Green Bay · issues
Civic issues
Topics getting the most attention in Green Bay public meetings, ranked by how frequently they come up.
Public Works financial oversight restructuring
Public Works has been splitting its financial work across multiple divisions, raising the risk of errors and burying oversight in director-level roles. The new Finance and Business Manager position puts all departmental finances — including stormwater, sewer and parking funds — under one person.
Public Works finance oversight consolidation
Public Works has been splitting its financial work across multiple divisions, raising the risk of errors and burying oversight in director-level roles. The new Finance and Business Manager position puts all departmental finances — including stormwater, sewer and parking funds — under one person.
Fair housing enforcement and public services funding
Four nonprofits split about $121,000 in federal block grant money for transportation, youth programs, autism services, and reentry work — but a fifth award to NEWCAP was paused over recent concerns about how the organization handles its resources. That leaves roughly $30,500 unawarded for now.
Elimination of City Assessor position
The city is cutting its in-house City Assessor job and hiring Forward-Appraisal to handle appraisal work instead.
Bay Beach parking revenue program
Alderperson Eck asked how much the Bay Beach parking program has collected; revenue figures are due next week and there's no set threshold for continuing or ending the program.
West Side Municipal Garage HVAC replacement
The city is spending $80,000 on design work for replacing the aging heating and cooling system at its West Side garage — the first step before construction.
Draft ordinances: overnight parking and second-cart fees
The weekend overnight no-stopping rule downtown is changing on a 90-day trial: most of it goes away, but a stretch near Doty Street gets a new restriction, and the Walnut Street loading zone is reworked. Trial results could make the change permanent.
2026 Budget Amendment for Special Events Overtime
The council amended the 2026 budget to cover unbudgeted overtime for special events.
2027 Business Improvement District operating plans
All four BIDs get new operating plans with modest assessment increases — Downtown's first rate change in 25 years, Broadway's ~5% bump, Military Avenue's first cap raise since 2014. The money funds cleaning, beautification, events, marketing, and business recruitment downtown.
2027 Employee Benefits and Labor Negotiations
Council approved 2027 health, dental, vision, life and disability benefits and directed staff on fire and police labor agreement negotiations.
2027 Parking Division rate structure
The council adopted new parking rates for 2027, affecting anyone who parks downtown or at city meters and ramps.
2026 IBEW Local 158 labor agreement
Council approved the city's 2026 labor agreement with IBEW Local 158, covering city electrical workers.
Responsible bidder threshold increase
An ordinance would raise the city's responsible bidder approval threshold from $25,000 to $50,000, affecting which public works bids get extra scrutiny.
2025 Audit Results
The city's 2025 audit came back clean with no findings. Fund balance is healthy at $33.8 million and general obligation debt of about $309 million sits well under the state's 5% cap.
Pharmacy benefits manager transition to SmithRx
The city is switching its pharmacy benefits manager from Optimum to SmithRx, projected to save about $650,000 in year one through better rebate deals and cost controls. Employees keep using the same pharmacies and specialty medication users get personalized transition help.
Public Works Traffic Division staffing change
Green Bay is creating a dedicated Traffic Manager to run the Traffic Division, handling traffic calming, signal timing, safety studies, and staffing the Traffic, Bicycle and Pedestrian Commission. The pay grade bump makes the job competitive and clears the way to hire.
Employee disability coverage enhancement
The city is adding state-managed Income Continuation Insurance that gives employees free long-term disability coverage starting January 1, 2027, replacing what workers currently pay for themselves. Each employee saves at least $285 a year, with a short-term option to fill the 7-to-30-day gap if enough employees enroll.
Family Savings Plan administrator switch to Associated Bank
The popular Family Savings Plan moves from Network Health to Associated Bank, dropping costly shared-savings payments and cutting administrative costs by about $560,000. Employees get a reimbursement debit card and HSA eligibility with minimal disruption.
Innovation and data strategy leadership
A new Lead — Innovation and Data Strategy position in the Mayor's Office will be paid from the Innovation Fund, backing the last year of the Connect Green Bay plan and more public-facing performance data.
