Latest Updates
April 3 2013 The Huffington Post published a story about how it was ultimately billionaire Warren Buffet's Berkshire Hathaway that was responsible for the contamination of the land at the Walmart site. And he is a major Walmart stockholder. Those two multi-billion companies could have afforded to clean that land yet we taxpayers are out of pocket a cumulative total of nearly $3mm dollars! Citizens from around the country are posting their outrage. You should too.
Read it here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/al-norman/warren-buffett-walmart_b_3002244.html
April 2 The Common Council announced a grand opening ceremony for the Walmart to be held 7:30am April 10th.
March 11 We learned the DNR never approved the Walmart soil remediation plan. There was only a letter authorizing the store to be built "if" the site was properly capped. However, that letter only addressed half the problem. There remained the question of toxins that were found to be entering the ground water. The DNR requested further monitoring wells to determine where and how deep the soil should be removed. Instead the Walmart developers (apparently under time pressure) simply ignored the entire customary DNR approval VPLE process (Voluntary Party Liability Exemption). They just went ahead and built the store. There are no public records as to what depth the contamination was removed. Or for that matter, what we got for the $1.8mm we paid them. According to Walmart's advertisement for the outparcel they're selling, there is uncertainty about the remaining contamination.
March The stop light to the Walmart is up and working but the store is six weeks from opening! Who in their right mind would have the audacity to interrupt the flow of traffic for a store that isn't even open?! There is talk that residents on Badger Avenue are already up in arms over the impediment to traffic and there aren't even shoppers yet.
December 2012 The foundation is in and the walls to the Walmart are beginning to go up. Sorry folks, we've lost and our oppostion efforts are now certainly futile. Thank you to all those that kept up the fight. This website will only be updated and monitored occasionally from here on.
August The work you see on the site is site preparation work being done by Randolph Construction. As far as our latest information indicates, there is still no approval from the DNR for soil remediation to begin. We suspect most of the work you see is a place to set fill from the construction of the Greenfield store. Do not give up your opposition until you see a building under construction.
July 2nd Walmart is in trouble again (see April 30th & 21st). This time their seafood suppliers in Alabama were caught with illegal working conditions and in some cases a near slavery situation of locking them in the factory for 18hr shifts, paying wages 40% below average and threatening families if they called the authorities. Conditions were the worst the industry regulator has ever seen. Just another of many examples of the consequence of a retail giant who's mission is to have the lowest possible prices no matter what the consequences are. Responsible retailers can't compete with it.
June 28th They began demolition of the old Midwest Tannery building.
June 17th Concerned citizens called in a report of a strong fuel smell emanating from the site. On closer inspection it was determined that the contractor had dug into two unexpected large leaking fuel tanks which were not reported to the DNR! Can you believe it? This is an obvious example that they are not being careful with the environmental aspects of the work.
June 6th A small invitation only groundbreaking ceremony was held behind the security fence today. There was a decent crowd of protesters there considering it was a workday morning on short notice. We held up signs over the fence for them to see the opposition. One of the attendees admitted the protest was disruptive to their ceremony. Folks, this was merely a public relations ceremony. It's similar to how they've constantly say it's a "Done Deal" which is a well known Walmart tactic to discourage opposition (see May 21st below).
The fact is, their deal is still faced with contingencies and uncertainties yet now it is now over six months old and getting stale. The only work going on there is for the water main repair and site preparation. Technically, construction has not or can not proceed.
May 31st A fence was installed surrounding the perimeter of the site. They have also finally blockaded 11th Avenue. Don't fret folks, these are things they technically should have done months ago for liability reasons.
May 24th The Website was down for over a day due to fraudulent charges on the credit card that pays for the site. It is interesting that the perpetrator was apparently a South Milwaukee resident just stirring up mischief.
May 23rd Walmart's CEO Michael Duke was in Milwaukee to attend a 7:00am low key grand re-opening of the Walmart store on Capital Dr. We were poised to stage a picket line here in South Milwaukee but he apparently did not stop by.
