services, this will be a great connection for you to have. Thank you. Yes, so we're now opening up anything else from the court staff. We have kind of met our

presentation and and know that we're going to obviously ask questions that will review would have said in a longer presentation. Let me start with all the Roman Charlie Moore. >> Thank you so much,

Madam Chair. Thank you all so much for your presentation. Just a few questions and a lot of this comes from questions that I get from residents in the community, folks. That's a part of the role of

them in a municipal court. A lot of times people think about what used to be done back in the day, right where? >> There was a it was busy was a ton of people. You know, people are being fined and

charged, etc. What would you tell community who states that we muni court? I'm not holding people accountable. >> So go ahead. Yeah. I think the first problem as people confuse us with circuit court

come on. We are not the same. And so the things that I hear people complaining about our criminal cases and we don't we don't do criminal things. Yes. And so that would be the first thing I would tell

them is to explain the difference. And obviously, you know, the chart, the numbers say that we hold people accountable. Now their complaints about, you know, what happens in circuit court. I can

address those that have to reach out to Chief Judge Ashley for that. But Milwaukee Municipal Court. We are doing what we are supposed to do as it relates to what comes before us. >> Thank you. Thank

you for that. But in addition to that, I actually have brought some data on judgment outcomes that I can. I would love that. I would love to see that with that. This was a really great question

provided front from us through LR be. And, you know, these are the things that I see all the time. So in 2015 uwm conducted a study of municipal citations in Milwaukee and found that over the course

of about 5 years, numerous individuals accumulated literally dozens of citations where thousands of dollars often for violations associated with homelessness and panhandling, public drinking and

trespassing on surprisingly, almost none of the citations were ever paid. Has the department considered doing any in and and out any analysis to identify these kinds of frequent fliers so they can be

placed in the course diversion program or other social services. So I can tell you that we rarely ever see those anymore, OK? >> That was a function of, I believe, so changes that Milwaukee Police

Department because remember, we don't generate citation citations come from other places. And so the the police department changed how the issue those citations. And so I can't tell you the last time

I've saw an aggressive panhandling, we rarely even see now the issues of 9-1-1, violations, because, well, although we still see those, but not nearly as many as we used to, because almost everybody

who does that as well as some kind of mental health issue. So those types of cases that we used to see tons of back then live on the radar screen and interesting. Okay. Thank you. Thank you for that.

And not end with this one. >> You all do video conferencing. We do. Okay. What are the courts plan to promote it? Promote video conferencing conferencing isn't. >> Option for court appearance. Is that

something that is just a regular on? Everybody gets a notice. Okay. So right before your court hearing you are you will get a notice. This issue could appear virtually perfect and then with the

technology it technology needs. Is there anything that has become a factor in regards to that bike? We need to have upgrades are, you know, certain systems. I don't know who can speak to that. But as

far as certain systems in regards to the technology and introduce yourself, what are you talking and respect to the defendant or the court in regards to the court, the technology that the court held

and introduce yourself be sure to rector the court. It manager there. No, no, not at this time. As far as virtual capabilities. We did a pretty substantial investments in the courtroom last year. So

it the sound system how it integrates much like this great sound system here. It sounds great if you're a remote or in person. And so that enables us to record all hearings of as were expected to. And

it's all it's all cloud-based. So we don't need to do any type of infrastructure updates for the actual video conferencing. What percentage of residents use video conferencing do? Are we seeing that

more and more people are going to that? Are they are they still mostly coming in person? >> And that would mean that I will have the addition build like just a mass majority of people are virtual.

