Wauwatosa ratifies emergency declaration, waives flood-related permit fees for 120 days and details rescue and recovery figures

Wauwatosa — The Wauwatosa Common Council unanimously ratified the mayor’s Aug. 10, 2025 emergency declaration related to recent flooding and approved a resolution waiving building-permit fees for flood-related repairs for 120 days for residents affected by the August 2025 storm.

City administration presented the emergency-declaration framework and summarized early response and recovery efforts. City staff reported coordinated damage assessments, debris collection, rescues and mutual-aid responses; they said 70 individuals were rescued directly by boats, heavy apparatus or the armored rescue vehicle purchased by the city. City staff reported more than 400 door-to-door damage assessments completed in a single day and about 1,800 debris pickups totaling roughly 830 tons of flood-related material collected so far.

Mayor (unnamed) explained the statutory basis for local emergency declarations and said the declaration was necessary to make application for federal disaster assistance. He said, “it is necessary for us to make application to FEMA to have issued emergency declaration. Had I not done so, we wouldn't have the statutory ability to make such an application.” The council ratified the declaration under section 3 23.14, sub 4, sub b of the Wisconsin statutes.

City staff cautioned that FEMA’s timeline is slow and that preliminary damage assessments must flow from the city to the county, then to the state and FEMA; staff said significant clarity on FEMA assistance might not arrive until around November.

On permit fees, the council considered a staff proposal to waive fees for a limited period to speed home and business recovery. Multiple councilors urged extending the waiver beyond the initially proposed 90 days; after motions and seconds on the floor members approved a 120-day fee-waiver period. The council made clear that fees would still apply to projects that were not flood-related.

The mayor and councilors repeatedly praised the city workforce and mutual-aid partners for rescue and cleanup efforts. The mayor reported offers from state and federal partners, two swift-water teams from Columbia County and the Fox Valley, and an offer of National Guard support that was ultimately not needed. He also announced an unsolicited $1 million donation to Hart Park from the Tulsa Foundation (John and Tasha Morgridge), which he said would be used for park repairs.

Several councilors highlighted neighborhood-level volunteer assistance and urged residents to check on elderly neighbors and support small businesses. City staff urged patience with debris removal and warned that FEMA decisions may be months away.

Formal actions taken at the meeting included ratification of the emergency declaration and approval of the temporary permit-fee waiver. Staff listed follow-up tasks including ongoing damage assessment, debris removal, and coordinating state and federal damage-assessment processes.