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Call to order the council meeting for Monday, July 6, 2026. Roll call please.
Let the record reflect the quorum is present. The lady from the 6th and the gentleman from the 14th are excused.
At this time I would like to ask one to please rise for a moment of silence followed by the pledge.
Tonight I would ask everyone to please keep in your thoughts and prayers the families of those who lost their lives in
Lake Geneva and the voting accident this weekend.
We stand by you and we are here for you.
I
Need a motion on your laptop for approval minutes of the meeting held June 15th, 2026.
Any changes or corrections? Seeing none. All those in favor say aye.
Aye. Any opposed? Motion carries.
At this time I would like to call up the gentleman from the 2nd and the members of the Mayor's Youth Commission for Youth Commission Awards this evening.
Hello, welcome everyone.
Thanks for coming to tonight's meeting. My name is Meg Fisher and I'm the chairperson of the Mayor's Youth Commission.
I'd like to thank everyone for attending tonight's meetings, especially the families of the recipients of tonight's awards.
The Mayor's Youth Commission has developed
an awards program that recognizes the youth of Kenosha for their achievements, their accomplishments and their contributions to making the city and in turn the world a better place.
We'd like to thank their nominators for seeing the good in each of them.
We'd like to thank the families for raising such great kids.
But most of all we'd like to thank tonight's recipients for making great choices in the lives and have brought to you here at this evening.
And now for some awards.
I'll turn this way so I can see you better.
All right, Elliot, come on up.
Elliot Fortner is a junior at Lakeview Academy.
Elliot is a bright, compassionate and creative student who contributes positively to both his school and community academically.
Elliot demonstrates strong ability and abstract reasoning, particularly in mathematics and computer science.
His AP Scholar and Honors Recognition reflects consistent success in rigorous coursework.
He's also self-aware as a learner, recognizing both his strengths in theoretical work and areas for growth, demonstrating maturity and in strong growth mindset.
Beyond the classroom, Elliot is an active and dependable student leader.
He participates in ROV Club, which just plays second at the 2026 MATE Great Lakes Regional ROV Competition.
Board Game Night.
Sorry, Board Game Club, National Honor Society, Math Club, Computer Programming Club, and Tutoring.
In tutoring, Elliot recognized a need for more structured academic support, approached a staff member to serve as an advisor,
and helped organize a system to coordinate qualified student tutors with peers needing assistance.
This initiative reflects his leadership, responsibility, and commitment to helping others succeed.
In his other roles, he continues to promote collaboration, inclusion, and academic engagement among his peers.
Elliot's creative interest in music production and tabletop role-playing games reflects his imagination and depth of thought.
He engages deeply in storytelling, meaning, and structure, often bringing both creativity and analysis to his work.
Elliot is a student of strong character and intellectual depth who consistently seeks respectful dialogue and meaningful collaboration.
Congratulations, Elliot.
Next is Elena Torres Gomez.
Come on up, Elena.
Elena is a graduate of second grade at Frank Elementary School.
Elena consistently helps create a positive classroom environment by asking how to help and offers to support her classmates daily.
Her kindness and patience make others feel safe and included.
She is eager to learn, participates with enthusiasm, and approaches new tasks with curiosity and a willingness to try.
Elena often takes on small leadership roles, such as explaining how to do something or being trusted to run school errands.
Elena is a character leader of empathy, something because she is such a kind-hearted person.
She also shows respect, responsibility, and a positive attitude that raises the tone of the classroom community.
She's also been selected to be the student of the month for three consecutive years.
Lastly, Elena has also had perfect attendance for the past three years.
She doesn't want to miss a single day of school, which demonstrates reliability and commitment to her education.
Congratulations.
Next, we have a trio of students who are being awarded tonight, so Lauren, Claire, and Audrey come on up.
They're not all three here, but we have two of them are going to be recognized tonight.
Lauren, Claire, and Audrey are in fifth grade, graduates of fifth grade at Nash Elementary School.
Claire Buck's mom, Lauren Heimstead, and Audrey Faulkner wrote about how our school looked awful because of all the trash.
The girls in this group asked if they could clean up the area.
They first said it could be our home room to clean up.
Then they thought about all of the grades.
Next, they decided that leaders empower others.
So, they asked if they could make it a school-wide event.
It was fun to experience how this unfolded organically and was student-driven.
These kids are truly the best.
They are so solution-minded and such an inspiration.
Congratulations.
Next is Owen Hermes, a junior at Indian Trail.
Owen is a standout candidate for the Mayor's Youth Commission Award due to dedication and excellence in all areas of his high school career.
He has maintained a perfect straight A record throughout high school while maintaining a rigorous course load, including several AP classes.
He is a member of the National Honor Society, track and cross-country teams, and completed over 100 hours of community service.
He consistently demonstrates a level of maturity and responsibility that sets him apart from his peers.
He is highly organized and motivated in all aspects of his life.
Congratulations, Owen.
Now a new voice for you.
Awesome.
Dawson Server is in 5th grade, Southport Elementary.
Throughout her 5th grade year, Dawson has served as a responsible and safe member of Southport's Safety Patrol
and an integral part of the Southport Student Ambassadors,
which is a teacher-nominated leadership position within the school that supports other students and staffs
in building our school community and culture.
As part of this team, Dawson mentored younger students, aided teachers in the classroom, and welcomed new students and families to Southport.
As an ambassador, Dawson kept her commitment to attendance, behavior, and work ethic.
Dawson also participated in the Battle of the Books, a team-based reading competition, as well as the Southport spelling bee,
and are both opportunities outside the classroom for dedicated individuals to participate in academically.
Also, her artwork has been recognized in this year's KUSD art show, as well as when she was in 3rd grade.
In addition to her many school roles, Dawson is an active member in a wanness in her local church community,
which focuses on the fundamentals of God and the Bible.
Dawson is also an avid athlete participating in team sports such as softball, flag football, and volleyball within her community.
She also has an interest in joining the theater department during middle school next year.
In her free time, she loves to recreate artwork, swim, enjoy the outdoors, play with her dogs, and spend time with her cousins and family.
Dawson is a well-rounded individual, her personality, leadership, compassion, determination, and academic success shines brightly here at Southport,
and throughout other aspects of her life as well.
Many of her fellow students consider her role model and a friend with the most genuine heart. Congratulations.
Samantha Tanuda is in 5th grade at Roosevelt Elementary.
Samantha is a lieutenant on the safety patrol and has been nominated for safety patroller of the year.
On top of that, she plays hockey on two different teams, plays the piano, the double bass in the school orchestra,
participates in the arrangement program, has no missing work, and has excellent attendance.
Samantha is kind, helpful to her classmates and teachers, and is an all-round great kid.
She has been an asset to Roosevelt since coming here in 2nd grade to attend the enrichment program,
and we all know she will do great things in middle school. Congratulations.
APPLAUSE
Ethan Turner is a senior at St. Joseph's Catholic Academy. Ethan plays high school football track and on the cross-country team.
Ethan was a varsity letter winner in football for two years and a varsity letter winner in track for four years.
Ethan made the WFCA academic all-state this year as a senior. Ethan is a leader on the school retreat team,
guiding younger students to facilitate ways to experience Christ and connect with their faith.
Ethan displayed academic excellence by spending his middle school career making the first honors list
and making the first honors each year in high school as well. Ethan challenged himself this year,
taking AP courses and participating in a dual credit theology course offered with a Marquette co-op arrangement.
Ethan is a model student. He serves at Mass almost every Wednesday and is part of St. Anthony's pair here in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
Ethan is a bright, well-rounded student athlete and community member who shows leadership and exceptional work ethic
and displays a higher level of compassion than other students of his class.
Between his classroom teachers and coaches, they cannot say enough wonderful things about Ethan and his leadership.
Congratulations.
Well, first off, thank you to the Mayor's Youth Commission for all the work that goes into recognizing these amazing students.
To the student honorees here tonight, you guys are incredible.
I can't say every time that we have these and I listen to all of the accomplishments, you know, obviously from grade school on up to high school,
you know, it's incredible what we should all be proud of in this community is to have individuals like yourselves who care deeply about their community,
who care deeply about their education, and you don't just talk about it, you do something about it.
And I'm very thankful for all of you, for all the things that you have accomplished at this point.
And I know that there's just listening to what you all have accomplished.
I know that there's a lot more in store for you as you continue on your life's journey.
To the parents, family, brothers and sisters, teachers, thank you for raising such amazing young people.
It never ceases to amaze me.
I heard a young person here out tonight, he was reading a book here and his goal was 40 this summer, he's already at 36.
So he's going to blow that goal away.
So again, whenever I hear people talk bad about youth or talk bad about things, I just shake my head and I go,
you're not talking to the people I talk to.
