I hope I don’t regret that title. Baldeh and Harrington-McKinney are absent, along with Alder Palm who is excused. Mayor is even here!
GETTING STARTED AND HONORING RESOLUTIONS
Mayor asks for a moment of silence for the tragedy in Orlando.
Alder Mike Verveer suspends the rules to introduce business and take items out of order.
#1 – Poetry reading – Oscar Mireles (City Poet Laureate) talks about the bus lines poetry project they just finished and introduces Rita May Reece who reads a poem. She starts off saying that you should relax, you don’t need to remember or understand anything that I say, don’t listen for information, listen for pleasure. (On the problem of empathy)
#2 – June 26th is Capital City Hues Day and they celebrate the 10 years of the newspaper. Resolution read by Alder Bidar, Jonathan Grambling and his staff/board accept the award. Alder Ahrens asks how to get tickets, he actually gives out his phone number and schedule – the deadline is passed but he will accept people calling him, he just needs to get the orders in to the restaurants. There is a nice little commercial for the event, 8 hours of performances and its only $20.
#3 – Barbara McKinney reads the resolution honoring the library for its Media programs. Greg Mickells director of the library was not here, but staff read his comments.
#6 James C. Wright Human Rights Award is given to Annette Miller. Lots of pictures tonight. She had an elegant and graceful and gracious speech. Alder King read the resolution and makes a few remarks.
This section takes at least a half hour (and a little more), if you’re interested in details, you should watch! Great tributes to great people doing great things!
BUSINESS
No consent agenda has been read. #4 is referred on a voice vote. They do the public hearing on number 5, there are two registrants in support and available to answer questions. THat passes on a voice vote.
CONSENT AGENDA
All items will be passed without discussion with the recommendations on the agenda, except the following:
– #13 and #30 are extra-majority items and that will be recorded as unanimous unless there are objections
– #65 (voter registration) – recommendation is adoption
– #79 (housing strategy committee report) – refer to Economic Development Committee
Exclude:
– #12 Update from GVCB and Sports Commission
– #14 has a speaker (RFP choosing Doyanne group for fund management for economic development)
– #16 – TIF 36 expansion
– #32 – Edward Byrne grant for law enforcement initiatives
– #43 has a speaker – Jennifer and Ingersoll ST. reconstruction
– #68 approaching a vehicle ordinance – likely motion will be to re-refer.
Alder Gruber discloses he works for the school district for one of the items ($9M in TIF). Bidar recuses herself from item 11, King also recuses himself from item 11.
That all passes.
PRESENTATION BY GREATER MADISON CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU AND SPORTS COMMISSION
#12 – There is a performance report. Here’s their power point. Its amazing how they get paid to lobby on Judge Doyle Square and the Alliant Energy Center. Also, just wondering how other groups get to present in front of the city council . . . I asked once . . . probably should ask again. But then again, tenants are more than half of the City of Madison . . . but why should they care . . . also, now wondering why there is no three minute limit. Passes on a voice vote after a question from Phair.
THE REST OF THE COUNCIL BUSINESS
#14 – The Hispanic Chamber of Commerce showed up to talk about their organization. They also applied for this funding. I think it was understood that they were no longer going to contest the RFP, since they didn’t have Madison contacts and much of the money would be spend creating that. They congratulate the Doyanne group and hopes to work with the City in the future. So, I think that was just a commercial. Passes on a voice vote.
#16 – Alder Rummel asked for it to come off the agenda to have staff explain the update on the TID and the parking structure, undergrounding and other issues that did not get funded. Matt Mikolajewski says the amendment included TIF for the Stonehouse project already approved by the council. The second is the parking structure for the 800 S block for the Cosmos. They are still working with Gebhardt and American Family to fund that project, it seems like it will remain a public ramp. Other project like small cap TIF loan program and undergrounding utilities – those projects will be considered in the future with another amendment if it is the will of the council. Motion passes on a voice vote.
#32 – Greg Gulembiuk is a member of the public that speaks that says if body cams are purchased, there should be a body cam policy, especially given the boday cam committee report. He suggests they look at Chris Taylor’s bill. He also suggests that they have a re-recording buffer of three minutes for those times when the officer can’t turn them on right away.
