To read in chronological order, you’ll want to read the post below about the Board of Estimates Capital Budget amendments first. After taking a pizza break, a few minutes after 9:00, four and a half hours into the meeting, they started the Operating Budget Amendments.
A few notes before I start. I didn’t cut and paste the language, so you’ll need to look at the link above to see the exact language. Also “place on file” is our way of saying that we withdraw the amendment from consideration. Additionally, these were voice votes and some of them were hard to tell who voted which way, if there are numbers listed, that means that the mayor announced the vote and there was no dispute about the vote tally. And I should apologize in advance if there are any mistakes, please let me know.
Amendment #1 – State Budget Amendments
Sponsor: Mayor
Total and Levy Impact: ($488,264)
These are the adjustments from the state budget estimates. We ended up with an additional $488,264 for our bottom line. This passed unanimously.
Amendment #2 – Fund Balance/Reduction in Taxes Raised
Sponsor: Mayor
Total and Levy Impact: $200,000
This was an amendment that took the savings from amendment 1 and reduced the amount of taxes we’d have to raise. Zach made an amendment to apply the entire $488,264 to the amount of taxes that would be reduced instead of the Mayor’s proposed $200,000. The motion tied 3 -3 with the Mayor voting with Bruer, Rhodes-Conway and Verveer to defeat the motion. The original motion with the $200,000 then passed unanimously.
Amendment #3 – Sister Cities
Sponsor: Brandon
Total and Levy Impact: ($10,000)
This annual amendment to cut $10,000 from the Sister Cities failed 4 – 2, yet again. Alders Brandon and Sanborn voting in favor.
Amendment #4 – Collaboration Council Reporting
Sponsors: Rhodes-Conway, Konkel, Verveer
Total and Levy Impact: $0
This amendment required reporting from the REDE (Regional Economic Development Group) on their goals and objectives by March 1, 2008 and an annual report by September 1, 2008. The amendment passed unaimously, tho I wonder if it would have if some of the Alders knew I wrote the amendment. The Mayor didn’t sponsor for that reason, even tho he offered to “work with anyone” on the amendment.
Amendment #5 – Cutting the Emerging Neighborhood Funding
Sponsor: Brandon
Total and Levy Impact: $200,000
This amendment would have cut all of the funding for the Emerging Neighborhood Funding. Brandon made a substitute motion to only cut $100,000 and then add amendment #6. That motion was separated and they voted on the language in amendment #6 which passed. Then they voted on the $100,000 cut and that failed 4 – 2 with Brandon and Sanborn being the two. Then they finally voted on the $200,000 cut and that cut failed 4 – 2 (Brandon, Sanborn).
Amendment #6 – Process for Emerging Neighborhood Funding
Sponsor: Rhodes-Conway, Konkel, Verveer
Total and Levy Impact: $0
This language was passed with Amendment 5 above. Again, I wrote it and there was no discussion and passed unanimously. The language was as follows:
The Emerging Neighborhoods funding shall be determined by a bi-monthly process where applications are due the 15th of the month prior to decisions being made by a committee of up to four City Staff members, a member of the Community Services Commission, a member of the Early Education and Child Care Board, a member of the Community Development Block Grant Commission, a Mayoral representative and the Common Council president or their designee. Meetings shall be held in January, March, May, July, September and November or until funds are spent for the year. The Mayor shall make appointments by November 20th for approval by the Common Council on December 4th 2007. Staff shall prepare the application for approval by the Common Council at their December 4th, 2007 meeting and the first application date shall be December 15th, 2007.
Amendment #7 – Dissolving the Capital Revolving Fund
Sponsor: Sanborn
Placed on file because Capital Budget amendment #14 failed.
Amendment #8 – Funding Inclusionary Zoning
Sponsor: Mayor
Total and Levy Impact: $0
This amendment authorizes the funding from the Inclusionary Zoning program as provided for in the resolution we passed about the fund. The Mayor “forgot” to fund the program and now we need this “technical amendment” to fix the failure to authorize the funding for incentives to developers and money to have offers to purchase and to buy homes if they are sold.
Amendment #9 – Fire Radios
Sponsor: Verveer, Konkel
Total and Levy Impact: ($70,000)
This was placed on file since Capital Budget Amendment #2 was placed on file.
Amendments #10, 11 & 12 – Police
Sponsor: Clear
Total and Levy Impact ($148,500) + $47,800 + $35,000
These were all placed on file at the request of the sponsor.
Amendment 13 – Adding a Crime Analyst if grant funding provided.
