Co-sponsored by Alderman Nik Kovac and Alderman Khalif J. Rainey, the ordinance requires the deconstruction of most one- to four-family residential structures built prior to 1930 that are slated for demolition.

The ordinance goes into effect on January 1, 2018 and covers structures built in 1929 or earlier, designated historic structures, and structures in historic districts. The requirements state that those structures must be deconstructed rather than demolished to maximize salvageable building materials and to help reduce the amount of waste in landfills. Reducing the demolition waste from these older structures that would otherwise go to landfills can save taxpayers from paying higher landfill tipping fees.

Alderman Bauman, a longtime historic preservation advocate and a member of the Historic Preservation Commission, said deconstruction also reduces carbon emissions, as well as the release of asbestos, dust, and other hazardous substances caused by mechanical demolition.

“The demolition of Milwaukee’s older housing stock does more harm than good. Deconstruction will help save rapidly disappearing old-growth building materials while also benefiting our environment and creating new jobs,” he said.

Reducing the demolition waste from these older structures  . . . can save taxpayers from paying higher landfill tipping fees.

. . . the measure will help mitigate serious recurring issues of dumpsters that are overflowing with waste and debris,
and ones that are in disrepair.

An ordinance sparked by complaints from downtown residents and sponsored by Alderman Bauman will help clean up unsightly messes associated with the use of nonportable solid waste containers (commonly referred to as Dumpsters).

Approved by the Common Council in October, the ordinance (File# 170930) requires a property owner using a nonportable solid waste container in the public right-of-way on an ongoing or permanent basis to obtain a special privilege granted by the Common Council. The requirement does not apply to a Dumpster placed in the right-of-way on a temporary basis (i.e. a dumpster used in conjunction with a construction project).

Alderman Bauman, chair of the Public Works Committee, said the measure will help mitigate serious recurring issues of dumpsters that are overflowing with waste and debris, and ones that are in disrepair.

“The responsibility to maintain these containers and adhere to the standards set forth is squarely on the shoulders of the property owners, and the city continues to have the ability to charge an enforcement fee in instances of non-compliance,” Alderman Bauman said. 

Under File # 170930 a property owner granted a special privilege to place a nonportable waste container placed in the right-of-way must comply with the following standards:

1. The container must remain in the location for which the special privilege was granted.

2. The container must not have rusted surfaces or otherwise be in a state of disrepair.

3. The lid or lids of the container must remain closed at all times, except when refuse is being placed in the container or the container is being emptied.

4. No contents of the container shall spill onto the public right-of-way.

5. No refuse shall remain on the ground on the perimeter of the container.

In addition, the ordinance provides that, in the case of a special privilege for placement of a nonportable waste container in the public right-of-way, the Common Council may, by resolution, revoke the special privilege for failure to comply with the five standards.

The city’s noise ordinance DOES apply to garbage collection (and/or compaction) activity:

Chapter 80: NUISANCES, Subchapter 2: Noise, 80-67. Exemption.  9. TRASH COMPACTING AND COLLECTION. Trash compacting and collection is exempt from the provisions of s. 80-64-1. However, no person shall operate any trash compacting mechanism on any motor vehicle or on any premises, nor shall any person engage in any trash, rubbish or garbage collection activity between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., when such compacting or collection activity takes place on or in connection with any premises that is within 200 feet of a residential premises. City sanitation operations involving solid waste and recycling material are exempt from this provision.

To report any instances of excessive noise please document time/date, location and a brief description, and then please contact Alderman Bauman’s office at 414-286-2886.

The downtown area and other parts of the 4^th Aldermanic District are served by parking meters that occasionally are covered by cloth bags.

During the busy late December period when residents are flocking to City Hall to pay property taxes, the meters in the immediate area around the City Hall complex are bagged to allow for easier parking and access. However, this “free and easy” bagging is fairly rare.

More often, meter bags stamped with the words NO PARKING are used to prevent parking temporarily for things like special events, utility or street work, etc. and thus are usually accompanied by signage specifying “No Parking This Side Of Street 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.” or “No Parking Monday Thru Friday.”

Also, meters directly adjacent to stores and businesses are sometimes temporarily covered with NO PARKING bags to prevent parking in loading zones that are awaiting permanent signage.

Alderman Bauman advises residents to follow parking signs whenever possible. “Parking rules are usually posted on signs, and that’s what people should always pay attention to,” he said.

“But if you don’t see a sign and then go ahead and park at a bagged meter that says ‘No Parking’ don’t be surprised if you get a ticket,” the alderman said.

Council and Committee Meetings

Get access to upcoming dates for Common Council and Committee meetings by going to our Legislative Research Center site, where you can also get agendas, minutes and meeting details, as well as video for some past meetings.  (This site is best viewed in Chrome or Firefox.)

To view the site in a calendar format, click the "Calendar" tab found in the upper-left corner.

District 4 Map

News Releases

Visit my web site for recent (as well as archived) news releases I have issued.

District Calendar

You can find a listing of District 4 events in the web version of this newsletter.

Search Licenses

You can search for new license applications and license renewal applications in District 4 by going to the License Division's search tool and selecting "Application Search" in the gray tab bar.  From there, select "Aldermanic District" from the criteria drop-down, and then choose "District 4" to the left.

To find existing licenses in our area, use the same search tool above, click on the "License Search" tab in the gray bar, and use any criteria desired to track down the license of a business you are wondering about.

Water Main Replacement Projects

For the latest information on where water main replacement projects are taking place in our district, go to the Milwaukee Water Works Water Main Replacement web page, and looking at the "Ald. District" column, scroll down until you see the entries for District 4.

Public Works Construction Updates

If you like keeping up with where the city's latest construction efforts will be located, you can check out this Excel spreadsheet.  To locate projects happening in our district, look for where a "4" appears in the far left column as you scroll down.

City Job Openings

Interested in finding out what jobs are currently available working for the City of Milwaukee?  Go to the "Current Employment Opportunities" page for details.

What is TIF (Tax Incremental Financing)?

Find out by reading my informative open letter.