At this point – there is only one word for this, and the word is “clusterfuck”. Probably not a good word for a politician to use so publicly, but it really is the perfect word. Last night’s eight and a half hour Board of Estimates meeting was truly amazing. It included the revelation that the Mayor, Bruer, Brandon and Clear had an illegal meeting, an alder stomping off before the meeting was over and many other entertaining moments. However, it gets the “clusterfuck” title for the following reasons:
1. The amendments were not really available to the public until Monday at some point, unless they knew an “insider” or were able to figure out how to get them out of legistar without the agenda. The agenda for the Board of Estimates was not really
2. I find myself sitting on the floor, again, but at least I’m inside the very packed and warm room. Joining me on the floor this time are city staff, mayor’s staff, alders, a lobbyist and citizens.
3. Eli Judge actually got locked out of the meeting. That’s right, by 6:00, you couldn’t get in the building from the Carroll St. side of the building.
4. The meeting wasn’t televised. It was recorded to be played at a later date due to the elevator not working in the Municipal Building (Where is a good facilities manager when you need one?) and the meeting (and alot others) being moved and they can’t live broadcast from GR 27.
Ok – done complaining about the government that I play a role in, haven’t quite figured out how to get folks making these decisions to make better decisions and usually they are a done deal by the time I see them – but I’ll try to figure something else out to try to fix these types of screw ups. Now, on to the meeting!
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I can’t say for sure which alders were or were not there since it was crowded for the first few hours and I think I may have missed a few but beyond the Board of Estimates members (Mayor Dave, Ald. Zach Brandon, Ald. Mark Clear, Ald. Jed Sanborn, Ald. Mike Verveer, Ald. Tim Bruer and Ald. Satya Rhodes-Conway.) the alders I saw were Alders Marsha Rummel, Robbie Webber, Eli Judge and Lauren Cnare – my apologies to other alders who may have been present in the room or standing in the hallway and unable to get into the meeting. Others who showed up include Ald. Michael Schumacher and Ald. Julia Kerr. I think Schumacher and I were the only non-Board of Estimate members to make it to the end.
Testimony lasted for about a half hour on the Capital Budget and then the Operating Budget lasted another hour or so. After questions, I think the discussion on the 80 plus amendments started around 6:30. There were still over 40 people jammed into the room with people still standing and sitting on the floor.
CAPITAL BUDGET
Amendment No. 1 – Library / Project #9 – New Northeast Branch Library
Sponsor(s): Alds. Bruer, Clausius
Move $500,000 of funding for site acquisition for a new northeast branch from 2001 CIP to the 2009 CIP.
General Obligation Debt $0, Other Funding $0, Total $0
Levy Impact: $ 0
Passed unanimously.
Amendment No. 2 – Fire / Project #8 – Communications Equipment
Sponsor(s): Alds. Verveer, Konkel
Add funding for radios (Note: This amendment is a companion to Operating Budget Amendment No. 9)
General Obligation Debt $70,000 Other Funding $0 Total $70,000
Levy Impact: $ 9,065
Some of these amendments were made when we only had $109,000 before we hit the levy limit, however now that the state passed their budget we have a little more room, so it was moved that this pass now and we revisit at the end of the meeting. A substitute motion was made to place on file the vote was 3 – 3 so the mayor voted “aye” and the motion was placed on file (failed).
Amendment No. 3 – Police / Project #1 – Taser Deployment Plan
Sponsor(s): Ald. Rhodes-Conway
Remove funding for Tasers.
General Obligation Debt ($35,000), Other Funding $0, Total ($35,000)
Levy Impact: $ (4,533)
This failed 1 – 5. Rhodes-Conway was the only one voting in favor.
Amendment No. 4 – Information Technology / Project #7 – Computer Training Center
Sponsor(s): Alds. Rhodes-Conway, Konkel
Move funding of $160,000 for the Computer Training Center from the 2008 budget to the 2009 CIP. Require Information Technology to work with the Library to establish a joint-use agreement, such that library patrons will be able to access the training center machines when not being used by Information Technology.
General Obligation Debt ($160,000), Other Funding 0, Total ($160,000)
Levy Impact: $ (20,721)
This amendment also ended up 3 – 3. The mayor voting “no” with Rhodes-Conway, Brandon and Sanborn to break the tie.
