There is a lot happening at the State Capitol and it is my hope that this email will help you stay in touch with your government. As your Senator, I truly believe in public service. If there's anything my office can do to assist you, please feel free to contact us.
In Service,
Senator Lena Taylor
Wisconsin's 4th Senate District
Madison Office: (608)-266-5810
Milwaukee Office: (414)-342-7176
Juvenile Corrections Grant Committee Meeting
Senator Taylor’s week kicked off with a meeting with the Juvenile Corrections Grant Committee. The 10 member Committee was created by Act 185 and tasked with administering a grant program that would provide 95% of the design and construction costs to build Secure Residential Care Centers for Children and Youth. The committee reviewed a requested analysis that projected capacity needs for future county/tribal-run Secure Residential Care Centers for Children and Youth (SRCCCYs). In addition, the committee reviewed feedback from counties regarding the grant announcement.
For more information on the Committee you can visit the Department of Corrections Website.
Meeting with Wisconsin Indian Business Association
On Wednesday, Sen. Taylor met with representatives from the Wisconsin Indian Business Alliance (WIBA). The organization focusing on raising capital, coordinating financial education and providing community resources for Wisconsin’s Native Community Development Financial Institutions and partner organizations. Sen. Taylor was interested to learn more about their programs and discuss policy and programs that may be of assistance to the organization.
Tour of Lake County Growers Hemp Farm
Urban Agriculture is an industry with more opportunities than most people would consider, and it’s an issue Senator Taylor has been working on for quite some time. In order to learn more about urban agriculture the Senator made visit Lake County Growers, a Hemp Farm in Oconomowoc that is making strides in bringing Wisconsin back to being a forerunner in the industry. Since last spring, Hemp has been legalized, but only recently did legislation come out explaining exactly what the means. That legislation, the Growing Opportunities Act, was authored by Senator Taylor and her colleague Senator Testin. During her visit to Lake County Growers, Senator Taylor was thrilled to see firsthand how hemp is cultivated, processed, and used for a huge variety of products. Senator Taylor looks forward to working with Lake County Growers in the future and is grateful to have so many partners to help rebuild the hemp industry, and grow our communities alongside it.
Shorewood Passages Presentation Panel
Growth and development, as both a learner and a person of character, are important parts of anyone’s life and something Senator Taylor tries to encourage every day. This week she had a chance to witness that growth and development firsthand as a member of Atwater Elementary’s Passage Presentation Panel. Passage Presentations are projects done by Atwater’s sixth grade students. The presentations describe how the students have taken real life experiences and used those moments to develop a better understanding of the world around them, and more importantly, of what kind of impact they can have on that world. Senator Taylor loved hearing about each student’s unique story and was excited to ask questions about how they’d overcome obstacles and what their plans are for the future. She can’t wait to hear more from Shorewood’s young people in the future and is grateful for the invitation to participate.
Honoring Memorial Day
Senator Taylor will speak at The Shorewood Men’s Club during Memorial Day Weekend event to commemorate the lives of everyone that has died while serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. The holiday was originally known as Decoration Day and was started after the Civil War. 500,000 military personnel died during that war. The club is a community organization that was formed as a way for men in the Village of Shorewood to network and support Shorewood organizations. The clubs is open to all men and their spouses who live or work in Shorewood. If you are interested in learning more about the club, click here.
Senator Taylor also wants to recognize Richard Arvin Overton, who was an American super centenarian who at the age of 112 years, 230 days was the oldest verified surviving U.S. World War II veteran and oldest man in the United States. He served in the United States Army. In 2013, he was honored by President Barack Obama.
Community Action Alerts
Water Meter Replacement Program
The Milwaukee Water Works is replacing residential water meters in Milwaukee, Greenfield, Hales Corners, St. Francis, and West Milwaukee during the next several years
The Public Service Commission of Wisconsin requires utilities to make sure meters are working properly and producing accurate readings for billing. We are currently replacing meters for residential and small business customers as their working life and battery power run out.
The replacement affects single family homes and dwellings of four and fewer units, and small businesses in Milwaukee, Greenfield, Hales Corners, St. Francis, and West Milwaukee. These communities are retail customers of the utility and for whom we provide water, system maintenance, and billing.
Scam Artists: Be Aware of Impostors Posing as Utility Employees
Per the City of Milwaukee: We frequently hear from customers who say men and women posing as water utility employees have asked to check on a water meter, have offered a rebate, or have said they need to check on something in the house. But Milwaukee Water Works service calls are arranged and scheduled in advance. There may be a cold-call without an appointment for a meter exchange, but then the utility employee would arrive in a City of Milwaukee marked vehicle and present identification before asking to enter a building or home.
Milwaukee Water Works employees always show an identification card with their photo when approaching a customer for business.
You Are Not Required to Purchase Water or Sewer Line Insurance
A company named Service Line Warranties of America (SLWA) is mailing a series of letters to property owners in our area demanding a response within 30 days as it tries to sell "water service line insurance." The City of Milwaukee does not require or endorse this type of product.
Here are the first letter and followup letter, and the brochure SLWA mailed in August 2018. SLWA mailed the second of a three-part mailing in November 2018 and plans another in February 2019 selling insurance for sewer laterals.
The water service line connects the water main in the street to your property. A sewer lateral pipe connects the large collector sewer in the street to your property. The section of the water service line and the section of the sewer lateral connected at your property belong to the property owner. Repair and maintenance of both are the responsibility of the property owner.