That's what it feels like. Yeah, on a daily basis. So I I would say it's two-thirds if you are asking me and I'm not looking at numbers, I'm just sure tell you what you see here is is is it's two-

thirds virtual and one 3rd in person. >> Thank you so much, Madam Chair. Thank you all to welcome focus. You have something actually get those numbers for you at a later date to swell to more accurate

depiction of members. Thank you. Again. The majority are actually using the virtual hearings. Perfect. Thank you. Alderman Scott Spiker. >> Thanks. So looking at slide 16 with the park in case a

standard versus eventual to think we had a meeting before the 12 parking by later ordinance passed just asserting that you would have the capacity to addressed the influx of cases because now to get

out the tow lot, you either have to pay off your 5 or more tickets 60 or more days past 2 or else. You have to set up a court date and here are the court date. So has that process worked out smoothly?

Have you been able to handle the additional capacity? Have there been any >> surprises? So I will say that we have actually instituted and we started actually before the ordinance went into effect,

having weekly meetings with Peter Knox and his team in order to make sure that we could have it run as smoothly as possible. We've encountered some kinks, but we were able to work them out. I'm very

quickly and we've really had a collaborative team on that. Okay. >> And to chill, you've mentioned that there was there's been a drop in some of the kcc before your court at certain writing tickets

for a bunch of so-called nuisance activities that they used to. And there's also been a huge drop in traffic citations over the years. And some of that is is a policy decision with the chief. So that

raises an existential question for the court because unique or to set up by the city. We don't have to have it. But otherwise, all these cases would go, you know, Cock-up circuit courts. But the idea

in the past was the the court wouldn't would kind of break, even at least. But there's been because there have been the big drop in cases. It's been a big drop in revenue as well. And now your

expenses are outstripping your revenues. So I know this leads to the every time a judge retires. The question of whether we need 3 branches, sir, we can go down to 2. So I just wanted a chance for you

to speak to the the revenue issue. The point of the court isn't to make revenue. But do you know when we see this whole budget process, it also if its, you know, costing a huge amount of money than

that? That leads to the the conversation we have every 4 years. I'm not sure which one to say. Do you do you think you there's a couple ways you can go. You could reject the premise and say, Hey,

Speicher, it's okay if it cost the city money. We're not here to make revenue for the city and if we're not lose and like 5 million dollars each year, this is just something you know, you want to have

to have justice flow in Milwaukee. On the other hand, you could say, well, we're looking at actually how we can improve revenue or decrease expenses. And here's how here's some changes we are making

strategically and how we run the courts to make it, you know, less of a cost burden on the city taxpayer and otherwise would be. >> So first of all, that wouldn't be my purview to answer. That would

be the chief court administrator, which which was fine as it relates to the court again. >> We operate. >> Based on what other departments file with us. And so while other department filings are down,

we have no control over that. At the end of the day, you can push them. We cannot. >> So, yeah, I didn't mean it's not blaming situation just if we're making a decision. You know, my predecessor

discuss this and mostly if it's the number of citations is down so dramatically. Number of cases you see before your court is down dramatically that, you know, the budget office came to us. I don't

know. I guess it was prior to Kodak Ek keeping its currency and said, hey, maybe we should look at 2 branches versus one. I mean, this is not an unfamiliar discussion. >> It is not. But again, every

year that the budget is here, we do. We do have this. The argument is not any different, which is again, we were not in place to generate revenue even though we do again, we don't generate cases.

Other people do that. The other thing that I would like to say on that issue is simply this cases are up, cases have been down. Cases of Milwaukee have always been a roller coaster. And I think

looking around this room, I've been here longer come back and I might have started at the same time. >> You may be because you are that you gave a lot of times and I are tour in 2000 the time. >> So

the idea of the one thing I know for sure is a case filings at Milwaukee Municipal Court, our roller coaster, the Common Council and your policies and the policies you impose on other departments

drives a lot of what happens at Milwaukee Municipal Court. So for instance, it was the Common Council who passed the habitual simply by that we don't call HPD and we call it p o a vigil parking

offenders. >> It was your action that droll the increase in filings of parking case and any subsequent revenue that comes from that you drove that. And so we are a place that adjudicate ordinance

violations and you guys create those. We did. We don't have anything to do with that. So we're on the back end of the process. And when you are increasing the police department, who is the biggest

