Greenfield · issues
Civic issues
Topics getting the most attention in Greenfield, WI public meetings, ranked by how frequently they come up.
Police Emergency Notification Contract (Everbridge)
The police department wants to renew its Everbridge mass notification contract for three years at about $12,141 a year — the system that sends emergency alerts to residents.
American Red Cross Blood Donation Center
The Red Cross plans a blood donation center in a 3,500 sq. ft. space at 5005 S. 76th St., collecting blood and platelets only — no paid donations. It would add six full-time jobs and give residents a local donation site.
City Hall exterior repair and painting
City Hall is getting a $167,311 exterior facelift by Garland/DBS, funded partly by a $40,000 transfer from reserves.
New Information Technology Specialist position
The committee set in motion the creation and hiring of an IT Specialist, including a job description, pay rate and revised org chart. A new IT hire could speed up tech support and projects for city operations.
2026 Assessment Roll and Maintenance Year
Greenfield is in a maintenance year, not a revaluation. Total assessed value is about $4.36 billion with a $20.9 million net gain, mostly new construction. The state says the city is assessed at 88% of market value for 2025.
New small businesses on Layton Avenue and citywide
A used appliance store, a landscaping company, and a medical spa all won special use permits, bringing new services to Forest Home Ave., Layton Ave., and 76th Street.
Digital billboards along the I-894 corridor
Two new digital billboards were approved along the freeway, but commissioners capped both at 75 feet instead of 80 and pushed for decorative, 'Welcome to Greenfield'-style designs. Billboard revenue supports the TID district funding projects like the turf complex.
Property maintenance at 7700 W. Layton Ave.
The restaurant rebrand came with a wake-up call: a crumbling parking lot, a falling-apart dumpster enclosure, bollards knocked over, and past code issues including someone living in an RV plugged into a light pole. Fixes must be done by June 30, 2027.
Victory of Lamb church relocation to 4111 S. 108th St.
A 1,100-member Franklin church is moving into the old VICI Beauty School site. The commission creatively split the parcel so the flood-prone land near Cold Spring Road stays residential/parkland, protecting the neighborhood from commercial creep.
Outdoor cat feeding ban
After complaints about feral cat colonies, it's now illegal to feed any cat outdoors in Greenfield — including leaving food in open garages. The city cited cat population growth, feces, disease risk and neighbor conflicts.
Flock license plate reader cameras
Two residents asked the city to put the Flock camera contract termination on a future agenda, citing invasiveness and outbound data sharing.
Claims: one denied, two settled
The Council rejected a $50,000+ flood claim from the August 2025 storms but settled two vehicle-damage claims against city vehicles for $4,500 and $6,176.17, all without admitting negligence.
Winston claim disallowance
The council formally rejected a $400,000 claim from a man hurt in a crash during a police chase, on the city attorney's advice. He now has six months to sue if he wants to pursue it.
Electric scooter and e-bike regulations
New rules ban fast e-bikes and scooters from sidewalks and park paths, restrict dockless rental fleets, and set age limits on Class 3 e-bikes. City information will go into the Recreator and online graphics.
Property code enforcement at 6025 W. Armour Avenue
A resident delivered a signed petition asking the city to force cleanup of a neglected property, citing safety hazards and dry shrubs. No action was taken at this meeting.
Garbage and Recycling Rate Increase (8.2%)
Garbage pickup fees jump from $250 to $271 a year — about $21 a month — because the recycling fund has been eaten away by leaf collection and disposal costs. It's an 8.2% increase, with John's Disposal's contract rate up 3.3%.
State Levy Limit and Expenditure Restraint Program Mismatch
The mayor called out a contradiction in state law: the ERP formula says the city can grow spending by $1.3 million a year, but the levy limit — based on net new construction — only allows $130,000 in new taxes. The city maxes out the ERP to protect about $684,000 in state aid, but the math keeps getting tighter.
Road Projects Cost Twice as Much as Five Years Ago
Inflation has hit road construction so hard that the same money now paves half as many blocks. Projects in Bailey's and Kastner's districts are split in half across years because the city can only borrow about $5 million a year for capital improvements.
Personnel Changes: Two Positions Cut, Shared Admin Assistant Added
The budget eliminates two full-time positions, spreading duties to existing staff and a possible intern, while adding a $66,000 shared administrative assistant for Finance, HR, and Fire. IT staff get an extra 3%, dispatchers 5%, and the municipal judge's salary rises $6,000 starting next July.
City Hall Elevator Replacement ($314,000)
The 1980s-era city hall elevators are constantly breaking — so instead of phasing the fix over two years (which would cost $51,000 more), the budget does the whole $314,000 rehabilitation this year via borrowed capital funds.
Police Department Oversight
Greenfield’s police chief reportedly has a history of misconduct, and the city’s oversight of its police department is now the question. If leaders don’t hold the department accountable, residents are the ones who pay in trust and possibly dollars.
2027–2031 Pavement Improvement Plan
The city's draft five-year road repair plan is out for review. It ranks city-owned roads by condition and helps guide funding requests — but it's an estimate and excludes county and state roads, sidewalks and signals.
City projects update: Cold Spring Crossing, Turf, trails and parks
90th St/Plainfield is done for the year; Layton Ave wraps in early November; the Powerline Trail Phase 3 and Root River pedestrian bridge get a ribbon cutting Oct. 5; the Howard Ave box culvert project runs into November.
Residential objection — 2935 W. Bridge Street
Homeowner Michael Asad is challenging his assessment, citing a bank appraisal from July 2025. The board granted him a hearing at the October meeting so he can get a copy of the appraisal first.
