Leaf beef: New DPW bag policy gets blowback at City Hall

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Public works officials are facing blowback over newly announced changes to how the city will collect leaves from people's homes.

One alderman said if the Department of Public Works (DPW) doesn't reverse course on its plans, he hopes the Common Council will take that into consideration when setting the department's next budget.

DPW Commissioner Jerrel Kruschke told the council's public works committee Wednesday the city will start asking residents to put their leaves in bags and set them curbside. The city's past practice has been to let people rake their leaves into the street along the curb, then sweepers come by to scoop them up.

Kruschke said the changes were in response to significant flooding last month, which followed historic flooding last August. DPW officials said at snow events last November and again this spring hampered efforts to collect leaves.

DPW officials said if the leaves are in the street, they're far more likely to end up clogging drains than if they're left in bags.

"Let's say a snowstorm happens like it did around Thanksgiving time," Kruschke told alders. "The bags will be sitting there on the side, where we can collect them at a later date."

Andy Reinhard and his wife, Gina, said they wouldn't mind having to bag leaves at their home in the Story Hill neighborhood. Andy added he believed the city should provide those bags to residents.

"If the bags can be provided to the residents, I don't see the big problem," he said. "It would be a nice benefit to have, since you're losing the leaf collection service they did offer before."

However, Alds. Scott Spiker and Lamont Westmoreland said the DPW has overblown its response to the flooding. Spiker said it's unreasonable for the city to reduce its level of services at a time when property taxes are increasing.

"To take something that happens once a decade and apply it to residents every year?" Spiker told CBS 58 Friday. "Every year, people will have to multiple times, come out, bag up their leaves, which is a huge burden on seniors and those of limited mobility."

The Common Council cannot directly set DPW policy. However, Spiker said the council could find other ways to put pressure on the department.

"If you want to get reapproved as commissioner, if the council directs you to do something, you ought to do it," Spiker said. "The council holding the purse strings can revisit all of this during the budget next year."

It's unclear whether there's widespread opposition to the bag policy on the council.

Kruschke told the council committee the DPW will still do curbside leaf collection to some extent this fall, but he added the hope was residents will eventually adapt to the bag policy.

He acknowledged the city might have to purchase and distribute bags, at least for low-income households. Kruschke added there were no plans to fine people who don't bag their leaves.

"I'm not sure we want to go into just penalizing all our folks," he said. "I think we need to see how this is gonna transition. We are still gonna have almost both operations, but we are gonna prioritize bagging."

Other Story Hill residents, like Ruth Yellowthunder, said they didn't particularly mind the bagging request. Another neighbor, who declined to be interviewed, only said he would now compost his leaves instead of bagging them.

"Bag it up in a paper bag and set it out," Yellowthunder said. "Instead of throwing it in the street and waiting for them to come."

A DPW spokeswoman said Friday the department is still working out the details of its new leaf collection plan. She said the department will share more information in future council committee meetings.