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Waukesha council trims 2025 CDBG line and adopts estimated 2026 allocations with ADA emphasis
Summary
The Common Council approved a $16,000 reduction to the city’s 2025 CDBG public-infrastructure line and adopted estimated 2026 CDBG allocations that prioritize ADA facility upgrades and cap programming at 25% of grant funds.
The Waukesha Common Council on June 3 approved a reallocation of the city’s 2025 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds after staff reported the grant award would be reduced by about $16,000.
Jennifer, the city’s CDBG representative, told the council that the reduction requires trimming the public infrastructure line item and that the CDBG Board had recommended the change. “The grant funds will be reduced by about $16,000,” she said, and recommended the council approve the reallocation to align budgets with the confirmed award. The motion to approve the 2025 reallocation passed unanimously.
Council also took up a separate resolution to adopt estimated allocation amounts for 2026, using a planning estimate because the final award is not yet known. Jennifer said a large portion of the proposed 2026 CDBG funding is earmarked for Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) improvements to city facilities as part of a strategic plan to upgrade accessibility. She noted the CDBG Board recommended the allocation amounts.
Alderperson Alderson Matthews and others asked whether the allocations were already committed and whether there are restrictions on the programming share. Jennifer confirmed the programming category is capped at 25% of the overall grant and that departments apply to the CDBG Board for programming funding; the council may reallocate recommended amounts if it chooses, provided it does not exceed the 25% programming limit.
Melissa Lipska, Parks and Forestry Operations Manager, described the proposed “inclusion specialist” role the Parks Department would use across before- and after-school programs and summer activities. She said the specialist both trains staff and provides one-on-one support and individualized behavioral planning for participants who require assistance so programs can be more inclusive. “It does training, but then it also works with participants themselves one on one,” Lipska said.
After discussion and a clarifying recommendation to revise the inclusion specialist description for clarity, a motion to adopt the 2026 CDBG allocations as recommended passed (recorded vote: 12–1).
What happens next: Because the 2026 figures were presented as estimates the council may revisit and adjust the allocations when final grant award figures are available; the CDBG Board will continue to process departmental applications under the program and funding rules.
