They are a bit tricky to find, but they are there. Not many of them. 1 capital budget and 5 operating budget amendments.
FINDING THE BUDGET AMENDMENTS
I read them and went back to find them and had a moment of “where’d they go” and then I watched another knowledgable person struggle to find them. So first, how do you find them.
If you look on the agenda for Tuesday, you won’t see the new amendments on the agenda itself.
The only links are to the public comments from the council meeting or finance committee.
In order to find the amendments, you need to click on the legistar number and go into legistar
When you click on the numbers, you are taken to legistar and then its the last attachment, for Capital budget it number 10.
For operating budget its number 9
Why did this happen? Likely because the agenda was proofread and approved prior to the amendments being released.
CAPITAL BUDGET AMENDMENTS
Just one, fairly technical Amendment by Alder Verveer. It recognizes a $2M contribution from Dane County for the “LakeWay” improvements for the Mendota shoreline parks project.
Agency: Parks Division
Amendment: 1
Title: Madison LakeWay Improvments, County Funding
Sponsor: Verveer, Figueroa Cole
Finance Departmetn Analysis: The amendment recognizes a $2.0 million contribution from Dane County. Funding was added to the Dane County capital budget through an amendment to the County’s Personnel and Finance Committee (amendment P&F-C-01). County funding would be in addition to the $700,000 in General Fund GO Borrowing and $200,000 in Impact Fees included in the 2025 Executive Budget. The additional County funds bring the total funding for the
project in 2025 to $2.9 million in order to implement aspects of the plan including park improvements,stormwater features, bike/pedestrian paths, and other features as permitted under state statutes.
Operating Budget Impact: None
OPERATING BUDGET AMENDMENTS
None of these amendments change the bottom line of the budget at all.
AMENDMENT ONE
Agency: Community Development Division
Title: Technical Amendment: Requthorize $2.2M of CDBG revenues and expenses
Sponsor: Mayor Rhodes-Conway, President Figueroa Cole
Amendment Narrative:
Reauthorize a total of $2,179,250 in revenues and expenses for various programs within the Community Development Division’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) fund:
$2.0 million in federal Economic Development Initiative – Community Project Funding (EDI-CPF) revenues and corresponding expenditures for the construction of the men’s permanent shelter.
$123,000 in federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) revenues and corresponding expenditures for eligible improvement projects identified in the South Madison Plan.
$56,250 in State of Wisconsin Department of Energy, Housing, and Community Resources (DEHCR) Employment Grant program revenue and corresponding expenditures for employment training programs through the Madisonarea Urban Ministry’s (dba JustDane) Just Bakery program.
Finance Department Analysis:
The proposed amendment reauthorizes $2,179,250 in revenues and expenses for various programs within the Community Development Division’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) fund in 2025:
$2.0 million of federal EDI-CPF revenues for building expenses related to the men’s permanent shelter on Bartillon Drive. The original award and corresponding expenditures were approved by Council in July 2023 (legislative file 78689, RES-23-00515) and reauthorized in 2024 via the mid year appropriation (legislative file 84378, RES-24-00514).
$123,000 in federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) revenues for expenses related to eligible neighborhood improvement projects identified in the South Madison Plan adopted by Council in 2022 (legislative file 68084, RES-22-00026). The original award and corresponding expenditures were included in the 2023 Adopted Operating Budget and were reauthorized in the 2024 Adopted Operating Budget. Legislative file 85811 lists the proposed projects for which the funds will be used. Per the terms of the grant, the funds must be expended by the end of December 2025.
$56,250 in State of Wisconsin DEHCR Employment Grant program revenues for expenses related to employment training programs conducted by grant subrecipient Madison-area Urban Ministry’s (dba JustDane) Just Bakery program. Council previously authorized the receipt and expenditure of the grant funds in February 2024 (legislative file 81612, RES-24-00102), and approved MUM as the subrecipient in April 2024 (legislative file 82495, RES-24- 00269). The program did not begin until mid-2024, and about 25% of authorized funds have been used in 2024. The grant allows for use of funds into 2025.
