Retailers in Milwaukee would be required to accept cash if a proposed ordinance is passed.
The proposal prohibits refusing to accept cash and comes as some businesses are only accepting payment with credit and debit cards. During the coronavirus pandemic, many businesses have stopped accepting cash as a way to avoid the potential spread of the virus.
The ordinance says: "A person who sells goods or services at retail from a physical location may not refuse to accept cash in exchange for those goods or services during a face-to-face sale with a consumer, unless the person is otherwise prohibited by law from accepting cash for the goods or services being sold."
Violation of the ordinance would result in a fine of not less than $200 and not more than $5,000.
Ald. Ashanti Hamilton who represents much of the city's northwest side sponsored the ordinance. The ordinance is being reviewed by the Common Council's Judiciary and Legislation Committee.
Constituents who had tried to use cash at Fiserv Forum and the neighboring entertainment block and couldn't make purchases brought the issue to Hamilton's attention, he said.
A similar bill was introduced in the state Legislature last year. It failed to pass.
"We decided to continue to move forward," Hamilton said. "Make sure that everybody regardless of economic status would be able to enjoy all aspects of entertainment and participate in the economy downtown." The Bucks' new arena has a handful of concession stands that do not accept cash.
"Like everywhere during this difficult time, we are exploring ways to keep contact and touch points to a minimum for safety reasons," said Milwaukee Bucks Chief Communications Officer Barry Baum. "We are all about being customer-centric and appreciate that having cash options can be important, so we are working on various solutions."
The discussion and drafting of the ordinance took place before the pandemic, Hamilton said. Many restaurants and retailers, for fear of spreading the virus, have moved to cashless systems. Issues around this type of order during the pandemic are being discussed, Hamilton said.
Hamilton said if the ordinance is passed, no implementation efforts would begin until after Gov. Tony Evers' stay-at-home order is over. The order has been extended until May 26.
Sarah Hauer can be reached at shauer@journalsentinel.com or on Instagram @HauerSarah and Twitter @SarahHauer. Subscribe to her weekly newsletter Be MKE at jsonline.com/bemke.
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Retailers in the City of Milwaukee would be required to accept cash under a proposed ordinance - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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