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The City of Wauwatosa has been awarded a significant state innovation grant, providing $4,563,070 annually for the next five years, subject to continued participation in the state grant program. Over five years, the grant could bring more than $22.8 million to the City, creating a once-in-a-generation opportunity to invest in Wauwatosa’s future.

The grant funding will allow the City to advance major priorities while strengthening its long-term financial position. Rather than relying solely on local tax dollars, Wauwatosa can make strategic investments that improve City facilities, reduce future costs, and deliver lasting value for residents.

This funding supports the planned Milwaukee Metro Fire Rescue merger, which will allow the City to continue delivering the high level of emergency service residents expect while sharing costs more efficiently. Another opportunity under consideration is the planned remodel of the Wauwatosa Public Library and City Hall, a community space that serves more than 1,000 people every day.

To ensure these dollars have the greatest long-term impact, City staff will recommend a fund use policy to the Common Council in July. The proposed policy would reserve the grant for strategic, one-time investments that strengthen the City’s financial future.

The Wauwatosa Civic Celebration Commission is proud to announce a new location for the city’s Independence Day fireworks display. This year’s celebration will take place at Wisconsin Lutheran College’s Krauss-Miller-Lutz Outdoor Athletic Complex, located at 1401 Swan Boulevard.

The Civic Celebration Commission, a dedicated group of volunteers who coordinate Wauwatosa’s community holiday traditions, worked closely with city officials and local partners to secure the new venue.

To ensure the safety of all attendees, the fireworks will be launched directly from the complex’s baseball field at approximately 9:15 p.m. The baseball field area will be securely roped off to the public.

Spectators will have excellent sightlines from several designated viewing areas.

View this online map to see parking options, viewing areas, and road closures.

Parking Information (in order of closest/best options)

Parking lot at the stadium. Enter off of Swan Blvd.
1200 N Mayfair parking lot. This is a private business that agreed to have free parking for the community. This is approximately 0.4 miles from the stadium viewing area.
Park and Ride lot (10600 W Watertown Plank Rd). This is approximately 0.4 miles from the stadium viewing area.
Underwood Creek Parkway (parking on one side only, and only north of the freeway). This is approximately .4-.7 miles from the stadium viewing area.
1233 N Mayfair parking lot. This is a private business that agreed to have free parking. It’s possible that you can use the Oak Leaf Trail to go under Mayfair Road instead of crossing at the intersection. However, the Oak Leaf Trail might be closed on this date. You could park in the lot and watch fireworks from the parking lot. Please continue to monitor trail closures. This is approximately .75 miles by way of Oak Leaf Trail to the stadium viewing area.
Vel R Phillips parking lot (10201 W Watertown Plank Rd). This is approximately .75 miles from the stadium viewing area.
Irgens parking lot (1425 Discovery Parkway). This is 1.25 miles from the stadium viewing area, by way of the walking path to Swan Blvd. to the stadium viewing area.

Viewing areas

The stadium bleachers are the preferred viewing area. The stadium will open at approximately 7:00 p.m. for people. The fireworks start at approximately 9:15 p.m.
The soccer field is the second preferred viewing area. Bring your own chair or blanket.
Any of the parking lots listed above would be great viewing areas if you park there and stay there.

Street Closures

Swan Blvd at Discovery Parkway
Swan Blvd at Underwood Creek Parkway

Other information

The college will offer concessions for purchase in the stadium.
There is no alcohol allowed.
There are bathrooms in the stadium. We will also have porta-johns available.

Accessibility considerations:

There is limited handicapped parking close to the stadium.
If you plan to sit in the stadium and have mobility issues, plan to arrive early because the parking is limited. Otherwise, the other parking options involve a 0.3 to 1.25 mile walk. As an alternative, you could view the fireworks from one of the parking lots instead of coming to the stadium.

Each summer brings back familiar Wauwatosa events such as the farmers market, Tosa Tonight, and ART64. Celebrate your favorite part of living in Wauwatosa by entering this year’s Tosa Photos contest at tosaphotos.com. Each summer, photographers of all ages are invited to submit photos that represent the best part of #TosaLife.

The 2026 Tosa Life Photo Contest runs between June 1 and August 31. Submissions are open between June 1 and August 31, with voting occurring between August 1-31. To submit a photo, visit tosaphotos.com. Photos must be taken within the City of Wauwatosa limits and must be your original work.

Prizes will be presented to winners in four categories:

Cityscapes
Community Engagement and Special Events
Environment
Popular Vote (the submission with the most votes)

Winners will receive gift cards to a local businesses. Good luck and happy photographing!