generator of what comes to us, it seems to me that to reduce ports doesn't coincide with that. Assuming that you are expecting the police to essentially do what this city asked them to do with regard

to enforcement of ordinances. >> And I guess I'll just kick it to the budget office and I'll be done. But I'm just reading off the killer B's kind of striking statistic, which is there's been a 62%

decreasing case filings from 2014 to 25 and up. 46.6 decrease in revenue during that time. So I guess and and the chief has I mean, they're just not writing traffic tickets the way they used for good

or for bad and HPD hpo prefer that wish. >> But I have that back down. Those are bringing in some new cases but not huge numbers compared to what it's been. So I guess for the budget office, I know

you're not proposing anything this year that but as that a live option that >> is to be looked at, you know that how how much of a revenue loser with the courts have to be before it's something on the

your radar screen. >> So it's interesting that you call us a revenue loser over actually a department that generates revenue. We generate quite a bit of revenue. What you're referring to is whether or

not we generate enough revenue to sustain our entire cost. And so. >> Yes, but as long as you ask of a department with that, I'm happy with that question. Yeah, that's a as a pair. >> Russian. But

again, it's and I guess the question is for the budget office there. There is a discussion. So if somebody might ask and again, I'm not the one pushing. I had a delightful. So you guys started the

tour and I don't know if I did it. We had a delightful to read it. And it was like a year ago, yes, this time last year. But there is this discussion out there of whether given the drop in court

cases, whether you can get by with 2 branches rather than 3, especially now that, you know, virtual is an option. I'm not advocating for that, but it's it would be fiscally irresponsible for me not to

raise the question. And so I guess, for the budget office, is that something that still, you know, being discussed considered? And it's weird because you can only considered as it were, you know, when

there's an election. >> Yeah, I mean all saying that as you already stated 27 budget, we are not proposing this. We're very appreciative that the court worked with us on this staff restructuring to

keep it budget neutral and very appreciative of the metrics they showed in the great work they just describe now and totally along with the metrics with the Court intervention program. It's been a

great example of taking funding. That wasn't an SBA, bringing it in-house and getting what appeared to be great results of on. I know the keep reporting that on there. I'm very wary discussing because

if we go back to my first summer in this chair, so that would be 4 years ago. We did. It was a live option. We did explore pretty actively at the time, many court. But analysts was Thomas Bell. He

prepared a memo that indicated that's aided the reducing numbers of cases. And at the time, I believe the savings we cited in that memo was $400,000 in savings. If we went from 3 to 2 branches, we

have not done any updates that analysis for 4 years. But I can't since you asked the question, I do my best answer with the information when it was being seriously considered. What was that? I was the

Thomas been that I was I was thinking. >> I said one more question about says for life and the U.S.. So there was some other information that was presented from the court that said that if you went

from 3 bridges to 2, that you would also reduce your revenue and you reduce your revenue because 2 branches can only do 2 branches worth of work. So, you know, there's more to it than >> the $400,000

piece of that's a fair point to agree with the judge that. >> We don't run. We don't refer to most departments as revenues is because then that would be most departments in most departments cost

money. It's rare the department's generate generating income. >> Okay. They had a lot of this is actually not before us. So I I I don't mind a few questions. And this I mean that you're producing an

amendment or whatnot, but we've gone, you know, 6 exchanges back and forth. And and it's not before us technically to make that change now, nor if it is an amendment to let us know. But I can also

answer your question generally a time because we look into it. Then you have it has to be the elections are in spring. And when you go back to charter changes the time, a charter change, we need 10

votes, first of all and those votes. But I think we have to happen by June of the year prior to the spring election. >> Can I just say one thing on on that? And we're going to have this portion of it.