May 22nd The petition for direct legislation has finally been completed and submitted to the City in the nick of time. Congratulations to the Friends of South Milwaukee and all their hard working volunteers. This petition requires the City to hold a referendum as to whether voters agree to require a separate referendum for any expenditure over $1million. Though this would have prevented the Walmart fiasco, we're uncertain whether it can stop the Walmart project at this stage.
May 21st The Community Development Authority said Walmart will be "signing papers soon". Hah! That is further proof that the City has been misleading us for months about the real estate deal being closed. They still have contingencies to deal with, not the least of which is that the DNR rejected their Remedial Action Plan submittal (see May 11th). Please do not let them con you into giving up the fight.
Yes, of course we are disappointed that it is taking so long for our attorneys to make their first move. On the other hand, consider that Walmart has already faced six months of delay before we've even commenced legal interference. They can encounter new serious problems now that so much time has passed since approval. Also, don't forget, we still have two critically important factors on our side: Even they realize it's a lousy location and nearly 70% of our community is opposed!
May 18th The DNR did approve a permit for Walmart to construct a retention pond to deal with surface water collecting at the site. The basis for the approval is that it will help get their arms around what will be required to re-mediate the site.
(see May 11th below)
May 11th The DNR rejected Walmart's Remedial Action Plan and requested additional monitoring wells and maps. Apparently the extent and location of the soil contamination is not well enough defined for the DNR to render any decisions. This will be a big setback to the project.
May 3rd We had a pretty good turnout of people across from the proposed Walmart site to watch videos projected from the Walmart at 50 tour. Their truck goes to Walmarts across the country to inform the public of the negative impact a Walmart can have on a community. Get this, the organization is of Walmart employees! They are calling for change at Walmart for their 50th anniversary. www.Walmartat50.com/info They said they got a larger response from South Milwaukee than they had in many communities. Thanks to Pattie, Marge, Tony, Mary, Chris and Deb for their help setting up and cleaning up.
May 1st At the Common Council meeting the aldermen addressed issues we had raised at previous meetings: How and where does the Walmart proposal fit into the City's Comprehensive Plan (long range civic planning the State requires)? And also, how phases of the Walmart project seemed to bypass certain committees that normally review such things.
April 30th More bad press for Walmart related to the bribery scandal (see April 21st below). New articles have popped up in Time Magazine, The Wall Street Journa and others. Apparently some US cities are calling for investigations.
April 25th The City claims the sale of both properties to Walmart has closed. We have reason to believe otherwise!
Just another example of the gamesmanship surrounding this project from the very beginning. There has even been important information occasionally withheld from some of the aldermen.
April 21st The New York Times published and scathing article about Walmart's widespread use of bribery to grow their Mexican market. It's considered one of the largest scandals of this type in 45 years. Here it is: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/22/business/at-wal-mart-in-mexico-a-bribe-inquiry-silenced.html?_r=1&hp
April 17th The Common Council suspended the normal Roberts Rule of Order of municipal meetings procedure in order to prevent the aldermen opposed to Walmart from slowing the vote on the borrowing $1.5mm to give to Walmart. The resolution passed.
April 16th The City proceeded with their obligations to close on the sale of property to Walmart by submitting required forms to the Title company. However, until we obtain documents from the Register of Deeds, we suspect Walmart has not actually proceeded with payments to conclude the sale.
The Community Development Authority met to authorize a letter of clarifications of their obligations of certain details to remediation expenses with the Walmart contract. It was interesting that even members in favor of Walmart were surprised by some of these details. We haven't had a chance to study it yet to comment.
April 14th There appeared to be environmental investigation work going on at the site. (see the April 11th)
April 13th Sorry to report, our attorney was unable to file an injunction in time to impact the closing on the sale of the property scheduled for April 16th. Now we can only pray that they reschedule, it seems crazy they wouldn't (see April 11th).