After more than 10 years of community conversation, Wauwatosa is nearing a decision on the future of the Wauwatosa Public Library and City Hall building. The city is currently looking for community feedback on four design concepts that outline options for repairing, modernizing, and functionally improving the shared municipal complex.

Why Now?
While the last major renovation of the complex took place in 1992, significant portions of the building’s infrastructure date back to 1957 and have officially reached the end of their useful life. Beyond necessary structural repairs, the building requires substantial updates to meet modern accessibility standards, improve energy efficiency, and better serve today’s community programming needs.

Based on past community feedback, several features have been integrated into the current design considerations, including:

A larger, dedicated storytime room to accommodate families.
A separate, dedicated space tailored for older students and teens.
More meeting and collaboration rooms for local groups and residents.
Comprehensive updates to ensure the facility is welcoming and navigable for everyone.

Next Steps and Funding
The project is currently in a public engagement phase. The Common Council is expected to review all community feedback and make a final decision on the scope and design concept in late July 2026.

Once a concept is selected, it will inform a private fundraising campaign led by the library. The project will be funded through a combination of the city’s standard capital budget, grant funds, and private donations. There will not be a referendum for this project.

How to Participate
Depending on the concept chosen by the Council, estimated project costs range from $36 million to $107 million. Because this is a long-term investment in Wauwatosa’s civic heart, resident feedback is critical to narrowing down the options.

Residents are encouraged to view the detailed design concepts, review the estimated pricing, and complete the public survey online.

Review the concepts and take the survey.

Mayor Dennis McBride and Wauwatosa city leaders hosted the 2026 State of the City address at Hart Park’s Muellner Building. The highlights included efforts towards housing, a historic benchmark in traffic safety, and a summer of public engagement on the future of Wauwatosa’s library and city hall building.

View the full view of the address.

Library and City Hall Remodel Options
The city is kicking off a summer of public engagement regarding the future of the Library and City Hall complex. The facility has not seen a major remodel since 1992, and core pieces of its infrastructure are original to 1957. Throughout the summer, leaders will be asking the public for critical feedback on four distinct renovation options, ranging in scope and investment from $36 million to $107 million, ahead of a planned Common Council decision on the project scope in late July.

Library Director Pete Loeffel shared: “Our Library is the 15th largest in the state, and in 2025, we had the highest circulation in our 140-year history. We see over 1,000 visitors every single day – making us #7 in the state for visitation. And our Children’s Library? We check out over 400,000 items a year, making us third in the entire state for kids’ materials circulated. While the magic happening inside our walls is better than ever, the walls themselves are tired. You know it, and I know it. We’ve been listening to your feedback, and the community has been loud and clear: our building is outdated. The building was designed before we needed private rooms for virtual job interviews. Before students needed charging hubs for laptops instead of just a desk for a notebook. Our physical space has to evolve as fast as our community’s needs do.”

Visit the project webpage to see the concepts, estimated tax impact, FAQs, and a survey.

A New Design Element
The event featured the official sneak peek and phased rollout of Wauwatosa’s fresh, digital-first design element. The new look features a clean font and an inclusive, nature-inspired visual concept designed to ensure public communication is clear, high-contrast, and easily legible across all modern print and digital platforms. You’ll start to see this rolled out in 2026.

State Innovation Grant for Fire Merger
Leadership shared that Wauwatosa is eagerly anticipating an upcoming announcement regarding the State Innovation Grant. If secured, the grant could award the city up to $24.9 million over five years. This critical funding would provide a monumental boost, enabling the city to successfully launch and execute the upcoming regional fire department merger with West Allis.

Addressing Housing Growth and Traffic Safety
Mayor McBride addressed a variety of local updates, noting the addition of 556 new housing units over the last year – including 168 senior housing units and 80 dedicated affordable rate units – reaffirming that housing variety remains a top priority. The Mayor also touched heavily on proactive investments in traffic safety and enforcement. Thanks to these targeted efforts, Wauwatosa achieved a major milestone with zero traffic-related fatalities in 2025. However, acknowledging injuries from a crash just last week, Wauwatosa emphasized that this critical enforcement work must continue.

On housing, Mayor McBride stated: “168 of the 556 new housing units were for seniors. 80 were at an affordable rate. But inflation and high interest rates have made construction extremely expensive. It is important to remember that the City does not build housing. That is done by the private sector. But to ease the crisis – and the crisis is nationwide – we’ve revised our zoning code and created an affordable housing fund to which housing developers contribute. We’re doing what we can to help people who work in Wauwatosa, and seniors who’ve spent their lives here, to live in our great community. But housing demand remains high.”

