Mayor raises ZIP-code sales-tax misallocations and library fundraising concerns at Glendale council meeting

Glendale ' During the commission and staff reports portion of Monday's council meeting, Mayor Kennedy and the Intermunicipal Cooperation Council (ICC) reported two items of regional concern: sales-tax misallocations tied to ZIP-code mapping and unresolved questions about money raised for a new North Shore library.

ZIP-code sales-tax issue: Mayor Kennedy said the ICC has collected dozens of reports of online vendors and services charging Milwaukee sales tax to residents in neighboring municipalities because of ZIP-code mapping errors. "You have a problem, you implemented this wrong, and you need to fix this," Kennedy said, describing outreach to the Wisconsin Department of Revenue and noting that a joint letter was sent to Secretary Casey to ask for corrective action.

Kennedy said the city also pursued a USPS ZIP-code review and received a denial dated Oct. 30. He warned that while each erroneous charge can seem small, the aggregate transfer of revenue from suburbs to Milwaukee is significant. ICC members plan follow-up with DOR and congressional offices to press for systemic fixes.

Library foundation and alleged misuse of funds: The mayor told the council a lawsuit between the North Shore Library Board and the North Shore Library Foundation moved for dismissal but that the board forwarded relevant materials to the state Department of Financial Institutions and the attorney general's office. Kennedy said donors raised more than $800,000 for the new library but that, as of his report, none of that money had been transmitted for construction and more than $100,000 had been spent on legal fees to date. He said the village presidents and he authored a letter to the Journal Sentinel and forwarded documentation to state authorities.

Short-term rentals and equity concerns: The mayor and council briefly discussed a cluster of new short-term rentals on a residential block near Sprecher. A councilmember raised equity concerns, asserting that complaints tend to surface when guests are Black or Latino; the council noted that state law limits the range of local regulation but suggested limited enforcement steps (for example, restricting rental days annually or coordinating health-department reviews) where lawful and practicable.

What the city will do next: Mayor Kennedy and ICC members plan additional outreach to the Department of Revenue and USPS to resolve ZIP-code mapping problems; the library matter has been referred to state regulators for further review. Councilors asked staff to monitor short-term rental complaints and to report on any legally implementable local steps to address repeated nuisances and equity implications.

Context and caution: The mayor's remarks describe actions taken by the city and ICC and referrals to state agencies; they include assertions that are under review by regulators and have not been adjudicated in the council meeting. The council did not take formal action on the ZIP-code or library matters during the session, but members discussed coordinated next steps.