Next Steps on Overture

I hope alders are paying attention, they got less than 48 hours notice of how it will be and what their homework is. Well, unless they read my blog . . . . (part 1 and 2)

From: Clear, Mark
Sent: Sunday, November 21, 2010 3:56 PM
To: ALL ALDERS
Cc: Piraino, Janet; Cieslewicz, Dave; ‘Joe Sensenbrenner’; May, Michael; Veldran, Lisa
Subject: CCOC action and next steps on Overture

Dear Colleagues,

Thanks again to all who participated in Thursday evening’s CCOC meeting on Overture. The fact that we had 16 members give of their time right after two long and difficult budget nights speaks volumes to the importance of and concern we share around this issue.

At the meeting there was momentum (but not consensus) among those present toward support of the alternate resolution (previously referred to as “Plan B”), but also a recognition that some Alders may wish to make amendments to the alternate, and that some Alders may not support it at all.

Rather than trying to amend the alternate at CCOC, which would have been lengthy and excluded some Alders who were not present, the committee instead passed a motion to recommend adoption of the alternate resolution along with a process for creating amendments that will be considered by the council on November 30th. This process is similar to the one we use for budget amendments.

1. Alders may submit amendments to Lisa Veldran by Tuesday Nov. 23 at 2pm. This deadline is critical in order to give Alders, the public, and all parties concerned the opportunity to review them before the council meeting. Members may solicit additional sponsors for their amendments if they wish, but do not need two sponsors.
2. Alders are encouraged to communicate with the Overture Parties regarding their amendments, and former Mayor Sensenbrenner has generously offered to act as a liaison. This is not intended to be a negotiation, but rather to keep lines of communication open. (Joe’s e-mail is included as a cc, or please see Lisa for his phone number.)
3. After the deadline, Lisa will compile the amendments into a list which will be made public.
4. The Overture Parties will provide feedback on each of the amendments, which will also be compiled by Lisa into a final document, which will then also be made public. This will give Alders an opportunity to make an informed decision on each amendment. Again, this is not intended to be a negotiation, just an exchange of communication.

A few other potentially helpful notes:

* Link to the alternate resolution, now with fiscal note: http://legistar.cityofmadison.com/detailreport/TextFileReport.aspx?key=22421&ver=2
* The outstanding issues that we identified at CCOC and put on the flip charts have been captured and that document should be attached to the Legistar file shortly.
* BOE takes up the resolution on Monday, but I will recommend that it pass the same motion as passed at CCOC, rather than further complicate the issue with its own discussions. This will essentially refer the issue onward to the Council.
* It would be helpful to include a sentence or two regarding intent with your amendments so that everyone is clear on the goal of your change. You could even choose from the list of goals we identified during the visioning process at the 11/4 council discussion. You can find those at this link: http://legistar.cityofmadison.com/attachments/c4a2d934-f80f-489e-a1bd-6b5fca748d16.pdf

Thanks again to all.

Mark C.