Late-Night Action at That 'Other' Common Council Meeting

Under other circumstances, eyebrows might be raised.

Without a word of debate, the Wauwatosa Common Council approved an ordinance Tuesday night creating a new board of authority with considerable powers to influence the direction and financing of economic development plans in the city.

The new body of government is called the Community Development Authority, and it is intended to take over some of the powers of a number of other committees and commissions, such as the authority to make the final recommendations on tax financing districts, which now resides with the Plan Commission.

Just a week ago, members of the council's Community Development Committee had brought up a number of questions about the formation of the new board, and although they passed on a unanimous recommendation to the full Common Council, committee members told city staff and advisers they wanted to hear a clearer and more detailed explanation of the functions of this new authority when they met to discuss it Tuesday.

That was before five aldermen petitioned for a new vote to ratify contracts with several city employees' unions, bringing on a special council meeting at 6:30 p.m.

That single-issue meeting lasted 4 hours and 40 minutes, with a final 8-7 vote to ratify the contracts coming at 11:10 p.m.

Hundreds of Wauwatosa citizens filed out of City Hall immediately after the contract vote, but the members of the Common Council – and one upset citizen who said he was staying because "Now I can't trust anything you do" – remained to convene the regularly scheduled council meeting, coming to order at 11:20 p.m.

The meeting, which besides the vote on the Community Development Authority featured the swearing in of Ald. Jeff Roznowski and several pieces of routine business, such as the paying of bills and denying of tax bill claims, was over in 10 minutes.

The union contracts that brought on so much discussion would have expired in two years had Mayor Jill Didier not vetoed the ratification just before noon Wednesday.

The Community Development Authority, however, now resides fully codified in the city ordinances, and it represents an effort to restructure some of the fundamental functions of city government for many years to come.

It is likely that the development authority ordinance would have passed regardless of the long night council members had already faced. It has been something of a show pony for the administration and the Economic Development Advisory Committee, which have spent two years developing the idea.

Had the regular council meeting taken place as scheduled, at 7:30 p.m., there is no doubt it would have included a presentation on the new development authority supported by the city administrator, the city attorney, the director of economic development and the chairman of the EDAC. And with little doubt, it would have elicited some comment and questions from the Common Council.

But as the clock ticked toward midnight in the all-but-empty council chamber, no one seemed to care for any more discussion.