GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Green Bay officials are preaching education, but residents say more needs to be done on this issue that has persisted for years.
“It’s a city problem that needs to be taken care of,” said Jerry Matuszak of Green Bay.
Matuszak has not had rats at his house since moving into it in the 1970s, but this summer they’ve been frequently coming in under his neighbors’ fences.
“I’ve trapped 27 rats in my yard already. I’ve ripped out my garden, took out my plants and my bean plants because they like those. I do have an apple tree in my yard and they like apples, but I pick those up every night.”
This year, the city has received 129 rat complaints and that’s with two months left in the popular time for complaints.
The yearly average for resident complaints over the past 10 years is 101, with the problem peaking in 2017 and 2018 when complaints exceeded 200 both years. That is when the city and county combined to spend at least $10,000 to try to combat the issue.
Matuszak says traps haven’t worked in nearly a month at his house.
“The rats are very smart and they’re avoiding the traps right now. We need to do something other than just trap them.”
Bill Paape has been spearheading this issue for the city the last several years. He was unavailable for an interview for this story, but told the city’s protection and policy committee Monday night that educating residents remains the key.
“To combat this population, you’ve got to get rid of the food, the water, and the shelter,” said Green Bay Alderperson Randy Scannell.
Scannell says his district was a focal point of the rat problem five years ago, but heeded the city’s advice and no longer deals with them.
“You’ve got to get everybody on board. If a few people aren’t doing it, then they’re the problem that’s going to keep the rat population up.”
A city map shows all but 12 of this year’s 129 complaints have come from the west side.
“I hope the city does more than just educate,” said Matuszak.
The full city council is expected to discuss the issue at its meeting next Tuesday.
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