Wauwatosa's new Common Council will look a lot like the old one after the April election. At least seven incumbents are likely to return to the municipal governing body.
In general, the council had a good year of meeting attendance. At most meetings, all but one or two members were present. Some members missed more meetings than others.
Voters in at least one of the new districts will have two incumbents on the ballot to choose from, and multiple incumbents could be on the ballots in up to three other districts.
The new 12-seat configuration of the Wauwatosa Common Council, which takes effect with the April 2026 election, is forcing all incumbents interested in staying on the council to campaign for the votes of at least some new constituents in newly drawn districts.
This is the first of three articles providing an overview of the coming council election, the nominating period, the council’s structural changes and the latest status of the 16 incumbents.
The proposed merger of Wauwatosa’s and West Allis’ fire departments cleared another significant hurdle this week as the Wauwatosa Common Council voted in favor of a preliminary list of terms for a final agreement.
Whether those bills will be received with angst or relief is likely a case-by-case judgment. It is particularly difficult this year for Tosa taxpayers to compare those bills with those that came before, for at least two reasons.
The Sonesta hotel on the southeast corner of Watertown Plank and Mayfair roads would be converted to apartments under a redevelopment plan now in the works.
Yard waste collection was one of two lingering issues that dominated the council's debate before it voted, 12-3, to approve the 2026 budget. The other primary debate was over an ongoing city subsidy for Bublr Bikes.
