Ashland mayor outlines five-year strategic plan, highlights $10 million water project and housing push

Ashland Mayor Matt McKenzie told the Ashland County Board on July 22 that the city has adopted a new five-year strategic plan that prioritizes infrastructure, public safety and housing. McKenzie said the city has completed a multi-year program of sewer “cure-in-place” repairs that he credited for preventing sewage overflows during recent heavy rains: “We did not have 1 signal overflow,” he said, adding that the program has been under way for “right around 6 or 7 years now.” The presentation stressed a separate, DNR-driven water project. “We were more or less ordered to do it by the the DNR, to make sure that we have a backup water system,” McKenzie said, and he told the board the state originally estimated the work at about $3,000,000 but the actual price tag “came in at around 10,000,000.” He said the cost is being paid from city utility funds, not property tax revenue. City Administrator Brent Kacera told the board the city keeps a reserve equal to at least 30% of general fund operating revenue and said Ashland’s finances remain stable. “For the seven years I’ve been here, that number has been anywhere between 31–38%,” Kacera said. He said the city carries roughly $3–3.5 million in reserves and maintains a strong bond rating. McKenzie and Kacera also described a multi-pronged housing strategy carried over from the prior plan: emergency shelter, transitional housing and more income-based units. McKenzie said the city has opened an emergency shelter and is pursuing income-based housing “down there on the East Side of town.” On market-rate housing, McKenzie said the Beazer property redevelopment is expected to produce roughly 130–150 new apartments. “We’re expecting about a, when it’s all said and done, we’re expecting about a 150 new apartments in there. They’re committed to at least a 130,” he said. The mayor discussed code enforcement and property maintenance measures intended to remove blighted structures, including changes in ordinance language and court steps that allow the city to place liens and raise houses or tear them down when owners fail to comply. He said one structure that had been an estate issue was coming down immediately: “It’s actually coming down today.” On parks and waterfront development, McKenzie and Kacera said the city has pursued grants for beautification and plans to master-plan a 10-acre upland area near the Orduck site to attract residential and commercial development. Kacera said the city is meeting with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and property owners to explore reuse or remediation of two old coal docks obstructing the shoreline. The pair also described a deepwater boat launch project tied to state funding that McKenzie said was delayed until the governor successfully challenged the withholding committee; he said the launch should take visible shape in the coming year. Board members pressed city officials on related topics. Supervisor Joel asked whether the Northland College site factors into the strategic plan; McKenzie replied the city’s plan addresses economic development and housing generally but does not contain a specific project tied to the closed college. McKenzie said Northland’s assets are now being handled by an outside firm and city staff have offered zoning and planning assistance if requested. On public safety and park presence, McKenzie said the city applied for COPS program funds to hire part-time officers or “park rangers” to patrol downtown walking trails and parks to address residents’ safety concerns. Why it matters: the strategic plan frames how Ashland will prioritize limited funds for infrastructure, housing and waterfront development over the next five years. The presentation gave the county board a summary of projects that could affect regional services and joint work on blighted properties and housing.