Flock cameras, food access, city worker pay and election commission funding were among the hot topics at the Joint Public Hearing at City Hall, 200 E. Wells St., on Monday night.
For nearly four hours, Milwaukee residents shared their thoughts on those and other issues with ties to Mayor Cavalier Johnson’s proposed budget with alderpeople, the mayor and other city officials.
Johnson released his proposed 2027 budget in September, and it is currently being reviewed by the Milwaukee Common Council.
Alderpeople are considering public feedback as they prepare to propose budget amendments. The council’s finance committee will hold a second public hearing at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 17 at the Mitchell Street Branch library, 906 W. Historic Mitchell St. The Common Council is scheduled to adopt the budget on Friday, Nov. 6.
Here are four things we learned at the joint public hearing.
Support for Feed the Change MKE
Several residents and activists from the city’s Northwest Side spoke in support of the African American Roundtable’s Feed the Change MKE campaign, which requests a $1 million investment in the city’s Healthy Food Establishment Fund.
“People close to the problem should shape the solution,” said Patricia Wilson, a community health worker and board member of the Milwaukee Food Council.
The campaign advocates for community-driven and sustainable solutions, like farmers markets, locally owned grocery stores, community gardens and educational programs, to address shrinking food access on the Northwest Side and throughout Milwaukee.
“Residents should not have to travel outside of their own neighborhoods to access quality food and resources that should be available within their communities,” said business owner Shameka Moore.
The proposed budget requests $100,000 for this fund, which was previously the Fresh Food Access Fund.
“If you take care of the basic needs of your citizens and residents, then you will not see some of the needs that you’re seeing,” said Tracey Watford, a resident and former teacher.
Residents want Flock out
Another common request from residents and community safety and criminal justice advocates was to end Milwaukee’s contracts for automated license plate reader camera systems, such as Flock Safety.
Although the mayor recently introduced some restrictions on Milwaukee Police Department’s use of the technology, like stopping other law enforcement agencies from directly accessing its data, the city has not joined other Wisconsin municipalities in canceling their contracts.
“Regardless of the pros, your residents have made clear a position that their rights and privacy are too high a cost to pay, and they demand their tax dollars go somewhere else,” said Vaun Mayes, a community activist and organizer who also spoke in favor of funding for libraries, the Milwaukee Fire Department and the Milwaukee Office of Community Wellness and Safety.
Angela Lang, executive director for Black Leaders Organizing for Communities, said comments from residents showed they want housing, libraries and access to food and mental health resources.
“And what it’s clear that we don’t want is more increased surveillance, especially at the expense of our basic needs,” she said.
More funding for the Milwaukee Election Commission
The proposed budget for the Milwaukee Election Commission is just under $3.5 million, which is roughly $410,000 below the amount the commission requested for 2027.
Krissie Fung, a member of the Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission, said Milwaukee’s full-time election staff already pales in comparison to similarly sized jurisdictions like Detroit and Baltimore.
“Creating a budget that works is difficult, and I don’t envy you, but our budget also has to meet the needs of Milwaukee voters who need robust voter services to ensure public trust in elections,” Fung said.
While 2027 will be a less busy election year than 2026, Pat Schrader, president of the League of Women Voters of Milwaukee County, argued that the city should not wait for a failure to discover that the election system needed greater capacity.
“I respectfully ask the Common Council to restore and, where warranted, increase the Election Commission’s funding to at least the level necessary to meet its documented operational needs,” Schrader said.
City worker pay and other topics
Multiple municipal workers requested a $2 per hour raise for general city workers, which representatives of the American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees, said would be more equitable to the lowest-paid workers than the 2% raise proposed in the budget. They also made requests for no changes in the costs or coverage of health plans and shortening the probationary period for employees.
A few commenters requested the city fund a feasibility study on creating a public electric utility in Milwaukee.
A handful of speakers voiced support or requests for funding for specific nonprofit or neighborhood initiatives, such as Safe & Sound’s Good Neighbor Grant for neighborhood block clubs or groups.
“I am here as a testament that grants to the neighborhood increase safety and create unity in the community,” said Deborah Montano Luna, a resident leader for a block club in Burnham Park.
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