Too Many Potholes: An Open Letter from Alderman Brower

Dear Neighbors,

A lot of you have seen the condition of our roads. It’s not good. In this city, drivers swerve around cracks, bumps, and potholes, and some streets seem undrivable.

We need major investment in our roads.

The answer seems simple: get our Department of Public Works (DPW) out there to fix the roads by patching and resurfacing. And it could be that simple – if the City of Milwaukee has sufficient resources.

To their credit, DPW crews have been working overtime and on Saturdays to fill potholes and repair roads. Currently, there are more service requests in the city’s reporting system for potholes than in any year on record, with almost 11,000 requests from Milwaukee residents versus approximately 4,500 this time last year [1].

There is a misconception that we could solve these quality-of-life issues if DPW were to become more efficient. Of course, there is room for improvement in any organization, including city government. In my position as Alderman, I consistently keep an eye out for wasteful spending and inefficiencies. After many conversations with city workers and observing DPW’s work on the streets, it is clear that DPW is understaffed and underfunded. DPW hasn’t failed; it has been failed by the system.

Milwaukee’s terrible road conditions put residents’ personal property and safety at risk, so the question is how the city can afford to repair the streets. The amount of street improvements we need is almost unfathomable. It would cost around $821 million to repair all 405 miles of Milwaukee roads rated as being in “poor condition” [2]. This financial estimate is for the worst roads in the city, not the merely mediocre ones. Changes in seasonal temperatures and extreme weather events due to climate change are not improving the situation. These roads will not be fixed with efficiency initiatives alone. We need more funding.

The City of Milwaukee has taken measures to generate revenue by increasing property taxes. However, statutory limits determine the amount we can levy and the extent to which those levies may be increased each year. A 2026 property tax increase would not have been sufficient to cover the necessary $821 million in repairs. We also should not continue to increase property taxes. Increasing property taxes stresses local communities by raising costs for homeowners and renters. The City of Milwaukee cannot provide the level of service we deserve until we secure further funding from one specific source: the State of Wisconsin.

The City of Milwaukee currently receives some state funding in its budget through shared revenue. Shared revenue is the income tax revenue that the state shares with municipalities since we have been prohibited by state statute from levying local income taxes [3]. Income taxes are a far better and fairer means of generating revenue than property taxes. Unfortunately, over the years, the amount of shared revenue has decreased [4]. For example, after adjusting for inflation, the city’s shared revenue payments in 2025 were still more than $198 million below the amounts received in 2000 [4]. This is unacceptable.

In the upcoming Wisconsin budget (which will be debated in Madison next spring), we must ensure that an increase in shared revenue is budgeted for Milwaukee. To do this, millionaires and billionaires must pay their fair share. By increasing income taxes on the wealthiest Wisconsinites and corporations, we can generate the revenue needed to address our road issues in Milwaukee and lower property taxes as well.

I have heard you all loud and clear, and I agree: our road conditions are unacceptable. I will continue to work with the hardworking DPW staff to support their efforts to repair our streets.

In addition, I will strongly advocate for the state of Wisconsin and the federal government to provide more funding directly to Milwaukee. We can only achieve the world we want by moving to an economic system that puts people first – a system that is socialist, not capitalist.

You can be part of the solution by contacting your state elected leaders, such as the governor and your representatives in the state legislature, to request more funding for our city. Call the office of Governor Tony Evers at 608-266-1212 or email him at eversinfo@wisconsin.gov. Contact your state representatives, too. You can find who your representatives are here: https://myvote.wi.gov/en-us/My-Elected-Officials. You can also reach out to my office directly to learn about opportunities to volunteer and help serve the city we all love.

Thank you for joining me in building a better Milwaukee.

In Solidarity,

Alex Brower

Alderman, 3^rd District

Sources:

Statement from City of Milwaukee City Engineer Kevin Muhs to the Public Works Committee, April 29, 2026. Timestamp 2:13:16, video:https://milwaukee.granicus.com/player/clip/5133?meta_id=3798200

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, June 20, 2025, “Miles of Milwaukee streets in poor condition: 1,370. Cost to repair them: $821 million.” https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/2025/06/20/cost-to-repair-milwaukee-streets-in-poor-condition-821-million/84266645007 (Note: the article states 1,370 miles, which are lane miles, not miles of road, of which there are 405.)