Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.
The Public Safety and Health Committee of the Milwaukee Common Council met on Thursday, October 1, 2026, in Room 301-B of City Hall. The meeting convened at 9:07 AM and adjourned at 10:27 AM. All five committee members were present: Chair Ald. Scott P. Spiker, Vice-Chair Ald. Peter Burgelis, Ald. Larresa Taylor, Ald. Sharlen P. Moore, and Ald. Mark Chambers Jr. The committee considered eight items related to parking and traffic controls, a Board of Health reappointment, lead abatement, habitual parking violator enforcement, MPD swatting procedures, a public alert system grant, and fireworks enforcement. Every formal committee vote was unanimous (5-0).
Item 1 - Parking controls (File 260727) Scott Reinbacher of the Department of Public Works described several parking regulation changes: a new no parking anytime zone on the east side of Cambridge Avenue from Royal Avenue to a point 30 feet south; two-sided overnight parking on North Palmer Street from Vine Street to Center Street year-round; removal of two-hour parking restrictions on the west side of Hoyt Place from Fond du Lac Avenue to Leon Terrace; removal of no parking 7 AM-5 PM signs on the west side of 41st Street from Greenfield to Orchard; and removal of a two-hour parking zone on Lisbon Avenue from 37th to 39th. The changes were coordinated with local aldermen. Ald. Burgelis moved to recommend passage; the motion prevailed 5-0.
Item 2 - Traffic controls (File 260728) A substitute ordinance was before the committee. Ald. Taylor moved substitution; the motion prevailed 5-0. DPW's Scott Reinbacher presented a proposed yield sign for eastbound traffic at Euclid Avenue and 53rd Street, and a southbound parking restriction on South 51st Street from a point about 200 feet north of West Fillmore Drive to the KK River Parkway. The package also prohibits trucks of three tons or more in the southbound direction. Ald. Burgelis noted recurring heavy truck problems in the neighborhood, including semi trucks attempting to turn around on the KK River Parkway grass. DPW confirmed state law still allows trucks access for deliveries, but the rule targets shortcut and through trucking. Ald. Burgelis moved to recommend passage; the motion prevailed 5-0.
Item 3 - Board of Health reappointment (File 260785) The committee reviewed Mayor's reappointment of Tahira Malik to the Board of Health for the 15th Aldermanic District. Her attendance record over the term was 16 of 20 meetings attended and 4 excused absences. Ald. Moore moved to recommend confirmation; the motion prevailed 5-0.
Item 4 - Lead abatement intergovernmental agreement (File 260531) Tyler Weber, Deputy Commissioner of Environmental Health, explained that Milwaukee County now has its own HUD lead abatement grant and will accept residential referrals from the city. The city plans to start with about five referrals and phase in more over time. The program serves Milwaukee residents. Weber reported the city has over 2,000 children poisoned a year at 3.5 micrograms per deciliter and above. Ald. Taylor moved to recommend adoption; the motion prevailed 5-0.
Item 5 - Habitual Parking Violators update (File 251583) Peter Knox, Parking Enforcement Manager, provided a status update on the habitual parking violators ordinance. The ordinance became operational November 1, 2025, after a 60-day moratorium, and allows towing of vehicles with five or more citations 60 days past due. Through September 28, 2026, 3,957 vehicles were towed; 1,699 owners paid at the tow lot and 1,850 elected court dates. About 48% paid at the tow lot and 52% went to court. During the moratorium, 455 people paid nearly 2,000 citations. Since the ordinance began, 1,094 habitual violators proactively set up payment plans, a 22% increase, and citations paid by habitual violators rose 33% compared with the prior year, from 8,977 to about 12,000, generating approximately $303,000 in additional citation revenue. Combined with payment plan increases, the city saw just under $400,000 in additional revenue from habitual violators who were not towed. Of towed vehicles, about $650,000 was collected at the tow lot and roughly $100,000 was paid online before retrieval; an additional $1.072 million in citation value was referred to court, with collection dependent on court outcomes. The average habitual violator had 7.86 citations, and about 22,142 people were identified as habitual parking violators. The committee asked for further data comparing the number of habitual violators year over year, the number not on payment plans, and geographic breakdowns by aldermanic district. The chair also noted the proposed budget would double nighttime parking permit fees and raised equity questions about compliance costs. Ald. Chambers moved to hold the communication to the call of the chair; the motion prevailed 5-0.
Item 6 - MPD swatting policies (File 260793) Milwaukee Police Department Chief of Staff Heather Hough, Assistant Chief Paul Lough, Inspector Andrew Tischer, and Lieutenant Steven Stelter presented MPD policies for responding to swatting. Swatting was defined as reporting a false violent emergency to trigger a high-priority police response. MPD data from January 1, 2025 to September 22, 2026 identified approximately 21 swatting incidents out of more than 3,500 keyword search results, and 16 reports filed under Wisconsin's swatting statute. Lt. Stelter said arrests have been made in some hoax-threat investigations. Ald. Moore raised a specific repeated swatting case involving roughly 55 calls over about three years, which she said cost over half a million dollars and raised questions about how repeat locations are flagged and handled. MPD said each call must be assessed case by case, no policy changes have been made in response to the anomaly, and addresses can be flagged but there is no set number of calls triggering flagging. Ald. Burgelis requested a timeline of when the repeat address was flagged and asked for involvement of the Department of Emergency Communications and the City Attorney's Office in future discussions. Ald. Moore moved to place the communication on file; the motion prevailed 5-0.
