West Allis reconstruction and resurfacing plans prompt residents to object to special assessments

City of West Allis engineers presented plans Tuesday for the reconstruction of West National Avenue and a separate major asphalt resurfacing program for several residential streets, drawing extended public objections over proposed special assessments and the projects’ compressed schedule.

The engineering presentation said the National Avenue project’s construction total is approximately $18,000,000, with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation covering roughly $11,000,000 and the city’s share about $7,771,720. The city expects to collect about $725,000 in special assessments — roughly 3.9% of the total — and showed a residential assessment rate of $71.76 per lineal foot. Officials said the project will be billed in phases and that final assessment bills would be mailed no sooner than March 2027.

“Special assessments and the DOT acquisition process are separate,” city engineer Melinda Dieske told the council, explaining that DOT handles property appraisals and acquisitions while the city’s special-assessment process is a separate ordinance-based method to recover a portion of construction costs. Dieske also described utility replacement work beneath National Avenue, including new sanitary and storm sewer laterals.

Many residents said the assessments would be an unfair burden. Lena Albadawi, who identified herself as a homeowner on West National Avenue, filed a formal objection and asked the council to “eliminate this assessment entirely for our property” and to extend timelines for homeowners to review acquisition materials. Heather Schwassinger, speaking for herself and her husband, argued that under Wisconsin case law a municipality may only special-assess properties that receive a "special benefit," and urged the council to reallocate more of the cost to the city’s general fund.

Several speakers raised flooding and property-damage concerns tied to the resurfacing package. Amanda Gonzalez, a resident of South 90th Street, described chronic street flooding and a related pest problem and asked whether federal or state funding was contributing. “You are bleeding us dry,” Gonzalez said as she described rising property taxes and the financial strain on homeowners.

Engineers acknowledged neighborhood impacts and said some targeted fixes are planned. Dieske told the meeting the city will add catch basins at low spots to reduce pooling and that some sections will receive new storm sewer segments. On traffic-calming, staff said the S. 90th Street plan includes bump-outs (a chicane) intended to slow and deter cut-through truck traffic.

Council members and staff also discussed assessment methodology. Residents pressed for detailed breakouts and questioned why the city uses a per-lineal-foot unit rate instead of a square-foot or parcel-by-parcel estimate. Dieske responded that the city calculates an "all-in" unit rate that averages construction components (asphalt, curb/gutter, concrete repairs, utility work) and applies it per lineal foot; she offered to meet individually with homeowners to review property-specific questions.

The meeting record shows the city cited Wisconsin Statute 66.0703 during the discussion (the statute governing special assessments), and staff said the assessment rate is set annually by the council. Several residents urged the council to seek additional state funding or change the city’s assessment policy to reduce homeowner burden.

Next steps: the public hearings were closed and council committees will consider the projects; staff said final design details will be shared as they become available and that project construction will be coordinated for notice and to minimize service disruptions. The council later approved committee reports and specific committee-recommended actions by roll call votes during the same meeting; the reconstruction and resurfacing items remain subject to the normal follow-up review and the final assessment billing process.

What to watch: homeowners who received estimate letters should request individual follow-ups from the engineering department if they have parcel-specific questions; the city will mail final assessment bills only after bidding and contractor selection, and any increase beyond the mailed estimate would require a new hearing or owner waiver.