April 12th An open records request made to the City last week finally came through and the results surprised us. We underestimated Walmart's level of commitment because closing documents are indeed ready. Walmart also waived the contingency of the bond requirement (see March 20th).
April 11th We had assumed Walmart was procrastinating with their submittals to the DNR for approval but it now appears they may have simply overlooked a step or misunderstood it. This could mean they are faced with unexpected delays or may even have to renegotiate part of the contract with the City. Wouldn't they insist on confirmation of their actual remediation costs or establish their limit of liability for the contamination before proceeding with buying the land?
April 6th People are still circulating the door to door to petition to put a "Direct Legislation" referendum on the next upcoming ballot. If passed, it would require any expenditures over $1mm to pass a public referendum before the City could proceed. For the record, this website remains neutralon this because of the uncertainty of whether such a measure would be able to stop the Walmart project. However we applaud the commitment of the petitioners to prevent the City from ever again attempting another expensive project that the majority of citizens are opposed to. If you want to sign, there is often someone standing outside Chicago Ave. Liquor store.
April 3rd Election day. The Majority Voice had StopTheWalmart.com signs on vans parked at a legal distance from the four polling stations. The Mayor had the police remove one sign and made us move the others before discovering his error. Then a DA with Milwaukee County Election Commission was called in but he couldn't find a problem. At 4pm the City Attorney dug up an ordinance pertaining to rummage sale signs so we finally removed them.
1st District Alderman Frank VanDusen III who is opposed to the Walmart trounced his opponent who was in favor of the Walmart. The vote was 98% - 2%! Todd Lorino who ran for mayor as a write in a mere two weeks before the election still gathered 42% of the first district vote (the only district he campaigned) against the three time incumbent Mayor. This must have sent a signal to City Hall. Note: This website is not a PAC and was not affiliated with either political campaign.
March 27th The original projected closing date for the sale of the property has come and gone! And you thought it was a done deal, eh? The City is behind on getting a bond and Walmart is probably fussing about liability for toxins in the ground.
March 22nd An environmental firm was collecting more test borings from inside the old tannery building. This is the sort of investigation the DNR asked for over a year ago.
March 21st There was a petition drive started for a direct legislation amendment requiring a referendum for any expenditure over $1 million. It is debatable whether it will be in time to impact the proposed Walmart store. Todd Lorino announced his candidacy for Mayor as a write in.
March 20th Another minor victory! Aldermen Maas & Van Dusen were successfully able to table the vote on the Walmart boding issue to the next meeting (a move we had suggested to them before). This had the desired effect of stalling the City's ability to move forward with it and may also separate this bond from the other three non Walmart bonds which could further frustrate it's progress. This borrowing of $1,500,000 was to be given to Walmart (the wealthiest corporation in the world) for the purpose of soil remediation on the site (for which a plan hasn't been submitted yet).
March 15th The Public Works Committee met again to redo the sewer contract discussed below. Those of us that showed up had some interesting Q&A with Kyle Vandecar the City Engineer. We learned that when the contractor encountered contaminated soil the City had to pay a whopping unexpected $45,000 to have it taken to a proper landfill. We also learned that Walmart insisted on widening the radius of the truck entrance to the site yet everyone agreed that the intersection of College and Chicago will remain way to tight for the same truck traffic. Much of the time was also spent discussing concerns over flooding into Ebbs Creek from the Walmart parking lot.
March 6th At the Common Council meeting, they discussed the contract noted below. We pointed out that this violated Municipal Code because it was not run through the Waste Water Commission for consideration beforehand. Attorney Murphy didn't confirm or deny our assertion (but gave it serious consideration after the meeting). However, he did happen to agree with a point we raised the night before that this contract amendment was too big to be awarded without going out for bid. Well, it was a minor victory folks but we finally stopped the Alderman from railroading something over us!
