Milwaukee’s long‑brewing power fight is headed into the spotlight, with Alderman Alex Brower’s proposal to replace We Energies with a city‑owned utility getting its first public airing at City Hall on Wednesday, June 24. The hearing is set for 9 a.m. in Room 301‑B, and organizers say residents will be able to show up, listen and speak. For a campaign that has pushed for a municipal takeover for years, this is the most concrete step yet.
The item is listed on the City of Milwaukee’s official meeting schedule under the Public Transportation, Utilities and Waterways Review Board, which is chaired by Ald. Robert Bauman, according to the City of Milwaukee calendar. The listing shows a 9 a.m. start in Room 301‑B, and the board’s notice labels it a public session open for comment and discussion.
Brower, who ran for office promising to pursue a municipal electric utility, has formally asked his colleagues to consider taking over We Energies and to examine the legal path for doing it. In a letter, he argued that “necessities like electricity and natural gas should be provided for the collective benefit of all, not for the profit of shareholders,” as reported by Urban Milwaukee. Brower and allied activists say rising bills and slow movement on clean energy make this the moment to test the idea.
What officials will discuss
City officials are billing the session as a legal and policy fact‑finding meeting, aimed at unpacking how a municipal takeover would work under state law and under the procedures laid out in Chapter 197. A detailed roadmap is sketched out in a white paper from Power To The People, which describes possible steps, including valuation, financing and regulatory review, and contends that municipal ownership can bring lower rates and more local control…