E-News2009

Dear Neighbor:

Welcome to my inaugural e-newsletter for the 8th Aldermanic District. With the city’s 2010 budget situation being so very grim, I could not, in good conscience, go forward at this time with spending the few thousand dollars it would have cost to mail out a printed newsletter to all households in the district.

Your input is important to me, and I encourage you to let me know (via telephone – (414) 286-3533 – or email – rdonov@milwaukee.gov) what you think of this new online communication tool. No suggestion or idea is too small or unimportant, so please feel free to contact me.

Also, if you know of individuals or groups that would like to receive my e-newsletter, I strongly encourage you (or your group/organization) to forward this so that those individuals and groups can sign up for E-Notify at www.milwaukee.gov/enotify, so that they, too, can receive future 8th District e-newsletters. New E-Notify subscribers should select the “8th District News and Information” notification category, and that way they will receive this e-newsletter each time it is published (as well as news releases and other alerts that I send out).

It is indeed an honor to serve you and the City of Milwaukee as 8th District Alderman, and I pledge to work each and every day to make our city better, to make it safer, and to improve the overall quality of life for every citizen.

Sincerely,

Robert G. Donovan
Alderman, 8th District 

Neighborhood Improvement District Being Eyed for Part of South Side
Alderman Donovan is spearheading an effort to enable the city to establish a neighborhood improvement district (NID) that would provide a dedicated funding source for stepped-up public safety initiatives on the city’s south side.

The NID would touch all five aldermanic districts on the south side and would be used primarily to help pay for increased Milwaukee police beat cops and patrols, increased lighting (especially in alleys) and the use of private security officers. And, just as in the successful Operation Impact initiative, private sector partners, foundations and donors could provide matching donations to help leverage the money raised through the NID, Alderman Donovan said.

“Nothing positive can occur without public safety being the number one priority in Milwaukee – period,” he said. “If citizens don’t feel safe then nothing else matters. This initiative will help provide the ‘next level’ of public safety coverage and improvements that our citizens want and deserve, and without all of the bureaucratic red tape.”

“I believe the NID will help to not only improve the area, but it will also help improve the public safety perception of the area,” he said.

The NID would allow the city to assess a nominal annual fee against all properties in the district – for instance $10 for each single family home, $20 for each duplex, and $50 for commercial properties assessed at under $100,000. In the first year it is projected that the south side NID could generate more than $450,000 for public safety improvements. “Not only would people know that the money is being used in their neighborhood, but the money could also not be used for pension costs or other bureaucratic purposes,” the alderman said.

Alderman Donovan said the improvement district would also help fund youth activities, housing improvements, and other community outreach activities. Currently the city has only one operating NID – covering The Brewery development area (former Pabst Brewery) spearheaded by developer and philanthropist Joseph Zilber. Alderman Donovan said he hopes to have the south side NID approved later this year.

Know Regulations Regarding Pit Bulls & Rottweilers
In an effort to clear up misinformation among some dog owners and to provide for greater public safety, Alderman Donovan is outlining Chapter 78-22 of the City of Milwaukee Code of Ordinances.

Chapter 78-22 places special requirements on owners of dogs that are one half or more American Staffordshire terrier, Staffordshire terrier, American Pit bull terrier, Staffordshire bull terrier, miniature bull terrier or Rottweiler.

The code requires owners of these dogs to meet special fencing and kennel requirements, to abide by a training and leash requirement, and to adhere to age and physical requirements needed to control these types of dogs. In addition, all dogs (and cats) over five months of age must be licensed, and proof of rabies immunization is required when applying for a license.

Alderman Donovan said it is believed that dog owners who follow these requirements will reduce the likelihood that their dog will be involved in a bite. “Also, neighbors and others who pass by the dogs when in the yard or when being walked will be less likely to feel threatened or intimidated,” he said.

For information on rules related to keeping Rottweilers and pit bulls, please call (414) 286-3280.