Sponsor: Verveer, Mayor
Total and Levy Impact: $0
Passed unanimously.
Amendment #14 – Delete funding for Downtown Safety Initiative
Sponsor: Brandon
Total and Levy Impact: ($100,000)
This would have cut the entire budget for police for “Downtown Safety” which includes money for cell phones (2.400), a computer server for downtown cameras ($25,500), leasing horses ($5,000) and overtime ($52,630) and benefits ($14,470). Ald. Brandon made a motion to only fund the phone, server, horses and $9325 in overtime and $2565 in benefits. That motion failed 4 – 2 (Brandon, Sanborn.). Then the motion to place the cut on file passed unanimously.
Amendment #15 – Changes to the reporting the police have to do.
Sponsor: Rhodes-Conway
Total and Levy Impact: $0
You’ll have to look at the formatted language to see the changes. This was referred to the Common Council meeting so that the police chief could talk with the sponsor to make sure he understood the changes.
Amendment #16 – Requires reporting in #15 to be done by police sector.
Sponsor: Clear, Kerr, Bruer, Verveer
Total and Levy Impact: $0
This was placed on file since #15 was referred.
Amendment #17 – Adding .5 FTR Management Information Specialist to support the Regional Management System project in the police department.
Sponsor: Verveer, Mayor
Total and Levy Impact: $0
This position would be funded by other local government sources and it passed unanimously.
Amendment #18 – Upgrading a police officer to lietenant and two police officers to sergeants.
Sponsor: Verveer, Mayor
Total and Levy Impact: $33,300
It passed with Brandon voting no.
Amendment #19 – Cut the Fit City Coordinator and add the WIC Program Nutritionist
Sponsor: Rhodes-Conway, Konkel
Total and Levy Impact: $368
Passed unanimously. However, there was a question about if we could do it because the intergovernmental agreement for the health department says that there will be no lay-offs.
Amendment #20 – Cutting the Fit City Coordinator
Sponsor: Sanborn
Total and Levy Impact: ($13,086)
This amendment was placed on file cuz #19 passed.
At this point it was around 10:00.
Amendment #21 – Reducing Alder accounts
Sponsor: Brandon
Total and Levy Impact: ($7,714)
Brandon asked that it be placed on file.
Amendment #22 – Eliminating the Alcohol Policy Coordinator
Sponsor: Sanborn
Total and Levy Impact: ($34,648)
This amendment failed 4 – 2 (Brandon, Sanborn)
Amendment #23 – Language about why the Mayor cut $30,000 for the Fair Housing Center
Sponsor: Mayor
Total and Levy Impact: $0
This was tabled until the other amendment about fair housing testing was taken up.
Amendment #24 – Changes to structure and positions in the Assessors Office
Sponsor: Mayor, Verveer
Total and Levy Impact: $50,043
Passed 4 – 1 (Sanborn), Brandon out of the room.
At this point, the room is hot and sticky and smells like a locker room.
Amendment #25 – Cutting money to print the Common Council packets.
Sponsor: Rhodes-Conway
Total and Levy Impact: ($9,026)
This generated alot of discussion about how people do their work. We all have laptops and could stop killing the trees. Also, it was noted that about half this cost is copies for the Mayor’s office, not the Council office. This one was eventually placed on file in favor of #26.
Amendment #26 – Cutting money to print the Common Council packets.
Sponsor: Brandon
Total and Levy Impact: ($5,000)
Apparently, we’re easing into this one. This passed unimously.
Amendment #27 – Funding for Gypsy Moth Spraying
Sponsor: Verveer, Webber, Mayor
Total and Levy Impact: ($25,000)
This passed unanimously. It was abundantly clear after Marla Eddy’s excellent testimony at the last meeting why this was needed.
Amendment #28 – Cutting the hiring two additional park rangers.
Sponsor: Rhodes-Conway
Total and Levy Impact: (15,000)
This was amended to leave the park rangers in the budget and then requiring them to go to training on AODA and homelessness issues and what resources are available. This amendment passed and I believe it was unanimous. However, I have to say that it is pretty appalling that Jim Morgan seemed to indicate that an afternoon of training would be enough for them to run across someone in the park a few times a week and then say to them “You gotta be better than this and here’s where you go.” There’s so much wrong there I need to write a separate blog on it. The biggest issue being that he assumes there are resources to send someone to.
Amendment #29 – Changing language about moving Forestry to streets division and privatizing forestry services.
Sponsor: Mayor
Total and Levy Impact: $0
You’ll have to look at the language on the other page, but it passed unanimously.
