MILLENNIAL TASK FORCE
Regular MeetingMilwaukee, WI · September 28, 2020
Minutes
200 E. Wells Street
City of Milwaukee Milwaukee, Wisconsin
53202
Meeting Minutes
MILLENNIAL TASK FORCE
CHAIR: MARQUAYLA ELLISON
Nick Carnahan, Nicole Behnke, Jordan Donald, Tenia Fisher,
Jeremy Fojut, Adam Gabornitz, Michael Hostad, Amelia Kegel,
Noel Kegel, Kacee Ochalek, Jason Rae, Ger Thao, Tiffany
Henry and Sam Woods.
Staff Assistant: Chris Lee, 414-286-2232
Legislative Liaison: Alex Highley, 414-286-8661
Monday, September 28, 2020 8:00 AM Virtual Meeting
This will be a virtual meeting conducted via GoToMeeting. Should you wish to join this
meeting from your phone, tablet, or computer you may go to
https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/454344005. You can also dial in using your phone United
States: +1 (571) 317-3122 and Access Code: 454-344-005.
1. Call to order.
The meeting was called to order at 8:05 a.m.
2. Roll call.
Present 12 - Fojut, Carnahan, Donald, Ellison, Fisher, Gabornitz, Hostead, Kegel, Kegel,
Ochalek, Thao and Woods
Excused 2 - Rae and Henry
Also present:
Alex Highley, Legislative Reference Bureau
Bernadette Karanja, Common Council - City Clerk's Office Workforce Development
Division
3. Review and approval of the previous meeting minutes.
The meeting minutes from September 8, 2020 were approved without objection.
4. Assessment, analysis, and setting of priority goals, objectives, outcomes, and
recommendations.
A. Task force priorities
Chair Ellison said for members to discuss further infrastructure, streets and
City of Milwaukee Page 1
MILLENNIAL TASK FORCE Meeting Minutes September 28, 2020
transportation followed by education and other priority items.
1.) Infrastructure, streets, and transportation
Members considered written recommendations from a group of interested advocates,
including some DPW staff, but not exclusively, as follows:
Near-Term:
1. Explicitly state that the City aims to reduce automobile trips, and ensure all
policies, designs, decisions, ordinances, etc reflect this goal (zoning code, parking
requirements, parking pricing, etc). Specific to DPW - mandate safety, comfort, and
access for all users over speed and capacity in all street design projects - this will
immediately reduce speeding and increase trips made by walking, biking, and transit.
2. Become a member of the National Association of City Transportation Officials
(NACTO) and adopt all NACTO street design guidelines - NACTO is leading the
national conversation on making city streets more equitable, safer, sustainable, and
more vibrant. 81 cities and transit agencies throughout North America are NACTO
members - Milwaukee is falling behind its peers.
3. Support the efforts of the Equal Rights Commission and the Health Department to
ensure all actions impacting the ROW comply with the City's Achieving Racial Equity
Resolution.
Long-Term:
1. Reorganize / abolish DPW to create a modern transportation agency that is tasked
with addressing equity, climate change, safety, economic development, mobility, mode
shift, quality of life, etc. In concert with this effort, a new strategic plan should be
developed that identifies a vision, goals, and meaningful next steps towards
implementation.
2. Commit to Vision Zero - the elimination of serious injury and death caused by traffic
violence. This will create a safer, healthier, and more equitable city.
3. Develop and propose a well-researched, widely supported, and sustainable funding
source to generate local revenue for transportation; including maintenance, transit
improvements, mobility improvements, streetscape improvements etc. This must be a
transparent process with wide support that is explicit on where funds will be used.
Members and staff discussed supporting all the recommendations, supporting only the
reorganization and not abolishment of DPW; exploring further how to reorganize DPW
before supporting its reorganization; that DPW reorganization is a bold move that may
best create real change; that current DPW structure may be outdated and a barrier to
success; that DPW has 4 main divisions with many subdivisions within those
divisions; that Milwaukee is not a member of NACTO; that there should also be
consideration of different age groups, racial equity, and the City's narrative; that there
should be a priority to invest in disadvantaged neighborhoods to improve transportation
and streets there; that the Sherman Phoenix site (Fond du Lac Ave. and 35th St.) is an
example; that DPW town hall meetings should ask Millennials for input; that DPW has
a process and schedule to evaluate streets for total reconstruction (30-year cycle) or
for high impact paving; that implementation of Complete Streets depend on costs and
the physical space of a street; and that there are ways to adjust, alter, or reduce
projects in order to implement Complete Streets in some fashion.
