MILWAUKEE — Mayor Cavalier Johnson unveiled his 2024 budget plan Tuesday, and the biggest change could be what’s not in the $1.9 billion proposal.
For the first time in a long time, the budget does not include cuts to police and fire and instead calls for adding officers and firefighters.
The city is anticipating a $200 million budget boost from a 10% increase in shared revenue from the state and the new two-percent sales tax increase which starts in January.
Part of the mayor's budget includes doubling the money to demolish abandoned homes. The goal is to reduce blighted neighborhoods and their strain on public safety resources. But is demolition enough to revive the Milwaukee neighborhoods that are affected?
We brought this question to leaders and Bridge Builders, a Milwaukee non-profit whose goal is to transform Milwaukee neighborhoods.
TMJ4’s Mariam Mackar met with the organization’s Community Impact Pastor, William Olivier on one of the blocks they are working on. Olivier says they’ve purchased and rehabbed three homes on the street alone and also helped fix up other resident’s properties.
“It really does make neighbors take pride in where they live and really help them feel a sense of ownership from the community and not just their property,” said Olivier.
“What's your reaction to [the mayor funding more demolition]?” asked Mackar. “Do you think spending more money to demolish some of these problem areas is going to help with rebuilding these neighborhoods?”
“I believe it can,” said Olivier. “I think that it’s going to take a multi-step approach but I think that initial effort can yield some good fruit. We also need some partnerships to help fill in some of the gaps to go beyond just demolishing blighted properties - it has to go toward also beautifying neighborhoods.”
He says helping properties from being demolished in the first place is the ultimate goal.
Johnnie Ford has lived in a Milwaukee neighborhood helped by Bridge Builders for four years now.
“I sit on the porch every day, watch my tablet, no problems at all,” Ford told Mackar. But he says a few streets away is a different story.
“It’s nice and quiet, all the way up to Hampton,” he explained. “Go across there? Pow pow pow pow pow! Ignorance.”
Ford credits the lack of violence and feeling safe on his block in part to Bridge Builders.
“They've helped a lot. They did his roof over there, they painted our porch, they did a lot of people's houses around here.”
It's something Olivier says makes a huge difference in the neighborhood.
“It really does make neighbors take pride in where they live and really help them feel a sense of ownership from the community, and not just their property.”
The organization says part of investing in Milwaukee neighborhoods is providing the people who live there a chance to get to know their neighbors and be proud of where they live.
Connecting with neighbors is something Ford says is important, “that’s the main thing we do around here, we watch out for each other.”
A small but mighty step in stopping the blight before it begins.
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