Amendment #30 – Moving the expense of the barge to help clean the lakes from our budget to the Stormwater Utility.
Sponsor: Rhodes-Conway, Verveer
Total and Levy Impact: ($20,000)
Passed unanimously.
Amendment #31 – Added a Mall Concourse Maintenane Worker for State St.
Sponsor: Verveer
Total and Levy Impact: $0
This will be paid for by the businesses in the area. Passed unanimously.
Amendment #32 – Removing language that would privatize the pool concession stands as the Mayor put in his budget.
Sponsor: Clear, Kerr, Bruer, Verveer, Rhodes-Conway
Total and Levy Impact: $0
This was a silly idea promoted by the Wisconsin State Journal because they didn’t like it that we paid a living wage to the workers. Ironically, the concession stands made $12,199 this year, so we’re making money on them and privatizing them still doesn’t exempt them from the Living Wage. The vote was 5 – 1 (Sanborn) and the language to privatize the concession stands was removed.
Amendment #33 – Privatizing all of the Municipal Pool operations.
Sponsor: Sanborn
Total and Levy Impact: $0
Jed requested that this be placed on file.
Amendment #34 – Moving recycling carts to the capital budget.
Sponsor: Verveer, Konkel
Total and Levy Impact: ($60,000)
No longer needed since we have more room in the levy so it was placed on file.
Amendment #35 – Moving costs to the Stormwater Utility from Streets
Sponsor: Verveer, Rhodes-Conway, Konkel, Webber
Total and Levy Impact: (223,981)
There was a substitute to put 50% of the leaf pick up costs on the Stormwater Utility. Verveer then asked to table it while they discussed phasing it in over a few more years. Currently 35% of the costs are paid for by the Stormwater Utility. This was tabled.
Amendment #36 – Paying for advertising costs of Madison Metro for the Bus Pass Pool with Parking Utility money
Sponsor: Rhodes-Conway
Total and Levy Impact: $0
This was placed on file because it wasn’t legal.
Amendment #37 – Cutting adding more full-wrapped busses.
Sponsor: Verveer
Total and Levy Impact: $50,000
There was discussion about how we were in the middle of a pilot and the middle of a contract and we shouldn’t change it now in the budget, but we did anyways. Also, there were safety concerns raised about being able to see into and out of the busses with an ironic note that at the same time we are adding cameras for safety, there are several busses that you wouldn’t be able to see into if there were any safety issues. Failed 2 (Verveer, Rhodes-Conway) – 4
Amendment #38 – Increasing pavement markings in school safety crosswalks.
Sponsor: Clear, Kerr, Verveer
Total and Levy Impact: $25,000
Apparently we’re getting crosswalk paintings like the Beatles album. Zach voted no. I’m quite certain Jed did as well. Passed 4 – 2.
Amendment #39 – Bike racks as recommended by the Platimum Bicycle City Planning Committee
Sponsor: Clear, Compton
Total and Levy Impact: $10,000
Passed with the Mayor breaking the tie and voting with Clear, Rhodes-Conway and Verveer.
Amendment #40 – Buying media time ofr bike safety ads.
Sponsor: Clear, Compton
Total and Levy Impact: $2,500
Passed with the Mayor breaking the tie and voting with Clear, Rhodes-Conway and Verveer.
Amendment #41 – Removing funding for Transportation Demand Management Program
Sponsor: Sanborn
Total and Levy Impact: 31,000
Sanborn requested it be placed on file.
Amendment #42 – Funding for $40,000 for the UW Applied Population Lab to provide us with “Neighborhood Indicators” to measure if a neighborhood is well.
Sponsor: Mayor
Total and Levy Impact: $0
This passed unanimously.
Amendment #43 – $50,000 slush fund for Economic Development
Sponsor: Mayor
Total and Levy Impact: $50,000
Mayor asked that it be placed on file.
It was now about 11:20.
Amendment #44 – $15,000 for a market study for the Northside
Sponsor: Rhodes-Conway, Schumacher, Mayor
Total and Levy Impact: $15,000
Passed with a 3-3 tie and the Mayor voting with Bruer, Rhodes-Conway and Verveer.
Amendment #45 – Cutting “Jobs with a Future” funding
Sponsor: Brandon
Total and Levy Impact: ($5,000)
This passed unanimously since we haven’t been funding it for a year and “no one missed it.”
