Milwaukee Chooses Safety: Council Overrides Veto on Fire Equipment Funding

The Milwaukee Common Council voted today (Tuesday, November 25), unanimously among those members present, to override the Mayor’s veto of Amendment 95, fully restoring $8 million in new capital funding for the replacement of firefighting apparatus. This is a decisive action to correct long-term underinvestment in the Fire Department’s equipment budget and to prevent future public-safety failures.

The override reinstates the full amount adopted on November 7, rejecting the administration’s attempt to reduce the Fire Department’s investment by half.

“Public safety is not negotiable, and it cannot be funded on half-measures or hope. Today the Council refused to gamble with people’s lives,” said Alderman Peter Burgelis, author of Amendment 95. “This city has spent years kicking the Fire Department’s equipment needs down the road. That approach has put our firefighters and our residents one mechanical failure away from disaster. That ends today.”

Milwaukee’s aging fire fleet has been strained by years of deferred replacements, increasing call volumes, and escalating maintenance costs for outdated equipment. Today’s vote marks a course correction to establish a sustainable and responsible replacement cycle for essential life-saving apparatus.

“When your house is on fire, when your child is trapped in a crash, or when seconds decide the difference between life and death, you don’t want a fire engine that ‘might’ get there. You want equipment that will get there. Every. Single. Time.” Ald. Burgelis said. “Modern fire apparatus is the backbone of public safety. Today, the Milwaukee Common Council stood up for its residents.”

The amendment also maintains the requirement that the Fire Department study modern deployment strategies, including the use of light-duty vehicles for medical calls, to extend the lifespan of heavy apparatus and improve long-term fleet sustainability.

“Milwaukee will not wait for tragedy to expose the consequences of outdated equipment. We are acting now, decisively, to protect our firefighters, protect our neighborhoods, and protect lives,” the Alderman added.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.