There were a few items of interest: money for Catholic Multicultural center, new multi-space parking meters, bus tickets for working poor, state budget update, stimulus update.
The meeting was sparsely attended. Members of the 7 member board of estimates present were Mayor, Bruer, Verveer, Rhodes-Conway. Just barely quorum. Alders King and Bidar-Sielaff also joined them.
MISCELLANEOUS (Sorry, no links, I have an early morning meeting but for those looking for something in particular on the agenda, you can find the answers here.)
No public comment
1 – 6 – Personnel personnel issues. No discussion. All pass.
8 – ALERT Madison, text messaging. Passes no discussion.
9 – Library Tech funds, no discussion, passes voice vote.
10 – Hazardous materials, passes no discussion.
11 – Tank program substitute, no discussion. Passes.
13 – MPO office. No discussion, passes.
15 – Shorewood Hills. Passes.
18 – County M & Pleasant View – passes with no discussion
19 – University Ave – no discussion, passes.
20 – 2009 Capital Budget amendments – no discussion, passes.
Move to adjourn – 5:19.
CROSSING GUARD
7 – Crossing Guard – Rhodes-Conway asks why now, not during the budget? There seems to be confusion. Mayor says Traffic Engineering and Arthur Ross are requesting it, no one there to answer questions. No one is there to answer any questions. They suggested moving for referral. Rhodes-Conway said it was ok to pass it and ask questions before the council votes on it.
Passes.
CATHOLIC MULTICULTURAL CENTER
Spending $13,500 from contingent reserve for Catholic Multicultural Center. King and Bidar-Sielaff there to explain.
King says it indicates imporatance of what was happening in that building for the community. Need staff to plan what happens. There is an anonymous donor and the funds will be matched dollar for dollar. Core programs are starting up already and officially Aug 3 including ESL, food pantry and meal programs. This resolution just indicates city support.
Bruer takes a couple minutes and thanks everyone.
No further discussion, passes.
MULTI-SPACE PARKING EQUIMENT
Rhodes-Conway asks about various methods of these multi-space parking meeters – pay and display vs pay by space.
Knobloch explains they chose the type where you put your space number into the machine and do transaction at machine. There were 6 vendors, 1 came in less than projected and happy with it. Pay by space was on W Main & Henry, small machines, same style of operation. 15 will be installed this year (they will replace over 100 individual meters), 70 will be replaced next year which will replace most of rest of stock. Buckeye lot will get them. Two machines there replace 50 units.
Verveer asks about timeline. Knocloch says he got his first complaint about it taking too long last week. Have to negotiate the contract, and then they just need to be programed because they have them in stock. Expect 15 to come this fall, so they can use them over the winter. Almost all are solar, however there are too many transactions at Buckeye Lot so they use AC. 15 will be istalled in 2011. Then 1200 meters replaced, and they only have 1600. Then, every year in cap budget 15 more. The first should be installed by Thanksgiving. They also point out that they can double as bike racks, so there will be more parking spaces.
Passes.
BUS PASSES FOR WORKING POOR
Of course Porchlight got the contract, what else would you expect? There were three applications. The program is calld “Transit for Economic Self Sufficiency Program”.
Rhodes-Conway asks how it will be implemented and what did we learn from pilot.
Clingan says that the Transit for Jobs bus tickets are more likely to be disbursed at Job Center and downtown but trying to distribute bus passes in this program at Broadway-Lakepoint, Allied, Meadowood and Centro Gualupe plus homeless consortium. He says all the passes will be used by the end of the year.
Rhodes-Conway asks why different than discounted ride passes.
Clingan says that they won’t ask for eligibility. The tickets are targeted towards working poor. They will have to see how successful the program is.
Camp says that this addresses day passes and 10 ride tickets, not people who use monthly passes.
Rhodes-Conway says it is important to cover the range of needs, but we need more communication between the (now three) programs (Transit for Jobs, Transit for Self Efficiency, low-income monthly bus passes) and they should be working seamlessly together. It doesn’t make sense to have these two programs. We should be looking at the needs and tailoring the program to the needs, not base it on the methodology of distribution.
Camp says many people can’t get enough money together to afford the monthly pass is what they have found. Wants to see them work together.
Clingan says that Porchlight is a member of the low income bus fare committee. He points out that Transit for Jobs (TFJ) is different than Transit for Economic Self Sufficiency (TESS). TFJ was consortium, TESS is more targeted towards working people and getting tickets out to broader geography.
