I haven’t had time to read through it enough to form final opinions, but there is some interesting things to consider, here’s my little run down. I will have my analysis, but not til next week likely. However, here’s some info and some observations. And here it is if you want to look yourself.
First of all, the Mayor’s message to alders (a.k.a. the excuses?) written on Friday . . . or Monday, its unclear:
From: Mayor
Sent: Friday, September 03, 2010 5:10 PM
To: ALL ALDERS
Cc: MY GROUP
Subject: Capital BudgetDear Colleagues,
Tomorrow I will introduce my 2011 Capital Budget proposal, and I wanted to give you some early information about what it contains. Here are a few key issues that I will ask the Council to help me work through this fall.
AMI. The advanced meter infrastructure is a Water Utility project that would convert our current manually read meters to meters that send a steady stream of information electronically to the utility offices. It’s a good idea that I have long supported. But I didn’t include it in my budget because, despite the best efforts of utility staff, there was too much missing information at my press time. A comprehensive business plan and a ten-year cash flow projection were still in the works, and I did not have enough information about the advantages of options that range in price from $13.5 million to $18 million. I also believe that an expenditure of this size in a budget that includes other very large projects and assumes annual rate increases of around 8% should cause us to take a closer look at the Water Utility’s budget projections for the next decade. I am not giving up on this project. I expect that after we’ve had a chance to get the additional information, I’ll work with BOE members and alders on the Water Utility Board to craft a budget amendment on this topic.Fire stations. Even after building two new fire stations in four years and adding a double company, there are proposals for three more fire stations in the future. While I am convinced that these stations should be added at some point, we need to develop a plan and criteria for the timing of station construction. So, while I have left the new far east side station for construction in 2014 as proposed by the Fire Department, I will ask the BOE to work with the department, the Engineering Division and Planning to propose a plan and criteria for station construction timing. Stations that cost $6 million to build and $2 million annually to staff should not be built before there is sufficient development to justify the expense.
Community & neighborhood centers. There are at least three active proposals for new or expanded centers. These are at Bridge/Lakepoint, the joint Boys & Girls Club and YMCA on the South Side and Meadowood. Much like the fire station study above, we need an objective set of criteria and a plan for making siting, timing and programming decisions for new centers. Using Neighborhood Indicators and the new Neighborhood Liaison position in Community Development, I hope we can develop a more comprehensive plan for neighborhood centers. So, I am proposing funding for a study of this question in 2011, and I have set aside funding of $3.5 million (a placeholder figure) for construction of a center or centers in 2012.
Radio system. The incredibly complex interoperable radio system proposal is very much still a work in progress. I have included the least expensive option in my budget in part due to a need to cut costs in an increasingly heavy capital budget and in part because of a growing feeling on my part that no countywide comprehensive solution is in the offing. Nonetheless, talks will continue throughout the fall and an amendment may be appropriate while the Council is considering the budget.
Automated parking ramps. The Parking Utility has proposed automating payment at city parking ramps and eliminating parking cashiers. While there may be reasons to automate, there are still concerns and questions about automation that have not been answered, so I did not include funding in my budget. While we may need to revisit the arguments for automating in the future, my budget focuses on the implementation of multi-space street meters.
Fleet replacements. It will soon be time to start replacing the “big blue” recycling and refuse trucks, the largest item in our fleet replacement schedule. Responding to a request from me to cut costs, Bill Vandenbrook is exploring the option of recycling the truck chassis and refitting them with new mechanicals, all at a much lower cost than buying completely new trucks. But at press time, we did not have final answers on feasibility or costs. We may need a budget amendment to adjust these numbers.
There are, of course, many other issues that you will want to discuss in the capital budget, but these were the ones that stood out to me for needing more exploration before final decisions are made this fall.
As always, if you have questions or comments feel free to contact me or a member of my staff or the staff of the comptroller.
Sincerely,
Dave Cieslewicz
Funny, no message of the costs for high speed rail. That’s the big story.
It’s 15% of the ballooning out of control Capital Budget!
And the “neighborhood message” didn’t get lost on smart and thoughtful people. Neighborhoods, they get less than 1%. Hell, 1% ($2.8M) would be AWESOME! Kristin wrote the post I would write on that issue.
Here’s what the Mayor emphasized in his press release:
The mayor’s budget addresses three key priorities: neighborhoods, basic services and economic development.
Neighborhoods
* The mayor’s budget includes $100,000 to study and create a comprehensive set of criteria for development of new neighborhood centers and $3.5 million in 2012 for construction of a center or centers, consistent with the results of the study.
* Funding to complete the Villager Mall, a key project to the revitalization of South Park Street, one of the primary gateways to our city, and the creation of new economic opportunities for Southside neighborhoods.
Basic Services
* The mayor’s budget keeps his commitment to public safety by funding $1 million for the purchase of the engine needed for the Fire Department’s double company and $1.2 million for remodeling of Fire Station #2 to accommodate the double company. After not building a new station in 25 years, the city built two new stations and will now reconstruct another for the double company.
* The mayor’s budget also includes $2.8 million in 2011 and $1 million in 2012 for the full build-out of the Police Department’s new training facility.
* Investments in basic infrastructure represent one of the largest portions of the mayor’s budget. The budget includes over $34 million in G.O. borrowing for reconstruction, expansion and resurfacing of major streets in need of repair throughout the City like Hwy 113, Williamson Street and the intersection of County Roads S and M. Two years ago, 26% of Madison’s arterial street miles were not up to the standards we set as a City (a pavement assessment rating (PASER) of above 5 on a 10 point scale). With the projects in this year’s capital budget, we project the percentage of deficient arterial street miles will reduce to 15.5 %. The mayor’s budget also includes a new, dedicated section for bicycle and pedestrian projects.
* Continued investment in the Water Utility, with over $13 million in investments in infrastructure to protect and improve our water quality. This includes $8 million for new and replacement water mains.
Economic Development
* Continued funding for marketing and recruitment for the Capitol East Redevelopment.
* Funding to capitalize on the tremendous economic development potential presented by the high speed rail station downtown. The mayor’s budget includes funding for the Public Market, preliminary funding for the new Government East Ramp and further planning for the area surrounding the station.
And finally, the mayor is one class act. At least he used to try to pretend it was a mistake when he snubbed alders in their own districts. Isn’t there some sort of prohibition of using city resources for campaigning? Say what you will about Thuy, she’s still an elected official and commands some level of respect. I’m just glad people are seeing the Mayor Dave I had to deal with.
As I said, I haven’t had time to dig into the capital budget, and . . . as I’ve figured out over the years, sometimes the issues that become important and controversial, are NOT the one’s the mayor highlights in the press conferences, so, I’ll get back to you soon.
