Ordinance To Inspect And Enforce Compliance Of Building Zoning Codes At HACM Properties Unanimously Approved By City Of Milwaukee Steering & Rules Committee

The Milwaukee Common Council Steering and Rules Committee unanimously approved a City ordinance for the Department of Neighborhood Services to inspect and enforce building and zoning codes at HACM properties.

Hispanic News Network U.S.A.

September 25, 2023

Milwaukee, Wisconsin - On Monday, the Milwaukee Common Council Steering and Rules Committee unanimously approved City ordinance 230571 that would allow the City of Milwaukee Department of Neighborhood Services (DNS) to inspect and enforce building and zoning codes at the Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee (HACM). The DNS is looking into getting City funding for 2024 to hire at least 5 City building inspectors to inspect about 4,000 units at HACM properties.

Willie Hines, the Executive Director and Secretary of the Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee told the Committee that he supported the passage of the ordinance to hold HACM accountable.

At the hearing on Monday, HACM allegedly claimed that they receive between 1,600 to 2,000 work orders from tenants for repairs per month, which the Milwaukee Southside Alderman Jóse G. Pérez, the Common Council President believed it was an unreal HACM total. Full hearing video link: https://milwaukee.granicus.com/player/clip/3764

The ordinance now goes before the full Milwaukee Common Council for approval on October 10th, which will include an amendment for the Committee to get reports of updates of repairs done and tickets issued by the DNS for failure to comply with repairs at HACM properties. If HACM is found to be non-compliant with building or housing zoning codes, it could be charged fees or fines for violations to be determined by the municipal court.

Common Ground, a non-profit organization and its United Tenants campaign helped organized HACM tenants to come forward and complain about the poor living conditions at HACM development properties. The four tenants at the hearing cited bed bug infestations, mold at apartments (units), rats and failure of HACM to do timely repairs at their properties.

At the hearing, HACM tenants alleged that HACM was negligent to do timely repairs on work orders and in many occasions failed to do any repairs.

Currently, HACM doesn't have a system to report all the major repairs needed to be done for each property or for tenants to followup on their complaints.

Several HUD audits found millions of dollars were mismanaged including thousands of dollars spent on HACM credit cards by managers of multiple developments unaccounted and lacked any record keeping of the expenditures, according to HUD audits.

At the end of last year, Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson and Hines received a 47-page report (audit) indicating that HACM allegedly was "at risk of serious fraud, waste and abuse," according to the HUD report. (47-page report by HUD at link: https://tinyurl.com/5czw2pft)

Hines earns at least $240,000 in annual salary.

A second HUD report in April found that HACM's bank statements and internal booking records showed more than $3M in discrepancies, HACM staff could not produce receipts for $49,876.16 in expenditures by HACM credit cards. HUD also found that HACM kept poor record keeping that made it difficult for HUD to determine key financial balances for the Section 8 Program.