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| Book Club Bounty If your summer reading list includes an item or two for your book club, I have a suggestion. Consider asking your book club buddies to bring a donation of food along with that bottle of wine or pan of brownies. I decided to try this with my own neighborhood book club and, thanks to my generous neighbors, look at the result! I dropped all this “book club bounty” off at WayForward Resources last week. As a volunteer in the food pantry, I knew that condiments like ketchup, mustard, and barbecue sauce would be especially big hits now that cookout season is in full swing. If you’d like to try this with your book club, WayForward maintains a “top 10″ list of most-needed items. Plus, their Back-to-School program has started, so new backpacks and all kinds of school supplies are being collected through August 14. I hope some readers will try this with their book clubs. If you do, I’d love to hear how it turns out.  Construction Season Is Upon Us Summer brings with it so many wonderful things. Road construction is definitely not one of them, although I do very much appreciate the finished product. This seems to be an especially busy year for construction projects and associated road closures. As I reported last month, Parmenter Street reconstruction is finally underway. This project started on June 23 and is tentatively scheduled to be completed in late October. The commencement of work caused an unusual amount of confusion and consternation. That’s because, despite there having been a pre-construction meeting, the city, the contractor, and the workers apparently weren’t all on the same page when the work began. City staff have been working hard to fix this, so I hope those extra frustrations are behind us. Businesses and other properties located on Parmenter will remain accessible even with construction. The Belle Farm development off of Parmenter, for example, has no other access right now except via Parmenter. Likewise, WayForward and businesses north of it will be accessible. Using Greenbriar or Exit 249 off the Beltline, people also can get to the Middleton Recycling Center. Other businesses, like Springs Window Fashions and Nonn’s, typically are accessed via Parmenter. But there may be times when it’s necessary to route that traffic — including trucks — on Spring Hill Drive instead. In fact, just yesterday, the Police Department issued a “no parking” order for the Spring Hill neighborhood in order for larger vehicle deliveries to get to Springs Window Fashions while Parmenter is under construction. The order prohibits parking in the locations listed below from 7 am to 6 pm, Monday through Saturday, starting today (July 1) and continuing through October 5: – High Road, both sides from Spring Hill Drive to a point 125 feet south – The 7000 and 7100 blocks of Spring Hill Drive, both sides – Spring Hill Drive, both sides, from Lynn Street to a point 185 feet east – Lynn Street, both sides, between Spring Hill Drive and Graber Road – Graber Road, both sides, from Lynn Street to a point 180 feet west Watch for temporary “no parking” signs to be posted soon. With active construction work going on in Redtail Ridge and the new Pheasant Crossing development, it’s also possible that some heavy trucks will pass through areas that typically don’t see construction traffic. I live on Whittlesey Road and we had a lot of truck traffic in June because of the intermittent closure of High Road for utility work to support Pheasant Crossing. That work was scheduled to be finished at the end of June, so the detour should no longer be necessary. There may, however, be a need for future High Road closures. Heavy trucks have done some damage to the road, so the city will be repairing these areas and also improving the roadway for continued use through 2027 when total reconstruction of the road is scheduled.  Another area with closures is the intersection of Allen Boulevard and Century Avenue. The project underway there involves removing asphalt and replacing signal equipment. This should make it possible for lead pedestrian interval programming to be implemented at the intersection, meaning the “walk” signals will give pedestrians and bikes using the crosswalk a head start on crossing before vehicles get a green light. In addition, the existing multipurpose path along Allen Boulevard will be extended northward across Century Avenue to connect with the multipurpose path on the north side of the street. This will be a big improvement for pedestrians and cyclists. Unfortunately, while the work is being done, the sidewalk and crossing on the west side of the intersection have been closed (see photo above). According to Public Works, it’s likely the crosswalk will be closed for two weeks while median curb ramps are reconstructed. That will leave walkers and cyclists few options for crossing Century. For now the city has asked the contractor to put up extra signs and post a detour directing people where to cross. Because there aren’t any nearby crossings, it’s anticipated that pedestrian traffic will have to be routed all the way to Branch Street. This situation demonstrates that, despite having a “Complete Streets” policy, we aren’t yet considering the needs of pedestrians and bikes when we undertake street projects — even projects whose purpose is to help those very people. The Century/Allen project and the one to the east at Highway Q are causing lane closures and really bad backups for vehicles on all affected roadways. If you normally drive through these intersections on your commute to work, it would be a good idea to find a different route for the time being. The work is expected to be done by the end of August. If anyone has questions or concerns about road closures or construction traffic, don’t hesitate to reach out. If you see any trucks speeding on your streets, it’s best to call the company whose name is on the truck and report the speeding to them. I know from personal experience that this is the most direct way to get trucks to slow down. If you’d like to sign up for