Green Bay rats, wheel tax and prison relocation: Here's what's on this week's agenda

Jonathan Anderson | Green Bay Press-Gazette

GREEN BAY - City officials will try to tackle two high-profile problems in the coming week: rats and crumbling streets.

Meanwhile, Allouez leaders want to know how much money could be generated if the Green Bay Correctional Institution was moved out of the village.

Here's a rundown of notable local government news in the Green Bay area.

Rat sweep planned for Green Bay's west side

Crews will be scouring west side neighborhoods in the coming days to hunt down rats and help residents rid their properties of the rebellious rodents.

City inspectors plan to conduct the sweeps later in the week, likely Thursday, by going door to door, looking for rats and properties that may be harboring them, said Bill Paape, Green Bay's neighborhood development manager.

The Inspections are in response to resident complaints over the past year of rat infestations in their yards and homes.

As part of the initial sweep, more than 500 properties will be targeted in two zones: southwest of the intersection at Shawano Avenue and South Oakland Avenue, along Velp Avenue between Mather Street and Atkinson Drive.

Inspectors will be looking for evidence of rats and conditions that may be attracting them, such as unsecured garbage, brush piles and grass clippings, easily accessible water sources like dog dishes on the ground and sources of food such as spilled bird seed and unconfined compost piles.

Paape said the city wants to work cooperatively with homeowners to abate the rat problem.

"We don't want to issue citations or anything like that," he said. "We want to focus on an educational approach."

RELATED: Want to kill some rats? Now's your chance

Wheel tax rolls around, again

Green Bay City Council members could once again debate a possible wheel tax on Tuesday in an effort to repair more streets and reduce the burden on property owners.

The measure is slated to come before the council, but without a formal recommendation from the city's Improvement and Services Committee.

That's because aldermen on the committee couldn't reach a consensus Wednesday over the amount of the tax, how long it should be in place or how the money should be spent.

A growing number of local governments around Wisconsin have enacted wheel taxes, which are charged to vehicle owners every year when they pay to register their vehicles with the state Department of Transportation.

At least three of the four aldermen on the committee support a wheel tax: Chris Wery, Brian Johnson and Jesse Brunette.

Wery proposed a $20 wheel tax, which he said could be used to end residential special assessments and also provide more money for street repairs. The tax, he said, also would allow the city to reduce commercial assessments by half and increase funds to improve railroad crossings.

Johnson and Wery called for oversight over how the wheel tax revenues would be spent. One idea was to require the Department of Public Works to annually report the status of wheel tax funds and identify specific road projects completed and scheduled in a five-year period.

Brunette proposed a $10 wheel tax that would replace residential special assessments but end within five years, giving the city time to explore other ways of paying for street repairs.

The city imposes special assessments on homeowners to help pay for street repairs. The practice came under fire earlier this year when residents on the far west side complained that they were being charged tens of thousands of dollars for a road project, prompting the council to put that work on hold for a year.

A divided City Council rejected a $20 wheel tax in August. Alderwoman Barbara Dorff then asked in February for the tax to be considered again, but it was set aside until after the spring election.

The City Council meets at 6 p.m. on Tuesday at City Hall, 100 N. Jefferson St.

RELATED: More than half of Green Bay street repairs cut this year

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Allouez considers study of moving prison

What would be the economic impact if the Green Bay Correctional Institution was relocated out of Allouez?

That's what community leaders want to know, which is why the Village Board on Tuesday will consider spending $12,500 on a study to answer the question.

Under the proposal, the village would contract with St. Norbert College to conduct the analysis.

The proposed study would examine how much money could be generated from possible retail, commercial and residential development on the site, in addition to employee compensation and tax revenue.

The 120-year-old maximum-security prison sits on more than 50 acres just south of State 172 between Riverside Drive and Webster Avenue, that would be prime property for redevelopment if the state closed the prison.

Village officials also are circulating a petition calling on Gov. Scott Walker to support the construction of a replacement prison in the region.

The Village Board meets at 6:30 p.m. on June 19 at the Allouez Village Hall, 1900 Libal St.

RELATED: Allouez hopes petition will convince Gov. Scott Walker to close prison