The people of Kenosha here, the young people here, are incredible.
And it's because of all of you who raised such amazing young people, we're very proud of all of them.
So thank you all for what you've done.
At this time, I'd like to ask for a five-minute recess for pictures.
We'll put five minutes recess for pictures.
I'll move in a second and all of a favor say aye.
Aye.
We stand in recess.
Everyone, if you want to come up, we're going to do some pictures.
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Thank you.
Five minutes having elapsed.
We are back in session.
Please continue.
Citizens, comments.
We have 17 citizens that have signed up to speak.
Each will have three minutes.
When your name is called, please proceed to the podium and state your name and address for the record.
The first speaker is Aaron Mann.
Aaron Mann, 5934th Avenue in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
Hello, council.
Mr. Mayor, I don't know if you remember me at all, but a while back.
I was honored to perform with the mayor in a show of little shop of hoarders.
I don't know if anybody got to see it or not, but it's fantastic.
He rolled up in a police car, got out, did the opening monologue, kicked it off.
It was fantastic.
Great job.
But the show itself, I don't know if anybody's ever seen little shop of hoarders or if you've seen
the movie starring Rick Moranis, it is a show about a mysterious plant that arrives promising
fame and fortune.
See more feeds, the main character, see more, feeds his blood to this plant.
It grows, it brings money, but the plant keeps demanding more, more blood, more sacrifice.
By the end, it is consumed everything, America and the world.
The Greek chorus in the show has one lesson here, don't feed the plants.
You can quote the writer on this, but the show is quite literally a testament to how greed
and capitalism can ruin us.
The evil character, the plant, is called Audrey Two, and in this case, I'm referring to,
you probably guessed it by now, the Microsoft AI data center, being the plant.
And I'm telling this council, don't feed the plant, much like the message at the end
of the show.
A few points you've probably already heard or not, but are very worth repeating, all based
on the facts and numbers, via this source sheet I decided to pull together.
You probably hear this multiple times today.
The jobs that this data center are going to bring are a mirage.
Let's look at the numbers.
10 to 20 people are going to be employed.
That's roughly 40 to 80 people, total jobs for a facility that is a million square feet,
four buildings total.
Wall Street Journal quotes this is saying, this is the lowest number of jobs per square
foot of any facility.
Offices are manufacturing on that same level would definitely employ hundreds, if not more,
of connotions.
We put a little elbow grease into that.
The secrecy is .2 that I brought to you today.
Kenosha signed an NDA with the Microsoft in May for over seven months.
Residents had no idea what was being negotiated on their behalf.
Microsoft only abandoned NDA's this past March, not out of goodwill, but because communities
across Wisconsin made secrecy politically toxic.
Even now their own lawyer admits they'll still use NDA's for land purchases.
The transparency they're offering is the transparency that we forced.
Point three I'm bringing to you.
The environment in public health, you've probably heard a lot about this multiple times, but
the facility will use 4,500 gallons of water daily.
And that's just what's disclosed.
In Mount Pleasant, a single Microsoft data center drains 2.8 million gallons from Lake
Michigan annually.
Erin, you have 30 seconds.
Thank you.
The last points I would like to bring to you are your electric bills and property values,
but I am running out of time, so I will cut to the chase.
To wrap up, Mayor, I shared a stage with you.
I know you care about this community, but I urge you to look at what this actually is.
A trillion dollar corporation asking us to foot the bill for their power, sacrifice our water,
and accept environmental costs so that they can train AI models that will never benefit
a Kenosha resident, or anyone for that matter.
Maybe in the short term, but not the long term.
And little shot before is the main character piece.
Thank you for your time.
Folks, I'm going to ask, as I do at every meeting, that we don't applaud, jeer, sneer,
yell, just let everyone speak with their mind.
Everyone has their three minutes.
That way we can get through as many of these as we possibly can.
I appreciate that.
Thank you.
Next speaker, Nicholas Prorak.
Nick Prorak 8858 Sheridan Road.
Good evening.
Thanks again for having me here.
I'm here to talk about the data center.
Before I do, I want to say congratulations for all of you to not be under the NDA anymore.
They, Microsoft did release, a press release in March saying they didn't want to do NDA's,
but Microsoft officially canceled the NDA with Kenosha June 22nd, so two weeks ago.
So that's wonderful news for transparency.
Now, if we could have two years of open and honest conversation about the project and concrete
measures that are being taken to ensure residents are protected and Microsoft can be held accountable,
that would be fantastic.
Opposition to this project is growing every day, and not because we're making really good
arguments, but because every time we talk to someone, we're new people who don't know about the data center.
Secondly, I submitted a public records request at the end of May.
My records related to communications with Microsoft and the city.
The assistant city attorney told me that there's 18,000 documents that they need to go through,
and they're getting back to me on a cost, so it's my request to the mayor and to the common council
that you waive the costs and you, you know, be transparent with the people of Kenosha for free.
With that being said, I'm a fax guy.
It's really important for me to, like, when we're talking about anything, to talk about fax,
and so I just want to talk about today how hyperscale AI data centers are not the same as cloud computing data centers.
You might see people say that, well, if you don't want a data center, then you should give up your cell phone,
you should give up your computer, you should give up your smart TV.
This data center that Microsoft wants to build, this AI data center, will not affect your ability to use Facebook,
it won't affect your ability to use Instagram, it won't affect your ability to listen to your favorite audio book,
to stream Netflix, they're totally unrelated.
The largest data centers before modern AI, the modern AI data center build out, used about 100 megawatts of electricity.
The Mount Pleasant AI data center is expected to use 3.3 gigawatts of electricity.
That's 33 times the amount of electricity that data centers used to use.
Nick, you have 30 seconds.
That's the equivalent of 3.3 million homes.
So comparing cloud data centers to AI data centers is like comparing mom and pop stores to Wal-Mart.
You say, well, you buy stuff, so it's your fault that Wal-Mart wants to build here,
but we know mom and pop shops are not the same as Wal-Mart.
All in person, Rosenberg, I remember when you fought hard to stop a Wal-Mart in District 9.
This is the hyperscale version of a Wal-Mart.
So I'd like to ask you, gentlemen and ladies, please pass a moratorium to allow the time to ensure that everyone of you is educated on the issue that reals up.
Thank you.
Next speaker, Kimberly Laska.
Good evening, mayor and alder people.
My name is Kimberly Laska. I live at 2403, 136th Ave.
Microsoft Corporation is my new neighbor.
They just haven't moved in yet.
So I want to tell you a little bit more of my personal take on the situation.
I got to meet Microsoft at the Community Connect event,
held June 23rd at the Fountain Banquet Hall in Racine.
I met the VP Bowen.
He was flown in from Redmond, Washington, and he was sure to remind me that Microsoft was a for-profit company.
And I also talked to the land use representative, who came all the way from Toronto,
and she tried to reassure me by saying, oh, honey, don't worry,
you can get a free car wash during the construction phase.
I was neither reassured nor optimistic about Microsoft being a good neighbor after this open house.
What I did feel was a sense of connection with the other attendees,
mostly locals, fellow homeowners, trying to make sense of these giant, noisy, rumbling boxes invading our neighborhoods.
And I certainly felt less alone when I attended the Quam, D.C. event at Rodee Center last Tuesday, July 29th,
and some of you were there.
Thank you for coming.
I sat in the audience, laughing along to Charlie Barron's jokes and fighting back tears
when Amanda Mueller from Port Washington spoke so eloquently
about her experience of living through the construction phase of an AI data center.
I felt a strong sense of community.
And again, the other day, when I saw the Gallup and Pew Trust polls citing that seven out of ten Americans
are opposed to the construction of AI data centers.
I knew for sure I wasn't alone.
Both polls cited the major concerns of rising home energy costs,
the impact on the environment, and the quality of life for those living nearby.
Those are my concerns too.
Marquette Law School's latest poll found the same 70% opposition to data centers
and noted the skepticism on the part of the public is bipartisan.
But I already knew that, and I knew that from talking to my neighbors.
It didn't matter if they were Republican, Democrat, or independent.
No one wanted a data center moving in.
So I'm here tonight to ask you to consider the moratorium.
And I'm calling for Democratic accountability.
Kimberly, you have 30 seconds.
All right, please listen to your constituents.
And maybe as an alternative, we could welcome real things that real people need.
And I'm happy to hang around if anyone wants to hear more about my experience
at any of these events.
I brought my knitting, so you know I'm not going anywhere.
Next speaker, Phil Weitzel.
Good evening, Mr. Mayor and Alderman.
I really enjoyed the people tonight, and I could see in our community
that there's really a lot special here.
And I think...