Mayor realizes there is difference between the two programs and he doesn’t seem to grasp the difference and asks questions. (Psssst, Mayor, these were both your programs! Ahem, details matter.)
Passes
CDBG UNDERWRITING GUIDELINES
Rhodes-Conway asks to have it explained.
Clingan says its about customer service. He says the office had 3 different underwriting guidelines for programs in their office. Says there is no significant changes, and they are only changing them to be consistent. This was a staff driven request.
Bruer says commission was getting feedback too and thanks staff.
Passes.
WARNER PARK ROOF REPLACEMENT
Bruer asks Briski about history.
Briski says there were issues from the start with leaking. This time snow was heavy and caused issues with roof. They filed a claim with insurance and they are paying for it. Types of materials was a discussion with staff but settled on a replacement roof. Cost of replacement picked up by insurance.
Bruer asks if this is it, Briski says folks are confident this time. Shared design with many people and lots of input.
No further discussion. Passes.
STATE BUDGET IMPACTS
Statz updates the Board of Estimates. He reports last time he was at Board of Estimates they thought there was a $900,000 loss to the city, but now it is up to $1.4 or 1.5M. Tho he qualifies that by saying that there are still lots of formulas to be run and memos to be received before they know the total impact and it may get up to $2M. (This is where part of the budget slip and slide occurs).
Payments for Municipal Services – Biggest change was increased reduction in payments for municipal services – across the board cut and increased to 6% so $555,000 loss instead of predicted $90,000.
Levy Limit – Still need to nail down debt service to figure out levy limit but it will be 3 – 8%. [That’s a pretty big range.]
Expenditure Restraint Program (ERP) – ERP is calculated by the value of new construction and inflation. The formula didn’t anticipate deflation and so now the formula has a floor of 3%. They think our limit is 4%. Our floor is now $1.5M.
Shared Revenue – There was a $1.1M change.
RTA – RTA is not a binding referendum and they eliminated the provision that said 25% of money would go for roads. Otherwise, same as summarized last time.
Transit Aids – That funding is up $340,000. Highway aids are up $163,000.
Computer aids – Up $200,000 but that is kind of guessing.
Recycling aids – Goes up but favors other municipalities who are doing start up.
Tipping Fees – $160,000 increase this year, $405,000 next year.
Mendoza thanks Andrew Statz, calls him a “one person bureau” – has lots of info, allows us to react and he’s a great part of what is a “formidable” team.
Bruer asks what is in store with $2M – Andrew says that he’s not the rosy picture guy, hit we took this year could get worse in the future. Says shared revenue relies on fed stimulus ($75M) money so there may be a gap in the future. Current reduction $1.1M. He says he won’t be surprised to see budget adjustment bill, but in the past the bills haven’t affected the city.
Bruer asks about 911 revenue, Statz says they used a one time source which is the wireless 911 fund. Surcharge on cell phone bills to help with wireless 911 calls. There was a fund and that is what they used to plug some general revenue funding this year and there was a similar amount from a similar account with shared revenue and they used that too. That fund was to prevent lay offs.
Mayor says nonprofit housing issue resolved. [Funny, not for everyone . . . ]
Mayor says they had a pretty good experience with contract lobbyists, better than Alliance of Cities – more effective this way. Doesn’t think Madison was singled out and we were treated fairly.
Bruer thanks the Mayor.
STIMULUS UPDATE
Paraino says mostly good news, but not much news.
COPS office will announce by July 21 if we got allocation. Len Simon, fed lobbyists says they are pro-rating the grants so no one community gets turned away. Won’t get everything, likely to get something. They also asked for $3M in fiscal year 2010 as well, 1/3 of money being allocated now, thinks our application will roll over, but they are checking on it.
Energy efficiency and conservation block grants, met the June 26 deadline, but so many people filed the application that they crashed the federal computer system, now have til Aug 9 to apply. Looking at applicationss on first come first serve basis. Will hear mid to late august. Funding goes to city, contingent on plan, and so Jeannie and Bill are working on a plan and the public process.
Fire dept station two grant under consideration.
Metro capital grant funding of $9.7M, 10% can be used on operating expenses and that can be used in 2010. So they may purchase one less bus so they have more operating funding or they might swap a hybrid for a conventional bus.
Engineering got stimulus money and earmark for Starkweather Creek and Aberg bridge. They can’t use both so they are in process of getting the money reobligated to another project.
CDBG R money will go to the CDBG Commission and they will vote Thursday and plan will be at council Aug 4.
In short, no bad news.