construction-related alerts from the city, visit the “Notify Me” page and select “Public Works News and Notices.” The city also maintains a web page with information on current road construction projects. Graber Pond Draft Master Plan Available I’m excited to report that a draft of the updated master plan for Graber Pond Conservancy is available for comment. This plan will replace the previous edition that Council approved in 2006 — that’s 19 years ago! The new draft plan was written by Adaptive Restoration, which is the same consultant that wrote the recently adopted Conservancy Lands Plan for the city. I have asked the city staff to hold a meeting for residents to learn about the draft plan, provide their feedback, and ask questions. For maximum benefit, this meeting has been scheduled to take place prior to the Conservancy Lands Committee, or CLC, meeting on July 23. The public meeting will run from 5 to 6 pm in Council chambers and the CLC will convene their meeting starting at 6 pm. Both meetings will be accessible on Zoom, too, for those who would like to participate remotely. Information on this meeting will be posted on the city’s website. I’ll be attending both meetings. By then, I’ll have detailed written comments to share. In the meantime, I thought I’d pass along my initial thoughts to readers. As a Council member, my two big takeaways from the draft plan are that we need to invest more funding into the conservancy and we need more people to do the work. On the Finance and Personnel Committee, I have consistently advocated against preparing new master plans for conservancies that don’t yet have them unless we’re committed to appropriating the funds to actually implement the plans. Otherwise, we’ll wind up with a lot of new master plans that won’t have meaningful followup. And that will lead to residents being disappointed and frustrated because their conservancies’ needs aren’t being addressed. As the 2026 budget is developed, I’ll be advocating for sustained funding to carry out the restoration and maintenance provisions of the Graber Pond Master Plan. I’d also love to see new signs and educational kiosks erected at the conservancy in the near future, plus new benches and even a few picnic tables installed in strategic locations. Regarding the need for more people to do the work, I’ll do my best to support new city staff dedicated to Middleton’s conservancies. This is a recommendation in the Conservancy Lands Plan, and having dedicated staff would certainly benefit Graber Pond. Even with new staff, though, the best way to get all the work done in a timely fashion is to recruit more people to help out. That’s why I particularly like the recommendation in the plan to establish regular volunteer work days and outreach events within the conservancy. Imagine the benefit to the conservancy if even a casual “Friends of Graber Pond” group were to organize. With five neighborhoods instead of just the two existing ones, there is a growing number of potential volunteers to work on regular weeding, planting, surveying, and seed-collecting tasks, similar to what the Friends of Pheasant Branch Conservancy do. If you would be willing to help out occasionally, please email Kevin Short so he can start a list. I’ll also bring this up again at the public meeting on July 23. If you cannot attend the meeting but would like to submit comments on the draft master plan, send them to Kevin with a copy to me and please mention any interest in volunteering to help manage the conservancy. Misty Valley Stormwater Facilities Since I was elected to Council, the mowing of the native vegetation in the Misty Valley stormwater basins has been an annual concern to a lot of residents. Luke Melotik, the new City Engineer, recently copied me on his response to a constituent’s email on this topic. He said he has been trying to move Public Works’ maintenance practices toward mowing less in areas where it isn’t necessary or may be counterproductive. But because the Misty Valley stormwater facilities aren’t functioning as intended, Public Works will have to continue mowing the basin bottoms and potentially around drainage structures fairly often this year. Next year, though, Public Works will undertake a project to rehabilitate the basins, which might further reduce the need for mowing. Luke said the project will “remove any sediment, improve the vegetation within the basins themselves, and facilitate more infiltration where possible.” He added that only one of the Misty Valley basins is designed to infiltrate stormwater, but it might be possible to retrofit the others to provide more infiltration. This would be helpful for reducing both flooding and the flow of sediment, nutrients, and invasive species downstream into the Pheasant Branch Ridge Greenway and Pheasant Branch Conservancy. Council budgeted $60,000 in 2025 to begin the design and planning for the project. The actual rehabilitation work is on the schedule for 2026 with an estimated cost of $400,000. Funding for the entire project will come from the stormwater utility. The draft master plan for Graber Pond Conservancy recommends not mowing the conservancy areas — including the Misty Valley basins — except to control invasive species. I would imagine the Public Works Committee and Water Resources Management Commission will have some thoughts on this recommendation as it relates to the Misty Valley basins because they’re engineered stormwater facilities, not natural features. At any rate, I think regular coordination among the Public Works, Parks, and Conservancy staff will improve the management of the basin and other areas for both stormwater and habitat. Incidentally, the rehabilitation of the Misty Valley basins is part of the “Graber Greenway” concept that I’ve reported on in the past. The study that MSA proposed hasn’t yet been funded because of land-access restrictions and also the likelihood that federal funding for any recommended improvements won’t be available. But four of the seven physical components of the greenway project are happening anyway because we need them to be