THU AM News: Talking Trade with Sarah Helton, Michael Best Strategies; WPF report explores SE WI development, zoning frameworks

March 5, 2026

— In the latest episode of “Talking Trade,” Michael Best Strategies Partner Sarah Helton says uncertainty persists after the recent U.S. Supreme Court tariffs decision.

“It’s nice that we have clarity around where the Supreme Court lands on the president not having authority under IEEPA to impose tariffs, but we are in a kind of part two of a world of uncertainty,” Helton said.

After the nation’s highest court ruled the president can’t use the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to impose tariffs, undercutting a key element of the Trump administration’s trade policy, questions remain about the potential for refunds for affected businesses, she said.

“I think all eyes are on what the Court of International Trade is going to do next related to refunds and relief for importers for IEEPA tariffs paid,” Helton said, adding “for the thousands of lawsuits that have been filed to date, those essentially have been put on stay right now.”

The interview was recorded Feb. 26, before a judge with the court yesterday issued an order directing the government to start refunding importers.

Helton also weighs in on alternative tariff routes the administration has been using as well as how they could be leveraged going forward.

Talking Trade is hosted by E.M Wasylik Associates Managing Director Ken Wasylik and M.E. Dey & Co. President and Managing Director Sandi Siegel.

Watch the full episode here.

“Talking Trade” is now available in audio form on Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts. Subscribe and find more episodes here.

— Efforts to allow more development projects in southeastern Wisconsin to proceed “by right” could have an impact on project timelines in the region, according to a new Wisconsin Policy Forum report.

The group today is releasing its latest analysis, focused on development and approval frameworks for communities in the metropolitan Milwaukee area. The report goes into detail on these processes across six cities: Milwaukee, Waukesha, West Allis, Wauwatosa, Oak Creek and Brookfield.

Authors say they found “considerable variation” in the time it takes for projects to advance across these communities, as well as by project type and scale. While factors such as market conditions and developer decisions influence timelines for projects, local government regulations also play a substantial role, the report shows.

WPF found one the biggest differences between the cities is the extent to which they allow development projects to proceed “by right,” as opposed to requiring discretionary approvals from local officials.

In Milwaukee, for example, if a project complies with the city’s zoning code, building permits can be considered without undering discretionary review by the City Plan Commission or Milwaukee Common Council.

Authors note this is “rather uncommon” for the region, as most other cities require all or most commercial development projects to be approved by a plan commission or design review board. Some also require projects to be approved by elected city councils.

“Milwaukee and Wauwatosa stand out for this approach and the relatively high share of their projects that receive staff-level approvals, which likely contributes to shorter median project timelines,” authors wrote.

Wauwatosa recently adjusted its zoning code to make more projects able to proceed “by right,” including multi-family housing. Waukesha is also currently seeking to make a similar change to its own regulations, per the report.

The report references growing concerns about rising housing prices and limited supply in the region, noting multi-family residential projects have been slower to come together than other types of developments such as industrial buildings. Residential projects are often subject to requirements about conditional uses permits or zoning changes, involving review processes that can lead to projects being slowed down or disrupted.

“One possible strategy that local governments could consider to accelerate approvals of these projects is to adjust their zoning codes to allow multi-family housing to be built by right in more areas,” authors wrote.

See the full report, summary and release.

— Advocates for Wisconsin’s golf industry are touting a new report showing the sport had a $6.44 billion economic impact on the state in 2023.

The Wisconsin Golf Alliance yesterday announced the study conducted by Radius Sports Group on its behalf, which found that golf supported nearly 57,000 jobs in the state and contributed $2 billion in wages.

The report spotlights the $3.37 billion direct economic impact in 2023, the latest year covered in the analysis. That figure captures facility operations, capital investments, tournaments, tourism and more.

A total of 11.24 million rounds of golf were played in the state in 2023, marking a 7.1% increase over the prior year.

Wisconsin has more than 500 golf courses, including internationally known destinations such as Whistling Straits and Erin Hills. The state has 11 of the top 100 ranked public courses in the country, and has hosted major events such as the Ryder Cup, U.S. Open and PGA Championship, the report notes.

Rob Jansen, executive director of the Wisconsin State Golf Association, calls the sport “one of the state’s most powerful” economic engines. And Joe Stadler, who leads the Wisconsin PGA Section, says the major championships happening in the state are elevating the state’s stature within the golf community.

“These numbers reflect the strength of everyday public play and the powerful draw of nationally recognized destinations and major golf events — positioning Wisconsin as one of the country’s most compelling golf markets,” Stadler said in a statement on the report.

See the report and release.

— Wisconsin lagged behind other states for growth in population, real GDP and income between 2017 and 2024, though it fared well compared to others in reducing the share of residents in poverty, according to a new report from Forward Analytics.

The arm of the Wisconsin Counties Association found the demographic challenges facing Wisconsin, particularly slow population and labor force growth, have limited the state’s growth in personal and household income. That has put the state at risk of falling behind others, and “Addressing underlying demographic challenges is central to improving the state’s long-term economic vitality.”

The report found:

Wisconsin’s population grew 2.1% from 2017-24, putting the state in the bottom third of states at 34th. That was a slight improvement from the 2010-17 period, when growth was 2.6%, ranking the state 36th highest. Nationally, the population increase from 2017-24 was 4.1%.
The state’s GDP increased 10.1%, behind the national growth of 19.1%. Wisconsin’s GDP has trailed the national rate in every seven-year period since at least 1997-2004.
The state’s inflation-adjusted income on a per capita basis rose 9.6%, good for 38th best nationally.
Median household income rose 1.3% after adjusting for inflation, good for 34th best nationally. Illinois (2..5%) and Michigan (1.4%) outperformed Wisconsin, while Minnesota (0.1%) and Iowa (minus 1.8%) trailed the state.
Meanwhile, the state’s poverty rate dropped to 10.6% from 11.3%, putting the state 28th, after it had been 21st for 2010-17.

Top headlines from the Health Care Report…

— Dem lawmakers are calling for an option for everyone in Wisconsin to get coverage through BadgerCare, including the ability for small businesses to buy coverage for their workers.

Meanwhile, Attorney Generalosh Kaul has joined 24 other attorneys general in opposition to a new federal rule capping student loans for graduate students in nursing and other health fields.

For more of the most relevant health care news, reports on groundbreaking research in Wisconsin, links to top stories and more, sign up today for the free daily Health Care Report from WisPolitics and WisBusiness.com.

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