The help some people were hoping for did not come at meeting in Mt. Pleasant Tuesday evening.
Some homeowners are at risk of losing their houses because the bluffs are eroding into Lake Michigan.
The meeting was the first time local, state, and federal official all sat down with homeowners to talk about their options. A lot of people showed up to find out what kind of help they could get from the government to shore up their homes.
"Who has the money to put temporary stones or anything to stop this erosion?" asked Lefty Veziridis, a Mt. Pleasant resident.
"What are state county local doing to help homeowners?" asked John Koetz, a Mt. Pleasant resident.
But there were not a lot of answers when it came to dollars.
"Many people have enjoyed a million dollar view of Lake Michigan for many, many decades without paying the million dollar price tag it's going to cost to fix these properties," said Julie Anderson, Racine County director of public works.
Neighbors disagree, saying this is a median income area. One man says he can't get a bank to loan him money for a failing property. Others say ask why can't it be taken from property taxes when those have double or tripled for people on the bluff.
"No one can stand here tonight and say we will do tax reductions, we'll do tax rebates, we'll hand out checks. Folks, that money is just not here now," Anderson says.
Mt. Pleasant's village president warns if there is no solution and homeowners bluffs erode so far they affect public utilities they will have to shut down roads and evacuate homes.
"I do not want to see anybody leave their house," said Mt. Pleasant Village President Jerry Garski.
The DNR says any fix either temporary or permanent needs to first be approved through them. You can contact the Wisconsin DNR by clicking here.