done. These are the changes to the Graber Pond outlet structure and upgrade of the culvert underneath Misty Valley Drive; the aforementioned upgrades to the Misty Valley stormwater management complex; and the reconstruction of both High Road and the culvert underneath it. I’d prefer to take a holistic approach to the project and plan for work to be done on the eastern part of the greenway east of High Road. I’d also love to see the federal government provide us with the funds that Congressman Mark Pocan had managed to earmark for us. But these city-funded piecemeal efforts will help us achieve at least some of the goals of the larger greenway project. And I haven’t given up on the possibility of securing the funding and the access rights to complete this important project. My Update to Middleton Hills Residents On June 12, I had the opportunity to speak at the Middleton Hills Neighborhood Association, or MHNA, annual meeting. This was my third time speaking at an MHNA meeting and I always appreciate the chance to meet with residents to learn about what’s going on in their neighborhood and to share updates about city activities that will affect them or that may be of interest. Here’s what I reported on: – The work to improve the Middleton Hills Southeast Basin, located on Pheasant Branch Road, will finally take place this summer. This project was originally planned for 2023. Because our stormwater utility was underfunded and we had no dedicated stormwater staff, this project was one of many that had to be postponed as our staff worked on other tasks, like reviewing stormwater management plans. The intent is to put this project out for bid on July 25 and to complete the work this year. Construction will take place this fall, likely starting in mid-September and continuing through the end of October. I’ll ask the staff to use the city’s “Notify Me” system to send out alerts if any detours become necessary because of the work. – Council included funding in the 2025 budget for Old Creek/Pheasant Branch Traffic Calming. The $25,000 budgeted is intended to pay for a consultant to carry forward the project planning work that neighbors and our own Public Works staff had begun. The department has hired SRF Consulting to begin the design process. Any potential traffic-calming solutions will go before the Public Works Committee for review and comment prior to any decisions being made regarding implementation and the necessary funding. – This year the city has done some restoration work in the Middleton Hills conservancies. Specifically, $6,000 was used to pay for a prescribed burn in the Glacier Ridge unit (aka “Outlot 64”), which is between Glacier Ridge and Pheasant Branch Road. Another $4,000 will be used to remove herbaceous and woody invasive species in the Middleton Hills Oak Savanna and Glacier Ridge units. Council also budgeted $20,000 for Boundary Marking and Delineation to prevent encroachment onto city conservancy lands. The staff’s primary target is to identify and mark property lines on the north side of the Pheasant Branch Creek Corridor. But if any funds remain, the project will extend to the east side of Outlot 63 in Middleton Hills between John Muir Drive and Glacier Ridge Road, where staff have observed some encroachment. – Recognizing that there are a lot of dogs in Middleton Hills, I reported on the planned improvement of the city’s two dog parks (Penni Klein and the one off of Highway Q). Planning is underway to prioritize needs for both exercise areas and funding is available to hire a consultant to do the design work. The public will have a chance to weigh in on the design and their desires for the parks as part of the process of updating the city’s Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan. That process will start in September, so I’ll make sure to mention any public input opportunities in my newsletter later this summer. In the Q&A after my update, one resident asked when Council would go to a referendum to add more police officers, citing information from the former chief that the department is short nine officers. I noted that Council had approved going to a referendum in 2022 for the purpose of hiring four new staff, two of which were police officers. Voters approved the measure, so we were able to hire the new officers. With turnover, though, it took another two years to get the point where we actually saw a net gain in police officers. As for whether we’re nine officers short, this estimate is based on a five-year staffing plan for the Police Department done in 2018. (A more recent plan recommended that the city add eight new officers by the end of 2029.) No other department in the city has had the benefit of a recent staffing plan. It’s safe to say that — if they did — those plans would show most departments are short on personnel. I can’t speak for my fellow Council members, but I would like to know where our greatest need for staff is and not just assume it’s with the Police Department. For that reason, I was glad to see Council include funding in the 2025 budget for a classification and compensation study and an operational and organizational review for the entire city government. These studies should give us the data we need to make informed decisions on where to devote more resources, funding permitting. In budget requests for the past two years, the Police Department has asked for funding to hire a dispatcher, two part-time community service officers, and one or two new police officers. In both years, Mayor Kuhn’s executive budget recommended against including these new positions in the budget, citing a lack of available funding. (A new School Resource Officer position was approved in 2025 with half of the funding for that position coming from MCPASD.) I agreed with the mayor’s recommendation. In the not-too-distant future, we will need to go to a referendum to ask voters to approve more money for staff like we did in 2022. I hope when that time comes, we’ll be able to fund positions in every department where the data points to a significant need. Looking ahead, the folks at Middleton