Budget reauthorization is needed for these various programs because the CDBG fund is currently an annual fund and unspent funds do not automatically carry forward. Beginning in 2025, the CDBG will be a multi-year fund to allow the Division to carry forward unspent funds. Reauthorizing these funds has no impact on the General Fund.
AMENDMENT TWO
Agency: Community Development Division
Title: Appropriate $779,400 of General Fund balance for homelessness support services
Sponsor: Mayor Rhodes-Conway, President Figueroa Cole
Amendment Narrative:
Appropriate $779,400 of General Fund unassigned balance to the Community Development Division’s (CDD) budget for purchased services related for unsheltered homeless support services. This is a one-time allocation of unassigned fund balance.
Finance Department Analysis:
The proposed amendment appropriates $779,400 of General Fund unassigned balance (“fund balance”) to CDD’s Purchased Services budget for homelessness support services. The General Fund balance will be generated in 2024 by reallocating unspent American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds for the Unsheltered Homeless Support project (Munis project 13975) to revenue replacement. This reallocation will occur in the 2024 Year End Appropriation resolution to ensure all ARPA funds are expended by December 31, 2024. The use of fund balance for this purpose is consistent with the Common Council’s adopted plan for ARPA funds for community investments.
AMENDMENT THREE
Agency: Streets Division
Title: Oin Ave Sunday Drop Off Site Hours
Sponsor: Verveer, Knox
Amendment Narrative:
Restore partial Sunday hours at the Olin Avenue drop off site through scheduling changes to drop off site hours. Update the “Major Revenue and Expenditure Changes in the 2025 Executive Budget” table to reflect the partial restoration of Sunday hours. Scheduling changes will be at the discretion of the Streets Superintendent to make the addition of Sunday hours cost neutral. No additional appropriation is required.
Finance Department Analysis:
The 2025 Executive Operating Budget eliminated Sunday hours at the Olin Ave drop off site and reduced the Streets Division Operating Budget by $18,850 for hourly staffing and fleet charges related to the cost of operations. The proposed amendment gives the Streets Superintendent discretion to make schedule changes to operate Olin Ave for a partial day on Sundays, without the need for additional funding. Proposed changes may include reducing hours of operation at any of City’s three drop-off sites, shortening the duration of the season (for example, delaying the start date or moving forward the end date), and other schedule changes. Updated hours would be published on the Streets Division website.
AMENDMENT FOUR
Agency: Community Development Division
Title: Reallocate $103,870 from personnel to purchased services for the Older Adult Services RFP
Sponsor: Verveer, Harrington McKinney, Knox
Amendment Narrative:
The proposed amendment adds $103,870 in purchased services for the Older Adult Services RFP. This funding is made available by reallocating a portion of staff time to the Affordable Housing Fund.
In 2023, CDD’s adopted capital budget authorized the use of up to $250,000 per year of Affordable Housing Funds for staff costs related to administering and managing affordable housing projects. This authority has not been utilized in prior budgets.
In CDD’s 2025 budget request, the agency proposed multiple position changes. This included recreating the senior center director as a finance and compliance manager and adding a 1.0 FTE CD Technician 2. As part of a merger between the agency’s Older Adult Services team and the larger Community Resources Unit, the vacant senior center manager position was no longer needed. CDD proposed recreating this position as a finance and compliance manager and creating a new Finance and Compliance unit. This unit would provide financial oversight for CDD, especially around the management of state and federal funding and administration of the affordable housing fund, which has grown in size and complexity. In addition, CDD requested adding 1 new position (CD Technician 2) to support the new unit. The request reflected salary savings in the Community Resources Unit service due to eliminating the duties of the senior center director position and recreating the position. The new and recreated positions were funded by allocating a portion of staff time for 6 positions to the Affordable Housing Fund, as authorized in 2023.
The 2025 Executive Budget supported the creation of the Finance and Compliance Unit and added position authority for the new and recreated position. However, the budget did not change the allocation to the affordable housing fund. Both positions are fully funded by the general fund.
