SCA: The New Era in Local Journalism

In Shorewood, the retreat of legacy media like the Sun Sailor and other print publications directly enabled the creation of a "news desert"—a dangerous reality that the Shorewood Citizen Advocates (SCA) has stepped in to combat.

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!

12% City Tax Increase?

Are you prepared to take another tax increase? After a 29.4% tax and services increase over the last 4 years, city finance director Jeanne Schmuck presented city council with a proposed 12% tax increase for 2027.

Death Debt & Taxes

$34.5M Debt! 117% Tax Increase! Shorewood is headed for a tsunami of debt. Based on city council’s approval of the 2026 Long-Term Financial Management and Capital Improvement Plans the city is continuing an unprecedented spending spree never seen before.

Help Save $55k Annually – Go Paperless!

It’s no surprise that eliminating paper, envelopes, printing, postage and resource time will reduce costs and provide funds for more useful projects. The same is true for Shorewood and you can help save the city at least $55k/year in taxpayer money by going paperless.

$4.0 Million! Give Us A Break Already

Upon hearing resident Barry Brown’s speech during the city council meeting of March 23, 2026 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:

Shorewood Resident Calls for Fiscal Sanity

Long time Shorewood resident Greg Larson raises concerns about the significant amount of money Shorewood spends for engineering consultants. This topic will be discussed at a council work session at 6:00 on Monday, Mar. 23, at Shorewood City Hall.

Here We Go Again! Another $7.50M Engineering Cost

Based on Shorewood’s 2025 Long Range Financial Plan and 10 Year Capital Improvement Plan , over the next 6 years, the estimated charges from engineering firm Bolton & Menk are projected to total $7.5M. Or, Shorewood could hire four internal staff engineers and save taxpayers $600k per year.

How Inflating Project Costs and Budgets Impacts Your Taxes

Millions! Higher than necessary city taxes, unspent budget dollars, egregious reserves and overestimating projects are all contributors to higher compounding taxes each year. How?

$540k City Tax You Likely Don’t Know About

If you receive a gas bill from CenterPoint Energy, or electric bill from Xcel Energy you may not know the City of Shorewood has covertly been taking money from you each month for years to increase their revenue.

Shorewood Citizen Advocates

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