On Tuesday, Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson released his $1.9 billion budget proposal for 2024 at city hall. Part of the plan calls for more than $3 million to be spent on the demolition of 180 vacant buildings next year. “Buildings that are set to be razed, they need to come down. So, in a proposal that I’m calling, ‘Raze and Revive,’ my budget doubles funding for demolition,” Johnson said.Alderman Robert Bauman argued the money should be spent saving buildings, not tearing them down. Home after home near 35th and Locust in Milwaukee sits empty. “They’re drawing crime, unwanted rodents,” said Tony Mills, who lives nearby.The vacant properties are boarded up with overgrown weeds and garbage littering lawns.”It’s horrible. We actually have homeless people occupying a few of these houses. It’s a lot of thefts. It’s a lot of drug uses in these houses,” Mills said. “When you have some properties that need to be razed, need to come down, they pose a public safety challenge. They pose a public risk. Because people will go into those properties, not only will they strip out materials, but they also will do illicit activity in there. They will do illegal activity in there, they’ll do drugs in there and the like. And that causes a problem. A problem that becomes a drain on city resources,” Johnson said.Johnson’s plan would target a total of 180 problem properties and could help ease a raze backlog the Department of Neighborhood Services faces.”I want to make sure that we’re taking those homes down that need to be demolished,” Johnson said.”We have a problem of blighted and vacant properties. There’s no question about it. One and two-family dwellings primarily. The question is, what to do with them? I mean, my top priority and I would hope the mayor’s priority is to renovate these properties and create affordable housing in these existing units,” Bauman said.Bauman argues that demolition is not the answer.”We have the resources, thanks to the sales tax, thanks to the increase in shared revenue, we have the resources to do deconstruction. I would urge the mayor to reconsider his Raze and Revive program,” Bauman said. Bauman told WISN 12 News reporter Kendall Keys he wants to see the properties deconstructed and redeveloped instead of demolished.”We’ve become very good at creating vacant lots in many neighborhoods of Milwaukee. And that’s not a good thing because those vacant lots seldom get redeveloped,” Bauman said.That’s something Mills doesn’t want to see become a reality on his block. “They’re going to level them and then we’re going to just have vacant lots every few houses,” Mills said.The Milwaukee Common Council can still make changes to the 2024 budget proposal. Budget hearings start at the end of this month, with the final budget adopted by the council Nov. 3.
On Tuesday, Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson released his $1.9 billion budget proposal for 2024 at city hall.
Part of the plan calls for more than $3 million to be spent on the demolition of 180 vacant buildings next year.
“Buildings that are set to be razed, they need to come down. So, in a proposal that I’m calling, ‘Raze and Revive,’ my budget doubles funding for demolition,” Johnson said.
Alderman Robert Bauman argued the money should be spent saving buildings, not tearing them down.
Home after home near 35th and Locust in Milwaukee sits empty.
“They’re drawing crime, unwanted rodents,” said Tony Mills, who lives nearby.
The vacant properties are boarded up with overgrown weeds and garbage littering lawns.
“It’s horrible. We actually have homeless people occupying a few of these houses. It’s a lot of thefts. It’s a lot of drug uses in these houses,” Mills said.
“When you have some properties that need to be razed, need to come down, they pose a public safety challenge. They pose a public risk. Because people will go into those properties, not only will they strip out materials, but they also will do illicit activity in there. They will do illegal activity in there, they’ll do drugs in there and the like. And that causes a problem. A problem that becomes a drain on city resources,” Johnson said.
Johnson’s plan would target a total of 180 problem properties and could help ease a raze backlog the Department of Neighborhood Services faces.
“I want to make sure that we’re taking those homes down that need to be demolished,” Johnson said.
“We have a problem of blighted and vacant properties. There’s no question about it. One and two-family dwellings primarily. The question is, what to do with them? I mean, my top priority and I would hope the mayor’s priority is to renovate these properties and create affordable housing in these existing units,” Bauman said.
Bauman argues that demolition is not the answer.
“We have the resources, thanks to the sales tax, thanks to the increase in shared revenue, we have the resources to do deconstruction. I would urge the mayor to reconsider his Raze and Revive program,” Bauman said.
Bauman told WISN 12 News reporter Kendall Keys he wants to see the properties deconstructed and redeveloped instead of demolished.
“We’ve become very good at creating vacant lots in many neighborhoods of Milwaukee. And that’s not a good thing because those vacant lots seldom get redeveloped,” Bauman said.
That’s something Mills doesn’t want to see become a reality on his block.
“They’re going to level them and then we’re going to just have vacant lots every few houses,” Mills said.
The Milwaukee Common Council can still make changes to the 2024 budget proposal. Budget hearings start at the end of this month, with the final budget adopted by the council Nov. 3.