March 5th The Public Works Committee, chaired by Alderman Brooks resolved to amend the sewer repair contract (noted below) to add work to accommodate the out lot that Walmart would presumably lease to a restaurant. We are baffled why such work would be ordered when the Walmart project is still under a feasibility time frame.
February 25 We learned that the contractor doing sewer work on the site encountered contaminated soil he did not expect (however we expected it) . A complaint has been filed with the DNR over this work being done on a site that still requires re-mediation to meet DNR approval. It is interesting that the work seems to have stopped on the site.
February 22 The Common Council discussed the anticipated $1.5mm bond application for money to reimburse Walmart for soil remediation expenses. The same took place on the other bond mentioned in the Feb 13th paragraph below. We raised the objection that the matter was not first run through the Finance Committee. The City Engineer responded but his response seemed confusing and more like double talk to us.
February 13th The CDA recommended to the Common Council that the City approve a bond application for $1,500,000 to finance the City's payment towards sharing soil re-mediation work with Walmart. This is being done in preparation of the closing of the contract they hope to sign with Walmart around March 27th. (see TIFs under Welfare for Walmart)
In addition, the aldermen will vote on a CDA recommendation for another bond application to borrow an additional $1,535,000 to cover an adjustment the State of WI required to the land value booked on the existing TIF District #2 !!
Though it is being presented as a routine adjustment, we feel it is exactly what we warn as a pitfall of financing developments with TIF funds. If the "increment" of property value increases below expectations, the tax revenue may not keep pace with bond payments due in the future.
Note: The above information is a summary of extremely complex financial procedures which even those on the board would be challenged to explain in simple terms. Please check back for clarifications or submit your suggestions to our email.
February 7th. The Common Council met to grant Walmart an extension of their feasibility study time frame for a new contract closing date of March 15. There is an apparent problem with obtaining a right of way from the Union Pacific Railroad for the land along the southern end of the proposed site. This will cause changes to fencing, landscaping or parking plans.
February 3rd Work commenced on an awarded contract to replace old steel sewer pipe buried under the southeast corner of the 222 N. Chicago Ave. parcel. Though the City claims this work is not directly related to the Walmart plans, it does represent an improvement costing over $100,000 for land the City has offered to Walmart for only $500,000.
Read it here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/al-norman/warren-buffett-walmart_b_3002244.html
April 2 The Common Council announced a grand opening ceremony for the Walmart to be held 7:30am April 10th.
March 11 We learned the DNR never approved the Walmart soil remediation plan. There was only a letter authorizing the store to be built "if" the site was properly capped. However, that letter only addressed half the problem. There remained the question of toxins that were found to be entering the ground water. The DNR requested further monitoring wells to determine where and how deep the soil should be removed. Instead the Walmart developers (apparently under time pressure) simply ignored the entire customary DNR approval VPLE process (Voluntary Party Liability Exemption). They just went ahead and built the store. There are no public records as to what depth the contamination was removed. Or for that matter, what we got for the $1.8mm we paid them. According to Walmart's advertisement for the outparcel they're selling, there is uncertainty about the remaining contamination.
March The stop light to the Walmart is up and working but the store is six weeks from opening! Who in their right mind would have the audacity to interrupt the flow of traffic for a store that isn't even open?! There is talk that residents on Badger Avenue are already up in arms over the impediment to traffic and there aren't even shoppers yet.
December 2012 The foundation is in and the walls to the Walmart are beginning to go up. Sorry folks, we've lost and our oppostion efforts are now certainly futile. Thank you to all those that kept up the fight. This website will only be updated and monitored occasionally from here on.
August The work you see on the site is site preparation work being done by Randolph Construction. As far as our latest information indicates, there is still no approval from the DNR for soil remediation to begin. We suspect most of the work you see is a place to set fill from the construction of the Greenfield store. Do not give up your opposition until you see a building under construction.
