Success: Speaking up Works!

Over the past year, 15 residents have presented 6 major topics to Shorewood City Council members. These residents have made a positive impact: Which means the city council is paying closer attention to public input. You can be heard too!

• Taxes, budgets, debt, council approval process
• Flock cameras – invasion of privacy
• Utility fee increases – water, sewer, sanitary
• Watten Ponds – planning department missteps
• Environmental – micro-plastics & toxins in water supply
• ICE enforcement in Shorewood

These resident voices have accounted for the following council actions.

Financials – Today City Council members are more closely scrutinizing budgets and staff recommendations. Of particular interest are outside costs with engineering firm Bolton & Menk ($1.3M per year) and other consulting contracts. Further concerns raised are the increased debt obligations in the long term financial plans with reserve balances of $3.25M and fund balances of $19.0M. These are issues the city council will work through for the 2027 budgets.

• $7Million: Shorewood Spends BIG on Engineering Firm Bolton & Menk

Privacy – Shorewood temporarily turned off the Flock surveillance camera in the city until an audit has been completed and presented back to council in May. They will consider written policies and procedures for anyone having access to these camera recordings.

• Flock Cameras: Safety or Surveillance?

Utility Fees – Unfortunately no amount of resident pressure was able to change the mindset of some council members. Therefore the new rate increase prevailed in 2026 which included a 60% increase to storm sewer fees, 30% increase to sanitary sewer fees and no increase to water usage fees until 2027. For those on well water but with the city water utility in front of their home, the newly assessed fee of $32.51 per quarter was added to your utility bill this year.

• Utility Bills Soar in Shorewood

Watten Ponds – after hearing from 9 different residents at multiple city council meetings and receiving a petition signed by more than 400 residents, city council voted to have the developer produce an Environmental Assessment (EAW) prior to moving forward with construction. The project is stalled for now and is working its way through litigation.

• Residents Raise Concerns About Pending Development
• Watten Ponds: Round 2

Environmental – residents are concerned with micro plastics in our water system from various sources. Public works was made aware of the problem with polypropylene bristles falling off of a sweeper attachment and is looking into improved solutions with the manufacturer.

Additionally, when city staff recommended spraying toxic chemicals in Freeman Park woods after the clearing of 20 acres of evasive buckthorn growth, residents spoke up and more than 140 people signed a petition and provided city officials with research information from experts at the U of M, Friends of Mississippi River Valley and others to manage the parks environment without harmful toxins to pets and people.

• Freeman Park: Stop Harmful Chemical Use

ICE Encounters – several residents encountered ICE agents in their neighborhood and were concerned about the city’s lack of procedures in these events. The result was the city council passing a resolution reinforcing the city’s values in response to Immigration and Customs Enforcement…

• Shorewood Passes Resolution Reinforcing City’s Values

A handful of residents made a big difference in 5 of the above issues. You can too! These are not NIMBY issues. They affect ALL Shorewood residents. If you and/or your neighbors have issues you would like to discuss or write about, get involved by contacting Shorewood Citizens Advocates.