Personnel policy Chapter 9 changes
City employee policies were updated on vacation accruals, funeral leave — now including up to 3 days of paid bereavement leave for pregnancy loss — and volunteer time limited to eligible nonprofits in the city. A related referral on leadership-recruiting vacation accruals was tabled.
Citywide fleet GPS tracking expansion
The city will outfit all 552 vehicles and equipment with Precise Telematics GPS tracking, cutting per-unit costs by 10%. It helps with salt usage, liability claims, and maintenance tracking — but adds about $110,000 a year to future budgets.
Fleet replacement for DPW mechanics
Council bought a small fleet's worth of 2026 equipment — dump trucks, two street sweepers, a sewer vacuum truck, a bucket truck, snow gear, and refuse truck bodies.
2025 General Fund Overtime
The committee reviewed how 2025 general fund overtime spending stacked up against the budget and approved the report.
Employee vacation accrual increase
The city is raising vacation accruals for non-represented employees to better compete for talent, after its 2025 employee survey flagged pay and benefits as the weakest area. 78% of voluntary turnover in the last five years came from employees with under five years of tenure, and staff hope richer vacation slows that.
TID 12 closure (I-43 Industrial Park)
The Authority amended and then terminated TID 12, the I-43 Industrial Park district, closing out its financing chapter.
2026 CDBG and HOME Annual Action Plan
The Authority approved the 2026 plan directing federal CDBG and HOME grant dollars to housing and community development activities.
Expanded vacation accrual for city employees
The city is boosting vacation for non-union workers to compete with other municipalities for talent. New hires get three weeks immediately, and everyone gains an extra day every two years. It addresses 78% of turnover coming from employees with under five years.
TID 12 I-43 Industrial Park allocation amendment
The board reviewed a proposed allocation amendment and amended project plan for the 20-year-old I-43 Industrial Park TID. A vote on the amendment is set for July 24, 2026.
RLF delinquent loans
Gina's Tax Solutions has stopped communicating and the city is pursuing legal action, while Legacy is behind on all three of its loans after a management change. Staff is working with both to get payments back on track.
Public Arts Commission staffing transition
The commission has operated without a coordinator for about eight months but has hired Michelle Diedrich, who starts July 20. Time-sensitive ARPA-funded projects, including a labyrinth at Old North Crossing, need to be completed by year's end.
Term limits and staggered terms for alderpersons
Staff will research whether the Council even has authority to impose term limits and staggered terms on its own members. It's a governance question, not a change yet.
Routine personnel actions and new positions
The city is filling two open positions — a commercial building inspector and a public works operator — and reported a wave of new hires, promotions, and pay changes across police, public works, planning, and parks. These staffing moves affect how quickly city services respond.
Budget amendments for vacancies and special events overtime
Two budget amendments shift money: $71,000 to keep traffic engineering services running while a position is vacant, and additional funds for special-events overtime that wasn't budgeted.
2026 Fall Election Polling Places Set
The Council established where residents will vote and which sites will offer in-person absentee voting for the fall primary and general elections.
GBHA Properties 1, Inc. FY 2026-27 Operating Budget
This small entity owns the property under the Housing Authority's scattered sites and uses its bank interest to pay its own insurance and audit fees. The new budget raises liability insurance by $900 and sets $8,000 in audit fees.
Minimum wage advocacy ($20/hour campaign)
A commissioner reported on a campaign supporting a $20/hour minimum wage. Wisconsin law preempts cities from setting local minimum wages, but the commission discussed passing a symbolic resolution asking state lawmakers to lift the preemption.
Keycafe car-sharing expansion for Public Works
A $27,393 three-year pilot would put electronic key cabinets at Public Works garages and create a shared vehicle pool across City Hall departments. Members support the concept but want funding found outside the Innovation Fund.
Cellcom cell phone contract extension
The contract's base rates haven't changed, but citywide tablets pushed monthly costs from ~$3,700 to ~$5,600 — about $48,000 more over two years. The committee wants competitive bids before extending.
Hiring authority for budgeted vacancies
A close 9-3 vote let staff fill existing budgeted positions without council approval — a notable shift in hiring oversight.