July 2nd Walmart is in trouble again (see April 30th & 21st). This time their seafood suppliers in Alabama were caught with illegal working conditions and in some cases a near slavery situation of locking them in the factory for 18hr shifts, paying wages 40% below average and threatening families if they called the authorities. Conditions were the worst the industry regulator has ever seen. Just another of many examples of the consequence of a retail giant who's mission is to have the lowest possible prices no matter what the consequences are. Responsible retailers can't compete with it.
June 28th They began demolition of the old Midwest Tannery building.
June 17th Concerned citizens called in a report of a strong fuel smell emanating from the site. On closer inspection it was determined that the contractor had dug into two unexpected large leaking fuel tanks which were not reported to the DNR! Can you believe it? This is an obvious example that they are not being careful with the environmental aspects of the work.
June 6th A small invitation only groundbreaking ceremony was held behind the security fence today. There was a decent crowd of protesters there considering it was a workday morning on short notice. We held up signs over the fence for them to see the opposition. One of the attendees admitted the protest was disruptive to their ceremony. Folks, this was merely a public relations ceremony. It's similar to how they've constantly say it's a "Done Deal" which is a well known Walmart tactic to discourage opposition (see May 21st below).
The fact is, their deal is still faced with contingencies and uncertainties yet now it is now over six months old and getting stale. The only work going on there is for the water main repair and site preparation. Technically, construction has not or can not proceed.
May 31st A fence was installed surrounding the perimeter of the site. They have also finally blockaded 11th Avenue. Don't fret folks, these are things they technically should have done months ago for liability reasons.
May 24th The Website was down for over a day due to fraudulent charges on the credit card that pays for the site. It is interesting that the perpetrator was apparently a South Milwaukee resident just stirring up mischief.
May 23rd Walmart's CEO Michael Duke was in Milwaukee to attend a 7:00am low key grand re-opening of the Walmart store on Capital Dr. We were poised to stage a picket line here in South Milwaukee but he apparently did not stop by.
May 22nd The petition for direct legislation has finally been completed and submitted to the City in the nick of time. Congratulations to the Friends of South Milwaukee and all their hard working volunteers. This petition requires the City to hold a referendum as to whether voters agree to require a separate referendum for any expenditure over $1million. Though this would have prevented the Walmart fiasco, we're uncertain whether it can stop the Walmart project at this stage.
May 21st The Community Development Authority said Walmart will be "signing papers soon". Hah! That is further proof that the City has been misleading us for months about the real estate deal being closed. They still have contingencies to deal with, not the least of which is that the DNR rejected their Remedial Action Plan submittal (see May 11th). Please do not let them con you into giving up the fight.
Yes, of course we are disappointed that it is taking so long for our attorneys to make their first move. On the other hand, consider that Walmart has already faced six months of delay before we've even commenced legal interference. They can encounter new serious problems now that so much time has passed since approval. Also, don't forget, we still have two critically important factors on our side: Even they realize it's a lousy location and nearly 70% of our community is opposed!
May 18th The DNR did approve a permit for Walmart to construct a retention pond to deal with surface water collecting at the site. The basis for the approval is that it will help get their arms around what will be required to re-mediate the site.
(see May 11th below)
May 11th The DNR rejected Walmart's Remedial Action Plan and requested additional monitoring wells and maps. Apparently the extent and location of the soil contamination is not well enough defined for the DNR to render any decisions. This will be a big setback to the project.
May 3rd We had a pretty good turnout of people across from the proposed Walmart site to watch videos projected from the Walmart at 50 tour. Their truck goes to Walmarts across the country to inform the public of the negative impact a Walmart can have on a community. Get this, the organization is of Walmart employees! They are calling for change at Walmart for their 50th anniversary. www.Walmartat50.com/info They said they got a larger response from South Milwaukee than they had in many communities. Thanks to Pattie, Marge, Tony, Mary, Chris and Deb for their help setting up and cleaning up.
May 1st At the Common Council meeting the aldermen addressed issues we had raised at previous meetings: How and where does the Walmart proposal fit into the City's Comprehensive Plan (long range civic planning the State requires)? And also, how phases of the Walmart project seemed to bypass certain committees that normally review such things.