Member Noel Kegel moved that the task force pursue the near-term and long-term
recommendations, except the abolishment of DPW, and prioritizing disadvantaged
neighborhoods as potential committee recommendations. Member Gabornitz
seconded. There was no objection.
City of Milwaukee Page 2
MILLENNIAL TASK FORCE Meeting Minutes September 28, 2020
Member Noel Kegel added that he could assemble additional information and
resources.
2.) Education
Chair Ellison said that the task force should acquire data on Milwaukee Public
Schools (MPS) high school students or having MPS come before the committee.
Member Fojut said that 14% of MPS students go on to college and that there is further
data on MPS students going to college.
Member Gabornitz said that perhaps All-In Milwaukee can come before the task force,
that it is a nonprofit organization assisting low-income students to address barriers
(college tuition, mentorships, internships) for them, and that 8% of students of color
graduate.
3.) Other
Ms. Karanja said that the Common Council had passed social responsibility legislation
to offer incentives to hire people of color and that there should be social responsibility
measures taken for big corporations to increase training, internships, and access to
people of color.
Member Hostad said he's a part of a tech hub talent consortium of 59 nonprofit
organizations in the City striving to share resources, bridge gaps, and build metrics for
young people; that there is no spokesperson; that he can be a liaison to obtain data
and information from the consortium; and that the corporate community should have
better presence.
Chair Ellison said that the task force should learn more about the City's Earn and
Learn program and that perhaps Big Step/WRTP can appear before the task force
regarding apprenticeships.
Members further discussed that the task force should also separately focus on
housing and the workplace as next priority items, converse with young developers such
as those from the ACRE program, that there should be support for the Convent Hill
32-story mixed-income apartment tower project from the Housing Authority of the City
of Milwaukee (HACM); and that private developers may find issue with HACM's project.
B. Reasons Millennials and Generation Z leave or stay in Milwaukee
Member Fojut said that if granted permission and once completed he would like to
bring to the committee results from an exit survey regarding employees leaving large
companies in Milwaukee, that most of those surveyed said they would not return to
Milwaukee, that issues for those leaving include the archaic nature of large companies
and segregation in the City, that all ages including Millennials were surveyed, that the
survey's intent was to build profiles and target markets, and that people without much
experience of the City are more willing to come and stay in the City.
C. Review of Common Council legislation, existing programs, or initiatives
The task force had discussed or mentioned about the City's Earn and Learn program,
social responsibility legislation, and Complete Streets policy in earlier discussions.
City of Milwaukee Page 3
MILLENNIAL TASK FORCE Meeting Minutes September 28, 2020
D. Any research, speaker, or presentation requests?
The task force had discussed, mentioned, or inquired in earlier discussions about
further research and/or presentation on DPW internal staff recommendations, NATCO,
MPS and MPS high school students, All-In Milwaukee, tech hub consortium, Earn and
Learn program, Big Step/WRTP, social responsibility legislation, exit survey of
employees leaving large companies in Milwaukee, ACRE program, and HACM's
Convent Hill project.
As requested by members, Mr. Highley said that he will do research on the City's Earn
and Learn program, MPS student surveys, Common Council's authority on restructuring
City departments, peer city programs to combat segregation (i.e. Cincinnati), and data
on college student enrollment, migration, in-state/out-of-state numbers, and reasons
for enrolling into their schools.
E. Other
There was no other discussion.
5. Next steps moving forward.
A. Task force meeting schedule and structure
Remain meeting every 2-3 weeks focusing on a priority item each time.
B. Agenda items for the next meeting(s)
To be determined. Items may include priority items of education, apprenticeships,
housing, and the workplace.
C. Set next meeting date(s) and time(s).
To be determined for the end of October.