Is it just because my name was also brought here to make it feel like I got to say something to us hanging on every? >> I want so I can get your question. And the rapper at 7 exchanges on a proposal

is not even before us. So I have to at some point limited and that's why want to get too excited. I want to think that coming up. I have questions, too, by going 7 times on this. We're limiting other

questions. So we got wrap it up, OK? >> Very quickly, I just want to mention once upon a time we had 50 staff members, we now have 30 so it that also case droppings and staffing has gone down the

case. Okay. Should this issue isn't itself? We will have a robust discussion of it and we should, you know saying so. >> Okay. I am going to now. >> I know a difference maker still had a question, but

let me go to alderman regardless and I might have won and then we will begin wrapping it up. So yes, Alderman Taylor, sober goalless Taylor myself of the have any. >> Thank you. 33 that he's not.

There are 3 steps. Staff members to judges are the 3 others caution. >> So if you vote, you've had about 20 people, go through the in-house alternative services referral, a program that are Marcus

completed. Are you ready? You have figures from the external program provider recidivism rate, the court that had before. And are you ready to track? This would be a measure of effectiveness of

bringing it in-house, right. And how are you ready to track those people that have completed the referral program to see if they come back before you? >> I want to make sure that I'm clear on the

question. So I what I do want to say, I do not have reports from the previous provider because they did not provide them during my tenure and nor did they do any tracking of that. So I don't have

those numbers, but I will say that we have in our system for tracking. We pulled up what the average monthly referrals were. And it was typically around 11 defendants per month representing 27 cases

per month. So already we're having more referrals per months in our program than what we had there. But beyond that, I can't. >> So if you don't have the data, you don't have the data that was. That's

one of the reasons why you want to bring the program and house. Are you ready to track recidivism moving forward? So that's an interesting the question on cases that are not criminal. So this city

issues for essence, a lot of parking tickets. And so when you say recidivism, are you talking about, for instance, parking violators? I would say anyone that comes back before you that could be a

parking violation and you can get a parking ticket today and parking tickets 6 months from now. And would we count that person as a result of this? And is that when we talk about recidivism, is that

really what we're concerned about? I think if you were talking about a particular case tight, that might make a little more sense to me but broad and you know, suite, I'm not sure. Well, so reckless

drivers important to know about those right Parker's not so much. Not so much. However, they still are that if someone comes back as a habitual parking offender again, no, no, no, wait. I didn't. I

hope this will parking offender because we have regular parking cases. Sure. I was talking about regular park was on talking about alternative service. If you pay your parking tickets, we don't want

you to reform. >> They're also they're also probably not appearing before the judge to. >> And we want to know so that there are 2 types of parking cases, regular parking a habitual parking offenders.

And so the visual parking offenders just started. Yeah, but we do have regular parking people who are part of the alternative programs that we do. Right. And so at the end of the day, I don't think

that's too weird would be looking at for recidivism, particularly because you can come to us with one parking ticket, not realize you have another one. And then you got a second case sometimes the way

cases are issued from the police department because maybe the officer, the issue, the original set of tickets, he decided that he wasn't going to issue this particular ticket. And then a sergeant told

him after he got back, they had to so than those tickets. Good filed separately. You have blood alcohol concentration cases that have to wait for blood. Alcohol test results. They get filed

separately. Highest up. Okay. Okay. So I'm just saying that that's when I'm like I was a lot of specificity. Its lore. >> Unlike with the budget director has advocated for the goal for that, it's for

of parking enforcement. Compliance is not revenue generation. It would be for compliance. So if we have habitually repeat offenders that don't care about be reckless driving be overnight parking or

for speeding tickets or reckless driving tickets. I think that's important that for some portion of the population, no matter the number of contacts with the justice system or municipal court, they

just don't care. The goal is for compliance. Not 4 resident generation her. Right. So I think it is important to see and moving forward with alternative services to make sure that they're effective,

not about not even go to alternative services. Yeah. >> So the you have people that will just pay it and still keep getting tickets. So the alternative services, wooden track those and that the

