Milwaukee alders are pushing the city to explore eliminating a city fee for snow removal after “widespread concerns” about snow removal failures during a recent snowstorm.

The fee paid by most Milwaukee residents has been in place for years, and the discussion by City Council members comes after resident complaints about how the city manages plowing.

“If we can’t handle four inches of snow now, what’s going to happen the rest of the winter?” Milwaukee Alder Peter Burgelis said.

Milwaukee got around 4.5 inches of snow during a storm on Dec. 19 and Dec. 20. Burgelis said he believes many of the main roads in the city were properly plowed. 

“But inside of neighborhoods, where people live, those streets, many were untreated altogether,” Burgelis said. 

He said he heard similar complaints from other alders.  

“It wasn’t just an isolated incident or isolated plowing or lack of plowing in a handful of neighborhoods in my district, but that was really seen citywide in all parts of Milwaukee,” he said.

A statement from Burgelis said residents reported “unsafe road conditions” throughout the city after the storm.

Milwaukee Alder Lamont Westmoreland also said he received numerous complaints from residents about the snow removal response from the Milwaukee Department of Public Works.

“Taxes can’t continue to go up, people can’t continue to shell out more dollars, and the services continue to be lackluster,” Westmoreland said. 

The city’s snow and ice removal fee is $1.13 per foot of street frontage on a property. Residents are charged the fee annually, Burgelis said. If the city were to return that fee to residents, it would leave an $11.3 million gap in the city’s budget.

Burgelis did say the city likely doesn’t have the “capacity” to return all of that money to citizens.

“But if the city is charging for a service, there’s an expectation that residents get something for that fee,” he said.

On Wednesday, Milwaukee’s public works committee will discuss “evaluating mechanisms to provide a snowplow fee refund to some or all city residents,” Burgelis’ statement said. “It will also address potential improvements to ensure timely and effective leaf collection and snow removal in the future.”

Some of the problems of the December storm were exacerbated by late leaf pick-up.

Burgelis said the snow removal fee in Milwaukee began years ago when shared revenue from the state remained stagnant. However, the city now gets more money from the state due to Act 12, a bipartisan law that overhauled local government funding.

“And unfortunately, we’re still not getting the level of service that residents expect to get from DPW (Department of Public Works),” Burgelis said. 

Burgelis said he was told only around half of the city’s 200 snow plows were used during the December storm. A spokesperson for the Milwaukee Department of Public Works said the commissioner was not available for an interview.

Prior press releases from the spokesperson said crews were out for hours following the storm. 

“Crews are still out working to get the side streets cleaned up,” a Dec. 20 release said. “They are salting with brine and plowing curb to curb in the residential areas. We’re making sure our streets are in good shape as the temperatures drop tonight.”

But Westmoreland said the response wasn’t good enough. He said he heard similar concerns from residents last year after a snowstorm pounded the city in January 2023.

“And then here we are, almost a year later, and not one thing has changed,” Westmoreland said.

When asked about the refund on the snow plow fee, Westmoreland didn’t say he believed that idea was “realistic.” 

“People don’t want a refund on snowplowing,” he said. “People want the job done right the first time.” 

In an email, Jeff Fleming, a spokesperson for Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson, said the mayor “thinks the Department of Public Works employees do very good work — often under remarkably tough conditions.”

MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee Police continue to look for the driver involved in a hit-and-run that killed a 70-year-old woman in Milwaukee on Saturday.

The crash happened just before 8:00 p.m. near 34th and Lloyd.

Police say a driver was going north on N. 34th Street when they crashed with another driver who was traveling west on W. Lloyd.

The driver who was going North on N. 34th Street then fled the scene.

Meanwhile, two people in the car that was traveling west on Lloyd were rushed to the hospital. The driver had non-life-threatening injuries. The 70-year-old passenger died due to injuries sustained during the crash, police said.

On Sunday, family identified the 70-year-old victim as Beverly J. Fair.

“Our mom was truly a loving person, and everyone loved her. She lived a life of service and selflessness. She will be missed dearly,” Fair’s daughter, Shyla Deacon, wrote online.

The family has set up a GoFundMe page to help cover the expenses related to this unexpected loss.

Deacon also said her son, Beverly’s grandson, was driving at the time of the crash. He is expected to recover from non life-threatening injuries.

Fair was a mother, wife and grandmother who “absolutely loved the Bucks, loved watching professional tennis and loved going on cruises,” said Deacon.

Deacon also remembers her mom as a “woman of God who loved serving others.”

Submitted Photo

Police are investigating the crash and anyone with any information is asked to contact Milwaukee Police at (414) 935-7219, or to remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at (414)224-Tips/ or P3 Tips.

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A 70-year-old died and another person was injured in a hit-and-run crash Saturday night, according to the Milwaukee Police Department.

A vehicle was traveling north on North 34th Street around 7:50 p.m. when it collided at an intersection with a vehicle traveling west on West Lloyd Street. The driver of the first vehicle fled the scene.

The 70-year-old passenger of the second vehicle was taken to a local hospital and died from injuries, police said. The driver of that vehicle was taken to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Police said the investigation is “ongoing and active.” No information about a suspect or a vehicle description was provided.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Milwaukee Police at (414) 935-7219. To remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at (414) 224-Tips or P3 Tips.

Several serious hit-and-run crashes have occurred in the surrounding area in recent weeks.

A 40-year-old tow truck operator was killed on Christmas Eve while assisting a vehicle on Interstate 94. A 39-year-old man was booked into jail in connection with the incident.

Days later, a 57-year-old Waukesha woman was charged with two felonies in connection with a hit-and-run while under the influence. A 63-year-old male pedestrian was seriously injured in the crash.

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