Stories you might have missed from around Wisconsin.
Racine: Revisions to dangerous animal ordinance not universally supported.
Despite a mayoral veto, changes are coming to Racine’s ordinance involving dangerous animals. The Journal Times reports that the Common Council approved multiple changes to the ordinance, overriding the mayor’s veto. The mayor vetoed the revisions in September. Now that the veto has been overridden, the ordinance changes will go into effect November 27.The revisions include many that the Racine Police Department, the Racine Public Health Department and the Wisconsin Humane Society opposed, including: allowing the breeding of declared dangerous animals, extending owner compliance with collar, leashing, muzzling, juvenile residency and confinement requirements from 24 hours after the designation to three days after the designation and removing the requirement for annual registration of the animal with the Racine Police Department among others. The dangerous animal hearing examiner for the city, said that he supports the revisions, including extending the timeline for appeal hearings. Full Story
Milwaukee: MobCraft Beer to be sold.
After eight years of brewing and serving fine craft beer in Walker’s Point, MobCraft Beer, a brewery that crowdfunds its business and crowdsources its beer, is selling their brewery, taproom and intellectual property. The sale is expected to take place December 1. The Journal sentinel reports that MobCraft CEO Henry Schwartz said in a news release that the brewery “reached a point where we could no longer operate as a stand-alone operation.” The release also stated that MobCraft and the buyers were working on the deal and didn’t yet have details on how it will affect the existing brewery. MobCraft will release one last beer Advent calendar starting Nov. 4, throw one more Stout Fest on Nov. 23, and offer Black Friday beer specials starting Nov. 27. The brewery will throw a party on Nov. 30 to celebrate its last day. MobCraft Beer was founded in Madison in 2013 by three friends who met at UW-Whitewater and launched their business in Madison. It billed itself as the world’s first “crowdsourced” brewery, making small batches of beer based on recipes or ideas submitted by beer-drinkers. In 2016 MobCraft moved its business from Madison to Milwaukee when it opened its Walker’s Point taproom. Full Story
Oconto: City Council limits Yard tents and sheds.
The Oconto City Council has been very busy lately. At their last meeting, the council voted on issues ranging from liquor licenses, parking regulations and a license request for a church auction. They also took aim on people’s yards. The council made changes to an ordinance limiting the number of accessory buildings on a parcel to two, and a tent counts. Mayor Clint Martin cast a tie-breaking vote to pass the Zoning Ordinance revision to increase the number of accessory buildings allowed to two from one. Oconto City Administrator Brittney Burruel told the Peshtigo Times that residential property owners may apply for city permits for a tent or shed to be erected in the back or to the side of the house, not the front. Accessory structures are prohibited from taking up more than 30% of the yard. In a public hearing held immediately before the council meeting started, council members discussed the ordinance revisions, one asked “What is the reason for this ordinance?” “The problem was there was a lot of these aluminum framed storage tents,” said Council Member Riley Sowle. “Those storage tents are now going to count as an accessory building. Whoever has these little tarps for hiding their lawn mowers, that’s going to count as an accessory building.” The city wants equipment to be in a structure, not scattered in the yard. OK, Gladys Kravitz! Full Story