alternative services is that all my stuff or witnesses and doing I'm asking. >> For that, I'm moving forward with how effective how can we demonstrated this is being effective. >> So I I hear you all

the member Gallus. Let me just say this that I think that that's not a good or a true measure of this program. And the reason I say that is this is because these are people who clearly are on. >> A

trajectory that is not good for them or the city. And this is what I mean by that. The lady I just told you about was homeless and pregnant. >> I'm more worried, frankly, about her getting out of her

car and getting her pregnancy taken care of. Then I am about whether or not she pays her take whether or not she commits another crime, whether or not and I should say another crime crime was and

again, whether or not she commits another ordinance violation. And here's why I say that because if we work all homelessness and taking care of the pregnancy, we reduce her likelihood of doing those

things. Just like getting folks jobs, you reduce their likelihood of coming back. So I mean, we can ask the court services alternative people to do what you ask. I'm not sure the actual meaning of

that, but we can ask them. I don't I don't have a problem with asking them to do that. So we'll put that on the list of things that they need to do. But I'm not sure what that's going to bring to the

table as it relates to this program. Asked me to report how many people got a job. That's what we want to know. Asked me to report. That would be great that he's so those kind of metrics. We're more

than happy to report the recidivism saying given the ordinances that we have in the city. >> I don't know how how helpful that is. I'm glad that you agree that reckless driving is a lot more important

to track then. >> Apartment to absolute. And let me be clear. The easiest way for you to track a parking ticket is to check with the Department of Public Works because they know better than us. How

many people are parking violators? Because guess what? If someone is a habitual parking offender with me today and they get a parking violation tonight? I won't know that if they pay it. So only DPW

knows who they issue tickets, too. >> Okay. Okay. Anything else. Okay. Madam Chair. Okay. Next up is Alderman Taylor but we'll go to Alderman Cox. Okay. >> Thank you. At just formally I'm was kind of

started where but I do just want to >> put it on the record. You judge him and a year and this and the staff I would like to see numbers about like Lucent and manage of the resources that they were

connected and how because oftentimes we offer resources to folks. But, you know, it's their choice whether or not to actually person them. So as you develop whatever you develop as the metrics to

measure the success of the program, I would love to know the members alike, how many people were actually, we do actually pursue that resource and they were connected to and the types of categories of

the forces that were utilized. I by residents. >> We are. We are thank God we are tracking that number. And today, only 4 people have declined the services rhyme. >> That's correct. On Charles Hughes,

deputy court administrator. I do want to say that we do have most of the metrics that offer one macaques mention and again, as the presiding said, you not only for people didn't take advantage of the

program. And as of the end of August, we had 133 referrals. I believe. So. Those are the people that were actually service, everyone except those for, you know. So when we think about success of the

program, you know, again, what we talked about in 2025, it's are we looking to help the people or see them not combat both for great. I mean, I can see both sides of the conversation. I was just habit

of to me, people getting services, people getting the things that they need does outweigh recidivism to an extent because it improves the quality of life of the citizens, the people of the city, you

know, the less people you see out here struggling looking for mental health options, looking for an escape from domestic violence or human trafficking, the better the city does. Overall, those were

the things that I was under the impression we were really looking for last year. That's the passion that I have read program. So whatever you all want, that's the information will present for you. But

again, I do want to make sure that put on the record. Then 10, I thought the program and >> I was the maker. Madam Chair, thank you. What do you have the Category breakdown? Do you have a category

right now? We do have titles like some of you have had a brief break down as well. Ok, we do have the category, but on the thing that and we'll get that to the committee. Thank you. It's new, but it's

in the report like, OK? So that was one of those asking about those ACS on on the okay. I was the maker of the footnote last year and I'm still working on the resolutions coming back to be specific.