Other important regulations for dog owners:
Animals: It is unlawful to allow any animal to be at large unlicensed, without supervision and control; no animal may be walked without provision for removal of litter.

Barking dogs: All animal noise complaints should be referred to the Department of Neighborhood Services (DNS). A letter stating the animal’s address, the complainant’s name, address and phone number and a general description of the problem must be sent to DNS–Nuisance and Environmental Health Division, 4001 S. 6th St., Milwaukee, WI 53221. To make further complaints call DNS at 286-2268.

• Aug. 24, 2009  STATEMENT: Alderman Bob Donovan on Mayoral Control of MPS
  

Not paying City of Milwaukee parking tickets could lead to the booting, towing and impounding of parked vehicles under recent legislation supported by Alderman Donovan.

The Common Council legislation directs the city’s Intergovernmental Relations Division to seek introduction of state legislation to allow for the towing/booting and impounding of vehicles for unpaid parking citations and allowing the city to refuse releasing the vehicles until all outstanding citations are paid or adjudicated.

Alderman Donovan said the recent ordinance change, allowing the city to tow and impound parked vehicles not displaying proper registration stickers, has been effective, and this change would be similar, he said. “When someone knows their vehicle might get towed at any time – even if it’s legally parked on a city street – I believe that’s a surprise they don’t want, and for us that’s an incentive for them to pay their parking tickets in a timely manner,” he said.

The City of Milwaukee’s Outstanding Debt Task Force in 2005 submitted a final report that recommends the move to get state legislation to allow for the towing/booting and impounding of vehicles for unpaid parking citations and refusal to release the vehicles until all outstanding citations are paid or adjudicated.

A newer city ordinance could require property owners with weeds or turf grass more than nine inches tall to pay a $25 fine and three days to comply. This ordinance applies to all properties within Milwaukee. If the property owner does not comply with the ordinance requirements, the city will cut the violating portion of the property at the expense of the property owner. Properties mowed by the city will also be subject to an additional special charge of $65 (increased from $50).

Subsequent failure to comply within the same calendar year will result in further city abatement and a $100 special charge (increased from $75). Violating properties will be posted only once within the calendar year. Repeat violations will be mowed immediately and not receive the three day compliance window. Any costs incurred by the city to abate or remediate weeds on the property will result in additional special charges. Special charges will be due 30 days after billing date. If not paid within that time the charges will be placed on the property tax roll.

This ordinance is designed to keep to a minimum the amount of pollenization of the weeds which can cause hay fever and minimize the potential for house vermin. Common Council members supported and approved these ordinance changes.

Ordinance Allows City to Track, Recoup Costs on Neglected Properties
In March 2009 the Common Council approved a measure to track and recoup costs associated with properties where garbage, lawn care, snow shoveling and other basic homeowner duties are ignored or neglected.

The ordinance provides an initial inspection charge and increases other special charges when the owner, occupant or other person in charge of the property fails to comply with code provisions to keep sidewalks clear of snow, to return garbage and recycling carts to original positions after pickup service, and to mow grass or weeds. The intent of the ordinance is to recover actual costs related to processing complaints, inspecting premises and other costs of administration including printing, public education and accounting.

The ordinance provides an initial charge of $25 if, upon inspection, the inspector determines that the owner or responsible party is in violation. The ordinance increases the special charge for failure to return a service cart to original storage after notice or order to do so from $20 to $35 for the first violation following written notice or order, and from $35 to $60 for a subsequent violation in a calendar year.

The ordinance also:
• Provides a special charge of $65 for failure to mow grass or weeds, and a special charge of $100 for each subsequent violation within the calendar year.
• Further increases the special charge for failure to keep sidewalks clear of snow and ice from $25 to $45 for the first violation and each additional violation in a calendar year will be subject to a special charge $90.

Graffiti Vandals Continue to Stretch City Resources
With economic conditions already stretching limited city resources, citizens are needed more than ever to help in the fight against graffiti, Alderman Donovan said.

