Who is the Wisconsin HOMEOWNERS Alliance working for?
The Alliance is working for YOU, Wisconsin's
2.5 million homeowners and property owners AND for
people who would LIKE TO BECOME homeowners or property
owners. And the Alliance is working for YOU, each and
every Wisconsin REALTOR®, helping you protect your
clients' and customers' interests.
How is the Alliance operated and funded?
This Wisconsin HOMEOWNERS Alliance (WHA) is a new C4
non-profit corporation spearheaded by the WRA. The goal
of this new entity is to provide a public resource and
watchdog for advocating and protecting homeowners'
interests in the state of Wisconsin. Funding is through
efforts of the WRA and a portion of REALTORS® dues going
to support this essential work.
What kinds of state and local issues will the Alliance
be working on?
The Alliance is greatly expanding on successes we have
had throughout the state recently. Here are just a few
brief examples.
EXAMPLE 1: PARK EAST CORRIDOR
Recently, the Greater Milwaukee Association of REALTORS®
reached out to city officials regarding overly
restrictive development requirements in downtown
Milwaukee’s Park East corridor - exactly the kind of
development that cities are clamoring for. But according
to GMAR
President Mike Ruzicka, there were certain people who
were bent on delaying the process.
“So we rallied our members and the public, and helped
move this project forward.”
EXAMPLE 2: DNR REGULATION OF PIERS
The issue of how the DNR regulates piers has made it all
the way to the state Supreme Court.
This is because the DNR wants to be able to apply new
standards to existing piers at any time - WITHOUT
public hearings, public notice, or approval by elected
officials. “We don’t think that’s
fair,” says WRA VP Michael Theo, “so the WRA, and now
the HOMEOWNERS Alliance, are fighting it all the way.”
EXAMPLE 3:
LAND USE RESTRICTIONS
Homeowners in Winchester, Winnebago County,
needed our help because the town board was planning to
severely restrict what people can do with their land.
And in Shawano County, a committee was planning to make
Shoreland Zoning
much stricter, similar to DNR proposals. “So in both of
these cases, we ran local ads, and homeowners came out
in big numbers against those plans,” says Susan Mathews,
REALTOR® and
WRA Executive Committee VP. “And in both cases, the
homeowners and property owners won!”
MANY
MORE STATE AND LOCAL ISSUES
Preserving the mortgage interest deduction
Fighting
efforts to raise the transfer fee
Promoting
a statewide property tax freeze
Scores of
local land-use related issues.
