Onward Tosa

03/23/2026

📊 New from Onward Tosa: A Resident’s Experience with Property Assessments

We’re sharing a guest submission from a Wauwatosa resident and homeowner who went through the 2025 property assessment appeals process firsthand.

The author is not affiliated with Onward Tosa and is writing in a personal capacity based on his own experience and research.

This piece offers a detailed, data-driven look at:
• How the assessment system works
• What happens during Open Book and Board of Review
• Where issues may arise in comparable sales analyses
• What homeowners should know before appealing

Whether you agreed with your assessment or had questions, this is a valuable inside look at a process that impacts every homeowner in our community.

👉 Read the full article below:

Lessons from challenging an assessment

03/10/2026

We reviewed 5,000+ pages of public records involving communications between the City of Wauwatosa and the Wauwatosa School District.

The documents show extensive coordination on redevelopment, taxes, school facilities, and public messaging before many of these issues appeared in formal public discussions.

This article is a preliminary roadmap through the records. We encourage residents and journalists to review the documents themselves. Click the link below.

What 5,000 Pages of Records Reveal About the City of Wauwatosa, the Wauwatosa School District, and the Decisions Shaping Our Community

02/11/2026

FEMA has now officially denied Wisconsin’s appeal for federal public infrastructure aid related to the August 2025 floods.

Last fall, when Onward Tosa explained that taxpayers could be left covering millions in flood repairs if FEMA aid didn’t come through, some elected officials dismissed those concerns as “misinformation” or “conspiracy theories.” Unfortunately, that scenario is now reality.

With federal aid off the table, the remaining options appear to be state funds or local taxpayers.

We’re also hearing reports that damage to the Muellner Building may not be as extensive as the roughly $1 million initially discussed, raising reasonable questions about final verified repair costs. At the same time, why are hundreds of thousands being spent on turf replacement while residents may be asked to absorb flood-related expenses? And more broadly: why do major capital investments continue to be made in a largely uninsurable floodplain?

This isn’t about blame. Frontline city staff and first responders did tremendous work.

But it is about transparency, fiscal oversight, and keeping residents fully informed when millions in public dollars are at stake.

After FEMA’s denial, residents face the cost of risks the city took in Hart Park’s flood zone.

01/26/2026

Over $13M in tax refunds and claims.
A $3.5M chargeback to the school district.
And a fiscal model increasingly dependent on homeowners.

Our latest Onward Tosa analysis explains how institutional growth, tax exemptions, and quiet settlements are reshaping ’s future.

Read the deep dive 👇

How lawsuits, tax exemptions, and subsidies are quietly reshaping who pays for Wauwatosa’s future

12/14/2025

FYI

12/10/2025

homeowners deserve a fair, transparent assessment process.
Our new report breaks down what really happened in the 2025 revaluation, why so many appeals went nowhere, how the Wisconsin Department of Revenue overturned a major assessment, and what’s coming next.

A Closer Look at the 2025 Assessment Process and What Comes Next for Taxpayers.

11/09/2025

URGENT: Three Major Decisions Tuesday Night

Tuesday, November 11 - Back-to-Back Committee Meetings

6:00 PM - Government Affairs Committee: Wauwatosa is considering a merger with West Allis that would restructure our fire services for at least 12 years. This isn’t the final agreement, but we believe this meeting will set the framework (or terms) that will shape everything that follows.

7:00 PM - Financial Affairs Committee
Two TIF district projects including affordable housing components.

Also 7:00 PM - West Allis Common Council
West Allis will likely vote on their fire department term sheet the same night.

Three major decisions. Two hours. Likely one chance for public input.

Meeting links in comments.

10/27/2025

𝐍𝐄𝐖 𝐀𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐥𝐞: 𝐅𝐄𝐌𝐀 𝐒𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐍𝐨

FEMA approved more than $82 million to help Milwaukee County residents after the August floods, but denied aid to repair public infrastructure.

That means Wauwatosa taxpayers may now be on the hook for $2–2.5 million in uninsured damage at Hart Park and elsewhere. Our new Onward Tosa investigation breaks down what happened, what FEMA’s rules really say, and why the city’s levee status could matter.

👇Read the full story at the link below.

After FEMA’s denial, residents face the cost of risks the city took in Hart Park’s flood zone.

10/26/2025

🏙️ Wauwatosa’s New Zoning Code: What’s Really Changing — and Why It Matters

The City’s rewriting major parts of its zoning ordinance — and it’s not just a formatting update. These changes affect what can be built in every neighborhood, from lot sizes to building heights, and who gets to shape those decisions.

⚖️ Key Takeaways (10/17/25 redlined draft):

Split-zoned parcels: Instead of case-by-case discretion, the city now lets the “majority zone” control if 75%+ of a parcel is one type. Sounds technical, but it limits public oversight on tricky redevelopment sites.

Residential districts: Lot sizes shrink and coverage expands — opening the door to denser infill. While more housing can be good, it also means more flexibility for developers with less input from neighbors.

Commercial height bonuses: Buildings in C2 zones can now go up to 85 feet (instead of 60) if they include “20% affordable units” or are near the BRT line. The city hasn’t defined how affordability will actually be enforced.

Institutional & Medical districts: Big hospitals, schools, and research campuses gain new freedom to expand and add housing — without clear traffic or infrastructure mitigation standards.

Overlay corridors:

Mayfair (/MAY): Allows mixed-use apartments inside the mall footprint and limits when drive-throughs can be denied.

North Avenue (/NOR): Adds transparency requirements but not much else to address parking or pedestrian safety.

🔍 Bottom line:
This rewrite simplifies the zoning map, but it also shifts power from the Council and residents to administrative discretion , and gives developers broader leeway across multiple districts.

As always, clarity is good. But residents deserve to know how these changes affect their streets, their taxes, and their say in what gets built.

If you care about neighborhood stability, transparency, and affordability that actually means affordable, now’s the time to pay attention before this code is adopted.

If you care about neighborhood stability, transparency, and affordability that truly means affordable, now’s the time to speak up.

📅 Public Hearing: Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025 – 6:30 PM at City Hall.

10/16/2025

Today we released our newest Substack article reviewing the 2026 City of Executive Budget and examining yearly trends. Please click the link below to learn more.

Property Tax Increases and Service Adjustments Continue as City Navigates State-Imposed Revenue Constraints

09/29/2025

New Onward Tosa Investigation: $57.9 Million for Boston Store Redevelopment in

Onward Tosa reviewed 1,208 city emails released under Wisconsin’s public records law. Here’s what we learned:

📌 Early discussions began in Oct 2021, well before public announcements.
📌 The City purchased the Boston Store in July 2022 for $4 million before a TIF financing plan was in place, an approach that internal memos flagged as potentially costly.
📌 Some early expenses, like a $24,000 utility bill, were routed through the CDA, a step that streamlined payment but reduced direct Council oversight.
📌 Emails show a focus on coordinating messaging, such as avoiding certain terms and adjusting press release headlines.
📌 There was discussion about whether the purchase could influence the ongoing property-tax lawsuit with the mall’s owner.

⚖️ While no court or regulator has found wrongdoing, these records raise important questions about process, transparency, and governance in how major redevelopment decisions are made.

An analysis of 1,208 emails on how The City of Wauwatosa advanced the Boston Store redevelopment