Sir, I apologize for interrupting.
Please state your name and address.
Pardon?
Name and address.
Oh, name and address?
Phil Weitzel.
82036th Avenue, Paris.
So to pick up where I left off, I really enjoyed the get together this evening,
and I see our community as something very special.
And I think that all of you probably need to step back,
and I'm sure you already have, and you begin to form your opinions on this data center.
It's just a center of controversy everywhere.
I mean, quite frankly, we live, about my wife and I live, about two and a half, three miles
from where that data center would be built.
And quite frankly, I'm interested in really understanding what the impact is going to have
on our community.
Not just Kenosha, but Paris, and the surrounding area.
I mean, we have a solar farm behind us, and it's huge.
It's taken a lot of land, a lot of acreage, and it's changed the look of the county.
It really has.
It's impacted us.
We've heard from we energies.
They were going to put beautiful trees around the solar farm.
It hasn't happened.
I haven't seen one tree.
I'd invite any of you to go out and take a look.
Given the fact that we are looking at a data center that could potentially bring a lot of
money into our community, it's a good thing.
But we need to look at both the good and the positive, the negative and the positives.
And I just ask that you do that.
And as a result, I'm asking for maybe we let the people in Kenosha and even out in Paris
to be able to decide, is this really best for us?
Is this something we want for our future and for our future grandchildren?
That's what I'm asking you tonight.
I'd like you to consider that.
And rather than saying it's divisive, it's not divisive.
It could be very beneficial to the community.
On the other hand, it could be detrimental.
We don't know.
We just don't know.
And there's a lot of unknowns at this point.
And I would like to hear what those unknowns are before we make the decision.
Put it before a referendum to the people.
Allow the people to decide what they want rather than just the people in this room.
Because we're part of them, but we want them to decide.
Thank you.
Arabella Kessler.
Arabella Kessler 3327-47th Avenue.
I am a lifelong Kenosha resident and a property owner here for reference.
I would be about four and a half miles from the data center.
I'm coming here to denounce it and the fossil fuel plant that would power it.
And respectfully display the level of frustration I feel towards the city officials on this matter.
I'm not here to spit facts at you because a lot of other intelligent folks here have
and will sum it up better than I can.
However, it is incredibly disappointing to me that the mayor and the council have been doing
this behind the backs of Kenosha residents and perpetuating lies spun by Microsoft about
data centers.
Thank God the NDA is over.
The Kenosions need to be fully informed on this matter.
I understand Microsoft has come in and promised the city developments, profits, jobs.
Surely you've heard this before, but there is not a return on jobs as they are majorly
temporary construction positions filled by traveling workers.
Of course, the trillion dollar company that wants to build on our land and use our resources,
such as our amazing farmlands and Great Lakes, is telling you it's safe and will improve
the quality of our lives that closed looping systems are different.
Unfortunately, there's countless video and photo evidence and testimony of actual citizens
living near data centers demonstrating the exact opposite.
Whether it is air pollution, forever chemicals, leaching into the ground and water systems
that cause cancer and birth defects, inability to use running water,
can you imagine not being able to take a shower or drink the water out of your own home?
Rising electric bills and new fossil fuel plants, remember folks, that's one of the trade-offs
to a system that doesn't use massive amounts of water.
It requires massive amounts of energy, meaning higher costs and even more pollution.
To each of you sitting before me, remember why you hold the position you hold.
Remember you were elected to represent us, the beautiful city of Kenosha and its residents.
Are you really going to allow a trillion dollar company potentially taking over our farmlands,
polluting the air and poisoning the lakefront be your legacy?
I urge you all to reconsider before it is too late.
Consituents deserve to be prioritized over corporate interests and investments.
Do you work for us, the people, or for Microsoft, the corporation?
It is not really that we don't know the ramifications of these data centers yet.
It is not that we don't have enough information to know it's safe or not.
It is that we are actively seeing the ramifications play out all over the U.S. right now in real time.
We are actively seeing the damages, people being forced to move out of their homes,
people not being able to use their water, flooding of properties, constant noise.
They are seeing higher rates of asthma and different...
Areabella, you have 30 seconds.
Thank you.
I am just going to end this by saying we have seen the damages that have caused.
We just haven't seen how bad it can really get yet.
And outside of that, just like the gentleman two before me mentioned,
this is not the type of data center that holds our clouds.
This is for hyperscale surveillance centers, and I do not want it here,
and a lot of young people my age feel the same way.
Thank you for your time.
Stephanie Malick.
Hi there, I am Stephanie Malick at 360714th Avenue in Kenosha.
This is all new to me.
This is my first time ever at one of these, so a little nervous.
But anyway, I want to ask for a moratorium on the data centers for Kenosha,
and really for a lot of the area.
I've got four kids.
I'm really nervous about them not having water, not having clean water,
having issues as they grow up, and I don't think I'm alone.
There was many people at the Rode Center, and I think many of us in the area
are very worried about the next seven generations.
I don't know if you've ever seen the movie The Lorax, but I don't want my kids to glow,
so if we can stop some of these things that we're doing in the area,
like causing more pollution, these data centers are hungry,
very hungry for our water that we have here,
and I've been talking to my dad about, like, what are we going to do?
He's 85 years old, and he said, well, we live next to the Great Lakes.
If there's an issue here, then there's nowhere else to go.
So it's for those reasons that, like, I think we should have a moratorium on this.
We don't know why the bees are dying with the vibrations that they have going on
with these data centers, and why livestock is not producing as much.
And people have done these studies, and thank you so much to the Aldermen
and things like that that were at the event that was held at the Rode shows that you care.
To the ones that were not, maybe you can get some information from that.
I think that's all I really have to say.
I just really care about our future, and if you do too,
I would suggest not having data centers here.
Thank you.
Greg Cresson.
Good evening.
My name is our first mayor and comma council.
Thanks so much for the time.
Hello, my name is Greg Cresson.
I live at 802. 21st Avenue, Kenosha.
I'm here tonight to talk about my concerns with Kenosha AI data center,
air quality, and the effects of backup diesel generators
and the two gas fire plans planned for Paris, Wisconsin.
I suffer from asthma, and I am concerned about the air quality
that will continue to deteriorate with the addition of more AI data centers.
The American Lung Association has given Kenosha an F rating for high ozone pollution.
Ozone acts like sunburn on the lungs,
swelling the airways and triggering acute asthma attacks.
Due to the failure to meet national safety standards,
the EPA has reclassified the Kenosha air quality as serious.
My brothers and I grew up on the rock river, and we used to run around on our bikes.
And I'm diagnosed. I have an inhaler.
I have the medications I need.
I fear for the young kids that aren't diagnosed.
And with heat, it intensifies the effects and can be very serious.
And it's, for me, asthma was like trying to run a marathon breathing through a straw.
I just don't know, and it hits you, and it took me years to figure it out.
Emission regulations on backup generators are less rigid than on power sources,
because they are only supposed to be used in an emergency situation.
Many AI data centers are already using these backup generators far more than advertised.
At the Mike Rissoff Mom Pleasant Campus, they use these...
The use of these diesel generators is projected to emit roughly 100 tons of nitrogen oxide annually.
Gas-fired energy plants aren't much better than diesel as they emit nitrogen oxide
sulfur dioxide and unstable organic compounds.
Most towards this type of energy does not live up to the Kenosha comprehensive plan
to encourage the use of alternative and green projects.
The data I found on these energy sources will cause flare-up and new cases
of asthma, deep tissue, lung damage, and emergency visit rooms.
Studies show that the health and economics costs could be between 25.4 and 47.4 million dollars annually
for the Paris facilities alone.
Liz Morzfeld.
Hi. Good evening. Thanks for listening to me.
I'm Liz Morzfeld.
Live at 3331 55th Court.
I'm just going to say ditto on a lot of things everybody said
because they kind of took everything I was going to say.
But when I stop and think about the amount of energy that a data center would use
and I'm assuming that we energies is going to have to build more power plants.
So who's going to pay for that?
That cost will probably pass on to the people.
Plus then you talk about all the pollution and you talk about all the effects of the noise,
which you could hear from miles away.
I think that it's going to affect a lot of people in Kenosha, not just, you know, 10, 15 people.
And I think that you should consider what the people in Kenosha think
and try to get them more informed.
And I think that you should do your due diligence also and get some information on it.
You know, maybe have them moratorium or whatever and study on it and see what are some of the effects
because, you know, that's a decision that shouldn't be made really fast.
It is something that should be thought about and considered.
And I would hope that all of you considering you represent the city of Kenosha
will keep that in mind when you make these decisions.
Thank you.
David McLean.
David McLean, 2020, 21st Street.
Good evening, mayor and members of the common council.