April 30th More bad press for Walmart related to the bribery scandal (see April 21st below). New articles have popped up in Time Magazine, The Wall Street Journa and others. Apparently some US cities are calling for investigations.
April 25th The City claims the sale of both properties to Walmart has closed. We have reason to believe otherwise!
Just another example of the gamesmanship surrounding this project from the very beginning. There has even been important information occasionally withheld from some of the aldermen.
April 21st The New York Times published and scathing article about Walmart's widespread use of bribery to grow their Mexican market. It's considered one of the largest scandals of this type in 45 years. Here it is: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/22/business/at-wal-mart-in-mexico-a-bribe-inquiry-silenced.html?_r=1&hp
April 17th The Common Council suspended the normal Roberts Rule of Order of municipal meetings procedure in order to prevent the aldermen opposed to Walmart from slowing the vote on the borrowing $1.5mm to give to Walmart. The resolution passed.
April 16th The City proceeded with their obligations to close on the sale of property to Walmart by submitting required forms to the Title company. However, until we obtain documents from the Register of Deeds, we suspect Walmart has not actually proceeded with payments to conclude the sale.
The Community Development Authority met to authorize a letter of clarifications of their obligations of certain details to remediation expenses with the Walmart contract. It was interesting that even members in favor of Walmart were surprised by some of these details. We haven't had a chance to study it yet to comment.
April 14th There appeared to be environmental investigation work going on at the site. (see the April 11th)
April 13th Sorry to report, our attorney was unable to file an injunction in time to impact the closing on the sale of the property scheduled for April 16th. Now we can only pray that they reschedule, it seems crazy they wouldn't (see April 11th).
April 12th An open records request made to the City last week finally came through and the results surprised us. We underestimated Walmart's level of commitment because closing documents are indeed ready. Walmart also waived the contingency of the bond requirement (see March 20th).
April 11th We had assumed Walmart was procrastinating with their submittals to the DNR for approval but it now appears they may have simply overlooked a step or misunderstood it. This could mean they are faced with unexpected delays or may even have to renegotiate part of the contract with the City. Wouldn't they insist on confirmation of their actual remediation costs or establish their limit of liability for the contamination before proceeding with buying the land?
April 6th People are still circulating the door to door to petition to put a "Direct Legislation" referendum on the next upcoming ballot. If passed, it would require any expenditures over $1mm to pass a public referendum before the City could proceed. For the record, this website remains neutralon this because of the uncertainty of whether such a measure would be able to stop the Walmart project. However we applaud the commitment of the petitioners to prevent the City from ever again attempting another expensive project that the majority of citizens are opposed to. If you want to sign, there is often someone standing outside Chicago Ave. Liquor store.
April 3rd Election day. The Majority Voice had StopTheWalmart.com signs on vans parked at a legal distance from the four polling stations. The Mayor had the police remove one sign and made us move the others before discovering his error. Then a DA with Milwaukee County Election Commission was called in but he couldn't find a problem. At 4pm the City Attorney dug up an ordinance pertaining to rummage sale signs so we finally removed them.
1st District Alderman Frank VanDusen III who is opposed to the Walmart trounced his opponent who was in favor of the Walmart. The vote was 98% - 2%! Todd Lorino who ran for mayor as a write in a mere two weeks before the election still gathered 42% of the first district vote (the only district he campaigned) against the three time incumbent Mayor. This must have sent a signal to City Hall. Note: This website is not a PAC and was not affiliated with either political campaign.
March 27th The original projected closing date for the sale of the property has come and gone! And you thought it was a done deal, eh? The City is behind on getting a bond and Walmart is probably fussing about liability for toxins in the ground.
March 22nd An environmental firm was collecting more test borings from inside the old tannery building. This is the sort of investigation the DNR asked for over a year ago.
