Milwaukee's Office of Violence Prevention still sitting on most of its pandemic aid money; alderman cautions against rapid spending

 

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- After getting an update on how much federal pandemic relief money the city's violence prevention agency has yet to spend, a Milwaukee alderman cautioned Saturday he didn't want the revelation to lead to foolish spending.

Ald. Scott Spiker, who represents part of the city's south side, said at a neighborhood cleanup event near S. 13th St. and W. Layton Ave. he understood why taxpayers would be annoyed by some of the information shared at Friday's meeting of the Milwaukee Common Council's Public Safety and Health Committee.

Alders learned the Office of Violence Prevention (OVP) has yet to spend about $10 million of the more than $12 million it received via the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA.)

"Any money we allocate, we didn't allocate just to have a press release and be done," Spiker said. "We're looking to see that money out into the community, where it can do the most good, and with groups that have a demonstrated track record of making a difference."

OVP Director Ashanti Hamilton told the committee Friday he was balancing internal changes at the agency since he took over last August with an effort to use the office's federal aid in the best way possible.

"Part of that process has been why this engagement has been so heavily scrutinized internally," Hamilton said. "And at the same time, attempting to try to keep the airplane in the air while fixing it while it's flying."

Spiker said he believed cleanup events like Saturday's demonstrated there was value in the office investing in neighborhood-based efforts to address the root causes of violence.

"A community that is closely knit is a stronger community, not only for social ties, but for keeping out crime," he said.

At the same time, Spiker added he talked to Hamilton after Friday's meeting and wanted to ensure the agency would prioritize using the money wisely over spending it quickly.

"You wanna spend money and make sure the groups you're assigning it to are effective at accomplishing their objectives and our city's objectives," Spiker said.

There was no action on the ARPA spending matter at Friday's meeting; it was a communication file meant to serve as an update. 

The Public Safety and Health Committee's next meeting is September 28.