My name is David and I am a resident of Kenosha.
I come before you tonight, not in anger, but to raise an urgent alarm regarding hidden financial crisis,
quietly taking root in our neighborhoods.
I believe this council cares deeply about the financial well-being of Kenosha families.
This is why I need to share what is happening at the brand new dollar loan center location
on June 24th at 2047 22nd Avenue.
Many people look at these storefronts and assume they are just standard old school payday shops,
but the reality is far more dangerous and our community desperately needs your help to intervene.
Dollar loan center does not offer standard 35-day payday loans.
Instead, they use a specific statutory loophole under Wisconsin statute section 138.09
to issue open-ended signature loans.
Because Wisconsin has no cap on interest rates for licensed lenders,
these loans carry annual percentage rates that can exceed 400%.
The truly malicious tactic is how the debt is engineered.
There is no fixed payoff date. Instead, interest accumulates and compounds every single day.
If a working-class resident in Kenosha borrows $1,500 to repair their car or cover rent,
they are immediately hit with over $16 of interest every single day.
If they fall behind, their monthly payments only cover the mounting daily interest,
meaning they can pay for a year and still owe more than the day they walked in.
It is a financial treadmill designed to trap vulnerable families in a cycle of permanent debt.
Internal corporate documents reveal an operational culture that explicitly views our working-class neighborhoods
as a resource to be heavily extracted.
This store sits right in a high-density family corridor, right next to a daycare,
and across the street from an elementary school.
Rumors indicate that more locations are already being planned for Kenosha.
Our community cannot survive this kind of economic drain, and we cannot fight a multi-state corporation alone.
Sir, you have 30 seconds.
We need our city leaders to step in as our shield.
State law may control the financial licenses, but this common council controls the dirt.
You have the zoning power, the ordinance power, and the code enforcement tools to protect our neighborhoods.
We encourage you to work with us to draft emergency zoning restrictions,
keep these high-interest storefronts away from our schools and daycares,
and to enact a moratorium on the new permits before more of these traps open.
Please look closely at these predatory mechanics, protect our families,
and help us keep Kenosha's well where it belongs in the pocket of our hard-working residents.
Thank you.
Mr. Stephen Janiak.
Hello, Stephen Janiak, 2605, 18th Avenue, Kenosha, Wisconsin.
Hello, council members, and Mayor Bogdala.
I believe that there should be a one-year moratorium on data centers being built in Kenosha.
I'm concerned that we do not know the full environmental effects
from these construction projects that are funded by these billion-dollar tech giants.
The EPA and DNR may not have the proper guardrails in place,
partly because they don't know what those even are at this point.
It's sort of like building the airplane while you're flying it.
Explosive growth is not necessarily good growth, especially when left unchecked
and left to the folks that only have profits in mind.
These large-scale projects bring minimal permanent jobs
and the construction jobs associated with these data centers
are not necessarily creating new jobs.
They are merely taking away the already small pool of qualified trade workers
from other construction projects.
It delays other local projects as well as increasing bids
for those less profitable jobs to get done.
I'd like to know exactly what the benefits are to Kenosha's
and we will see those proposed tax dollars fully available in our budget.
What are the other benefits?
I have not seen or heard from the city any information
of what these benefits are.
Clearly the public has questions and they are not being answered
and that only builds mistrust.
And the longer we don't get those answers,
the more the public will push back.
And this is not just the Kenosha issue that's happening all over our country.
Again, I think there should be a one-year moratorium
on this data center project just to take a step back
and ensure that this is truly a positive thing for our community.
Thank you for your time.
Jerry Moore.
Jerry Moore, 10, 9, 18, 69,
St. Kenosha, Mayor David Dogdala and Council members.
As I walk to my car on Juneteenth,
I noticed the pollinator patch below me at the Lincoln Park Lagoon Bridge
and I started thinking.
These patches, as they're called, are being erected everywhere,
mostly cooperatively with agencies and schools to educate our youth
about stewardship and promote habitats and their sustainability.
And they're being done cooperatively with community engagement
with experts like Dave and Kristi at Root Pike Wind Watershed,
Farmer Stephanie at Funken Farm,
Kaylee at Gateway Center for Sustainability
and Vijay at the UW Extension
and through library organizational educational events.
Because working with experts together matters
to grow, learn, and bring varied expertise.
As cooperatively, we reach, teach our kids the importance
of interdependence, the Aldo Leopold land ethic
of cooperative living in harmony and balance with nature
and spread the important role that pollinators
and the bees, like this lady mentioned before,
bring and connect.
Yet with data centers, I wrestle.
I wrestle with how these habitats
that we have been cooperatively encouraging,
growing, working to build, and will withstand
the development of data centers.
And not just because of one or two builds here or there,
but a corridor of builds all along the I-94 corridor
that encroach, disrupt, demolish those green farmland
knee-high fields in July and the patches of interdependence.
We've been spending money on and teaching our kids to encourage.
As the data centers raise temperatures, pollute air,
and the EMF, or the electric and magnetic fields,
disrupt habitats we've been trying to build.
EMFs are invisible areas of energy invisible,
often called radiation that are associated with the use
of electrical power and various forms of natural and man-made lighting.
They interfere with magnetic maps and the bees use for navigation,
causing disorientation, and in some cases a total loss of foragers.
So I would like to ask if there has been an environmental impact,
and if so, please share with the community, bring in experts
from all sides to discuss, hold community sessions
and hold aldermanic district meetings and gatherings,
like David Bogdala used to do in our district at Nash School,
to allow input dialogue, conversation, and amoratorium,
which will allow us all to have a voice and a vote in our community.
Thank you.
Scott Elberts.
Good evening. My name's Scott Elberts. I live at 7822, 30th Avenue.
Thank you for the opportunity to speak tonight.
Progress has to be positive and profitable.
I have been a Kenosha County resident since 1996,
and I have lived in the city of Kenosha since 2002.
I have an invested interest with Kenosha County and the city of Kenosha.
I do not want to AI data center in the city.
I do not want any more AI data centers being built.
Wisconsin already has 50 centers throughout the state.
I ask for the common cancel.
I ask for you, Mayor, for amoratorium.
I ask that your voices join with our voices as we raise concern
to the district representatives, the state representatives,
to our governor.
I ask to join us and say no.
One of my concerns is water usage.
See, I originally come from El Paso, Texas.
Water is precious and necessary when living in the desert.
You grow accustomed to the lack of water usage and rotating water restrictions.
It comes with the territory.
Since I've lived in Kenosha, I have come to love the presence of water in this territory.
I enjoy the opportunity to drive to the Lake Michigan and rivers and streams
and other neighboring bodies of water. I enjoy water.
It is a way of life, especially in Kenosha.
I can see why the city of Kenosha was chosen as an ideal site.
If I was a business and that's only dependent on constants
and what seems an endless supply of water,
this would be the perfect spot to build that business.
But if I was that same business that's solely dependent on heavily relied
on constant source of water from everyday operations,
I at least would have the decency to publish my system for review.
Not just to city developers behind closed doors,
but to the citizens who would be directly affected unless I was a business
that was hiding something.
I fell in love with the southeastern corner of Wisconsin.
I drive by that beautiful lake every day, going back and forth to work,
and I am amazed and awestruck.
Unfortunately, and lately, I am more concerned and awestruck.
I have two questions to leave with you.
Lake Michigan and the local ecosystem.
How will this project affect Lake Michigan?
Scott, you have 30 seconds.
Thank you.
Local water resources, wetlands and climate goals, wells.
How will this project affect the well system and the families that depend on it
and the rest of the data center imposes on the well drying up?
Remember, it is okay to change your mind and say no to this proposal.
It is okay to join the citizens of Kenosha and say no.
Rachel Kirschner.
Hello, I'm Rachel Kirschner.
I live at 2613 136 Avenue in the town of Paris.
I had a much longer speech prepared tonight.
Being my third time here.
All I have to say tonight is three-starred event residents have filed a class action lawsuit
against Microsoft.
I will say that again.
Three-starred event residents have filed a class action lawsuit against Microsoft.
Whether that lawsuit ultimately secedes isn't the point.
The point is that enough people believe something is wrong that they are willing
to take a global corporations to court.
Shouldn't that make everyone of youth stop and think because here's what worries me.
Mount Pleasant approved their data centers.
Now, Kenosha is being asked to approve another one before we understand the full impacts of
the first one.
Why are we rushing?
Why aren't we waiting for independent studies?
Why aren't we learning from what's happening just a few miles away?
Tonight I'm asking you to do something simple.
Hit the pause button.
Adopt a moratorium on new data centers until independent studies on infrared, infrasound,
and low-frequency noises are completed and the community has real answers.
Thank you.
