MONROE — After more than 30 attendees packed into council chambers and members of the public either questioned or called for the dismantling of the Redevelopment Authority Project Plan slated for discussion on the agenda, Monroe Common Council postponed its vote on the document until its next meeting.

Alderman Michael Boyce, who also serves as chairperson of the RDA, said the tabling of the item would allow more time for public education and that more discussion is needed to avoid confusion brought about by the spread of misinformation. 

During public comment at the beginning of the meeting at City Hall on Monday, resident Amy Gutzmer said she still had a number of questions about the plan and encouraged more discussion before a vote was made. LaVern Isley, also a resident of the city, agreed, but also said he was “hopeful” the RDA plan wouldn’t pass.

With the postponement, the city has planned a special council meeting for 6:30 p.m. April 8 at City Hall. 

Public forums were common within the city when it came to the RDA Project Plan. Three separate forums were held asking for public attendance; two at the Green County Courthouse on Feb. 21 and Feb. 26, and a third at Monroe Golf Club on Feb. 28. At each, a representative of the city was present to explain the purpose of the RDA: what the district encompasses, how blight is defined and what programs may be available for property owners to improve structures. Total attendance exceeded 150. 

After those events, the RDA took feedback from the public at two public hearings held during the authority’s scheduled meeting times in the first and third weeks of March. Attendees asked questions and city representatives answered them. 

For instance, how eminent domain works in regard to the RDA. During the second public hearing, Madison-based Vierbicher consultant Dan Lindstrom explained that the authority did not include condemnation measures in its bylaws. Because of this, the methods default to state statutes and the power to declare a property unacceptable remains with the city, as it had before. 

Alderman Ron Marsh expressed this concern spoken by members of the public during the meeting Monday. He said that while he fully supports the RDA, he does not want control in the hands of authority members who, with the exception of Boyce, have not been elected. 

Authority members were appointed by Mayor Louis Armstrong and include City Administrator Phil Rath, Dave Wartenweiler, Ron Spielman, Ryan Ziltner, Charles Koch, Ron Markham and Boyce. Assistant City Administrator Sam Liebert serves as the RDA executive director.

The sentiment that city officials were looking to help property owners and keep residents in their homes was reiterated during the meeting. It had been noted in previous meetings by Lindstrom and others that the RDA’s purpose is to take the “carrot approach rather than the stick,” meaning incentives to update homes are the aim of the RDA, not throwing people out of their residences.

However, this is the exact scenario Marsh outlined during the meeting, gaining applause from a portion of the attendees listening. Lindstrom explained that laws require a property owner to be fairly compensated for their home and that any unfair practices can be drawn out in lengthy court battles. 

Boyce said a recently completed housing study by the Southwest Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission highlighted a need for housing programs within the city. The authority has identified five options to be condensed to one or more, he said, from a homeowner rehabilitation program, a housing loan program to improve city housing stock and a revolving loan fund for gap funding to a housing conversion program to restore older homes to single-family residences or a façade program, which had been used successfully in the downtown area.

“I understand the concerns about eminent domain, but nowhere in this planning process has that ever been considered,” Boyce said.  

Cara Carper, executive director of the Green County Development Corporation, Main Street Monroe Executive Director Jordan Nordby and Melissa Even, executive director of the Monroe Chamber of Commerce all spoke in support of the plan as a positive step toward development within the city.

The plan relies on information provided in the 2015 Comprehensive Plan, the housing study conducted in 2016 and goals outlined in Tax Increment Finance District 7. Marsh said housing shortages are not new in Monroe. When he moved to the city in the 1940s, he had to wait two years to find a home within its boundaries, he said. He added that the slowing population growth in Monroe as a reason not to rush into programs like the ones proposed. 

“We need new things to make us grow, but we shouldn’t have to penalize our citizens to help us do that,” he said, indicating that identifying certain properties as blighted would do that.

Fellow council member Donna Douglas said in talking to constituents, she has found they do not clearly understand the definition of blight as it applies to their properties.

“I have heard repeatedly that the word blight is a joke,” she said, adding that many were discouraged by the designation. 

Alderwoman Brooke Bauman agreed that further education was needed to ensure the public understand the project plan, especially given the negative connotation of the word blight, which has a broad definition per state statute.