The Zoning Code Rewrite was referred after a public hearing, but they will vote on the 29th which is amazing how quickly this is now moving. I’m sure unintended consequences will be felt for years. They spent about an hour and 10 minutes listening to testimony from what mostly looked like lobbyists. Here’s the rest of what they discussed last night.
CONSENT AGENDA
1- 9 public hearing items.
Item 18 unanimous vote, even tho supermajority vote.
Items excluded 17, 24, 27, 29, 30, 53, 56, 57.
They refer 27 and 57.
56 is amended.
They have speakers on 57 so the exclude it.
Steve King asks if an alder who separates the items isn’t here if they have to separate them. Clear says yes until we get to the items. (Pham-Remmele is absent at the moment)
Verveer says that item 27 is temporary relocation of the library, the reason is because they became aware that the lessor has failed to pay their property taxes for the past two years and they are hoping to work that out in the next two weeks.
Consent agenda passes.
DEVELOPMENT AT PLANNED PARENTHOOD ON W MIFFLIN
There were three speakers in support. Adoption passed without discussion on a voice vote.
PLANS AND SPECS FOR N FRANCES ST
Joe Korb didn’t like the assessments and said staff were hard to get in touch with. He was concerned about the assessments for 629 N Frances St, he isn’t opposed to the work, but the assessment. It’s an unbuildable site. He wants it referred or he wants to discuss it with them.
Items 3 – 8 were referred without discussion on a voice vote.
Item 9 was referred to the Plan Commission.
AFFORDABLE HOUSING TRUST FUND
This item was referred.
HARTMEYER CONTRACT AMENDMENTS
Registrants were available to answer questions.
Pham-Remmele asked about the fiscal note. Staff explains that while they will save $58K in the first few years, but they will make it up later because they will collect it longer and the increase will be 231,000K in 25 years. It was originally 10 years with a balloon payment. There are other benefits as well, the city avoids the subsidy that we used to pay and there will be needed improvements.
Pham-Remmele wants to know why we are amending the contract with a private citizen when we need the revenue. She doesn’t “feel very happy with that”, is it to the benefit of the city or the people who oppose it?
Mayor says that is a policy issue.
Pham-Remmele says that there may be a new administration in 5 weeks and we have a lot of debt, she asks to be recorded as voting no.
Passes.
NEIGHBORHOOD GRANT PROGRAMS
Pham-Remmele is concerned that this is 80K and 50K is granted to one area and many others applied and denied because no money is available. Everyone else got under 2K. It doesn’t look fair, it looks like conflict of interest. He neighborhoods applied. They need to be thrifty. When see was on CDBG they didn’t get $500 for neighborhood watch, but here we are giving 50K for planning. She says if people have a way to explain it, she would appreciate it.
Chris Schmidt says during the budget they increased the amount of money for planning. Only one group applied for the $50 and then there was $30K for smaller grants. They wanted more, but that didn’t pass in the budget. The original set up of 50/50 match was difficult for neighborhoods.
Marsha Rummel passed, agrees with Schmidt.
Lauren Cnare says thanks for Rolling Meadows, the neighborhood came together around the project and there are new projects and art in the area.
Julia Kerr says with with a whole bunch of small grants, they were not giving people the ability to complete their projects, she supports fully funding one grant for planning and then small grants for small projects. She says that there is no conflict of interest, she suggests that alders make sure that their constituents know about the grants.
Pham-Remmele says that 5 of her projects were denied cuz of insufficient funds. They were encouraged to apply and then no funds and one project got 50K, and 5 others got none. She wants to be recorded as voting no.
Kerr points out that she is talking about a different program, the Emerging Neighborhood Grant, not the Neighborhood grants.
HOUSES IN JAMES MADISON PARK
Shiva Bidar-Sielaff adds language from the Landmarks Commission about the landmark status of the houses, information about statutes and historic tax credits, that the proposals have to be made in compliance with Landmarks Ordinance and Secretary of Interior Standards, ground leases will terminate if destroyed more than 50% and if moved, will have to be approved by the Landmarks Commission. She explains that the information did not get properly passed along to the other committees and they had a good discussion on this.
Bridget Maniaci (who should have made sure this information got in there since she is on landmarks and this is in her district) says that this is fine, it went through several committees and she is ok with it.
Joe Claussius says that Parks Superintendent is ok with it too.
Passes on a voice vote.
BIKE SHARE PROGRAM ORDINANCE CHANGES
There is an amendment to strike the word private on 10 a.
The lobbyist for Trek is there to answer questions.
Judy Compton and Mike Verveer have an amendment to charge more for the annual fee for each location. Verveer thanks them for all the changes they made at his request, especially on the sign issues. The right of way fee is similar to the privilege in streets ordinance. The amendment is friendly with the Mayor and B-cycle.
Compton says it is important to have standards for public enterprise on public properties, she thinks this is a fair amount of money. She thanks Verveer for contacting her and hopes they support it.
This is a 14 vote item.
ABSENT: Satya Rhodes-Conway, Larry Palm
NO: Pham-Remmele
everyone else votes Aye. 17 ayes.
MAYOR MISSES BEGINNING OF MEETING
Wants to know what happened to items 57 – it was referred.
Item 56 they adopted the substitute on consent agenda.
There is a speaker on 57.
They decide the excluded it.
Rosemary Lee says she is going to speak when it comes up.
They refer it.
INTRODUCTION OF ITEMS FROM THE FLOOR
Request for reimbursement for Madison Metro for Republican Senators
Rummel introduces resolution to support funding for Community Action Coalitions.
Compton asks for a moment of silence for people in Japan.
They adjourned.
(I’ll hopefully do the Zoning Code Rewrite later)
Was there any discussion on Marsha and Larry’s resolution about requesting reimbursement for use of the bus?
No, it was just introduced, they vote on it later.