Colton Roberts.
Hello, my name is Colton Roberts.
I live at 4710 18th Avenue here in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
I would like to start off by saying I agree with everything everyone said here today.
The data center will be nothing but trouble for the city.
But I'd like to bring up another topic to your attention, flat cameras.
I don't know if anyone in here has done much research on them, but a few days ago it was
revealed multiple higher-ups, including the VP of sales, who are using the flat cameras
to look at children's gymnastics rooms and pool rooms in their capital of Savannah, Georgia.
This is unacceptable.
Multiple law enforcement agencies have come out and admitted that their officers have used
flat camera for nefarious purposes, including the not so far away city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Two officers use them to track one wanted to track their ex and then one to track a
proposed partner.
They use the flat camera to track them down and stalk them.
Now, here in Kenosha, we don't have that many flat cameras, but as I've driven to race
scene, I have seen many, many more.
And I'm scared of what these data centers and mass surveillance AI cameras will do to our
people.
Multiple studies have come out that show that putting up more cameras does not decrease
crime.
Decreasing crime crimes having a competent DA, notice respect.
These cameras also do nothing but drain resources.
I believe the city of Kenosha sends about $3,000 a year on one.
Could we not give that to our officers?
Solid pay raise, better training, more equipment?
Maybe give that to our prison system so we can actually put criminals away.
I have a daughter and I have another child on the way.
I feel completely and totally exposed knowing every time I drive around one of my children
may be used for nefarious purposes for some executive not in Georgia who will never face
charges for their crimes, not only against God but against humanity.
I understand wanting to have a safe society.
I want one too, for my children, for myself, for my family.
But the risks everyone's freedom for safety is unacceptable.
I believe it was Thomas Jefferson who said for he who once, for he who sacrifices freedom
for safety deserves another both.
I end my time.
Thank y'all.
Linnea Alerad.
Good evening.
My name is Linnea Alerad and I live at 8042 42nd Avenue in Kenosha.
This week on Tuesday I had the privilege of sitting down with Mayor Baknala and speaking
with him about the data center and my questions and concerns and I appreciate the information
that was given.
That was very helpful and your invitation for anybody who wants to talk to you about it
to make an appointment with you.
That evening, Tuesday night, I went to the program at the Rode Center with the panel
of people who have intersections with data centers either through their professional experience
or their personal experience and there was more good information to hear and to consider.
And I don't know about you.
I have never seen the Rode Theater packed to overfilling.
That was an amazing turnout and an amazing audience.
There were young parents with their small children, I mean small, young people with their
hair dyed and their piercings and modern clothes and there were adults all the way up to senior
citizens and it was wonderful to see so many people represented at that hearing.
I don't know about you.
In our country these days, for the last couple years we've had decision after decision after
decision handed down that impact people's lives considerably.
Handed down without thought for their concerns, without thought for their input and for what
they would like to see happen and not have their lives negatively affected.
To me, the meeting on Tuesday night said there were a lot of people in Kenosha who still
want to be more informed about this data center.
The attendance might have had something to do with the comedian but I will tell you nobody
left.
I didn't see anybody leave after the comedian and they all stayed through the entire panel discussion.
I believe it's time to open up.
Thank you.
To the city as a whole, I think we need to have town hall meetings or something of the
sort to give people a chance to voice their concerns, have their questions answered to be
informed, to be included, to be a part of this decision of what affects their community.
Thank you.
Hi, Sage Holloway, 4,500 10th Ave.
I'm confident my abridged comments will be meaningful.
Let's just go right into it.
I don't want a data center in my backyard.
You get a lot of pushback and you need buy-in from the community because you have to get
permits.
You're not really getting a ton of community benefit from having a data center in your
backyard.
Those are not my words.
By the way, those are actually, again, abridged, but direct quotation from Lindy Stone and
attorney at Microsoft.
Now, I want to draw your attention to another past situation.
In 1948, DuPont built a plant in Washington, Virginia.
They manufactured C8, which was used to make Teflon.
By 1984, high levels of C8 were found in the local drinking water.
In the 90s, a farmer by the name of Earl Tennant took things into his own hands after noticing
mysterious symptoms in his cattle with over 150 of his livestock dying.
By 1999, internal documents came to light that proved that the company knowingly dumped
toxic waste into the waterways and that they did not inform regulators, nor citizens, nor
legislators, such as yourselves.
DuPont ended up paying over a billion dollars total in settlements between class action
lawsuits and the early 2000s, all the way to personal injury claims that got paid out
up until actually pretty recently.
When Tennant, that farmer, initially lawyered up, he was shunned by the community.
After all, DuPont had brought so many jobs to the area and the influence on the local
community and the development that it brought.
Everyone was aware of that.
Now, eventually, the truth did come out.
Thousands of West Virginians died before they even saw anything resembling justice.
I bring up that example, not because it is a direct comparison.
We all know that the AI revolution is not the same as a materials company in 1948.
However, what it brings to you today is the idea that we cannot trust what Microsoft is
pitching to us when they develop here.
If Ms. Stone, that lovely lawyer from the beginning of my speech, is willing to say on
camera that she doesn't want a data center in her backyard, then what might she be saying
when she's not being filmed?
Sage, you have 30 seconds.
Thank you.
From what I quoted earlier, it feels like the satisfaction.
It feels like our satisfaction is a box to check for someone like Microsoft, rather than
our approval to earn as citizens and as lawmakers, even as elected officials.
Let's not mistake corporate innovation for community enrichment.
Let's not make the same mistake that Washington, Virginia did.
Let's take our time to invest in making the best decision for our community for Kenosha.
Moratorium now, since I'm running out of time, let's all leave it.
Thank you.
Next speaker, Lou Ragani.
Good evening.
I'm Louis Ragani.
I live in 4526, 29th Avenue, and it was a year ago I was here, and I thought I'd rehash
that topic once again.
Maybe sour grapes if you want to call it that, but it happened right here in this room 11
years ago tonight when the Lakota group went down.
I see nods.
Thank you.
Lakota group started out about 2010, and the city was behind it.
All the referendums and all the votes and all the different venues that told about the
downtown study and this expensive Lakota group study that was really pretty comprehensive
and still exists somewhere in the files, and the council at that time thought what we'll
do is take a vote now that we're not going to abandon this as we did so many other studies,
so many studies in the files.
So I vote now, whatever the Lakota group comes up with, I vote for it.
I maintain that we support it.
Okay.
I'm coming to the punchline on that.
There's always a punchline, isn't there?
Punchline that on this day in this room, the Lakota group was washed away because the
we energies wanted five million bucks to replace wires that were under the street that
they didn't even know existed as it turned out there weren't any wires.
One of the alderman got a letter on a Friday brought it down here on a Wednesdays.
Apparently, the alderman took the choke and said, wait a minute, five million bucks?
Oh, I vote no, I vote no, I, no, no, five million, two years later they spent two million bucks
to pave sixth avenue between 58th street and 59th place.
That five million bucks would have covered the Lakota group and it's 10 and a half million
dollars study that would have paved three and a half miles of streets in Kenosha.
You ever get any phone calls?
Why do we fix the streets?
I see nods, subliminal nods, but nods nonetheless.
The Burnham Road over here, 8th Avenue would even have paved that and see the city finally
did that.
That and lead streetcar tracks for a public transportation system for the entire downtown
area with the new burgeoning downtown that I thank everybody, congratulate you all along
with the cobalt partners for making it happen.
We're coming into the big leagues.
Thanks to you?
Sir, you have 30 seconds.
And the planners, it was all lost, I would have paved every street and we even had a
street car line for a five million bucks.
Oh, thank you for all you do and I wish you all a pleasant and productive evening and
keep working on the Eagles Club.
That property is far more, far more known throughout the world than is the ballroom
in Surf City, Iowa, was it clearly?
Okay, we'll be back.
Thank you, please continue.
Be Communications, petitions, reports of departments, B1 approval of the following
applications, A87 operator's licenses, B1 taxi driver's license, C1 successor of
agent status license, T3 amusement and recreation requires supervisor licenses.
Gentlemen, from 10th.
Thank you, Mr. Mayor, make a motion to concur with the recommendation of license and affirmative
to approve.
Second.
I make a motion to approve.
It's been moved and seconded to approve.
Any discussion on the motion?
Seeing none, all those in favor say aye.
Aye.
Any opposed?
Motion carries.
B2, communication from the City Clerk regarding beer and or liquor licenses declared null
and void for failure to renew.
Gentlemen from the 10th.
I make a motion to receive and file.
Seconded.
Seconded to receive and file aye.
Any discussion?
Seeing none, all those in favor say aye.
Aye.
Any opposed?
Motion carries.