Amendment No 5 – Facilities Management / Project #3 – Development Services Center
Sponsor(s): Alds. Verveer, Konkel
Move funding of $1,600,000 for the Development Services Center from the 2008 budget to the 2009 CIP.
General Obligation Debt ($1,600,000), Other Funding 0 Total ($1,600,000)
Levy Impact: $ (207,207)
This motion was withdrawn for further work. The “one stop shop” is part of the reorganization that we are re-examining so they don’t really know who is moving where or even what unit they might be in. We will revisit this at the Council meeting when we know if the Economic and Community Development Unit is split in two and so that we make sure that the new units are all together in the same place.
Amendment No. 6 – Engineering – Major Streets / Project #14 CTH M (CTH PD Area), Engineering – Major Streets / Project #15 CTH M (Mid Town Road Area), Engineering – Major Streets / Project #16 CTH M (Valley View Road Area), Engineering – Major Streets / Project #17 CTH M, Engineering – Major Streets / Project #18 CTH M (CTH S Intersection)
Sponsor(s): Alds. Rhodes-Conway, Webber
Remove funding for all components of County Trunk Highway M projects for 2008 through 2013. Future years’ funding will be contingent upon the development of favorable cost sharing arrangements with Dane County.
General Obligation Debt ($1,050,000), Other Funding 0, Total ($1,050,000)
Levy Impact: $ (135,980)
This rather large cut was defeated. It was a 3 – 3 tie with the Mayor voting with Brandon, Bruer and Verveer to spend the money.
At this point it was around 7:20 and the Mayor asked the room who wanted to order pizza. 30 people raised their hand that they would pitch in $5 for pizza. Obviously, someone was a little off on their math and someone made a profit on that!
Amendment No. 7 – Engineering – Major Streets / Project #46 – Pleasant View Road
Sponsor(s): Alds. Rhodes-Conway, Webber
Delay funding for all components of Pleasant View Road project by one year. (This amendment moves $2,900,000 from 2008 to 2009, and $4,340,000 from 2009 to 2010.)
General Obligation Debt ($2,900,000), Other Funding 0, Total ($2,900,000)
Levy Impact: $ (375,563)
This amendment would have saved us money and allowed us to follow our neighborhood plans and not re-prioritize projects out of order. However, the motion failed with only Rhodes-Conway and Verveer voting in favor.
Amendment No. 8 – Parks / Project #11 – Park Paving
Sponsor(s): Mayor Cieslewicz, Alds. Sanborn, Cnare
Replace two tennis courts at Norman Clayton Park ($50,000) and two tennis courts at Heritage Heights Park ($50,000). These projects are part of a major multi-year program to repair and replace deteriorated paved areas throughout the City’s park system.
General Obligation Debt $100,000, Other Funding 0, Total $100,000
Levy Impact: $ 12,950
This was the first amendment to pass which impacted the budget. Ald. Brandon voted no and the rest voted in favor. Alder Sanborn was the first one to add money back to the budget.
Amendment No. 9 – Parks / Project #16 – Tenney Park Shelter/Parking/Shoreline
Sponsor(s): Mayor Cieslewicz, Ald. Verveer
Add funding of $500,000 of General Obligation Debt to year 2009 of the Capital Improvement Program. There is no impact upon the 2008 Capital or Operating Budgets. Average debt service in future years is estimated at $64,752 per year.
General Obligation Debt $0, Other Funding 0, Total $0
Levy Impact: $ –
The Mayor had promised to but $695,000 in this year’s budget. He forgot. The neighbors reminded him of this promise, so he put $500,000 in for 2009. And somehow, they are happy with that. There was a problem with this amendment that no one added in the “other funding” of $700,000 in private fundraising that would also be put into the project. This passed unanimously.
Amendment No. 10 – Parks / Project (New) – James Madison Park
Sponsor(s): Alds. Verveer, Konkel
Reauthorize 2007 other funding of $200,000 for the James Madison Park Project. Funding is to consist of proceeds from land sales.
General Obligation Debt $0, Other Funding – Land Sales 200,000, Total $200,000
Levy Impact: $ –
This was “unintentionally left out” according to the Mayor. This also needs to be fixed in that there should be additional revenue from land sales in the operating budget. There was a motion to place this on file and it failed 4 – 2 with Brandon and Sanborn voting for it. Then there was a motion to approve, it passed 4 – 2 with Brandon and Sanborn voting against.