“If you know who may be responsible for graffiti tags in your neighborhood, I urge you to call Milwaukee police at 933-4444 and pass along the information as soon as possible,” he said. “And if you discover graffiti on your property or in your neighborhood, please call the city’s graffiti hotline at 286-8715 immediately. Reporting graffiti is essential so city officials are aware of it and can help prevent it from re-occurring.”

During a news conference this summer following a massive graffiti tag that was discovered on a wall of the Marquette Interchange, Alderman Donovan, a member of the city’s Anti-Graffiti Policy Committee, noted that according to Department of Neighborhood Services (DNS) Anti-Graffiti Program statistics, 2009 reports of graffiti were already at 3, 578—up from last year’s total of 2,488.

“Calls to my office about graffiti are far too frequent, and the cost to taxpayers to repair this damage is an economic hindrance our residents shouldn’t have to face at this time. That’s why bringing these vandals to justice is more critical than ever,” the alderman said.

Graffiti seriously affects neighborhoods in negative ways, and that’s another reason that residents need to join the battle to report it and to prevent it, Alderman Donovan said.

“Earnest, hardworking residents who maintain their homes and want to sustain a peaceful quality of life shouldn’t have to look at intolerable vandalism from their front porch,” he said. “It’s time we bring these criminals to justice so they can not only pay back their damage to property, but pay back some of the damage to the quality of life they’re destroying in our neighborhoods.” 

Operation Payback Expanded
Building on a successful initial run in 2008 that brought graffiti vandals back to the scenes of some of their crimes – with buckets of white paint and Milwaukee police officers looking on – Alderman Donovan and the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office expanded “Operation Payback” in April 2009, with inmates from the county House of Correction.

During the launch of the expanded effort, inmates participating in the Community Justice Resource Center’s (CJRC) Community Service program were handed brooms, garbage bags and litter grabbers outside the Milwaukee Christian Center, 2137 W. Greenfield Ave., before dispersing to clean streets and alleys (and remove graffiti) in the Operation Impact area -- Pierce St. to the north, Lincoln Ave. to the south, S. 16th St to the east and S. 38th St. to the west. All of the participating inmates were monitored and are serving time for non-violent offenses.

According to Jan Brylow, sheriff’s office manager of inmate programs, the inmates who took part have completed the core components of the CJRC program and are transitioning into employment search. “The community service curriculum is structured to orientate participants to civic responsibility and accountability for harm done, and it allows the participating inmates to ‘give back’ to communities affected by crime to help repair the harm done by crime,” she said.

Alderman Donovan said the inmates’ work in the neighborhood is meaningful and of value to the city. “These individuals are giving back to the community, and law-abiding citizens expect nothing less,” he said. 

Bass Busters Lowers the “Boom” on Loud Stereos
More than 500 people who drove vehicles blasting music and sounds at ridiculously loud levels have Alderman Donovan, fellow citizens and the 2009 edition of Operation Bass Busters to thank for their citations and fines from the Milwaukee Police Department.

Alderman Donovan, chair of the Common Council’s Public Safety Committee, said police issued 544 citations (nearly all for excessively loud car stereos) as part of the 2009 Bass Busters effort – compared to 300 citations for roughly the same period last year. “These vehicle owners brazenly turn up their stereos so they can be heard for blocks around – they have zero respect for the privacy and dignity of their neighbors and others,” he said. “But now, because of Operation Bass Busters, they have to look over their shoulder and turn the volume down because they fear getting ticketed.”

How Citizens Can Get Involved
In an effort to help reduce the numbers of obnoxiously loud car stereos blasting ear-cracking, bass-thumping music, the Common Council has approved an ordinance that allows Milwaukee citizens to take action by lodging complaints against owners of vehicles blasting excessively loud music or sounds generated by car stereos by simply providing a license plate number, the date and time of the violation and their name and contact information.

