Finance Articles

In a little more than 3-1/2 years, the Shorewood City Council and city staff have spent $38.2MM which additionally burdened residents with $23MM in bonding debt.
 
Another $20.5MM in bonding debt is planned in the upcoming years.
 
That’s more than $14,000 per household in debt repayments alone.

Every penny spent, whether on paper clips or a snow plow, comes from your fees and taxes. The budget is the city’s financial plan for the anticipated expenses over the next fiscal year.
 
As a taxpayer, your participation in the budget process can influence the outcome.

Between January 2020 and July 2024 Bolton & Menk billed the City of Shorewood $6,968,361. That’s an average $126,697/mo. or $1,520,364 per year!
 
The amount of money billed by Bolton & Menk for engineering services in one single year is so staggering that the city could double the number of Public Works employees and still have money to hire 3-4 full time engineers.
 
Why did the City Council allow this to happen? You decide!

At the regular City Council meeting on Sept. 26, 2022, the City Council voted 4-1 to approve the plans for reconstruction of Birch Bluff Road. Labadie, Siakel, Johnson and Callies voted yes. Gorham voted no.
 
Included in those plans and specifications, were plans for a water improvement project at a cost projection of $913,000.00. 

Every 3 months, property owners in Shorewood receive a bill from the city for utilities and services. Those utilities and services are: Recycling, Storm Water, Sewer and Water (if connected to city water) The money from each of those line

Above: A trail crossing sign covered by ROW overgrowth, first reported to ClickFix in 2021, was reported twice more, and finally cleared in summer 2024.) The city has right-of-way (ROW) along almost every public street within its boundaries.  City Ordinance