— The Assembly has approved a slate of workforce housing bills to address Wisconsin’s housing shortage.
One of the bills, which passed by voice vote, seeks to stop people and groups from blocking local development projects.
AB 266 would require local governments to approve residential housing projects if the application is complete and the development meets existing requirements. It also specifies only a simple majority vote by a local government would be required to approve a development, with limited exceptions.
Rep. Dave Murphy said the bill provides an opportunity to combat NIMBY-ism, short for “not in my backyard.” The term describes people who object to proposed developments in their local community.
“We can’t let a few people stop progress in our communities. We need to develop more homes for our next generation, our young people, and this bill helps us move forward,” the Greenville Republican said.
Rep. Mike Bare praised the overall package of bills, but said AB 266 needs to go a step further to ensure local governments have the tools they need to be successful.
“If we don’t, I’m concerned that this bill will further entrench the substantive problems that exist today in local zoning,” the Verona Dem said.
Bare had introduced an amendment in committee to allow inclusionary zoning under state law. That would allow local governments to set a required number of new or existing residential units to be available for rent or sale to a person or family with family income below a certain percentage of the median income.
Rep. Rob Brooks, chair of the Housing and Real Estate Committee, sought to quell what he called concerns the bill would lead to “a gross infringement of local control.”
“I have no fear whatsoever, that there will be 100 percent compliance, that this is going to provide a tremendous amount of clarity for the whole development process,” the Saukville Republican said.
See details on all the bills at WisPolitics.com: https://www.wispolitics.com/2023/wed-pm-update-senate-on-path-to-pass-shared-revenue-bill
— A UW-Whitewater student named Chad Tjugum has taken fourth place in the Schulze Entrepreneurship Challenge at this year’s e-Fest competition, landing a $15,000 prize.
Alongside co-creator Damian Tobias of St. Francis University in Illinois, Tjugum presented on a business venture called RaritiesMarket, a database and marketplace for the collectible rare coin industry. In a video message for the competition, he said current online marketplaces for these coins don’t protect customers from being scammed with fake coins.
“RaritiesMarket is a two-sided marketplace platform connecting coin collectors and coin dealers, and allowing them to transact safely with one another,” he said.
According to its website, e-Fest is a three-day event that’s awarded more than $1.5 million to nearly 500 undergraduate students since it began in 2017. It’s run by the Schulze School of Entrepreneurship at the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota and EIX.org, a nonprofit online platform that provides startup education.
Jennifer Gessner, a program manager for the competition, said RaritiesMarket stood out to online judges during this year’s finals. The business idea was one of 110 online submissions from about 300 students across 67 universities, she said in a release.
“Rarities Market achieved exceptional success at e-Fest, garnering recognition and awards for their outstanding performance,” she said.
Tjugum received support from William Dougan, a professor of management at UW-Whitewater’s College of Business and Economics. Dougan highlighted the stiff competition in this year’s contest, noting RaritiesMarket beat out other student ideas from Dartmouth, Brown, Ohio State and Auburn.
“Chad is an impressive leader with a bright future ahead of him,” he said in a statement. “We look forward to following his success well into the future.”
See more in the release: https://www.wisbusiness.com/2023/uw-whitewater-business-student-awarded-15000-start-up-funds/
Watch Tjugum’s video message here: https://efest.biz/finalist/raritiesmarket
— VISIT Milwaukee has announced Summerfest leader Sarah Pancheri as the tourism organization’s incoming board chair.
Pancheri is president of Milwaukee World Festival, a nonprofit group that produces the major music festival Summerfest and oversees Henry Maier Festival Park, a 75-acre site that hosts more than 50 events each year. She’s also worked for Marquette University and the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Milwaukee.
Peggy Williams-Smith, president and CEO of VISIT Milwaukee, says Pancheri’s experience and leadership make her “an ideal fit” for the board chair position.
“When you talk about Milwaukee’s merits as a destination, Summerfest, the world’s largest music festival, helps cement our status as the city of festivals, and with her lifetime of living and working in Milwaukee, Sarah can help us build on a record year and strive for even more,” Williams-Smith said in a statement.
— The Dairy Business Innovation Alliance is eligible for about $7 million through recently announced federal funding, according to the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association.
