May 11, 2026 Shorewood Council Meeting 3 Minute Recap

NOTE: Relevant links are at the end of this article

Worth knowing from Monday’s Shorewood City Council meeting:

1. “Our Bill Went Up Over $100 a Quarter”

During Matters From the Floor, Duane Laurila, Eureka Road, reported that his storm sewer charge jumped 62% — from $56.61 to $90.45. His total quarterly bill is up more than $100. A second resident, Barry Brown of Burlwood Court, filled in the backstory: The 2025 long-term financial management plan from Northland Securities recommended a 60% storm sewer increase and 30% sanitary sewer increase. Council had approved both. A water rate hike was deferred until March 2027.

Laurila also raised a longer-running grievance: Some neighborhoods were never charged the standard $10,000 water connection fee when mains were extended, while others were. No action was taken, but staff acknowledged that clearer public communication about the rate increases is overdue.

2. Launching the Water Connection Program

Council approved a new program to reach the estimated 390 Shorewood properties with city water available at the street but not yet connected. Staff will bundle outreach by neighborhood — direct mail, email, door hangers — coordinate contractor bids, and let residents finance the full cost, including the $10,000 water access charge, over five to ten years. First-round neighborhoods: Glen/Amlee/Manitou, Minnetonka Drive, and the Amesbury/Manor Road area.

3. A $100K+ Hire Raises Transparency Questions

Approval of a new senior accountant hire sparked the meeting’s sharpest exchange. Council member DiGruttolo questioned why a candidate with three years of experience warranted that compensation level, and whether the position was still necessary. HR Director Sandie Thone explained the role has existed since 2012 and that the candidate landed just above mid-range on the pay scale at $41+/hour or $115k annually with benefits— below recent hires. The deeper issue from DiGruttolo and Gorham: Staffing decisions come for council approval after recruitment is already complete, simply asking for a rubber stamp. Thone agreed to come to council earlier in the process and provide more context in future recruitment memos. The Council approved the hire.

• Council approved a new change order policy. Members DiGruttolo and Gorham raised broader concerns about too many policy decisions arriving on the consent agenda for rubber-stamp approval and asked for changes to that process.
• A new GIS field unit ($13,615) was approved — paid largely from last year’s budget surplus.
• Per Andrew Budde, the Mill Street Trail pre-construction meeting is scheduled in two weeks. Also the 2025 mill overlay contractor is finishing punch list items for various city roadway projects completed last season.
• Excelsior’s supplemental Community Service Officer (CSO) summer policing arrangement was explained: Excelsior funds the positions at no cost to Shorewood or other member cities; council asked for a follow-up on what those officers do outside summer months and more frequent reporting from the chiefs of police and fire–instead of one annual budget request.

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Read the complete council background packet

Watch the recorded meeting