Amid Pandemic: City, County and School Board take time off

After meetings this week, neither the City Council nor the County Board will meet until April 21st (3 weeks), School Board not meeting until the 27th (4 weeks)?  Each body will meet only once in April.  The mayor seems to be the only decision maker at the city at this point, with the council rubber stamping decisions. What roles should our alders, supervisors and school board members be playing in this pandemic?  How are they representing us in this crisis?

CITY COUNCIL UPCOMING MEETINGS

The council schedule was modified, normally they meet on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays, but they also don’t meet on election day. That is why they are meeting on the 5th Tuesday and then won’t meet again until the 3rd Tuesday in April.

This could be changed by the common council, they adopted this schedule by a resolution. To change this schedule they could change this, instead of meeting just one time in April.

MGO 2.01(1) The stated meeting of the Common Council shall be held in the Council Chambers on the first and third Tuesdays of every month at 6:30 p.m., except in August and December the Common Council will meet only on the first Tuesday. A special November meeting or meetings will be held for the Capital and Operating Budgets. Following a regular City of Madison election, the newly elected Common Council also shall hold an organizational meeting on the third Tuesday of April. The Council will establish the meeting dates for all meetings by resolution and post the schedule at least annually, and may modify meeting dates for holidays and elections.

The Mayor can also call special meetings by ordinance.  For some reason, the common council president doesn’t also have this ability.

MGO 2.01(5) – Special meetings shall be called by the Mayor by written notice to each member, delivered to the member personally or left at their usual abode, at least six (6) hours before the meeting. (Editor’s Note: Only lawful method, See Wis. Stat. § 62.11(2).)

In an emergency, any council member could call a meeting.

MGO 3.02 (7) Emergency Meetings of the Governing Body . During any emergency:

(a) Any member of the Common Council or a legally constituted successor may call a meeting of the Common Council by notifying all members or their interim successors so far as practicable and by whatever means available of the time and place of such meeting, within or without the City or state as circumstances dictate.

(b) The members so meeting shall establish and be governed by its own rules during such emergency.

COUNTY BOARD UPCOMING MEETINGS

The county board members are all up for election on Tuesday the 7th, and the elected officials get sworn in on the 3rd Tuesday in April, which is the 21st.

What happens between August 7th and the 21st when they are sworn in?  And what if the election were to be postponed?  Seems like the county board should at least plan a meeting for April 6th or right before in case they have while they are still in power.

SCHOOL BOARD UPCOMING MEETINGS

Neither the school board nor any of their committees are meeting this week.  I guess they have nothing to talk about?

The School Board won’t meet until the 27th?

WHAT WILL OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS BE VOTING ON IN THIS PANDEMIC?

I would expect in this type of emergency, the elected bodies would plan weekly meetings or daily briefings.  These are the items that will be on the agenda this week and some I can predict to be on the agenda on the 21st of April.

City Council

If you look at the city council meeting on Tuesday, it has the following items that the mayor is making decisions without the council.  At this meeting she has put the following things on the council agenda:

