Ever wonder what that funny motion is that the alders make that has a bunch of numbers in it and you can’t follow along? Well, I’ll try to explain using tonight as an example.
Around 3:00 on Tuesday’s the Council Office sends out a list of items that alders want to change or discuss on the agenda. Everything else will not be discussed unless it is a public hearing item, which are in the front of the agenda, or someone shows up to speak to the item. Here’s tonight’s exclusion list.
June 15, 2010 Common Council Meeting
Proposed Consent Agenda ExclusionsPlease note that exclusions on this listing may change at the meeting.
Items may be added or taken off the list when the consent agenda is presented.Agenda Items #6 through #16 are PUBLIC HEARING ITEMS The following items are extra-majority items to be included on the consent agenda with request for unanimous vote:
69. Legislative File No. 18564 SUBSTITUTE – Amending the 2010 Operating Budget of the Community Development Division by appropriating $35,518 from the Contingent Reserve Fund and utilitizing these funds to immediately enhance youth-related programming in southwest side neighborhoods, and authorizing the Mayor and City Clerk to enter into agreements with agencies to provide the described services. (Report of Community Services Committee – 15 votes required)
83. Legislative File No. 18456 Amending the Information Technology 2010 Capital Budget by transferring $40,000 from Contingent Reserve to the Purchased Software Enhancements Project #810345 to fund modifications to the City’s Tax Billing and Collection Software to accommodate multiple tax payment installments. (Referred to this meeting – 15 votes required)
Items requested by alders to be placed on EXCLUSION LIST:
5. Legislative File No. 18846 – Communication dated 6/15/10 – From Greg Galica & Ken Hallam regarding the need for the City to implement an automated waste cart/dumpster cleaning system, in order to protect citizen health, water and community cleanliness. (Communications & Petitions – Add Solid Waste Advisory Committee as an additional referral)
19. Legislative File No. 18454 SUBSTITUTE – Report of the Mayor submitting citizen committee appointments (Appointments – 2/3 vote required for Teresa C. Schwerin – Vending Oversight Committee & Ald. Shiva Bidar-Sielaff, D. 5)
24. Legislative File No. 18498 – Repealing Sections 4.07(1) and (2) and creating Sections 4.07(1) through (11) of the Madison General Ordinances to provide for installment payment of real property tax and personal property taxes for improvements on leased land and establish payment procedures for personal property tax, special charges, special assessments and special taxes. (Report of BOE – Ald. Mark Clear, Council President – for purpose referral to the 7/6/10 Council meeting.)
37. Legislative File No. 18696 Amending RES-09-00309, in reference to the Midwest BioLink Commercialization and Business Center, by removing the 50% pre-lease requirement. (Report of BOE – Ald. Marsha Rummel, D. 6)
Addendum Late Item – 18400 SUBSTITUTE – Amending Sections 23.05(1), 23.05(3)(u), and 23.05(7), repealing Sec. 23.05(6)(e) and 23.05(6)(f), renumbering Sec. 23.05(7)(e) to Sec. 23.05(7)(b), respectively, and creating Sec. 23.05(14) of the Madison General Ordinances to modify the smoking ordinance to bring it into conformity with state statute. (Late Item – Ald. Mark Clear, Council President – for purpose of re-referral to the 7/6/10 Council meeting.)
So, the motion tonight will says something like, move adoption of the rest of the agenda, with their recommendations except:
– Public hearing items 6 – 16
– Items 63, 89 and 19 will be passed by unanimous consent unless there is an objection
– Item 5 will be referred to Solid Waste Committee, item 24 and the unnumbered late item will be referred to the next meeting.
– The item left for discussion will be the Biolink TIF exception plus anything an alder adds late or someone shows up to talk about.
The rest of the agenda is basically passed with the recommendation from the lead committee, usually the one that acted last. So, when I listed all those items in my blog this morning that were of interest, they are largely a list of things that will just pass. Here’s my list from this morning:
6:30 PM COMMON COUNCIL ROOM 201 CCB
– Wow, a whole bunch of absences again (Bruer, Solomon and Cnare)
– Cancelling Grid Iron liquor license
– Non-renewal/acceptance of deal on the Samba, Riley’s, Church Key, etc (several items)
– #17 Cleaning house at Urban Design – Bruce Woods,John Harringtonand Ron Luskin all off the commission to be replaced by a couple lobbyists. (Ooops, John Harrington was just getting a different seat, not being removed, my bad.)
– #19 Joanne Brown and Janet Parker also booted from committees
– #24 Quarterly tax payments & #83 spending $40K on software for it.
– #32 Hiring architects for the library
– #35 Depleting our affordable housing stock
– #37 Biolink
– #36, 39 & 40 Fireworks resolutions
– #68 Changing how committees do reconsideration
– #69 More money for the SW side.
– #73 Keeping roads open at the railroad tracks at Blount, Brearly and Livingston
– #74 Increasing fines for aggressive panhandling
– #81 Green Cab license
So, many of the items are just approved without a word. Which I guess is good if you’re the one that proposed them, but I’m not always certain that they are really considered by the people voting for them. And, like several items on the agenda tonight, they just get referred while things get worked out so people don’t discuss them on the council floor. Seems to me there should be a better, more transparent process.