Amendment #46 – Re-organizing the re-organization of the Department of Planning and Community and Economic Development (Splitting the Bill Clingan job into an Economic Development position and a Community Development position)
Sponsor: Mayor, Bruer, Brandon, Clear, Sanborn
Total and Levy Impact: $26,742
This one was confusing. Apparently the Mayor, Bruer, Brandon and Clear had a meeting and if they voted on this at Board of Estimates, then the meeting would be illegal. So, Verveer, Rhodes-Conway and Sanborn were the only ones who could do anything at the meeting. Verveer moved to refer it to a special meeting of the Board of Estimates (where presumable, 2 of the 4 who had the potentially illegal meeting couldn’t show up). Rhodes-Conway seconded it, and then they voted, but since Brandon, Clear and Bruer abstained, then they didn’t have enough votes to do anything and the vote was 3 – 0 with 7 people on the committee. The Mayor originally ruled that the motion passed. Then at the end of the meeting the Mayor asked for reconsideration because the Mayor checked with two city attorney’s who gave different information to the Mayor’s staff. Michael May’s ruling that they didn’t have the votes to pass made the Mayor overturn his ruling and then there was no action on the table and nothing happened and we will discuss this at the Council meeting. Anyways . . . after all that, the Mayor seemed unabashedly determined to find a way to make his illegal meeting ok. Alder Brandon pulled him back a bit and he prevailed in convincing them to just do this at the council to avoid the illegal meeting issue. Once again, Brandon and I agree!
Amendment #47 – Adding back the Admin Clerk 2 and cutting the Tenant Services Aide in Housing Operations
Sponsor: Verveer
Total and Levy Impact: $0
This was a technical amendment to reverse something we apparently couldn’t do. I think. Passed unanimously.
Amendment #48 – Using money designated for the Section 8 program in the Public Housing Program.
Sponsor: Verveer
Total and Levy Impact: $0
This passed unimously.
Amendment #49 – Restoring money for fair housing testing and moving it to CDBG
Sponsor: Verveer
Total and Levy Impact: $30,000
This says there will be an competitive process for organizations to apply for this funding. It passed 4 – 2 (Brandon, Sanborn)
At this point they went back to the obnoxious amendment #23 about the Fair Housing Center and removed that language and the previous language from the budget in its entirety.
Amendment #50 – Cutting the 2.4% COLA increase for Community Development Block Grant
Sponsor: Brandon
Total and Levy Impact: (17,846)
This motion generated some of the same old discussion. Again. The motion failed 4 – 2 (Brandon, Sanborn)
Amendment #51 – Cutting funding for the Building Trades program in Allied Drive for the START program.
Sponsor: Brandon
Total and Levy Impact: (21,299)
This passed 6 – 0, but not until after the Mayor asked the question we all wanted to know, what’s going on here, an agency comes and thanks us for cutting their funding AND says that they’re still going to do the program. If they can do all that, then why did they get funding in the first place? There were no real answers.
Amendment #52 – Cutting the 2.4 COLA increase for the Office of Community Services
Sponsor: Brandon
Total and Levy Impact: (85,547)
This was voted on with #50 with the same discussion and same result. Failed 4 – 2 (Brandon, Sanborn)
Amendment #53 – $20,000 for stabilization funds for childcare.
Sponsor: Verveer, Konkel
Total and Levy Impact: $20,000
Passed. The voice vote was confusing but I believe Brandon and Sanborn voted against.
At this point is was about 12:10 and things started to get a littly wacky, if it wasn’t already wacky enough. We got the first in a series of rants from Alder Brandon about how this is the time of the night where people “hit their stride” and we “just start approving things” and we don’t cut anything. There were several more speeches interspersed throughout the next amendments where Alder Brandon harangued the committee about not having enough cuts and they did was add, etc. etc. He was correct about the “structural deficit” or as I say “not sustainable” budget, but he didn’t offer many real solutions except to not approve any more expenditures, which were a drop in the bucket compared to the rest of the budget. However, he pleaded with the Board of Estimates to stop using the phrase “but it’s only $xxx” since it all adds up.
Amendment #54 – Adding a half-time Child Care Specialist position formerly funded by a Federal Grant.
Sponsor: Verveer, Konkel
Total and Levy Impact: $37,992
This passed 4 – 2 (Brandon, Sanborn)
Amendment #55 – Funding the 4th Quarter Weed and Seed Coordinator position as well as the programs that position supports.
Sponsor: Clear, Rhodes-Conway, Verveer, Cnare
Total and Levy Impact: $28,464
This failed 3 – 3 with the Mayor breaking the tie. I couldn’t tell who the 3 – 3 was, but I think it was Clear, Rhodes-Conway and Verveer voting in favor. And the Mayor voting with Brandon, Bruer and Sanborn. I’d love to hear the Mayor’s reasoning on this one. It’s such a small amount of money with a huge impact.