Here’s how it works:
• A citizen encountering a vehicle with loud music or sounds blaring from it should get the license plate info and call the Milwaukee police non-emergency phone number – 933-4444. The reporting party should try to remember the location and time the vehicle was witnessed, and the complainant will be asked to file or sign an official complaint for police.

The ordinance mirrors the city’s nuisance property ordinance, which allows the city to issue tickets and fines to property owners when police are called to investigate multiple complaints at a home or building. Under the nuisance vehicle loud noise ordinance, the owner of a vehicle that is the subject of a loud stereo complaint would receive a warning for the first complaint but would be charged for the cost of enforcement on any subsequent complaints, meaning fines of at least $100 could be levied for each subsequent occurrence.

With the nuisance property ordinance, any unpaid fines or charges go directly on the owner’s property tax bill, and under this ordinance, charges and fines will go directly to the owner of the vehicle – no matter who might have been driving at the time of the violation.

Police District Reorganization
Nineteen Milwaukee police captains began new assignments in late March 2009, part of a shift that marks a major step in Police Chief Edward Flynn's efforts to restructure the department.

All seven police districts have a new captain. And a number of the captains who were reassigned were transferred between the department's patrol and detective bureaus, historically a sharp division in the department.

Chief Flynn has made the changes in order to facilitate communication across the police department. He said, “I think it's important for commanders in the districts to understand the investigative process, and I think it's important for detective commanders to have a sense of the pressures under which district commanders operate.”

Police District 2, the district primarily responsible for District 8 issues and events, is now headed by Captain Donald Gaglione, and Police District 6, which covers a small portion of District 8, is now headed by Captain Michael D. Young.

PLEASE let me know what you think of these changes – are they positive for the 8th District? Call 286-3533 or email me at rdonov@milwaukee.gov with your input.

Residents can reach the district offices using the numbers below.
District 2: Captain's Office (414) 935-7220  |   Lieutenant's Office (414) 935-7221
Sergeant's Office (414) 935-7227  |  Community Liaison Officer (414) 935-7228

District 6: Captain's Office (414) 935-7260  |  Lieutenant's Office (414) 935-7261
Sergeant's Office (414) 935-7267  |  Community Liaison Officer (414) 935-7268

Police Non-emergency (414) 933-4444

To view the MPD’s re-drawn district borders, please click here.

People’s Voice Against Crime
Gangs, drugs and violence endanger our community. And in order to reduce crime, the police need help from everyone in the community. The hotline is answered by bilingual operators 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Calls are taken for all crimes. All calls are anonymous, not just confidential.

“Too often people are reluctant to get involved in the safety and security of their neighborhoods for fear of reprisals,” said Alderman Donovan. “But there is an answer, the WeTip Hotline, and no one will ever know who you are.” Call WeTip at 1-800-78-CRIME. You may be eligible for a reward up to $1,000.

New Crime Fighting Tools for MPD
Early this year, the Milwaukee Police Department deployed its newest crime fighter—the automated license reader. The device, mounted atop police cruisers, digitally scans license plates as it drives by, reading, interpreting and then cross checking the plates with databases. This “digital patrol” assists officers in spotting cars that may have been reported stolen or used in robberies. Though officers have always had the ability to punch up plate numbers manually and check them with database resources, the new digital patrol can scan up to 3,000 plates per 8-hour shift. This significant increase in the volume of car plates and registrations that can be checked frees up officers to conduct visual scans of other activities in neighborhoods as they perform their normal shift and routine.

Already this year a number of arrests have been made thanks to the quick eye of the automated reader. “Using technology to our advantage is one of the strengths of the Milwaukee Police Department. Using car-mounted cameras like the digital patrol is smart, effective policing and the results thus far have been outstanding,” Alderman Donovan said.

Visit my website at: www.milwaukee.gov/district8
View this newsletter online at: www.milwaukee.gov/district8/enews2009