Problems at the bottom of City Hall could further delay Milwaukee city attorneys’ return to the top.

The clocks have stopped inside the former offices of Milwaukee’s city attorney, but flakes of plaster that have drifted from the ceiling generally mark the passage of time.

Milwaukee’s city attorney had to try five times to win Common Council approval to move his office back into City Hall. Now that construction is poised to start, some aldermen are rethinking that decision.

Those are not busy city attorneys, pressured by deadlines and rushing around the hallways on the 8th floor of Milwaukee’s City Hall.