Mayor Rakes Back Leaf Bagging Plan

A Department of Public Works crew picks up leaves in Bay View in Nov. 2020. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.

Two weeks after rolling out a plan to require residents to bag their leaves instead of raking them into the street, Mayor Cavalier Johnson and Department of Public Works Commissioner Jerrel Kruschke have turned over a new leaf on the policy.

A compromise proposal was announced at a Monday morning press conference that will allow residents and property owners to continue to rake leaves into the street or bag them for curbside pickup.

The change comes after council members pushed back on Kruschke’s prior announcement that “we have to pivot” to what he said was a best practice of the city picking up only bagged leaves.

The city, said the mayor, still believes that bagging is the “better option.”

“Our seasons are becoming less and less predictable,” said Johnson on Monday morning. “Leaf drop is happening later. Snow is arriving earlier in those overlaps. They make the traditional system of working to make sure that we rake leaves into the streets harder to manage.”

Johnson said the issue resulted in frustration for residents and city workers alike.

It has also contributed to spring flooding, when heavy rains encountered clogged sewer grates and catch basins.

The city’s latest solution is “not about taking something away,” said the mayor. “What this is about is adding a better option.”

Bagged leaves, said the commissioner and mayor, keep more leaves out of the city’s waterways, avoid blocking parking spaces, reduce the chance of flooding, avoid the need for residents to re-rake leaves that blow in the wind and allow DPW workers to continue to pick them up even after it snows.

“We’re moving forward with an approach that gives residents flexibility while also encouraging what works best for the city as a whole,” said Johnson. “If you’re able to bag your leaves, we strongly encourage you to do so because it will make a meaningful difference.”

“More and more we are seeing the seasons overlap, making it harder and harder for us to pivot,” said Kruschke. “That’s why this fall we will move forward with a collection program that includes both traditional breakout and bag leaf collection using compostable bags.”

Kruschke said residents should look to mulch or compost leaves in their own yards or gardens as a first option to improve soil conditions, then look to bagging and, finally, raking. “Our goal is to build a program that works for Milwaukee,” he said.

Council members Scott Spiker and Lamont Westmoreland, who had both issued press releases assailing what they said was a surprise announcement during the April 20 Public Works Committee meeting, said in a press release Tuesday morning that they would introduce legislation to allow residents to continue raking indefinitely.

“This situation also serves as a reminder that collaboration matters. Working with and communicating with council members during the brainstorming and planning stages is a no-brainer. It also helps avoid an unnecessary explosion of public frustration and the need to reverse course after major policy announcements are made,” they wrote.

The fiscal impact of the compromise proposal was not immediately available.