Committee Approves Up To $5,000 Fines for Illegal Dumping in Parks

Milwaukee County is preparing to go after those illegally dumping waste and other debris in county parks.

The Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors is on its way to raising the fine for illegal dumping from $200 to as much as $5,000. Also, if the cost to clean up a site is more than $5,000, the county’s attorneys are prepared to go after violators in court.

The 15,000-acre park system offers many secluded areas for persons with large amounts of waste and debris — landlords and contractors — to dump and avoid landfill fees. For years, Milwaukee County Parks has struggled with the issue, which costs the department approximately $16,000 annually in staff time to clean up the dumpsites.

The massive parks system makes enforcement difficult; it’s too big to catch all the violators with cameras and new dumpsites can pop-up just as frequently as they are shut down.

Earlier this year, Sup. Shawn Rolland proposed boosting the fine for dumping to $5,000, as a deterrent and to help the county recoup the cost of cleanup. The fine would not apply to park patrons who are simply littering, but to more severe cases of illegal dumping.

Supervisors almost passed the fine in July, but there was concern that state statute precluded the county from setting a fine for dumping higher than the local municipality the park is in.

An argument could be made that a municipality has the authority to establish these fines, Corporation Counsel Scott Brown told supervisors on the Committee on Parks and Culture Tuesday. But his office believes state statutes do give the county the authority to set its own fine.

“I think it’s a pretty weak argument and I’d be comfortable defending [the county fine] in court any day,” Brown said.

Supervisors on the parks committee unanimously recommended approved a new ordinance creating a sliding scale for the fine, ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 per violation. In the event that the cost of cleanup exceeds $5,000, Brown’s office will take the dumper to court seeking a civil forfeiture. The $5,000 maximum fine also brings the county in line with the City of Milwaukee’s fine for dumping.

The ordinance change will go before the full board for final approval later this month.

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Related Legislation: File 24-575