See recommendations from the Committee on Licenses and Permits, C1 applications for
renew operators' licenses to be effective July 7, 2026.
A, Justine, Blackstorff, 10, B, Suzanne Cruz, 50.
Gentlemen from the 10th.
Thank you, Mr. Mayor.
I make a motion to approve C1, C2 and C3 after being read in a necessary applicant or public
hearing.
C2 application of Sonja Keenan for a new taxi driver license, C3 applications for a temporary
outdoor extension of a Class B beer, Class B liquor license with no adverse recommendations
from the Police Department, ABFW Post 1865 located at 6618 39th Avenue on July 11, 2026.
BTK Kenosha LLC located at 7,074th Place on September 18, 2026.
Okay.
Motion on the floor is approval of C1 through C3.
I'd like to sign, open up to a hearing.
Anyone here speak on C1, 2, or 3, please come forward, state your name and address.
Hello, my name is Sonja Keenan.
I don't know if you have any questions for me.
Can we get your license, Sonja?
Wait, what?
I mean, your address, please.
I'm sorry?
605 60th Street and it's for a taxi license.
Okay.
Thank you.
If there's any questions from the council, we'll call you back up.
All right.
Thank you.
Anyone else on C1, 2, or 3?
Anyone else?
Anyone else seeing none?
Close to the hearing.
Motion on the floor is approval.
Any discussion?
Seeing none.
All those in favor say aye.
Aye.
Any opposed?
Motion carries.
C4 application of Ilan Events LLC for a new Class B beer, Class B liquor license located
at 62557 Street Suite 101 with no adverse recommendations from the police department.
Gentlemen, from the 10th.
Thank you, Mr. Mayor.
I make a motion to concur with the recommendation license permit for C4, C5, and C6 after being
read and unnecessary applicant hearings.
C5 application of MLJ Kenosha LLC for a yearly cabaret license located at 3221, 6C a street
with no adverse recommendations from the police department.
C6 renewal application of Marge, Petro, LLC for a Class B beer, Class A beer license
located at 4433, 22nd Avenue with no adverse recommendations from the police department.
Okay, that was 6-2.
Okay, at this time, open up to a hearing.
Anyone here speaking item C4, 5, or 6?
Please come forward.
State your name and address.
Anyone here speak on C4, 5, or 6?
Anyone here speak?
Seeing none.
Coles are hearing.
Motion on the floor.
It's concurrence.
Any discussion?
Seeing none.
Would you like to know?
What's that tell you?
Actually, you know what?
I know I can't even, when I scroll down, I can't even see him.
Why, he's working on that.
Can you please use Dominic's check, go ahead.
Thank you, Mr. Mayor.
I just need you to abstain from C5 for a conflict of interest.
Thank you.
Okay.
We'll be noted.
Any other, all the persons on C4, 5, or 6?
With seeing none, motion on the floor is concurrence.
All those in favor say aye.
Aye.
Any opposed?
Motion carries.
E ordinance is first reading.
E1 ordinance by the Mayor to repeal and create chapter 5.119 recycling of the Code of General
Ordices for the City of Kenosha Public Works recommended to approve 5-0.
I'm in gentleman for a third.
Thank you, Your Honor.
I move to send E1, E2, and F1 on their way after being read.
Second.
E2 ordinance by the Mayor to amend subsection 2.06 of the Code of General Ordinances for
the City of Kenosha regarding payment by non-sufficient fund checks, finance recommended to approve
5-0.
F zoning ordinance is first reading, F1 zoning ordinance by the City Planning Commission to
re-peeling, re-create section 2 of re-zoning ordinance 17-24 to re-zone the property at
5403, 7th Avenue, 5413, 7th Avenue, 610, 55th Street, 618, 55th Street, and 620, 55th
Street from B3 Central Business District and IP institutional park district to B5 downtown
mixed use district in conformance with section 10.82 of the zoning ordinance.
Okay, motion on the floor is sent E1 through F1 on their way.
Any discussion?
Seeing none.
All those in favor say aye.
Any opposed?
Motion carries.
Aye.
Resolutions.
Aye.
One resolution by the Finance Committee to correct resolution 51-26.
Finance recommended to approve 5-0 and Public Works recommended to approve 5-0.
Gentlemen, from the 13th.
Thank you, Mr. Mayor.
I move to concur what the Finance Committee recommendations on Aye One and Aye Two after
being read.
Second.
Aye Two resolution by the Mayor authorizing execution of the Department of Natural Resources
principle for given financial assistance agreements, finance, and Board of Water Commissioners
approved 5-0.
Okay.
Motion on the floor is concurrence.
Any discussion?
Seeing none.
All those in favor vote aye.
Those opposed?
No.
Roll call please.
Motion carries 15-0.
Aye Three resolution by the Committee on Public Works to order the cost of public sidewalk
and drive-away approach construction and or replacement to be specially assessed to abutting
property for Project 26-1040, 27th Avenue and 24th Avenue resurfacing.
Public Works recommended to approve 4-0.
Lady from the 8th.
Yes, I move to concur with the Public Works Committee on item I-3.
It's been moved and second to concur with Public Works on I-3.
Any discussion?
Seeing none.
All those in favor of Board aye, those, I'm sorry.
Thank you.
Time to open it up to a public hearing.
Anybody here speaking item I-3?
Anybody here speaking item I-3?
Anybody here speaking seeing none?
Close the public hearing.
Motion on the floor is concurrence.
Roll call please.
Motion carries 15-0.
Aye Four resolution by the Mayor to approve a one-lot certified survey map for property
located on 52nd Street and 41st Avenue Public Works recommended to approve 4-1.
I'm going to come to you, gentlemen, from the third.
Thank you, Your Honor.
I move to concur with the City Plan Commission recommendation for approval on I-4.
Second.
Okay.
It's been moved and second to concur with City Plan Commission.
Gentlemen from the 10th.
Thank you, Mr. Mayor.
If you look in your backup, you will see that as part of the documentation.
There was a deferral at City Plan.
I didn't ask for that deferral.
I'd made my comments known to members of the Committee and to the Mayor, but that deferral
was given due to my work schedule.
I could not make either one of those meetings, but I guess thank you for that.
I'm against this and I'm asking you to vote no.
There's no one in the 10th district that is asking for a third auto-part center.
At Public Works, it was mentioned that this was an expansion of a, that's incorrect.
We have advance, we have Riley's, and this will be an auto zone within right across the
street from each other.
No one in my district is asking for three auto-part centers.
Now, I understand that we do not determine who wins in the market.
The market determines that.
And I believe in the market.
My first concern is one, no one's asking for this.
Two, I already have two auto-part centers in the area.
If one of these three fail due to the market, now I have an empty commercial building on
52nd street again.
It took years for Burger King to be reoccupied.
And in that period of time, the building was vandalized.
It became an eyesore.
It had numerous calls for cleanup, which took city resources, city time.
We can avoid all of that by voting no now.
There's no need, there's no demand for a third auto-part center.
Now, I know one of the comments made was there's, there are storage units all up and down 52nd
street.
Okay.
There are.
I don't think those are highest or best use for those properties.
I can't tell a private owner what to do with their property.
And you would say, well, where the Kmart is, that's a storage center.
And where Walmart used to be, that's U-Haul, which storage centers.
So what's the problem?
Well, I would say the problem is this is a different entity.
I don't know what the occupancy rate is for the three storage units that are along 52nd
street in my district.
However, I will go back to reiterating my first point.
I do not need three auto parts places right across the street from each other.
I'd ask you to vote no.
Thank you.
Thank you, sir.
Gentlemen from the 16th.
Yeah.
Thank you, Mr. Kennedy.
All the first in Kennedy, thank you.
I'm going to vote, yes, I voted, yes, on licensed City Planning Commission.
Only the strong survive.
Some people like the brewers, I myself like the Yankees.
Yes, there is three storage units, facilities on 57th street.
Pretty soon, you want us to tell Walgreens that CVS pharmacy can't go next to Walgreens?
Oh, no.
This is a new auto parts start, it's going to be a bigger facility so they could supply
quickly to City of Kenosha's needs.
If Mr. Kennedy doesn't want to end his district, I welcome it in the 16th district.
I'm for businesses.
If a business becomes vacant, Kenosha's a hot market, the hottest in the United States.
It's not 1980 anymore.
We can't say that they can't build it there, we can't.
Like I said, the strongest will survive, will they all survive?
Maybe.
A good possibility.
We can't determine that at this point and or ever.
If they have a right to build, they came in front of the committee, made a good presentation,
and there is a need for that business.
Otherwise, they wouldn't do it.
They're investing their own money.
I'm all for it.
Thank you.
Thank you, sir.