• Amending Section 4.21(3) of the Madison General Ordinances to defer room taxes imposed for January, February and March, 2020 to no later than July 31, 2020, at the discretion of the City Treasurer
• Authorizing the suspension of CDA late lease payment fees.
• Waiving late fees and penalties associated with licenses and permits issued by the Madison City Clerk’s office, including late fees for alcohol beverage renewal applications
• Authorizing the suspension of late fees for parking violations
• Extending the licensure expiration date to August 31, 2020 of all City licenses issued pursuant to MGO Sec. 9.02
• Authorizing the execution of real Estate documents for the occupancy of buildings for the purpose of quarantine.
• Extending time periods for conveyance permits issued under Madison General Ordinance Section 40.08(3).
• Authorizing Public Health to reduce fees for numerous licensed establishments to the 2019 rate, and authorizing waiving late fees and offer renewal fee deferment where permitted
• Extending time periods for work permits for fire protection systems
• Authorize the Office of Business Resources the discretion to refund banner permit fees under Madison General Ordinance Section 31.075(2)(a)
• Allow for refund of certain Street Use Permits granted or issued, and waive deadline for street use permit decision-making under Madison General Ordinance Section 10.056
• Authorizes Departments to accept an appropriate donations to the City for response to the COVID-19 emergency without prior approval, subject to Council ratification
• Permitting Director Of Planning, with Alder input, to approve an extension of conditional use and demolition approvals for an additional 12 months under Madison General Ordinance Sections 28.183(9) & 28.185(9)(b)
• Establishing procedures to negotiate and execute emergency leases, contracts and contract amendments during the emergency situation.
• Waive all Street Vending License fees under MGO 9.13 for the 2020-2021 vending season, except Camp Randall High Density Vending and UW Game Day Vending licenses, and authorize refunds for fees already paid for the 2020-2021 vending season.
• Authorizing the Director of the Department of Civil Rights to suspend application of any rule in the Rules of the Equal Opportunities Commission
• Temporarily suspend the enforcement of Madison General Ordinance Section 33.56(5) to allow the Director of Transportation, Transit Manager, Traffic Engineer, and Parking Manager to take actions related to transportation issues identified in Madison General Ordinance Section 33.56(5)(a)-(c)
• Suspend the requirement that developers hold a pre-application presentation with the Urban Design Commission pursuant to Madison General Ordinance Section 28.098(5)(a)2.
• Waive the sixty(60) day requirement in Madison General Ordinance Section 31.043(1) that mandates the Urban Design Commission make a final decision on an appeal from the Zoning Administrator under the sign code, and authorize the Secretary of the Urban Design Commission to refer or defer sign code matters that must be reviewed by the Urban Design Commission under Madison General Ordinance Sections 31and 33.24, until a meeting of the Urban Design Commission can be scheduled pursuant to Madison General Ordinance Section 33.01(10) (c).
• Waiving the requirement to conduct an annual RFP for the Emerging Opportunities Program under MGO 3.12(11)(c) for 2020 and realloating the 2020 EOP funding to other contracts or programs.
• Authorizing departments to transfer to other departments up to $50,000 from the operating budget and up to $250,000 from the capital budget in response to the COVID-19 emergency

County Board

The County Board has the following items going through Personnel and Finance committee on Monday.

• Authorizing Public Health to reduce fees for several licensed establishments to the 2019 rate, to waive late fees and offer renewal fee deferment where authorized

• Waiver of Bid – Emergency Management – Firstwatch Software Tool (Firstwatch)

• Request for Waiver of Bid – Human Services – Housing and Feeding Homeless Persons during the Pandemic (Various Vendors)

• Waiver of Bid Request – Waste and Renewables – Soil and Groundwater Contaminiation Mitigation (SCS Engineers)

• Request for Waiver of Bid – Public Safety Communications (Remote 911 call taking poisitions (Solacom)

• Request for Waiver of Bid – Medical Examiner’s Office (UVC Disinfection Units) Skytron LLC

• Fiscal Impacts of Coronavirus on Dane County

The County Board agenda has the following items on it.

• AMENDING CHAPTER 7 OF THE DANE COUNTY CODE OF ORDINANCES, REGARDING PARTICIPATION IN COMMITTEE MEETINGS BY TELEPHONE OR ELECTRONIC MEDIA

• Authorizing Public Health to reduce fees for several licensed establishments to the 2019 rate, to waive late fees and offer renewal fee deferment where authorized

School Board?

Nothing.  No upcoming actions related to the Pandemic.  Here are the items listed

OPINION – WHAT SHOULD OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS BE VOTING ON

Seems to me they should be assessing community needs, coming together and setting priorities as a body.  And helping identify issues that aren’t being addressed.  But instead, our legislative branch of government is taking a cat nap.  I know individual elected officials are busy doing the best they can, but as one member of a large body they have little power.  As a body, they can make things happen on a larger scale than helping constituents one by one.  I hope our local elected leaders find their voice and can be a voice for the constituents they are hearing from!  And that committees will start meeting again soon and participatory democracy will be restored soon.