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Kenosha County approves land-transfer deal for contaminated Roosevelt Auto Body site after debate over taxpayer risk
Summary
The County Board approved an intergovernmental transfer tied to cleanup of a contaminated former auto body site in Kenosha, with $150,000 in state funds and an estimated $250,000 cleanup cost; one supervisor warned the county could be left with most cleanup costs and tax forgiveness for the parcel.
Kenosha County supervisors approved an intergovernmental agreement and partial land-transfer for the former Roosevelt Auto Body site at 2907 63rd Street, a step county officials said is necessary to address on-site contamination and move toward redevelopment.
Why it matters: The measure commits the county to facilitating remediation of a contaminated parcel while the city will take ownership as part of a land-swap. Supervisors debated who would bear cleanup risks and costs before the board approved the agreement by roll call.
Supervisor Meadows told the board the county had secured $150,000 in state funding to address contamination and estimated the cleanup cost at about $250,000. Meadows said the remainder would be paid from a Monsanto settlement fund so the county budget would not be directly impacted. Meadows asked the board for approval despite a recorded committee dissent.
Supervisor Belsky said he voted no in committee and raised a fiscal fairness concern at the countywide level: he argued the county was being asked to forgive $142,000 in delinquent taxes, transfer the property to the city, and remain responsible for major cleanup and demolition costs while another entity receives a long-term asset. "I do support environmental cleanup and redevelopment, but I believe these agreements need to be structured more fairly so Kenosha County taxpayers are not consistently asked to absorb most of the risk and the cost," Belsky said.
The clerk recorded the roll-call result as 16 yes and 3 no; the board declared the measure passed. Earlier the presenter noted that the item did not pass unanimously in the Public Works committee and specifically recorded Supervisor Belsky as opposed at committee.
What's next: With board approval the county and city will proceed under the intergovernmental agreement; the presenter indicated state funds and settlement funds are intended to cover the remediation shortfall, and staff will move forward with cleanup arrangements and related documentation.