March 21st There was a petition drive started for a direct legislation amendment requiring a referendum for any expenditure over $1 million. It is debatable whether it will be in time to impact the proposed Walmart store. Todd Lorino announced his candidacy for Mayor as a write in.
March 20th Another minor victory! Aldermen Maas & Van Dusen were successfully able to table the vote on the Walmart boding issue to the next meeting (a move we had suggested to them before). This had the desired effect of stalling the City's ability to move forward with it and may also separate this bond from the other three non Walmart bonds which could further frustrate it's progress. This borrowing of $1,500,000 was to be given to Walmart (the wealthiest corporation in the world) for the purpose of soil remediation on the site (for which a plan hasn't been submitted yet).
March 15th The Public Works Committee met again to redo the sewer contract discussed below. Those of us that showed up had some interesting Q&A with Kyle Vandecar the City Engineer. We learned that when the contractor encountered contaminated soil the City had to pay a whopping unexpected $45,000 to have it taken to a proper landfill. We also learned that Walmart insisted on widening the radius of the truck entrance to the site yet everyone agreed that the intersection of College and Chicago will remain way to tight for the same truck traffic. Much of the time was also spent discussing concerns over flooding into Ebbs Creek from the Walmart parking lot.
March 6th At the Common Council meeting, they discussed the contract noted below. We pointed out that this violated Municipal Code because it was not run through the Waste Water Commission for consideration beforehand. Attorney Murphy didn't confirm or deny our assertion (but gave it serious consideration after the meeting). However, he did happen to agree with a point we raised the night before that this contract amendment was too big to be awarded without going out for bid. Well, it was a minor victory folks but we finally stopped the Alderman from railroading something over us!
March 5th The Public Works Committee, chaired by Alderman Brooks resolved to amend the sewer repair contract (noted below) to add work to accommodate the out lot that Walmart would presumably lease to a restaurant. We are baffled why such work would be ordered when the Walmart project is still under a feasibility time frame.
February 25 We learned that the contractor doing sewer work on the site encountered contaminated soil he did not expect (however we expected it) . A complaint has been filed with the DNR over this work being done on a site that still requires re-mediation to meet DNR approval. It is interesting that the work seems to have stopped on the site.
February 22 The Common Council discussed the anticipated $1.5mm bond application for money to reimburse Walmart for soil remediation expenses. The same took place on the other bond mentioned in the Feb 13th paragraph below. We raised the objection that the matter was not first run through the Finance Committee. The City Engineer responded but his response seemed confusing and more like double talk to us.
February 13th The CDA recommended to the Common Council that the City approve a bond application for $1,500,000 to finance the City's payment towards sharing soil re-mediation work with Walmart. This is being done in preparation of the closing of the contract they hope to sign with Walmart around March 27th. (see TIFs under Welfare for Walmart)
In addition, the aldermen will vote on a CDA recommendation for another bond application to borrow an additional $1,535,000 to cover an adjustment the State of WI required to the land value booked on the existing TIF District #2 !!
Though it is being presented as a routine adjustment, we feel it is exactly what we warn as a pitfall of financing developments with TIF funds. If the "increment" of property value increases below expectations, the tax revenue may not keep pace with bond payments due in the future.
Note: The above information is a summary of extremely complex financial procedures which even those on the board would be challenged to explain in simple terms. Please check back for clarifications or submit your suggestions to our email.
February 7th. The Common Council met to grant Walmart an extension of their feasibility study time frame for a new contract closing date of March 15. There is an apparent problem with obtaining a right of way from the Union Pacific Railroad for the land along the southern end of the proposed site. This will cause changes to fencing, landscaping or parking plans.
February 3rd Work commenced on an awarded contract to replace old steel sewer pipe buried under the southeast corner of the 222 N. Chicago Ave. parcel. Though the City claims this work is not directly related to the Walmart plans, it does represent an improvement costing over $100,000 for land the City has offered to Walmart for only $500,000.