Street reconstruction, water infrastructure projects, new trucks, skid-steers, mowers and park playground equipment.1 These are just a few items that the city wants residents of Shorewood to believe are in desperate need of replacement.
- $13.9M water & sewer improvements as a portion of road projects
- $??.0M street reconstruction yet to be determined
- $3.3M equipment purchases (public works)
- $2.7M facility/building improvements
- $1.4M park improvements
You Should Know:
- The city is planning to spend $45.9M in Capital Expenditures (CapEx) over the next 10 years.
- The plan calls for $24.1M in NEW bonding debt over the next 4 years despite spending $25M in bonding debt over the last 5 years in which the taxpayers still owe $23.5M.
- The difference of $21.8M ($45.9M – $24.1M) will likely come from “RESERVES” whereupon the city over-taxes its residents year-over-year and invests unused tax money to be spent on future projects (capital expenditures or general use).
- 118% tax increase – the Long Range Financial Plan calculates an 8.4% tax increase per year compounded annually – meaning taxes will more than double in 10yrs.
Bolton & Menk Engineering Benefit
Once again, outside engineering firm Bolton & Menk is positioned to benefit greatly (~$7.0M) over the next 5yrs. from these proposed plans. Previously Bolton & Menk consulting billed the city more than $7.0M from the last $25.0M bond funding which has some City Council members questioning the efficacy of no-bid consulting contracts and future contract continuation.
In an effort to save taxpayer money, council members have repeatedly asked staff to look at all options available – from hiring an internal staff engineer, negotiating lower contract rates, accepting bids for a new engineering consultant to improved management and oversight of work performed.
Staff Rebuffs City Council
If you attended or watched the September 8th, 2025 City Council Work Session (agenda item 2 – view here at 1:23:29) you saw a full-on display of defiance from city staff to provide reliable information concerning hiring a full-time staff engineer to significantly reduce the enormous cost from engineering firm Bolton & Menk. Pay scale, work experience and job responsibilities were all contrived in an attempt to dissuade city council members from pursuing a full-time staff engineer. However, a majority of city council members (Sanschagrin, DiGruttolo & Gorham) were not buying staff’s financial or work participation calculations and instructed staff to continue pursuing savings on behalf of the residents of Shorewood.
The Bolton & Menk contract is up for renewal in December 2025. This likely isn’t enough time to find a permanent solution, however it does provide time to develop and implement a comprehensive plan as a start to impact 2026 and future budgets. More information to follow as it becomes available.
Essential Reading: catch up on financial matters
♦ $7.0M: Engineering Firm Bolton & Menk SCA, Jul. 31, 2024
♦ 3 minute $1.1M Cost Savings Challenge SCA, Aug. 28, 2025
♦ Shorewood “Reserves Funds” SCA, Sep. 25, 2025
♦ 118% Tax Increase SCA, Oct. 9, 2025
1October 14, 2025 City Council Work Session Item 2B – 2026-2035 Capital Improvement Plan and Debt Service Fund