Amendment No. 11 – Streets / Project #4 – Replacement Recycling Carts, Streets / Project #5 – Replacement Refuse Carts
Sponsor(s): Alds. Verveer, Konkel
Add $30,000 of funding for replacement recycling carts and $30,000 for replacement refuse carts. (Note: This amendment is a companion to Operating Budget Amendment No. 34.)
General Obligation Debt $60,000, Other Funding 0, Total $60,000
Levy Impact: $ 7,770
Placed on file unanimously since it was no longer needed since we have more room before we hit the levy limit.
Amendment No. 12 – Planning and Community and Economic Development /Project #13 – TID 29-Allied Terrace
Sponsor(s): Alds. Rhodes-Conway, Verveer, Konkel
Change the $3,000,000 in “Other” funding (from the Affordable Housing Trust Fund) to General Obligation borrowing. (Note: If this amendment is adopted, the change will be reflected on the Affordable Housing Trust Fund statement incuded in the Operating Budget.)
General Obligation Debt $3,000,000, Other Funding (3,000,000), Total $0
Levy Impact: $ 388,514
This was the amendment where the they use $3,000,000 from the Affordable Housing Trust Fund to fund the Allied Drive demolition and road building. Despite the fact that the Mayor has admitted and there is a memo stating that we need to change the ordinance in order to do this and the Mayor hasn’t revealed how that will be done, it failed 2 – 4. Rhodes-Conway and Verveer voting in favor.
Amendment No. 13 – Planning and Community and Economic Development /Project #13 – TID 29-Allied Terrace
Sponsor(s): Ald. Clear
Reduce the $3,000,000 in “other” funding (from the Affordable Housing Trust Fund) to $1,500,00 and add $1,500,000 in General Obligation borrowing. (Note: If this amendment is adopted, the change will be reflected on the Affordable Housing Trust Fund statement included in the Operating Budget.)
General Obligation Debt $1,500,000
Other Funding (1,500,000)
Total $0 Levy Impact: $ 194,257
This amendment was the “Clear Compromise” that got ZERO votes.
Amendment No. 14 – Planning and Community and Economic Development / Project #5 -Capital Revolving Fund, Project #25 -Façade Improvement Grants
Sponsor(s): Ald. Sanborn
Dissolve the Capital Revolving Fund and the Facade Improvements Grnat program and transfer the proceeds to the General Fund (Note: This amendment is a companion to Operating Budget No. 7)
General Obligation Debt $0
Other Funding 1,125,000
Total $1,125,000 Levy Impact: $ –
Alder Brandon noted that moves like this just add to the structural deficit that we are creating and would just be a one-time gain that we could not sustain. Alder Sanborn argued that the City should not be “venture capitalists”. This motion failed 1 – 5 with only Ald. Sanborn voting for it.
Amendment No. 15 – Planning and Community and Economic Development / Project #27-TIF 10%
Sponsor(s): Alds. Rhodes-Conway, Konkel, Verveer
Add funding of $200,000 in General Obligation borrowing.
General Obligation Debt $200,000, Other Funding 0, Total $200,000
Levy Impact: $ 25,901
This was the second amendment to pass that impacted the bottom line of the budget. This is the “catch-22” amendment. In the past we had projects that were approved but didn’t have authority in the budget to spend the money. Here we are funding a program with no projects. It’s a ridiculous amendment we fight about almost every year. It passed 5 – 1. Brandon voting against.
Amendment No. 16 – Water Utility / Project #9 – Operations Center Renovation
Sponsor(s): Alds. Rhodes-Conway, Rummel
Move funding of $2,900,000 for the renovation of the Water Utility field operations center from the 2008 budget to the 2009 CIP to allow the new Water Utility General Manager to have input in the process.
General Obligation Debt $0, Other Funding (2,900,000), Total ($2,900,000)
Levy Impact: $ –
This was the third amendment that passed that had a fiscal impact, even though it did not impact the levy.
These amendments were then added to the amendments that they passed last time. (Sorry, I don’t know what they are or exactly where to find them at the moment but will hunt them down.) All in all, the reduced the capital budget by $2.1M and had a levy impact of $2.1 Million if I understood the comptrollers announcement correctly.
Will try to get the operating budget amendments done in the next two hours before my doctor’s appointment. Then to work for a 10 hour day.