Definitely shows there's a diversity of thought because what? >> When I made that I was actually going the opposite way. And I was more concerned about when we had the private contract, which seems

like the data hasn't been shared with your maybe perhaps wasn't kept previously, which is tough when you don't need to create a new baseline as we have to create that baseline. But there was fear in

the community through some organizations that, you know, are there to me, should that 133 have been 343 like kind of what we don't know. We don't know, right? But now we've established a system. We

can monitor it. You know, I may be a great day when we had 0 referrals because every is needs are being met. So, you know, that is because you're different way. So just to be clear. >> Referrals come

from judges. So right numbers would be what the numbers are because he would have referred to the private organization career, right? And are we still in litigation with that organization? No, no.

That was settled. Yeah. >> Alderwoman and Taylor when we got numbers like that I can do is get care. >> Yeah, honestly, I was just going off of the same thing but and just kind of help with the

wording cause. I think that the my colleague probably didn't mean recidivism. I know, but I'm just thinking because I think I looked at it more likely storage of justice. So I was going to say thank

you for being so caring because we don't have a lot of that in society today. Enough to say, hey, what's going on, let's help solve the problem first to, you know, improve your life and that we don't

get a lot of it. So I'm glad to hear that we're no longer dealing with the other because I sat through that conversation. We were dealing with the other group that you guys were working with to offer

those referral services. And it didn't seem like it was going too well, but it sounds now like things are going well. So so I appreciate I appreciate hearing that. I appreciate all the woman Cox

making it very clear. Those metrics is looking at the success of people who do take advantage of the program. It is. It's just great that we have that it society. So so I don't know if that is a

better word, restorative justice. What I think that that is what we're seeing, where things are changing for the person because we're looking at the whole person that is them just sitting there with

whatever they have done. And then the last thing was there was a mention of that. But the moat of a special purpose account that's going to be created, just wondering what that with what that would be

used for. >> For the day, I think that's mailing contract. So previously are mailing contract was in our operating budget and now it's being moved to ask PA. So those are dedicated funds that will be

used. But this is statutorily required. Notice is that we have to send out. So it's just paying for those to go out. >> So they can track it in the and those funds will be specifically allocated for

that purpose. Thank you. Your walk. >> Okay. We're in our final questions and comments. Any outstanding items that we haven't covered with all due respect if you have one. >> Yet just one real quick

on the use of AI to improve workflows. I know on Mr. Richter has been part of CMC discussions. I'm just wondering if you guys you all might want to let us know what what's been going on lately as far

as that the court. >> We've been working on preferred concepts which relate to it. I brought up last year. So much of what our focus of ours can we do? Chatbots can we guardrail the answers? Can we

protect our data and can we use that as platform for providing services through our website better. So for instance, we talked about being able to book and interpreter. So I, of course, can understand

so many different languages. So that's an opportunity for somebody to go to the website, used their language and book that interpreter proof of concepts were very close to launching this. Obviously,

we're going to do a lot of work, but the managers and the judges to make sure it's behaving in the way we want. But we've been very successful at what we've done. We then want to take that knowledge

and use that for agents to be able to do things like look for air, checking with citations coming in. There's so much we can do and its so exciting what we can do. But this year we've been focused on

those proof of concepts to make sure we understand how to responsibly do it. Thank you very much. Appreciate appreciate your efforts are. >> Okay. Any other outstanding questions or comments on the >>

Hpo. What has that experience been like? So have people is what what was in possibly envisioned. I was unable to support it. So other side there was the minority. But as a cat, I'm like, have people

actually settled payment plans has anyone. Then he's been such an egregious situation that they have gone, which was my fear to car being you need to be told or removed. >> Just a quick an adult to

that. If you can only DPW would know about that whole situation. I would not. But I've only have in my brand one person request a trial on the case. And it was just yesterday, OK, everybody else is

either pay to same day, requested 3 months to pay, you know, maybe 4 or 5 months to pay or got on and the Stoneman plan. >> Okay. Which was what was and wasn't that kind of the intent to? Yeah, the