Gentlemen from the 11th.
Yes, I agree with my colleague to my left here.
We don't need another parts store there.
This is the main thoroughfare to the city of Kenosha downtown.
I think we need something more different than all the parts store.
It's just too many there.
Thank you, sir.
Gentlemen from the 17th.
Thank you, Mr. Mayor.
Just a couple of comments here.
I think it's kind of rich that we have all the people, which I respect greatly, dictating
what kind of businesses come in and out of our city.
I question, how many businesses has the Alderman from the 10th ever built or run?
As a consumer, I love competition, love capitalism, I love choices.
For my personal experience, I've built a business, a successful business for the past 15 years,
with eight competitors, within a two minute walk of my business, including one across
the street directly and one at the corner of my block directly.
My customers don't seem to mind any of their choices.
We're talking about auto parts.
We're not talking about some controversial industry that would affect the name and the
reputation of Kenosha.
So I'm in favor of letting them try it out and see what happens if it fails.
It fails.
American capitalism.
Thank you.
Thank you, sir.
John, we're from the 10th.
Thank you, Mr. Mayor.
Through the mayor to the city attorney, do we have the right to say no?
Or should we just rubber stamp this and go for it as it was implied by the Alderman
person of the 16th district?
You have a right to evaluate the application and make a decision.
Yes, sir.
Thank you, sir.
Any more lights?
Seeing none, Mosha on the floor is concurrence with City Planning Commission to approve.
Roll call, please.
Motion carries, 10 to 5.
I-5 resolution by the principal sponsor, Alderman, Rocco Lamakia, to increase the number of licensed
towers utilized for towing service by the Kenosha City Police Department.
Jim from the 5th.
Thank you, Your Honor.
Well, on I-5 and I-6, we as a committee for Public Safety and Welfare approved it unanimously,
so I'd like to change that from just my name.
Well, let's stick with, unless you're going to make a motion on both, sir.
Yes, please.
I'm going to make a motion to concur with Public Safety and Welfare.
Correct.
On both of them.
Okay.
Instead of changing my name, I'd like the whole committee on it.
I'd like to speak at it further once we get going on.
If you'd like to make that motion on your laptop, sir, to approve as, or concur with
Public Safety and Welfare, correct?
Yes, sir.
Thank you.
Is there a second?
Second.
Okay.
General from the 5th, you have the floor.
Actually, the motion is to approve I-5 and I-6, correct?
Correct.
Yes, sir.
Can we have the clerk read I-6 and I'll give you the floor, sir.
Thank you.
Yes, so to clarify, you're going to concur with Public Safety and Welfare to approve as amended,
as amended.
Yes, as amended.
Okay.
Thank you.
And the amendment is resolution by the Public Safety and Welfare Committee.
Thank you.
Okay.
I-6.
Then resolution by the Public Safety and Welfare Committee to authorize community service officers
to cite for parking violations under Section 11.15 of the City of Kenosha General Ordinances.
All right.
John, from the 5th, you have the floor.
Thank you, Chief.
Could you come up to the podium, please?
Thank you, sir.
First of all, let's go to I-5 towing.
We went from, what, 5 to 6 or 6 to 7?
So we list five companies.
We actually have seven vendors, three of which are followed by the Jans name.
Okay.
And this is a benefit to you guys, correct?
Correct.
For snow emergencies, auto accidents, all the above, pretty much.
Yes, highlighted in the letter I wrote, you know, public safety during snow emergencies,
major crashes, reduce on-scene time for officers, firefighters and motorists, and then help
us know removal and traffic management.
Thank you.
Now we'll go to I-6.
Tell everybody what this community center officers will be allowed to do.
So right now they can only write citations under Chapter 7, but we have the authority
through Wisconsin State Statues, 800.02 to have them write tickets under other sections
of our ordinances, including 11.15, so they'd be able to write tickets for vehicles parked
in lawn rather than being called to the scene and then having to call an officer right
after because it needed to be a sworn officer to write it.
So again, this is beneficial to the whole community, especially your department.
Yeah, it's going to free up resources.
Thank you, Chief.
Appreciate the input.
That's it, sir.
All right.
Gentlemen from the 10th.
Thank you, Mr. Mayor.
I was just wondering, where are we in reference to the licensing fee, the towing fees?
There was discussion about increasing them.
Did we take care of that?
I kind of lost the thread there.
Sure.
An answer is no.
We're still evaluating those, but we are working on that.
Thanks.
Gentlemen from the 1st.
Just put a border.
Did you get to the gentleman, the 5th, did you get your change of what I make, the change
of spots, shifting from you to the committee?
Motion that was made was as amended by Public Safety Law for us, the gentleman motion was
correct, sir?
That was on the record.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Okay.
Motion on the floor is concurrence with Public Safety and Welfare.
Roll call, please.
Motion's I-5 and I-6.
All in person, Pizala.
Motion carries 14 to 0.
J appointments, reappointments by the Mayor, J-1 appointment of Raymond Cameron to the
Transit Commission to bill an expired term that will begin on July 7, 2026 and will expire
on June 7, 2029.
How about gentlemen from the 10th?
Mr. Mayor, make a motion to approve item J-1.
Anything else, sir?
Sure.
Item J-2, after being read any necessary hearings.
J-2, reappointment of Sean Algros to the Kenosha Housing Authority to fill an expired term that
will begin July 7, 2026 and will expire June 30, 2031.
Gentlemen from the 10th.
I just wanted to extend a thank you to the Mayor and the City Administration for their
efforts in helping Mr. Cameron get reappointed, so I wanted to thank you for that.
Thank you, sir.
Anyone else?
Motion on the floor is approval of J-1 and J-2.
Call call, please.
Motion carries 15-0.
K-public construction and improvement contracts.
K-1, award of contract for project 26-1040, 27th Avenue and 24th Avenue resurfacing.
Two cornerstone papers LLC in the amount of $517,000, public works and stormwater utility
recommended to approve 5-0.
Lady, from the 8th.
Yes, I move to concur with the Public Works Committee on item K-1.
Moving to second to concur with Public Works on K-1.
Any discussion?
Seeing none, all those in favor of vote aye, those opposed?
No, roll call, please.
Motion carries 15-0.
L, other contracts and agreements.
L, one approval of leased renewal agreement between the City of Kenosha, Wisconsin and
93-90 partnership.
LLC number 93-90.
Finance recommended to approve 5-0.
Gentlemen, from 13th.
Move to concur with the Finance Committee recommendations on L-1 and L-2, after being
read.
Second.
L-2 approval of leased renewal agreement between the City of Kenosha, Wisconsin and Southport
Hanger, Condominium Association, Inc number 95-30.
Finance recommended to approve 5-0.
Okay, motion on the floor is concurrence of Finance in L-1 and L-2.
Roll call, please.
Motion carries 15-0.
L-3 property use agreement between the City of Kenosha through the Board of Public Works
and Kenosha Downtown Partners LLC for Black Sea located at the northeast corner of 55th
Street and 8th Avenue.
Public Works recommended to approve 5-0.
Lady from the 8th.
Yes, I move to concur with the Public Works Committee on item L-3.
Move and second to concur on item L-3.
Any discussion?
Seeing none, roll call, please.
Motion carries 15-0.
L-4, stormwater management practices, maintenance agreement for stormwater management facilities
between the City of Kenosha, Wisconsin and Horizon SBX, Kenosha, LLC.
Stormwater utility recommended to approve 5-0.
Yes, thank you, Mr. Mayor.
I move to concur with the Stormwater Utility Committee on items L-4 through L-7.
L-5, stormwater management and access agreement for stormwater management facilities between
the City of Kenosha, Wisconsin and Horizon SBX, Kenosha, LLC.
Stormwater utility recommended to approve 5-0.
L-6, stormwater management facilities, maintenance agreement between the City of Kenosha, Wisconsin
and Tiroweds, LLC.
Stormwater utility recommended to approve 5-0.
L-7, permanent stormwater easement and agreement between Tiroweds, LLC and the City of Kenosha.
Stormwater utility recommended to approve 5-0.
Okay, motion on the floor is concurrence with Stormwater Utility Committee on L-4 through
L-7.
Any discussion?
Seeing none, roll call, please.
Motion carries 15-0.
L-8, first amendment to development agreement between the City of Kenosha, the Kenosha Water
Utility and Kenosha Downtown Black, LLC for property located between 7th and 8th Avenue
and 55th and 56th Street.
Public works, stormwater utility and the Board of Water Commissioners recommended to approve
5-0.
Gentlemen from the, or lady from the 8th, I'm sorry, I'm not looking at the wrong one.
I was looking sorry, I was looking one ahead.
Make a motion to concur with Public Works Committee on L-8.
