Pewaukee · issues
Civic issues
Topics getting the most attention in Pewaukee public meetings, ranked by how frequently they come up.
Parks Garage Roof and Building Repairs
The old highway garage, now the parks garage, keeps leaking along its walls and has failing brick. The city is paying Excel Engineering $22,500 to assess the whole building before deciding on repairs — possibly a $1.5-million-scale project financed by borrowing.
DPW Highway Building Land Purchase Repayment
The city used pooled cash to buy land near the DPW and never formally budgeted it, leaving the DPW fund with a negative balance. The auditor flagged it; the council endorsed a ten-year, $129,000/year repayment with flexibility to pay it off faster — paying the city back, not a third party.
2027 Parks and Recreation budget
Splash pad popularity pushed the 2026 water bill over budget, though other line items are expected to absorb it. The 2027 budget is moving through city and village approvals with no changes requested.
Boat slip pricing for non-residents
The village's 22 boat slips rent for about $3,375 with no non-resident surcharge, even though half the renters live outside the city. The board agreed to add a non-resident rate for 2028 and will set the numbers in the spring.
Laimon Park financials and improvements
Gas sales were down in May compared to last year, and about $7,000 in patio, railing, and ADA improvement expenses are still coming.
Proposed 2027 City Budget
The proposed 2027 budget raises the tax levy about 1% to $13.12 million, adding roughly $6 on a $250,000 home. Big line-item swings — building services wages, capital equipment, debt service — are mostly reallocation and accounting changes rather than new spending.
2027 Utility and Public Works Budgets
The committee advanced every 2027 budget — storm water, sewer/water, engineering, highway, and bike/ped — to the council. Residents should note a storm water rate study is coming (the fee hasn't changed since 2010), a sewer rate increase goes to the council October 5, and the sewer/water capital plan roughly doubles in 2028 to about $33 million.
2025 City Audit
The city's 2025 audit is nearly done but delayed by ambulance billing data and fixes to last year's capital asset allocations. The report should be issued around September 11 and presented to the Council before budget season.
ARPA interest funding City Hall remodel
The city earned about $209,000 in interest while holding its federal pandemic relief money. That money now goes toward the City Hall remodeling project, which came in higher than expected.
Capital Equipment Fund and Fund Balance Use
The capital equipment contribution drops and about $1.7 million of the $2.7 million needed will come from fund balance. Members warned that relying on fund balance won't be sustainable as equipment costs climb.
Fall Budget Calendar
Budget season is starting: an extra workshop October 12, no meeting November 2 (election), and the budget public hearing plus regular meeting on November 9 starting earlier at 6 p.m.
Pewaukee Public Library Funding and County Levy Exemption
The city formally pledges at least $885,669 to the Pewaukee Public Library, exempting it from the county library levy and avoiding double taxation.
2027 Garbage and Recycling Rates
Trash and recycling collection rises 5.1% to $234 for 2027 under the Johns Disposal contract, partly because the county no longer returns recycling credits.
2027 Tourism Grant Allocations (~$492,000)
The commission handed out roughly $492,000 in hotel-tax-funded grants for 2027, funded by about $630,000 of projected allocable revenue. Decisions shape which events, marketing, and sports tournaments bring visitors — and hotel stays — to Pewaukee.
Synthetic turf debt resolved
A long-running question got answered: the $1.68 million synthetic turf project is fully paid off by the tourism fund — no IOU to the city remains, and the fund's projected year-end balance is about $339,000 before outstanding obligations.
City branding on village event signage
Commissioners noticed some 2026 event signs carried only the Village and Parks & Rec logos even though city tourism money helped pay. They asked that all future signage include the city logo so residents know their tax dollars are at work.
2022 Borrowing Reallocation
Leftover 2022 borrowing dollars are being shuffled from underspent road projects to overspent ones, plus new substitute projects, so the city spends down all borrowed funds.
Mid-year financial reporting restored
The committee agreed the council should get quarterly budget summaries so members can see how city money is being spent — and shift course mid-year if needed. The first report lands at the June meeting, with a six-month review in August.
Journal Entry Internal Controls
Auditors recommended a city staff member formally review journal entries monthly as a second set of eyes. Committee members agreed it should go to the Council and that the added responsibility might merit extra pay.
Earlier 2026 Audit Planning
Committee members want next year's audit done sooner than September/October. The plan: get Council input at the August six-month review, account for the ambulance contractor's reporting timing, and possibly start audit prep in January or February.
Capital Asset Allocation Process Reform
The city currently allocates big construction-project costs (water, sewer, roads) only at year end, which delays the PSC report and complicates audits. The committee discussed allocating invoices throughout the year based on project plans and truing up at year end.
State filing deadlines: PSC report and DOR Form C
The city missed the May 1 PSC deadline and got an extension to June 1, partly because of software problems with meter reports. An amendment will follow the audit, which isn't ideal but is common among communities.
First-ever mid-year budget review with AI assistance
The city produced its first budget-to-actual review using AI (Claude) to summarize a 23-page report — but members caught errors and stressed department heads need to verify the numbers. A half-year review goes to the council in August.
Timothy Kaja property assessment objection
A Rocky Point Road lakefront homeowner fought a $5.03 million assessment that nearly doubled from 2024's $2.7 million after the 2025 revaluation. His appraiser argued the market on Pewaukee Lake is flat-to-declining and the assessor's comparables and frontage data contain costly errors; the city defended its state-approved mass-appraisal software. The board sided with the assessor, 4-0.
L&A coordination and communication
Communication between the outsourced accounting firm and city staff has been strained. Both sides committed to faster email acknowledgment and better collaboration, while cross-training city staff so no single employee is a single point of failure.
Rocky Point Road assessment reduction
A commercial property on Rocky Point Road got its assessment cut by nearly $280,000 after the assessor confirmed deferred maintenance during an inspection. Another Rocky Point Road property (Matson) dropped by $121,300 by stipulation. Neighbors' assessments aren't directly changed, but these values feed the tax base.
Omitted property added to Meadowbrook Road parcel
Waukesha County caught an acreage error, so about $172,700 in omitted land value was added back for a Meadowbrook Road property across 2024 and 2025 — meaning higher taxes for that owner for two years.
We Energies utility tax exemption
Two We Energies properties — an old ash landfill and a substation buffer parcel — were removed from the local tax roll because they now pay the state utility tax instead, with the city receiving a share of that state revenue.