On traffic safety, Mayor McBride stated: “That’s why we instituted a modest vehicle registration fee and dedicated it entirely to repairing our roads and making our streets safer. The result? In 2025, Wauwatosa had zero traffic fatalities. Zero. That certainly is a meaningful number. At the same time, our Police Department has been creating “hot spot patrols.” The police now use data to decide where to place our squads. Over a six-month period, we saw an 8.4% reduction in the severity of incidents in those areas. This means that fewer crimes are happening, reducing harm to residents and the demands on our police. There’s still work to be done, but every day we’re working to keep Wauwatosa safe.”

Since 1964, The Wauwatosa Distinguished Citizen Award Council has honored the people who have made significant voluntary contributions to community life in Wauwatosa to make this city such a great place to live. Leaders in our school systems, fire and police services, civic, business, neighborhoods, community services, and historic preservation have been honored over the years for their selfless dedication to making a difference in everyone’s life who lives in and around Wauwatosa.

The Wauwatosa Distinguished Citizen Award Council is pleased to announce Katherine Riebe as Wauwatosa’s 2025 Distinguished Citizen of the year.

Katherine’s commitment to Wauwatosa is extraordinary and broadly known. Beyond her significant hours of volunteerism, she also is a community bridge-builder creating trust and relationships with people from all backgrounds. She exemplifies humility, looks out for others and gets things done. Here is a brief outline of some of the ways she has contributed to improving Wauwatosa: dedicated school volunteer for over a decade and PTA VP at both Whitman and West; advocated for equity advocates in every Tosa school; served on the district equity leadership team helping to write the first and second district equity plans; advocated for the Black Literature class and broad district commitment to inclusion; member of RACE, the first parent support group for parents of Black and Brown students; long-time partner with the Wauwatosa Public Library sharing culturally diverse programming; volunteer with the Wauwatosa Health Department for nearly a decade and current member of the Board of Health; founder and leader of the Wauwatosa Black History Month Celebration (2017–2026); key leader in the Tosa Talks series on anti-racism efforts; co-leader of a civil dialogue series aimed at bringing together people with diverse perspectives; early member and leader of Tosa Together; and appointed member of the Wauwatosa Sustainability Committee since 2022, now in her third term helping guide the City’s environmental plan.

The public is invited to recognize this dedicated, compassionate, and visionary community leader as the Wauwatosa 2025 Distinguished Citizen and thank her for making Wauwatosa a better place to live, work, play, and raise a family. Please join other community members, family, and friends on Wednesday, June 3, 2026 at the Blue Mound Golf and Country Club for the official Wauwatosa 2025 Distinguished Citizen Award Banquet and Ceremony. The reception will begin at 5:30 p.m. (cash bar) and dinner will be served at 6:30 p.m. Cocktail attire requested; kindly no jeans.

RSVP to the Event
Reservation Deadline is Wednesday, June 3, 2026. Reservations are $90.00 per person.

Reservations may be made in person at: Wauwatosa City Clerk’s Office, 7725 W. North Avenue, Wauwatosa, WI 53213 from 8 A.M. – 4:30 P.M. (checks only – no charge cards)

Reservations by Mail: Mailing a check (with names of people attending) payable to: Wauwatosa Distinguished Citizen Award Council c/o WDCAC President, 7527 W. Wright Street, Wauwatosa, WI 53213

Banquet reservation information can be found on the City’s website at: Distinguished Citizen Award

Any dietary restrictions should be addressed with the Blue Mound Golf and Country Club directly.

Questions: Laura Kirklewski (414-587-9938)

Wauwatosa has a new Common Council — and a new way to connect with your local representatives. As of April 28, 2025, the Council has transitioned from 16 alders to 12, each now representing one of 12 newly drawn districts.

How to find your alder
Every Wauwatosa resident is now represented by one alder. To find yours:

1. View the district map to see your district boundaries.

2. Visit the Common Council directory to find your alder’s name, contact information, and committee assignments.

How to follow Council meetings
Council and committee meetings are open to the public. You can view upcoming agendas, watch meetings, and find public comment information through the City meeting portal.

How to contact your alder
Your alder wants to hear from you. Contact information for all 12 alders is available in the Council directory. You can also reach the City Clerk’s Office at (414) 479-8917 or by email with questions about the Council or meetings.