By Dave Fidlin
Foreclosure proceedings for a property near Milwaukee Street and Elkhorn and Bluff roads could soon come to an end, based on a recent decision by the Whitewater Common Council.
After meeting in closed session Sept. 2, council members voted to accept a reimbursement payment from Walworth County in the amount of $383,798 for the property, which had been owned by Elkhorn Road Ventures LLC before falling into foreclosure.
On the municipal end, City Attorney Wally McDonell described the council’s action as “a complete settlement.”
“But this does continue at the county level, and the city does have some obligation to (the property settlement),” McDonell said.
The county had placed a special charge on the property as part of the developer’s agreement with representatives of Elkhorn Road Ventures LLC. As part of the agreement, unpaid taxes are placed on the tax rolls, and the county reimburses the city for the charge.
In other business Sept. 2, the Common Council:
• Heard a proclamation from City Manager Cameron Clapper in recognition of Catherine Bloom, youth services librarian with the Irvin L. Young Memorial Library. Bloom, known adoringly as “Miss Cathy” by many of the library’s youngest patrons, retired early this month after nearly 15 years of service;
• Approved a second and final reading of a rezoning application made by representatives of SOBO Properties LLC for a home at 288 S. Janesville St. SOBO representatives petitioned the city, asking the home be rezoned to an overlay district — a technical designation that permits up to four unrelated persons to reside in the home;
• Awarded a $70,050 contract to Lake Mills-based Forest Landscaping and Construction for a stormwater project planned along portions of Woodland Drive. Forest Landscaping was the lowest of three bidders on the project.