Rummel says she forwarded emails about her questions and their answers. Sue Williams and Chief Koval are here to answer questions.
Carter asks the chief who these cameras are for. Koval explains they have had them since Wray was in office, it is considered best practice for SWAT teams and they came about when the “castle doctrine” was being talked about. These were purchased over the counter and have run their normal life and there are now industrial strength. These are replacement for entry teams coming to the doorways to be able to see who said what.
Rummel asks about visual and facial recognition and searches, do we have a policy about that? Koval says the facial recognition elements are in their infancy stage and we can’t capture, these have evidentiary value like he squad car cams, they are all subject to open records requests but the ad hoc committee report may have new policies that they will support and embrace. Rummel asks about the state bill and if they have opinions. Koval says that when the committee came back with a less than clear answer, we are now waiting for the ad hoc committee.
Ledell Zellers asks about the buffering. Koval says they have it in the squad car cameras. He doesn’t know how long it would be or what the industry standards are.
Motion passes on a voice vote.
#43 – A neighbor comes to talk about the bus stop and buses idling for 10 – 15 minutes and the buses have increased. 161 buses every weekday. The current plan makes the bus stop longer, there are two bus pads. There are issues with the buses blocking the driveway. MNA supports their position and they think that they should keep the buses on Willy St. Do not approve the plan in front of you and she will work very hard to come up with a better plan.
Alder Marsha Rummel says that years ago she would not have supported buses on Willy St, but now with the development she thinks it might work and asks what might happen to explore this issue. She also wants to know if they move the buses to Willy what will they do with the two bus pads. Drew from Metro says that those pads really reflect what is happening there now. Particularly for wheel chairs. In reality that is what is happening now. On Willy St., they are evaluating the effect on on-time performance to make sure they don’t impact transfer points. There may be problems or benefits.
Rummel asks how to engage this issue. Does an Alder go to the TPC? He says yes, it would be a significant route change and it will have impacts on the businesses on Willy St.
Maurice Cheeks asks about the data they collect and how difficult is it to do the analysis. Do you just press a couple buttons? Drew says several buttons, but they have the data and can get it.
Mike Verveer asks what impact would be if we referred this since construction is under way, but it is supposed to go into the fall. Rob Phillips, city engineer, says that they are doing water main now, in the next few weeks they will go to storm sewer. He says that the plan that was adopted called for the change in the bus stop location to a far side stop, so there are bump outs located near side of the intersection and the revision takes those out. With no bump outs we can move the bus stops in the future, in summary, the project is under construction and have been approved already with the bump outs and if no change is made, that is how it is built. If the revision is approved, no bump outs would be installed and the bus stop would remain.
Verveer asks again, is there urgency to adopt the plans and specs tonight. Do they have to vote on the concrete pad tonight? Phillips says they need to know the curb location and the bump outs.
Verveers tries again, PHillips says that the decision to move buses to Willy would not be done on time, but they need to know about teh curb and the bump outs.
Verveer asks if there is a time limit to know. PHillips says that they need to know in the next month.
David Ahrens says that the TPC has spent months on this issue, they have had multiple option, they heard from everyone, MNA, Alder Rummel and many others. This has been intensively reviewed and he does not look forward to doing it again.
Rummel says that what is adopted now has the bump outs, the neighbors didn’t like them and staff took them out. What they have now is the pads, and we have time to work on that. We shouldn’t delay, but she will work with staff to address the pads in a timely way.
#68 – This is the ordinance to make it illegal to approach a car on a highway and the request is to re-refer this back to the Public Safety Review Committee.
Greg Gulembiek testifies that it would be a violation to get in a taxi, or to talk to someone in a car or on a bike would be a violation. This should be put through an equity lens. He says that black culture tends to talk in the streets this way and that would impact them more.
Barbara McKinney says that there was no opportunity to get public input and put it through an equity lends and she thinks they need to do that.
Re-referal passes on a voice vote.
ANNOUNCEMENTS, INTRODUCTIONS AND REFERRALS
Mayor wishes Paul Skidmore happy birthday.
Verveer introduces the two items on the consent agenda
Verveer doesn’t move to adjourn so Alder King may do it.
