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County says state highway funds must prioritize roads; city told county cannot fund median mowing
Summary
City staff relayed county officials told them state allocations are focused on highways and related maintenance, leaving little to no funding available for median mowing or garbage pickup on county-maintained roadways; the city will continue to fund median mowing where it desires.
At the April 8 meeting the Waukesha City Finance Committee heard a communication from committee leadership summarizing a conversation with Waukesha County public works about mowing medians and whether county or state funds could be used for that work.
The committee chair reported speaking with Lisonbee Busler, described in the meeting as the county director of public works, who told the city that the county receives a state allocation that must be used primarily for highway and interstate maintenance (examples cited included snow plowing, crack filling and pothole repairs). The chair said the county’s allocation has not kept pace with rising costs and that, as a result, the county has reduced discretionary activities such as median mowing and litter pickup. The chair summarized: the county’s position was that it could not return money to municipalities to cover mowing and that priority must be given to road safety and pavement maintenance.
Alderman Lemke added that the city pays to cut medians so they remain maintained to the city's standards rather than being left to grow unmanaged by the county. The communication concluded that the city will continue its current approach to median mowing unless county or state funding priorities change.
This item was presented as a communication rather than a formal action; no vote was required.
