Milwaukee’s Department of Neighborhood Services plagued by vacancies, delays and safety concerns
Beset with vacancies and delays, the scarcity and demands on Milwaukee’s Department of Neighborhood Services were laid bare during a hearing before the finance committee Tuesday.
Aldermen relayed the frustrations received from business owners and residents about delays in permit applications being approved, demolitions being conducted and inspections being completed.
Department of Neighborhood Services Commissioner Erica Roberts blamed budget constraints, staff turnover and a scarcity of contractors as the source of delays.
The department is seeking nearly $20 million for next year’s budget.
Here are five of the biggest takeaways about the state of the department:
1. Permit delays source of frustration for business owners
The department’s Permit & Development Center is responsible for reviewing applications and issuing the permits for various development projects, including small commercial and residential properties, landscaping alterations and fence construction. The department also approves requests for occupancy status, zoning changes and other development-related issues.
The center reported an average of wait time of 14 business days before applications are reviewed. However, Ald. Milele Coggs said she has received several calls from business owners whose permit applications have been delayed for months.
The delays, she said, often hurt companies’ budgets.
“When I think about the domino effect of some of these projects not getting done in a timely fashion, particularly with the escalating costs of development, for some of these projects ... that time will determine if they can finish that project.”
Mary Wilkinson-Church, the manager of the center, said although the department issues permits, it is part of a larger system that applications go through, and the center’s employees are often waiting on approvals from other departments.
Wilkinson-Church also noted that batch requests often make applications more complex. Habitat for Humanity, which Coggs used as an example, had provided the same land survey for different properties and had to provide additional paperwork to correct that mistake, which delayed the process.
Roberts told aldermen they are exploring adding more features to their website to help reduce some of the load on Development Center employees.
So far, the center has issued 9% more permits this year than it did last year for a total of 21,486.
2. Unpaid reinspection fees often lead to foreclosures
One of the department’s most well-known roles in the city is code enforcement, which involves inspectors responding to complaints about a property and issuing work orders that require the property owner to make repairs.
Coggs said she regularly hears from residents that a combination of taxes and fees are the reason property owners lose their homes to tax foreclosure, which often leads to the city seizing ownership.
Reinspection fees in particular, Roberts said, are one of the most expensive additions, as they are issued on an graduating scale from $150-$300 and can be issued monthly until repairs are made.
Roberts said the department’s special enforcement division reaches out to property owners who are past the deadline to make repairs monthly to offer resources, such as the department’s STRONG Homes loan program, which helps homeowners make up to $20,000 in essential repairs to their properties.
“The city doesn’t want to own those properties,” Roberts said.
The city has reduced the number of properties managed by the Special Enforcement division from nearly 2,000, Roberts said, to roughly 600, thanks in part to those efforts.
3. More contractors needed to reduce demo delays
The department has 400 properties on a list to be razed, with 79 of those contracted out for mechanical demolition.
DNS Supervisor Chris Kraco said the department is currently only working with two contractors who can demolish properties. However, because the contracts are not exclusive work, there have been long delays and many buildings remain vacant and in significant disrepair.
Those properties can often become a nuisance or hazard, or in some cases, dangerous — Coggs pointed out that a dead body was found in one such building, highlighting the need to speed up the demolition process.
In addition, the city’s deconstruction program has struggled to get off the ground with multiple local companies dropping out of the bidding process.
Roberts pointed to challenges finding contractors to do the work who can also pass the Small Business Enterprise (SBE) qualifications and who can comply with the city’s Residents Preference Program.
Roberts said even her office, which sat down and attempted to register as a small business enterprise, was daunted by the paperwork required to become an eligible contractor.
The commissioner noted the requirements for demolitions allocated through the American Rescue Plan funds are much less restrictive for contractors, suggesting that set of requirements might be more effective.
She said she reached out to the Department of City Development, which received $20 million in federal funds to rehabilitate and repair properties around the city through contractors, for more support.
4. Vacancy rates among inspectors ‘tremendously high’
The department is missing 23% of the positions in its residential inspection division, one-third of positions in its special enforcement division and half the positions in its commercial inspection division.
After losing many of its staff to other municipalities and different government jobs, Roberts said the vacancy rate is “tremendously high.”
Higher pay and better benefits were strong motivators for many employees, while others reported the desire to work remotely, which DNS does not offer due to what Roberts described as lower productivity levels during the pandemic’s remote work era.
Roberts also said the job itself can lend to burnout.
“What is mentioned frequently in exit interviews is the stress levels that the staff experience,” she said. “They’re working at the maximum of output on a daily basis. I think it’s a tough environment to work in.”
Working without nearly a quarter of its staff, DNS’ residential inspection division responded to 75% of the complaints received in 2021. The department also reported operating its Development Center without more than a quarter of staff.
To address the impact of overwork on employees, Roberts said she would like to add staff, including four more to the Development Center. But she said she is “respectful” of budgetary limits, which means those positions aren’t likely to be included.
“Maybe we’re shooting ourselves in the foot by not having that fully staffed,” Ald. Michael Murphy said, noting that the increased workload on fewer employees is likely to increase the risk of turnover.
Roberts said she would also like to increase employee salaries. Murphy noted higher fees might be the best way to raise revenue for that increase.
5. Inspector safety a key issue
Perhaps one of the biggest reasons for turnover is the lack of safety many inspectors report on the job.
“This is an issue that lies really heavy in my heart,” Roberts said.
Last year, a Milwaukee Housing Authority inspector was shot in her car by someone from the home she had just visited. A DNS housing inspector was killed in an attempted carjacking in 2017.
“We have a lot of folks who report back that they’ve been threatened in the field. People have said ‘I’m going to shoot you,’ ” Roberts reported. “We've had a number of incidents where ... they are approached by subjects with bad intentions.”
It is extraordinarily challenging for anyone in these neighborhoods, Roberts added, citing her five years of experience as an inspector.
Inspectors are at risk even driving to and from appointments, Roberts said, explaining several employees have had accidents due to someone else’s reckless driving.
Although the department requires inspectors to carry insurance, repairs and deductible come out of their pocket.
Murphy described the revelations as “very disheartening.”
Roberts said the department has an internal policy that allows any inspector who feels unsafe to cancel an appointment and return another day.
Talis Shelbourne is an investigative solutions reporter covering the issues of affordable housing, environment and equity issues. Have a tip? You can reach Talis at (414) 403-6651 or tshelbourn@jrn.com. Follow her on Twitter at @talisseer and message her on Facebook at @talisseer.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Vacancies, delays plague Milwaukee Department of Neighborhood Services