threat, if you will, of the going to court. >> And most people show up. That's the other thing I've had interesting. Yes, that had very few of those cases not appear and virtually no good guys weigh

much Ali or in person. Appearance rates on HBO's are much higher than our past. Our cases centrist. Yeah. The or not something's. I'm sorry. I think the thought of if you don't follow through with

this, you're going to have your car towed again. Is the hook that gets people to come to court. >> That that was a big change because with the ordinance change before you could cut the tow lot by just

paying your search fee and the cost of that after the ordinance to get out, you either had to settle up with pay off your citations or set up a court date. It's roughly fifty-fifty, which is for the

stats the other day. I think it's 48. 52. Some people just don't want to go to court. No, no offense. But it's interesting to hear your your experience with them showing up. And one of the as the

judge as Churchill mentioned, one of the boxes. Now, if you don't show up to court, our current practice is if it's a first time offense or whatever, well, only to you for being an hpo, if you're

legally part. But if you don't show up to court, then we'll tell you even if you're legally. So there is more of an incentive parking checkers will eventually catch up with you if you our staff and

are not not showing up to court to to get this to to could. >> Which it just so, you know, one of the things we also have in place in conjunction with the city attorney's office as they can sign a

stipulation with the city attorney's office, wants their cases filed, follow that with us and still not have to come to court, but they've agreed to a payment plan that we're going to go ahead enough

or so. >> Give people options. Yeah, I do truly appreciate your efforts, the court's efforts and making this work. So, >> you know, I just want to finish that thought. You know, this budget is

considering the mayor gave to us a doubling of the annual parking permit and then even increasing parking or sometimes none moving violations or non-traffic adjusting is unfair to put reckless driving

in a non we as Catholic and non moving violation. Right. I think if it's not in the parking thing is not is not in the same things like a reckless driving her to my right is Mark Kass considered.

Yeah. So I'm going to be interested in look at the data to see if those changes go through if there's any. Well, first of all, disparate impact of already requested that from the Office. >> Of Equity

Engagement in Compliance. But I'll be interested to see this time next year. What if that changes anything that you are are dealing with? You know what to ask? >> We have a real life judge here. If

suddenly parking citations one up $10 across the board with that impact, what you as judges would be doing, would you be? >> Probably not. Ok, so. >> The vigil parking offender cases. I will tell you

the city attorneys practice on those as there are no reductions or so other parking cases that are regular parking cases. There are reductions. So for what you're talking about, probably nothing would

change those people who get those cases caught up in the habitual parking offender, set up what most likely have an increase obviously and how much they're gonna do. >> Ok, thank you, chair. Yes more.

Thank you so much. As really quick, is there an average length of time that folks are using for the payment plans? It depends on the amount that they owe and the amount that they want to pay per

month. And so I think the number I hear the most is 50 per month per month. The minimum payment for us this 20 K all and that's that's what it is right now. And then it might go and you can just be

stretched out for as long as it takes to pay whatever that total is for an individual. Yes, but the I think the highest one I've seen was $1500. Okay. Maybe there might have been somebody with 19 but

I don't think I've seen any case over $2000. Yeah. Most of them are between 3 500 audit. >> Thank you in any other questions or any other questions for municipal court last round hearing and seeing

none. Thank you so much for your presentation today. And thank you as always. We always learn a little bit more each time. Thank you for that chilly because we do need to learn the more have a

wonderful Friday. A wonderful weekend. Yeah, we've got out here for 5 years. >> Vice Chairperson Virgo Swansea's to mention go Brewers fans. Yeah. All right. To own it. And with that also a member go.

This is going to hold to the called the chair item one to 6. Oh, oh, '01. communication from the mayor relating to the proposed 2027 budget. And hearing no objection. So ordered with no further

business before us. We are adjourned and we'll see you Monday morning as well as Monday night. Anyone still listening. We'll see you at 6.30, Monday night in the coming council chambers for a public

hearing. This meeting's adjourned