'We've never made it this far before': Milwaukee Co. supervisors vote in favor of transit rangers
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Cheers could be heard from audience members after Milwaukee County leaders approved moving forward with a new approach to safety.
On Thursday, the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors agreed to provide safety for drivers through a recommended Transit Ranger Program. The resolution passed 15-0, with one person abstaining.
"I wanted to cry when I saw those votes come in, because I thought it was going to go the opposite way," Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 998 Vice President Micheal Brown said.
Brown, who has been pushing for better safety on county buses for years, tells CBS 58 he was almost brought to tears over the decision as he has lived the same fears current bus operators have shared with county leaders during countless meetings regarding bus safety. Last month, a person was shot on a bus.
"They should not have to worry they're going to make it home, or they're going to be attacked every single day," District 12 Milwaukee County Supervisor Juan Miguel Martinez said.
The resolution recommends hiring 51 transit rangers, four shift supervisors, one public safety manager, one Department of Health and Human Services liaison, and one housing liaison.
While some county supervisors proposed reviewing the resolution more before approving it, others felt the board needed to take action now. Until the end of October, Milwaukee County has a $2.2 million contract with private security company Allied Universal.
"The idea of this resolution is to provide a recommendation for the budget, not to wait until a budget is released without that," District 4 Milwaukee County Board Supervisor Ryan Clancy said. "This is the basis for further action."
The Transit Safety and Security Task Force projected the price tag would be just under $3.5 million. A first draft from the Milwaukee County Department of Transportation projected the total to be $7.1 million, at least for the first year, as a transitional process occurs.
"As long as we understand that the recommendation is $3 million short of the reality of the money we have to spend. If we're okay with that, I guess we just move forward," District 17 Milwaukee County Board Supervisor Steve Taylor said during the board discussion on the resolution.
Transit Safety and Security Task Force Co-Chair, District 15 Milwaukee County Board Supervisor Peter Burgelis, said the county should carve out money in the budget for this new approach to train transit rangers on de-escalation measures and provide resources to riders in need.
"It's expensive but ensuring safe and reliable public transit is a cost the county needs to invest in," Burgelis said. "The board supports it overwhelmingly, and now it's up to the county executive and the administration to implement it."
While this is not the final seal of approval, ATU Local 998 hopes it means that help is finally on the way.
"I wanted to cry because we've never made it this far before," Brown said.
The resolution now heads to the desk of Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley to sign or veto. If Crowley does not add the new safety measure into his budget, with a two-thirds vote, county supervisors would create an amendment to include it.