City leaders have a limited number of options for how to pay the cost of unreimbursed repairs, almost all of the options involving direct or indirect taxpayer support.
City leaders now think it may be possible to stage the fireworks program on Swan Boulevard where it crosses the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District's retention ponds, just south of Hoyt Park.
Several communities in the region, including Wauwatosa, had been waiting for the update before proceeding with repairs to their flood-damaged publicly owned properties.
The council is set to shrink from 16 members to 12 after local elections in April 2026. If the budget for council's pay stays the same, that money will be divided among fewer members, effectively meaning a pay raise.
Under Wauwatosa's current policy, the department does not collect any payments directly from patients who live in Milwaukee County after seeking insurance reimbursement.
Highlights included a reduction of yard waste pickup to monthly instead of biweekly, a reduction of one firefighter position, cost-of-living increases for other staff salaries and savings through increased energy efficiency.
The 13-1 vote authorizes city staff to begin negotiating the terms of a possible agreement while seeking answers to some of the remaining questions about how such a merger would work and how a joint department would be managed and governed.
Wauwatosa Civic Celebration Commission members were optimistic that a partnership with West Allis would produce an even more spectacular fireworks display for both communities while crucially alleviating concerns in Tosa over public safety, staffing and cost.