This program of the WCMA and UW-Madison’s Center for Dairy Research provides product research and development, technical assistance, education and grants to dairy farmers and processors across 11 states, including Wisconsin.
In a recent release, WCMA applauded $23 million in continued federal funding for dairy business programs around the country, administered by the USDA.
“The Dairy Business Innovation Alliance has created valuable opportunities for Midwestern dairy businesses to thrive,” WCMA Executive Director John Umhoefer said in a statement. “We’re pleased to continue that important work.”
See the release: https://www.wispolitics.com/2023/wisconsin-cheese-makers-association-applauds-23-million-in-funding-for-dairy-innovation
Listen to an earlier podcast with Umhoefer: https://www.wisbusiness.com/2021/wisbusiness-the-podcast-with-john-umhoefer-executive-director-of-the-wisconsin-cheese-makers-association/
— Federal and local officials recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for a new wastewater treatment facility in Chetek.
USDA Rural Development Wisconsin State Director Julie Lassa joined Chetek Mayor Jeff Martin earlier this week to break ground on the new facility, which is getting more than $20 million in support from the federal agency.
That includes a $10.4 million loan and a $10.3 million grant through the USDA Water and Waste Disposal Loan and Grant program. It’s the largest grant ever awarded through USDA Rural Development Wisconsin, according to a release.
The facility will include an aerobic digester, a chemical storage building, lab equipment, HVAC and much more. The project will eventually include demolition of the area’s existing wastewater facility, with construction “tentatively scheduled” for completion by fall 2024.
See more on the program: https://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/water-environmental-programs/water-waste-disposal-loan-grant-program/wi
<br><b><i>Top headlines from the Health Care Report…</b></i>
— The Wisconsin Office of Children’s Mental Health is calling on policymakers to fund universal wellness screening in schools to help address mental illness earlier.
And state health officials are urging members of BadgerCare Plus and Wisconsin Medicaid to renew their plans on time to avoid gaps in coverage.
<i>For more of the most relevant news on COVID-19, reports on groundbreaking health research in Wisconsin, links to top stories and more, sign up today for the free daily Health Care Report from WisPolitics.com and WisBusiness.com.</i>
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#TOP STORIES#
# Wisconsin governor vows to veto state budget if GOP cuts diversity dollars from university system
# Wisconsin is producing less trash. Here’s what’s both good and bad about that
# Major overhaul for alcohol regulation in Wisconsin gets public hearing
#TOPICS#
# AGRIBUSINESS
– Despite the rain, Wisconsin’s drought could get worse before it gets better
– Weather whiplash in Wisconsin keeps farmers on edge. Experts say not time to panic yet
http://wisconsinagconnection.com/story-state.php?Id=593&yr=2023
# BANKING
– Bank of America targets Milwaukee for branch offices
# EDUCATION
– Racine, Oak Creek teachers fight for higher pay as other districts approve raises among vacancies
# ENVIRONMENT
– More than half of Wisconsin is under air quality advisory due to smoke from Canadian wildfires
– How Milwaukee hopes to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050
# HEALTH CARE
– Assembly Speaker Robin Vos: Medicaid expansion will never happen, but medical marijuana might
– Froedtert Health CEO Cathy Jacobson to be honored as BizTimes Media’s Woman Executive of the Year
# MANAGEMENT
– Major area staffing firm names new CEO, plans to double size
# POLITICS
– Top Wisconsin election official facing replacement calls for stability, defends record
– Milwaukee bankruptcy avoidance plan up for approval in Wisconsin legislature
– Wisconsin Republicans vote to raise electric vehicle fees
# REAL ESTATE
– How two Madison affordable housing projects took a turn for the worse
# SMALL BUSINESS
– Anodyne Coffee Roasting Co. sold to FairWave coffee collective
– Night market season begins tonight in downtown Milwaukee
# SPORTS
– Ballpark district approves $10 million in scoreboard related projects
# TRANSPORTATION
– Democrats warn of a ‘death knell’ for public transit after Republicans pass funding restructuring
# PRESS RELEASES
<i>See these and other press releases:
https://www.wisbusiness.com/press-releases/ </i>
