MONROE — Members of the Monroe Common Council came together to continue to answer questions and inform, outlining duties, options and goals for the Redevelopment Authority’s initial plans in a special meeting April 8.  

The RDA plan was tabled April 1 to allow more time for public education and to offer more discussion to avoid confusion. The council will take an official vote on the plan at their April 15 meeting.

Assistant City Administrator Sam Liebert, who gave similar presentations in late February and early March, began by reiterating how and why the RDA was created before giving examples and explaining the term “blight,” which has been a point of contention among residents. About 15 people were in attendance.

Liebert said the term “blight” is applied liberally in a purposeful way. A property can even be labeled with “blight” for simple reasons, like having unappealing open space or cracked pavement. 

None of the audience members signed up to speak publicly but some had spoken to council members about specific questions that were addressed, like properties blighted on 17th Avenue. Liebert did his best to show areas on an overhead projector which specified reasons for the blight designation.

Alderman Michael Boyce added that though properties might not seem blighted from the outside, the outcome could be different when looked further than the building’s exterior. He said about 40 percent of the designated area was built before 1940, making it understandable that many were considered — by state statute definition — blight. 

Despite the blight designation, Liebert reminded those in attendance the designation didn’t lend to city code violations and no property owners would be forced to make changes. It also does not affect property values.

Liebert explained programs the RDA could choose to establish, including a revolving loan fund, home improvement programs to assist with repairs and even possibilities of home loan programs. He said the group could develop strong relationships with banks and lenders to help with down payments or closing costs for homeowners.

“The whole point of the RDA is to be a resource,” Liebert said. 

Boyce addressed resident concerns that RDA committee members were not elected officials, noting that several other committees operate similarly, like the senior center and park and rec boards.  

“It’s by design,” Boyce said. “You want some autonomy from the political process.”

Liebert echoed the sentiment, adding that members on the RDA have a vast makeup of skills and experience related to business and housing, which helps when developing ideas and drafting plans.

Alderman Brooke Bauman brought her own research to the board after speaking with Joe Carroll, community development director for the town of Platteville. Platteville established an RDA in 2005, she said. Over time, they were able to build a Holiday Inn and a 71-unit apartment complex in Platteville — and though it wasn’t through the RDA and was instead done through Tax Increment Finance funding — it was the RDA process determining the area as blight that made funding possible.

She said she was also told by Carroll that people in Platteville are living longer and aging further in their own homes because of help the RDA provided to them. 

There was a request that eminent domain, a government process by which a municipality can take private property for public use with compensation to the owner, not be included in the project plan. In previous meetings, RDA members have explained that they did not include it as an option in their bylaws. Boyce rebutted the request by asking how they could take something out that was never included in the plan. 

Alderwoman Donna Douglas expressed concern over whether or not the RDA was addressing the city’s priorities and immediate needs, including housing for seniors.

“The entire point of RDA is to focus on housing,” Boyce said. 

Boyce, who is also the RDA chair, said the RDA would not prohibit another large-scale housing offer, by any means, because the tax increment finance districts were still in place. 

“It still doesn’t feel like we’re addressing the needs of the city,” Douglas said.

If the RDA plan is passed, Liebert said the next step would be to develop programs the RDA hopes to support, along with drafting applications and processes for people to utilize them. Everything would need final approval from the council. 

“The RDA is not the end all be all for housing issues in Monroe,” Liebert said, noting that it’s a small piece of a bigger strategy.

RDA 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.