Weekly digest: Hospital taxes, sewer projects and a new council and school board

This week marked the start of new terms for both the Wauwatosa School Board and the Wauwatosa Common Council after the April 7 election.

The School Board met Monday and elected officers, including Lynne Woerhle, who will again serve as the board's president. The board then proceeded to its first significant vote of its new term, advancing a new staffing plan that trims about two dozen district employees, most of them teachers.

At the same meeting, Superintendent Demond Means spoke about the district's decision to end its contract with Right at School at the end of the school year over incidents involving employees of the before- and after-school program. Means apologized on behalf of the district for behavior he called "despicable."

‘Despicable’: Means apologizes for Right at School incidents; district seeks new provider

The district will end its contract with the before- and after-school care provider effective June 11, and administrators already are lining up interviews with new companies interested in providing those services for families, starting with summer programming.

Tosa Forward NewsDavid Paulsen

At the Common Council's first meeting of the new term, the 12 members took their seats representing 12 newly drawn districts, a reduction from the former 16-member council. They elected Joe Phillips of District 7 as the new council president.

In business news, the East Tosa BID is seeking its first part-time executive director.

The Business Journal and Journal Sentinel reported on the planned addition of four townhomes and 10 apartments in Tosa Village. Tosa Forward News had reported those details in this story about the city's expanded use of tax incremental financing to enable such developments.

Wauwatosa also will be watching for the outcome of the Wisconsin Supreme Court's review of a case involving Children's Hospital's objection to the city's tax on a hospital building while it was still under construction. The hospital says it shouldn't have to pay tax on an unfinished building. The city says it should. TBD!

State Supreme Court to review Children’s claim of tax exemption on unfinished building

At issue is whether a building that eventually would house tax-exempt functions could be taxed while under construction. Children’s Hospital says no. Wauwatosa says yes.

Tosa Forward NewsDavid Paulsen

And then there was the Schoonmaker Creek news.

Except the story wasn't really about Schoonmaker Creek. Although, in a way, it sort of was. But also about an MMSD sewer improvement project that roughly parallels Schoonmaker Creek.

At any rate, an impressive turnout at the MMSD's meeting. Dozens of residents were interested in all the things. Here's a summary, and there's certainly more to come.