Shorewood’s Top-Heavy City Operations

Have you ever wondered how Shorewood’s expenses and revenue compares to other equivalent sized cities? So did we. We researched 5 other comparable sized Minnesota cities by households and population and summarized the findings.

Shorewood’s “Planning Dept.” Aberration!

Why is Shorewood’s Planning Department similar in size to Victoria’s? Victoria does approximately 15x the volume of zoning permits and 10x the volume of new build applications as Shorewood. Surprisingly, Victoria’s budget is even less than Shorewood’s!

$45.9M Capital Expenses Projected in Shorewood

Street reconstruction, water projects, new trucks, skid-steers, mowers and park equipment are a few items that the city wants residents of Shorewood to believe are in desperate need of replacement. The city is planning to spend $45.9M in Capital Expenditures (CapEx) over the next 10 years.

Shorewood City Engineering Spending Plummets

Shorewood resident Barry Brown has examined several years of Shorewood’s spending for engineering services and has identified a positive trend. Read his analysis here.

Shorewood “Reserve Funds” Scheme to Grab Your Tax Dollars

Read and watch Barry Brown’s presentation to the Shorewood council regarding his analysis, and the impact to Shorewood taxpayers, of the city’s growing Reserve Funds.

Shorewood City Council Never Says “NO” to spending YOUR MONEY

In 4 short years since 2022 Shorewood’s Administrative budget has increase $314,670 or 35.19% to a whopping $1,208,620 in 2025. The city’s debt has more than tripled in the last 7 years. Continuing on this spending spree will drive long-term residents and retirees out of the city.

3–minute $1.1 Million Cost Savings Challenge to Shorewood Council

Upon hearing resident Barry Brown’s 3 minute speech during the city council meeting of August 25, 2025 we requested Mr. Brown to provide his documentation to SCA for a follow-up story. Here’s what you need to know, in his words:

Resident Pressure: Shorewood Reviews Engineering Options

Responding to resident pressure, the Shorewood council is considering options for a new engineering service model. The contract for the current provider, Bolton & Menk expires in December 2025.

Shorewood’s Spending Spree – $38.2 Million and Growing!

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.

Shorewood’s $7M budget

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.

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

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!

Shorewood Citizen Advocates

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