Amendment #56 – Cut one police officer, add Weed and Seed programs that failed in #55 and the Childcare Specialist in #54
Sponsor: Rhodes-Conway, Clear
Total and Levy Impact: (589)
This amendment was amended since #54 passed and so it was cut an officer, keep the savings and fund the Weed and Seed Coordinator and the programs. This motion started the “cops vs. human services” debate that many of the speakers talked about. The motion failed with 4 votes, but I wasn’t clear if it was 4 – 2 (Rhodes-Conway, Verveer) or if the Mayor broke a 3 – 3 tie by voting with Bruer, Sanborn and Brandon.
Amendment #57 – Cut one police officer, add $20,000 for child care assistance (same as amendment #53) and the $26,985 for the 4C’s Latino Child Care program.
Sponsor: Rhodes-Conway, Clear
Total and Levy Impact: ($2,515)
This was modified to remove the duplication from amendment #53. It was a 3-3 tie this time with the Mayor voting with Bruer, Rhodes-Conway and Verveer.
The next two amendments were what send Brandon and Sanborn off the deep end. They are the reason Sanborn voted against the budget and I believe the reason Zach left the meeting before it was over.
Amendment #58 – Cut 1 police officer, add $65,000 in youth services for the SW side and transportation for kids that live in Darbo.
Sponsor: Rhodes-Conway, Clear
Total and Levy Impact: ($2,045)
This passed with the Mayor breaking the 3 – 3 tie and voting with Verveer, Bruer and Rhodes-Conway. However, the amendment ended up not cutting the police and adding the programs. Brandon launched into a speech about how we have huge increases in spending for Human Services and that we are under-funding the Police. I couldn’t help pointing out that even the police say that for youth gang strategies, you have to have a four pronged approach of suppression, but also prevention, intervention and re-entry back into the community. And I also pointed out that the police have $54M budget, while Human Services is more around $5M. Clear chimed in with some “tough choices” language and he ended up voting against the amendment.
Amendment #59 – Cut 1 police officer for $65,000 of afterschool and summer programming for elementary, middle and high school programs.
Sponsor: Rhodes-Conway, Clear
Total and Levy Impact: (2,045)
Same discussion as above and they were voted on together so had the same results.
Amendment #60 – Additional funding for Vera Court afterschool programs
Sponsor: Clear, Rhodes-Conway, Schumacher
Total and Levy Impact: $7,010
This was actually amended to be $11,272 so 15 more kids could participate in the summer program. There was a huge increase in kids in this neighborhood in this fall due to higher enrollment in kindergarten classes. The motion passed 4 – 2 (Brandon, Sanborn)
Amendment #61 – Additional funding for hotel vouchers for homeless victims of domestic violence.
Sponsor: Clear
Total and Levy Impact: $5,682
Same old, same old 4 – 2 (Brandon, Clear)
Amendment #62 – More money for the highly successful MAP (jobs) program in Allied Drive
Sponsor: Rhodes-Conway, Solomon
Total and Levy Impact: $50,000
This failed, mostly because Solomon wasn’t there to help argue for the program and there seemed to be some missing information, but then again it was nearly 1:00 and I think folks were starting to lose it. The only one voting in favor was Rhodes-Conway.
Amendment #63 – Deleting funding for the Westside Planning Council.
Sponsor: Brandon, Clear
Total and Levy Impact: (33,791)
Failed 4 – 2 (Rhodes-Conway, Verveer)
Amendment #64 – Cut Westside Planning Council but add programs to help community organizing on the SW side of Madison
Sponsor: Rhodes-Conway
Total and Levy Impact: (500)
Placed on file at the request of Rhodes-Conway.
Amendment #65 – Reviewing feasibility of another Eastside Library.
Sponsor: Bruer, Clausius
Total and Levy Impact: $0
And that’s it. I wonder how much of this we get to “do-over” when the Council introduces their amendments for the meetings on the 13th, 14th and 15th of November and what kind of feedback we will hear from the public on November 6th. The final vote of the Board of Estimates was 4 -1 (Sanborn) with Brandon being absent. Overall, they decreased expenses by $203,428 and revenues by $163,566 so they decreased the levy by $39,862. We have $364,000 that can be added to the budget before we hit the expenditure restraint limit.
More to come on the 2008 budget to be sure.
