By KITANA GULOTTA
Beloit held yet another exciting City Council meeting on Monday, October, 16 at 7:00 p.m. The meeting began with a presentation by the School District of Beloit’s superintendent and staff about a program entitled “Portrait of a Graduate.” Stakeholders from the community were brought together to select words and designs that best reflect Beloit Memorial High School students and their future. The Portrait of a Graduate serves as a road map for identifying whether graduates are career, community, and college-ready, and outlines how academic environments prepare them to succeed. The district chairs spoke highly of the School District of Beloit staff. Council member Kevin Leary stated that the community should say more positive things about the school district because people who want to open businesses here care about what the school districts are like.
There were multiple public hearings regarding proposed budgets. The first was the 2024 Operating, Library, and Capital Improvements Proposed Budget. The city’s proposed budget for all funds is $110 million, a decrease of about $19.7 million from 2023. Additionally, there was a hearing on the Community Development Block Grant 2024 Annual Action Plan and Proposed Budget. The Department of Housing and Urban Development requires each CDBG (Community Based Development Organization) Formula Grantee to submit a consolidated plan every five years and an annual action plan each year to receive funding. Some funding priorities include public service programs that focus on comprehensive case management strategies, the development of affordable housing, economic development opportunities, and program administration. There was no formal action for either budget at the October 16 meeting, but they will be up for council consideration for adoption on November 6.
There were multiple ordinance considerations such as amending the zoning map, altering traffic conditions, and removing no parking on Royce Avenue, which all passed. There was consideration for an ordinance authorizing vending by America’s Best Pageant LLC for an event in Riverside Park. America’s Best Pageant would like to hold a pageant for kids and charge admission and registration fees. They needed to amend a section of the code of General Ordinances to be able to charge fees. The prohibition of fees is meant to combat the over-commercialization of public property. The motion passed.
Counselor Sherry Blakeley stopped by the open house for Community Actions Fresh Start students who had completed the construction of a house on Merrill. Detective Amber Davies was named First Responder of the Year in the 45th Wisconsin Assembly district for leading the first successful human trafficking conviction in Rock County.
That about sums it up! Stay tuned for another exhilarating city council meeting update.
Featured Image Credit: Cam Stenberg’24
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