So, today we find out what we are voting on this Tuesday. I hear there will be plenty for folks to be upset about. Here’s what I know so far . . .
I’ve sponsored the following:
- Add $75,000 for improvements to the Railroad Crossing at Johnson and Fordem. (Konkel, Olson)
- Add $25,000 for the warming shelter at Salvation Army that allows people who would be turned away to sleep on a mattress on the floor instead. (Konkel, Benford, King)
- Add $50,000 additional money for neighborhood grants (Konkel, Benford, King)
- Remove the conditions placed on the Affordable Housing Trust Fund at the Board of Estimates (Konkel, Benford, King)
- Add $10,000 for the sign language interpreters that we are required to provide. (Konkel, Benford, King)
- Add $5,000 to the Office of the Director of Planning and Development for an AASPIRE intern (Konkel, Benford, King)
- Add $19,371 for AASPIRE interns in other departments (Konkel, Benford, King)
- Require the 10 new cops to be neighborhood police officers in 2008 (Konkel, Benford, King)
- Add $63,000 to have 1 hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked for our employees working more than 18 hours of week (Konkel, Benford, King)
- Add $10,000 in funding for libraries for adult and children’s programs (Konkel, Benford, King)
- Add $5,000 for the Jobs with a Future program (Konkel, Benford, King)
- Add $41,280 for a Neighborhood Ombudsman (Konkel, Benford, King)
- And I submitted a placeholder amendment on the Planning and Development Reorganization that would refer all of the rearranging of departments to the Common Council Organizaitonal Committee to make recommendations regarding the reorganization. This amendment provides for some savings through truth in budgeting as well. (Konkel, Golden)
I also signed on to a few amendments that other folks had
- Add $10,000 for Sister Cities and remove $10,000 from the Greater Madison Convention and Vistors Bureau Funding (King)
- Add about $40,000 for Westside Neighborhood Center functions (Thomas, Sanborn)
- Remove the $18,000 for the Collaboration Council (Golden)
I heard from Ald. Zach Brandon about a few amendments that will likely be of interest to some folks including removing the funding for improvements to James Madison Park and removing money for the Affordable Housing Trust Fund.
We’ll get the rest of them around noon and I’ll share them as soon as I can but I have several meetings this afternoon. If they come out soon enough, I’ll post others and my reactions prior to those meetings.
Sounds like this year isn’t going to be the smooth sailing many of us were hoping for.
Note: For more info, see the Wisconsin State Journal today (which I should have read before posting, but I don’t really read that paper any more . . . . only when someone points articles out to me . . .)