D. Other
There was no other discussion.
6. Adjournment.
The meeting adjourned at 9:28 a.m.
Chris Lee, Staff Assistant
Council Records Section
City Clerk's Office
Meeting materials from past and present meetings can be found within the following file:
191649 Communication relating to findings, recommendations and activities of
the Millennial Task Force.
City of Milwaukee Page 4
MILLENNIAL TASK FORCE Meeting Minutes September 28, 2020
Sponsors: THE CHAIR
City of Milwaukee Page 5
Agenda
200 E. Wells Street
City of Milwaukee Milwaukee, Wisconsin
53202
Meeting Agenda
MILLENNIAL TASK FORCE
CHAIR: MARQUAYLA ELLISON
Nick Carnahan, Angela Damiani, Jordan Donald, Tenia Fisher,
Jeremy Fojut, Adam Gabornitz, Michael Hostad, Amelia Kegel,
Noel Kegel, Kacee Ochalek, Jason Rae, Ger Thao, Tiffany Henry
and Sam Woods.
Staff Assistant: Chris Lee, 414-286-2232
Legislative Liaison: Alex Highley, 414-286-8661
Monday, September 28, 2020 8:00 AM Virtual Meeting
This will be a virtual meeting conducted via GoToMeeting. Should you wish to join this meeting
from your phone, tablet, or computer you may go to https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/454344005.
You can also dial in using your phone United States: +1 (571) 317-3122 and Access Code:
454-344-005.
1. Call to order.
2. Roll call.
3. Review and approval of the previous meeting minutes.
4. Assessment, analysis, and setting of priority goals, objectives, outcomes, and
recommendations.
A. Task force priorities
1.) Infrastructure, streets, and transportation
2.) Education
3.) Other
B. Reasons Millennials and Generation Z leave or stay in Milwaukee
C. Review of Common Council legislation, existing programs, or initiatives
D. Any research, speaker, or presentation requests?
E. Other
5. Next steps moving forward.
A. Task force meeting schedule and structure
B. Agenda items for the next meeting(s)
C. Set next meeting date(s) and time(s).
D. Other
6. Adjournment.
City of Milwaukee Page 1 Printed on 9/22/2020
MILLENNIAL TASK FORCE Meeting Agenda September 28, 2020
Meeting materials from past and present meetings can be found within the following file:
191649 Communication relating to findings, recommendations and activities of the
Millennial Task Force.
Sponsors: THE CHAIR
In the event that Common Council members who are not members of this committee attend this meeting, this
meeting may also simultaneously constitute a meeting of the Common Council or any of the following
committees: Community and Economic Development, Finance and Personnel, Judiciary and Legislation,
Licenses, Public Safety and Health, Public Works, Zoning, Neighborhoods & Development, and/or Steering
and Rules. Whether a simultaneous meeting is occurring depends on whether the presence of one or more of
the Common Council member results in a quorum of the Common Council or any of the above committees,
and, if there is a quorum of another committee, whether any agenda items listed above involve matters within
that committee’s realm of authority. In the event that a simultaneous meeting is occurring, no action other than
information gathering will be taken at the simultaneous meeting.
Upon reasonable notice, efforts will be made to accommodate the needs of persons with disabilities through
sign language interpreters or auxiliary aids. For additional information or to request this service, contact the
City Clerk's Office ADA Coordinator at 286-2998, (FAX)286-3456, (TDD)286-2025 or by writing to the
Coordinator at Room 205, City Hall, 200 E. Wells Street, Milwaukee, WI 53202.
Limited parking for persons attending meetings in City Hall is available at reduced rates (5 hour limit) at the
Milwaukee Center on the southwest corner of East Kilbourn and North Water Street. Parking tickets must be
validated in the first floor Information Booth in City Hall.
Persons engaged in lobbying as defined in s. 305-43-4 of the Milwaukee Code of Ordinances are required to
register with the City Clerk's Office License Division. Registered lobbyists appearing before a Common
Council committee are required to identify themselves as such. More information is available at
http://city.milwaukee.gov/Lobbying.
City of Milwaukee Page 2 Printed on 9/22/2020