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Kenosha County approves transfer of contaminated Roosevelt Auto Body site to City of Kenosha
Summary
The finance committee voted to transfer the tax-delinquent, contamination-affected Roosevelt Auto Body site to the City of Kenosha, enabling the city to pursue DNR site-assessment grants and demolition/remediation. The county said the transfer reduces county liability and could use Monsanto-settlement funds for its 20% share of site-assessment costs.
The Kenosha County Finance Committee on June 16 authorized an intergovernmental agreement to transfer the Roosevelt Auto Body tax-delinquent property (2907 63rd Street) to the City of Kenosha to advance environmental assessment, cleanup and redevelopment.
Shelly of county planning and development said the property has been tax-delinquent for years and remains vacant because of contamination concerns and the cost of cleanup and redevelopment. Under the proposed agreement, the city would accept long-term ownership, remedial responsibility and future maintenance obligations; the county would not retain long-term title and would be released from ongoing management obligations.
Shelly told the committee the county plans to pursue Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources site-assessment grants and other outside funding to pay for demolition, asbestos abatement and a site assessment. She said those grants typically follow an 80/20 structure; the county expects to cover its local share with settlement funds from a prior Monsanto-related allocation that the county received. County staff described the approach as a way to combine resources to maximize eligibility for outside grants and speed redevelopment.
Committee members questioned the timeline and the county’s previous handling of similarly blighted properties. Supervisor Gabe and others pressed staff on why the property had not been advanced earlier, and staff cited funding timing and the availability of new grants and legal changes that simplify transfer procedures. Patty, a committee member, explained that new statute language (quoted in the transcript as "75.106 106") and court steps can allow the county to have judgment assigned directly to a municipality so the county never appears on the chain of title.
Shelly and other staff emphasized the county’s role would be limited to a site-assessment and demolition to prepare information for the city, which would undertake any deeper remediation and redevelopment. The committee voted in favor of the intergovernmental-transfer resolution by voice vote.
What happens next: County and city attorneys will complete the paperwork and pursue DNR site-assessment grants and demolition funding. Staff said grant awards and remediation costs will determine the project timeline; the county will report back to the committee as those steps progress.