2027 Parks Operational Budget and Equipment
The board was scheduled to set the department's 2027 goals and approve special revenue budgets for both the department and the community center. These budgets shape what recreation programs, staffing and services residents will have access to next year.
City Hall hours reduction
City Hall will now close at 4:30 p.m. instead of 5:00, starting the day after Labor Day, matching neighboring communities. Departments can stay open later for taxes or elections.
Rat problem near Forest Home Avenue
Mayor Neitzke raised concern about a serious rat problem and recommended the affected party contact the Southwest Suburban Health Department.
New parking restrictions and stop signs
New no-parking zones on West Howard Avenue and West Loomis Road, three new four-way stops (Midland/46th, Midland/47th, Armour/69th), and removal of an outdated stop at S. 45th and W. Ohio.
Traffic ordinance changes on 84th, 68th, Midland and Ohio
Six ordinances were adopted to clean up outdated rules and add no-parking zones around intersections getting new stoplights on S. 43rd Street, S. 84th Street, and W. Cold Spring Road — drivers will notice new parking restrictions near those corners.
Library East Roof replacement
The library's east roof will be replaced under a $508,562 contract with Garland Company, already budgeted.
Powerline Trail extension cost sharing
Greenfield will pay $25,208.98 — its proportional share, mostly grant-covered — toward extending the Powerline Trail north along the freeway with Milwaukee and West Allis.
Landscaping cleanup at 7800 W. Layton Ave.
An established landscaping and snow removal business wants formal permits for its spot at 6510 W. Layton Ave. It's recommended for approval with cleanup conditions — the landlord must fix the dumpster enclosure and restripe the cracked parking lot.
Loitering ban on medians and safety zones
A new ordinance makes it illegal to stand or sit on road medians, with $50-$200 fines, responding to daily police calls about people putting themselves in traffic danger.
Oak Leaf Trail closure between Layton and Coldspring
The Oak Leaf Trail will be completely closed between Layton Avenue and Coldspring Road; trail users are being routed to Highway 100 as an alternative.
New administrative fee on fall recreation programs
The board added a new administrative fee to every fall program to cover credit card processing costs. Expect slightly higher registration prices this fall.
2027 parks capital plan shifts to Dan Jansen playground
A $424,000 MMSD-funded porous pavement parking lot at Jansen Park will take pickleball parking off 74th Street, addressing safety complaints. Pickleball court construction should finish by August 1, 2026.
E-bikes and scooters on sidewalks and the Powerline Trail
Complaints about fast e-bikes and scooters — especially on the Powerline Trail — could lead to new local rules, with a Legislative Committee meeting possible.
2025 City Audit Results
The city's 2025 audit came back clean, and the Council swept about $245,000 from two closed project accounts into reserves and the general fund.
Tesla EV charging stations at Sendik's, 7901 W. Layton Ave.
Eight Tesla chargers would replace ten parking spaces at the Layton Ave. Sendik's lot, leaving 395 of 454 required spaces — a shortfall the council may waive. Staff want more landscaping to screen the electrical boxes.
CAVA Mezza Grill third wall sign at 84 South
CAVA is taking over the old Mod Pizza space at 8833 W. Sura Ln., aiming for a fall 2026 opening. It's the chain's first Wisconsin location and brings a fast-casual Mediterranean option with no liquor license needed.
Burger Lab and Shawarma Lab restaurant at 4736 S. 76th St.
A new fast-casual restaurant is coming to the old American Mattress space, bringing jobs and a new dining option — but the site has long-neglected landscaping and a crumbling dumpster enclosure that must be fixed before it opens. Parking is also far below code, and the council will have to waive the shortage.
Milwaukee County EMS agreement
The city renewed its EMS deal with the county for five more years. Greenfield gets a bigger subsidy than neighboring cities because all its firefighters are paramedics, and the county handles EMS training and medical direction.
Beer sales expanded to all city parks
The city can now sell beer at any of its parks — including Kulwicki, Dan Jansen, the Community Center and The Turf — not just the Konkel Park amphitheater, with tournaments and traveling beer gardens in mind.
Fire Station 92 HVAC replacement
The fire station's aging rooftop HVAC unit will be replaced by Dillett Mechanical, paid from the fire department's existing budget.
Parks Director Scott Jaquish retires
Longtime Parks & Recreation Director Scott Jaquish is retiring; the Council updated a 25-year-old job description and aims to hire a successor by the June 16 meeting.
EMS billing through WEMSA/Paralign network
The fire department will bill insurers and health plans for community paramedic services — new money that doesn't come from taxpayers.
Coyote concerns on Layton Avenue
A resident says she's seeing six coyotes in her yard and fears for pets and kids. Mayor Neitzke says he's working with police on live trapping or other options, but it's not easy — the DNR warns removed coyotes rebound.
Game Together MKE expansion and Omega Plaza driveway repair
A popular used-game store doubles its space, but the shopping center's crumbling 108th Street driveway entrance finally has a fix-by date of November 1, 2026 — or the city steps in.
Turkish Kebab House restaurant at 5235 W. Loomis Rd.
A new Turkish kebab restaurant wants to open in the old service station building on Loomis Road. It needs a special use review and has to clean up outdoor storage and excess window signs before opening.
Crowdstrike cybersecurity contract
The city is adding a managed cyber-defense layer through Crowdstrike. IT Director Tim Lemmers says it will sharply improve the city's security profile, with the final price still under negotiation — up to $50,000.