Finance Department Analysis:
This amendment would reallocate 50% of the salaries and benefits of the Finance and Compliance manager and the CD Tech 2 position to the affordable housing fund. This would reduce the general fund cost for these positions by $103,870. These funds would be reallocated to purchased services to increase the amount available for the Older Adult Services RFP, specifically for case management services. The 2024 budget increased funding for community based organizations by 7.5%, which added $58,500 to older adult services. The 2025 executive budget included $838,040 for contracts with providers, which included the 7% increase from the prior year. If adopted, the amendment would increase funding by an additional $103,870, for a total of $941,910. The proposed amendment is net neutral to the General Fund.
AMENDMENT FIVE
Agency: Office of the Independent Monitor; Direct Appropriations; Fleet; Police
Title: OIM Partial Restoration
Sponsor: Rummel, Madison, Duncan
Amendment Narrative:
Restore 0.60 of a 1.0 FTE FTE Data Analyst position (#4841), $2,900 in Conferences, $50,000 in Legal Services, and $13,580 for the Police Civilian Oversight Board (PCOB) in the Office of the Independent Monitor (OIM) operating budget.
Reduce the Direct Appropriations purchased service budget for legal fees by $50,000 and license suspension by $20,000. Reduce purchased services and internal billings in the Fleet fund by $35,000 by reducing the city’s GPS program. Reduce agency interdepartmental charges to recognize the savings from the GPS reduction in Fleet (General Fund Impact = $28,000; Other Funds = $7,000). Remove excess funding for a 0.6 FTE Civilian Records position in the Police Department by $29,210 (Salary = $22,290; Benefits = $6,920).
Finance Department Analysis:
In February 2024, RES-24-00112 (Legistar file #82002) added a $25 per month stipend to PCOB members participating in any of the Board’s subcommittees and a $25 stipend to be provided to members for attending Board-sponsored training outside of regular meetings. The fiscal impact of these changes was estimated to be up to $6,375 depending on attendance. It was assumed the agency would absorb these costs within the existing PCOB budget and the budget was not increased. The Executive budget removed all funding for the PCOB, including funding for stipends. The amendment would partially restore PCOB stipend funding to $6,180. It would not restore funding for child care reimbursements. It is assumed this amount would be used to pay stipends, including the additional amounts authorized in the resolution, until funds are exhausted.
The amendment funds the partial restoration of the OIM budget through the following changes in other agency budgets.
- Reduce Legal Fees in Direct Appropriations by $50,000. Direct Appropriations currently includes a budget of $100,000 for legal fees for the Police and Fire Commission and appraisal consulting services for the Assessor’s office. Actual expenditures in the last 3 years (2021 – 2023) have ranged from $36,800 to $77,400. It is anticipated that the reduction can be absorbed in the Direct Appropriations budget in 2025.
- Reduce license suspension fees in Direct Appropriations by $20,000. Direct Appropriations currently includes a budget of $55,000 in fees paid to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation to suspend licenses as a method to collect on delinquent accounts. Actual expenditures in the last 3 years (2021 – 2023) have ranged from $28,100 to #38,300. It is anticipated that the reduction can be absorbed in the Direct Appropriations budget in 2025.
- Reduce funding for GPS subscriptions in Fleet Services. The department would analyze the current use of GPS to determine reductions with minimal impacts (for example, by eliminating GPS for off-road equipment such as mowers and select vehicles). This change would reduce Fleet purchased services $35,000. As a result, Fleet would reduce interdepartmental billings and charges by the same amount. It is assumed that 80% of the savings would be in the general fund ($28,000) and 20% would be in other funds ($7,000).
- Remove excess funding for a 0.6 FTE Civilian Records position in the Police Department by $29,210 (Salary = $22,290; Benefits = $6,920). This position is authorized as a 0.6 FTE but was budgeted as a 1.0 FTE in error. The amendment would recognize the savings from correcting the budget for the position.