Item 7 - Public alert system grant (File 260815) Samantha Mejia, Finance Manager, and Rick Malsch, Project Manager from the Department of Emergency Communications, presented a $165,000 Wisconsin Emergency Management Homeland Security Grant Program award with no city match. The grant funds a Motorola Solutions community alerting platform including RAVE Alert and App Armor. Ald. Chambers moved to recommend adoption; the motion prevailed 5-0.
Item 8 - Fireworks enforcement ordinance (File 260551) Ald. Burgelis presented a substitute ordinance addressing unlawful possession and use of fireworks. Fireworks complaints in Milwaukee rose from 261 in 2022 to 461 in 2025, while citations remained very low: 5 in 2022 and 23 in 2025. Over July 3-4, 2026, six structure fires occurred in the city, at least half attributed to fireworks. MPD said enforcement is difficult because officers generally must observe a specific person lighting fireworks. The ordinance aligns the city's fireworks definition more closely with state law and creates a new tool to cite private property occupants who cause, suffer, or allow illegal fireworks on their property. Assistant City Attorney Elizabeth Miles confirmed it is not a strict liability standard; the same cause-suffer-allow language is used in the noise ordinance. Parent or guardian liability for minors remains in the code. MPD representatives and Milwaukee Fire Department Chief Aaron Lipski supported the measure, citing fire risk, sleep disruption, impacts on veterans with PTSD, and pets. Committee members also emphasized neighborhood respect and public safety. Ald. Burgelis moved to recommend passage; the motion prevailed 5-0.
Good morning and welcome to the uh Thursday, October 1st meeting of the public safety and health committee. It is 907. I'm chair of the committee, Alderman Scott Spiker, joined to my right by Vice Chair Alderman Burgelis to his right by Alder Taylor. Uh joined on the big board by Alder Chambers and will be joined momentarily by Alder Moore. Also joined by Staff Assistant Joanna Urties. Item one is file number two six zero seven two seven substitute ordinance relating to parking controls. Good morning, Mr. Chair, members of the committee. Scott Reinbacher with the Department of Public Works. Just have a few changes to the city's parking regulations today. First is to install a no parking anytime zone on uh the east side of Cambridge from Royal to a point 30 feet south of there. Uh second, we are proposing to uh allow two-sided overnight parking on North Palmer Street from Vine to Center uh during all months of the year. Uh third, we are proposing to remove the two-hour parking from 7 a.m. to five uh seven to seven, except Sundays on the west side of Hoyt Place from Fond du Lac to Leon Terrace to create parking for residents. Uh next, we are preparing to remove the uh no parking seven to five uh signs on the west side of 41st from Greenfield to Orchard to create parking. Uh and finally, we are proposing to remove the two-hour parking zone from eight to five, except Saturdays and Sunday on uh Lisbon Avenue from 37th to 39th again to create parking for the residents. So all of these changes have been coordinated with the local alders. Happy to answer any questions. Okay. Are there any questions? If not, then Alder Burgels would move to recommend passage and hearing no objections so ordered. Uh joined to the table by Alder Moore. Good morning. Good morning. Uh item two, file number two six zero seven two eight substitute ordinance relating to traffic controls. And there is a sub, so Alder Taylor would move that that be before us and hearing no objections so ordered. Uh yes, now that the substitute is before you. First, we are preparing uh proposing to install a yield sign for the eastbound direction at Euclid and 53rd. Uh and next, we are proposing to restrict parking for a couple blocks on South 51st Street from a point about 200 feet north of West Fillmore Drive all the way down to KK River Parkway. Uh and this would be for the southbound direction due to uh complaints the local Alder has. Happy to answer any questions. Okay. Any questions? Uh Alder Bergelis? Well, and that is we have a uh one hour parking restriction there already. Um, but my concern was for heavy trucks. And uh will this allow us also to include uh a heavy truck restriction south of Fillmore on 51st. Correct. Yep. This file before you would prohibit trucking uh for trucks three tons or more in the southbound direction. Um this has been a problem in the neighborhood uh for a number of years. We've had uh a lot of traffic controls implemented in the neighborhood uh since then, progressively more and more restrictive. Uh and in the last two weeks, we've had semi-trucks uh try to use the KK River Parkway uh as a turnaround, not the not the road, the park, the grass to turn around semi-truck trying to turn around in the grass, um, which has been um incredibly disruptive for the neighborhood. Parking there is a nightmare, uh, and I uh want to ensure that the city can do whatever we can to help our county friends out and restrict parking, uh restrict heavy trucks from even getting to that parkway. So thank you very much, Mr. Chair, and I'll move passage when appropriate. Very good. Uh and a quick question, I guess, from me for Mr. Reinbacher.