Glen have asked me to speak with residents during a Coffee and a Chat on September 12. If any other neighborhood or homeowners associations would like me to attend a meeting to exchange information on city happenings, please don’t hesitate to contact me. City Finance Department Continues to Rock Every city department is important, and each one contributes to Middleton being a great place to live, work, and recreate. The department that holds everything together and makes it possible for all the others to operate smoothly is our Finance Department. Staffed by two full-time and one part-time employees, our Finance Department does a fabulous job thanks to having the extremely knowledgeable and experienced Bill Burns as its director. At meetings of local officials from municipalities across Wisconsin, I hear all the time that Bill is exceptional and we’re lucky to have him. I totally agree! In June, Moody’s Ratings once again assigned Middleton a rating of Aa1, which is just one step below the highest rating of Aaa. In its press release, the company noted that our available fund balance has grown steadily since 2019 thanks to the city’s policy of putting half our annual general fund surplus into the fund balance each year. The rating opinion identified our credit strengths and challenges, including a “strong full value per capita and strong regional economy” (strength) and “limited revenue-raising flexibility because of state-imposed levy limits” (challenge). Having a high credit rating helps us get a good interest rate when it comes time for us to borrow money to pay for capital projects. On June 24, the city learned that our sale of $4 million in municipal bonds will come with a “true interest cost” of 3.47%, which was 0.35% lower than the rate originally projected when Council approved the terms of the sale three weeks earlier. Compared to the earlier estimate, projected interest costs will be $69,482 less than originally anticipated. The sale of the bonds will close on July 15 and that’s when we’ll receive the funds for our projects.It’s important for residents to understand how their city’s finances work. For this reason, the Finance Department prepares a “Popular Annual Financial Report,” or PAFR, in the hope of increasing “understanding and transparency of the city’s finances for residents who are unfamiliar with the complexities of government accounting and financial reporting.” Last year’s PAFR received an Award for Outstanding Achievement in Popular Annual Financial Reporting from the Government Finance Officers Association, or GFOA. I have no doubt the 2024 PAFR will receive this same award. The PAFR contains an assortment of interesting statistics on Middleton as a city — for example, we maintain 76 miles of roadways and our Senior Center has 170 daily participants. The section on “Debt” shows that we owe a total of $34,788,193, with 99% of our outstanding debt payable within 10 years. As shown in the chart below (which you’ll find on page 10 of the report), our outstanding debt is well below the maximum amount of debt allowed by state law, which is 5% of the total equalized value of property in the city (our total equalized value is $5.6 billion, which is an increase of 93.8% over the past 10 years). Our city policy is for debt not to exceed two-thirds of the state-imposed limit, and our outstanding debt is well below that limit, too.  I especially like how the PAFR provides a simple accounting of where we as a city get our money and how we spend it. On the revenue side, 61.6% of revenues into our General Fund in 2024 came from taxes, with the bulk of that from property taxes. Looking at our expenditures from the General Fund, 45% were for Public Safety, including police, fire, and emergency medical services. The next largest share of the General Fund went to Public Works (16%) and General Government (14%), each of which accounted for around one third of the amount we spent on Public Safety. The PAFR is sort of like the Cliff’s Notes version of the city’s Annual Comprehensive Financial Report. So if you read the PAFR and want to delve more deeply into the topics it covers, make sure to check out the comprehensive annual report. Thanks to Bill Burns and his team, the city has been awarded the GFOA’s Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for six years in a row. In addition to this award and the one for the PAFR, Middleton received a Distinguished Budget Presentation Award from GFOA for the 2025 budget presentation. This is the first time in Middleton’s history that we have received all three awards. It’s a testament to our amazing staff and to the city’s ongoing commitment to openness and transparency that we’re one of the very few Wisconsin municipalities to achieve this “Financial Triple Crown.” Thank you! Thank you for reading “E-News on 6.” If you’d like to read past editions, an archive is available here. Feel free to email me or call/text me at 608.630.7500 if you need help with a city matter, want to relay your thoughts on an issue, or have questions about city decisions and my votes. I try to respond within two business days, but sometimes it takes longer. I’m not active on social media, so the best way to reach out to me about anything official is by phone or using my district email. If you find this newsletter helpful, I hope you’ll share it with friends, family, and neighbors who live anywhere in Middleton. Just please make sure to ask them not to unsubscribe you and not to report this email as spam. Thanks! Not receiving this free e-newsletter directly? Sign up here. Important Stuff to Know I produce this newsletter all on my own, at my own initiative, to help District 6 residents stay informed. This is not an official city publication, I don’t speak for the city, and producing this newsletter isn’t one of my official responsibilities as a member of the Common Council. If you’d like to reproduce or create new content from this material, please ask me first and make sure to cite the source. Image credits: – Bookclub Bounty: Ed Janairo – Century crossing closure: Kierstin Kloeckner |