It's been moved in a second to concur with Public Works Committee.
Any discussion?
Seeing none, roll call, please.
Motion carries 15-0.
M recommendations from the Committee on Finance.
M-1, disbursement record number 11, 6,561,256.7 cents.
Finance recommended to approve 5-0.
Gentlemen from the 13th.
Move to concur with the Finance Committee recommendation to approve M-1.
Second.
Move to second to concur with Finance.
Any discussion?
Seeing none, roll call, please.
Motion carries 15-0.
M recommendations from the Committee on Public Works.
M-1, acceptance of project 20-2040, Kenosha Innovation, Neighborhood Phase I, which has
been satisfactorily completed by A.W. Oaks and Sons, Inc., the final one of the contract
is $21,292,477.60 cents.
Public works recommended to approve 5-0.
Lady from the 8th.
Yes, I move to concur with the Public Works Committee on items N-1 and N-2.
And two, acceptance of project 24-1014 Concrete Street and Joint Repairs, which has been satisfactorily
completed by Beardsley Concrete LLC, the final amount of the contract is $389,855.35.
Public works recommended to approve 5-0.
Okay.
Motion on the floor is concurrence for the public works.
Any discussion?
Seeing none, roll call, please.
Motion carries 15-0.
Okay.
Very briefly, Mayor's comments.
First of all, to all of Kenosha, what an amazing week it has been from the parade to the fireworks
display and all the events happening along the lakefront was a great fun family event.
My hats off to all the city staff who put in a ton of hours in preparation, planning,
cleaning things, trimming trees, adding garbage cans, adding police and fire.
Everybody was on all hands on deck approach and I think you saw that and I think based
on I know the weather was a little bit goofy on Saturday, but it cleared up just in time
and had a great way to celebrate, in my opinion, the greatest country in the world on our
250th birthday and it was great to see so many families out there enjoying it.
So my special thanks to all the staff who really put on a lot of time, in particular
like to call out Chris Coachman from my office who really coordinates a lot of the different
things and keeps kind of everything kind of moving along on track whether it was the
parade, whether it's fireworks and everything downtown.
All of you for all the committee work because I know there's a lot of things that got to
go through various approval stages to get to that point.
You all had prompt and thorough hearings and I appreciate all of your efforts because again
it's all of us working together to make this happen.
So my congratulations and thanks to all of you and happy birthday America.
Come in front of the third.
Thank you, Your Honor.
First of all, I'd like to ditto your comments that you have just made, say anything from
going over them again.
Every year around this time I go on and on about the illegal use of private fireworks
and I wish people would cease and desist.
Obviously some people have money to burn literally so consequently and a lot of people enjoy
them but some of your neighbors have pets of course that don't do well with these unexpected
explosions and then again there are veterans and we all want to honor our veterans and
there are some veterans with post traumatic stress disorder so when there is an unexpected
boom it triggers a reaction and it's not good.
And finally you know after the fourth I mean there are people still blowing them off
at one, two, three o'clock in the morning.
Some people have to go to work the next day and if they hear these explosions you're interrupting
their sleep and you're just be a gracious person and don't do that.
I'm sorry these fireworks are illegal and you know I've heard well I got a license.
No you didn't.
You did not get a license.
These places that sell them it's legal to buy them but it's not illegal to blow them
off.
And secondarily I've noticed a lot of things in the city as far as especially pedestrian
safety.
A lot of people have gotten into these little motorized electric scooters tearing on along
the sidewalks and weaving in and out among pedestrians.
And this is an accident waiting to happen.
Also many bikes on the streets.
Now if you have a motor cycle you need a license.
Well you've got teeny tiny little motorcycles on the street and you know basically they
don't pay attention to the traffic laws you get a whole group of people and I urge our
police to be a bit more vigilant in enforcing the traffic laws on that.
I know the police have got a lot on their agenda.
They've got limited resources and a lot of calls that they have to answer to.
But at the same time when you see something like this please respond and put a stop to
it when you can.
Thank you.
Thank you sir.
Jennifer 17th.
Thank you your honor.
I just want to take a minute to thank Chief Patton and the KPD for a ride along that my
son and I were gracious enough to attend on June 24th.
My son did a second shift with Officer Mark.
I did a third shift ride along with Officer Jordan.
I sat through two roll calls.
We did the complete shift.
Just gave you an appreciation for their daily jobs, encounters and engagements and what
they do to keep our streets and our city safe.
So thank the police force and thank Chief Patton, please thank you.
Thank you sir.
Jennifer from the 10th.
Thank you Mr. Mayor.
This might sound a little bit less sour grapes but I don't know anything about stormwater
easements but yet I voted yes for it so maybe I should stop doing that since I haven't ever
done stormwater easements or any of the other stormwater management or access agreements.
I haven't done those either.
So maybe on a go forward basis as put down by the aldermen of the 17th I won't vote
on those either.
I love that guy.
What I really want to talk about though is my good friend, the past alder person and
county board supervisor Mark Madori.
In my Facebook memory something popped up where I talked about when Mark Madori was
appointed to his reappointment to joint services.
For those who don't know Mark Madori he was a great man.
He was an aldermen.
He was a county board supervisor.
He was a tireless volunteer in our community.
And his appointment to joint his reappointment to joint services was routine or should have
been.
He served in the city.
He served in the county and he served in our community or he served on the county board.
So the elect the the appointment of him was a no-brainer.
One decided that they would bring up a Facebook post and show this as being supportive of
Antifa.
And what the frick does Antifa mean?
It means anti-fascist.
Well, wasn't our grandfathers the greatest generation weren't they anti-fascist?
Didn't they fight the fascists in Germany and Italy?
But I shouldn't go down that line, right?
I want to read something to you that I wrote in support of as I know aren't we all anti-fascist
was not the greatest generation anti-fascist isn't being against fascism one of the very
embodiments of a democratic society but you need to realize in this bizarre world inverted
mirror whelm up down is down down is down up to twisted reality that you can use words
like Antifa and right to work in the best Aurelian no speak or double think tradition
and it obscures the meanings on a 12 to 11 vote the appointment was sent back to committee
to allow the appointee to clarify their position.
I spoke called county board members and gave them a understanding of who Mark Midori
was why their vote was misguided and I had commitments from people to appoint him to
the joint services committee.
But that Antifa thing was just a faint the real the left hook that was coming was to
start showing some messages that market sent to his friends and now he's a misogynist
he's anti he's a racist he is they started a character assassination against this man
he withdrew his application his nomination and some people in this community look at
that as a as a victory they don't understand the embarrassed being embarrassed they don't
understand the hurt of having your being having your integrity questioned now why why the hell
am I talking about all this now why because it pissed me off so I wrote about it because
the people who orchestrated that character assassination are still in power today and
they're benefiting from the people who helped put that together and I just want people to
realize that these kinds of things happen in our community to good people I wrote for this
thing called government to work we need people to give of their time their talent and their
energy sometimes these gifts are bestowed upon a community with very little reward or
remunerment remunerment thank you money sometimes the reward a person earns is the heartfelt
belief that they are helping build a better community the things these good people should
not earn is an assassination of character I have in my hand right here the original article
from 1978 talking about the city may quit apart for impaired may pioneer park idea for handicapped
Mark Midori found this article gave it to me and it sits here in my desk because he is the
grandfather of the dream playground I know we call Tammy can for you the mother of the dream
playground but Mark Midori was the grandfather when we look at the Shalom Center and what it
was and what it became and the amount of work that Mark Midori helped put into it with many many
other people I am more than willing to stand with the memory of Mark because he has done more for
this community than any muck raker fake journalist blogger jerk has ever done thank you thank you
sir gentlemen for 16th thank you mr. Mayor a lot of us been getting a lot of emails I've been getting
a ton of phone calls about the data center I want to thank the people that showed up tonight to
talk about the data center 17 people 16 talked about the data center everybody has a right there
own opinion had a phone call yesterday I get many many voicemails and they call them back they're
almost always about the data center but we have to be respectful today I had a hang up on somebody
because I was being disrespected vulgar language and I don't I don't need to hear that we don't
we don't always have to agree we could disagree but we can remain peaceful but I certainly is not
going to be a disrespected or called many names on the telephone you know I didn't sign up for that
so if we keep it keep it respectful we don't have to agree we're not going to agree but
everybody has a right to their opinion and everybody on the council here listens and takes notes
what everybody has to say so it's America that's that's the citizens rights and
but it's all about respect just because we don't have the same opinion on things doesn't mean
I'm right or that the person's wrong it's just we we have different opinions so thank you bye
thank you sir seeing no other lights motion to adjourn on your laptop of being ordered
moved and seconded to adjourn all the favor say aye