The first Common Council meeting of November held on the 7th included requesting an exemption from the county library tax, a public safety referendum and the possibility of action regarding the 2024-2025 biennial budget. There have also been a small problem regarding the use of Bird Scooters and people leaving them in the middle of sidewalks in certain areas of the city.

There are people in the City of Whitewater that like to utilize the Bird Scooter as a means of transportation, but the city does not appreciate them being left in the middle of sidewalks when people are done using them.

“The Public Works Committee reviewed the use of bird scooters. The committee understands there are issues with Bird Scooters on the sidewalk. However, at this point, they recommend to continue as is and monitor complaints as they come in,” City Manager John Weidl said.

There has been staff requesting direction from the council in taking action of a possible public safety referendum. The organization of the referendum was created by Fitch & Associates at the 10-15-2024 council meeting. If the potential referendum is put in place the Whitewater Police Department could make the community a safer place. There was a presentation hosted by the Whitewater PD. There has been an increase of domestic violence, mental health calls, cars involving reckless driving, and an increase of calls involving weapons going in an upward trend within recent years. The detective Bureau staff have been at a thin spread across the city due to the call volume and ancillary duties. Records have found that staff is struggling to keep up with duties due to an increase of workload and technology advancement. There are a total of five options in which the referendum would be approached. The first option will cost around $2 million and the other four options will cost around $1 million.

“I cringe at the idea of my taxes going up. But also, at the same time, I created the idea of not having you here, or somebody there when I make that call and I need someone there, so I appreciate all the information,” Neil Hicks said, “and I’ll make the motion to pursue a public safety referendum on April 1st, 2025.”