The Badger Herald: News: Alders seek budget alterations

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Alders seek budget alterations

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By Amelia Vorpahl
Tuesday, October 30, 2007 12:00 a.m.

3 Vote 0 Votes

The Board of Estimates met Monday to identify amendments proposed to Mayor Dave Cieslewicz’s Capital and Operating Budgets, introduced by several City Council members.

One of the amendments proposed to the operating budget by Ald. Zach Brandon, District 7, would delete funding from the Downtown Safety Initiative — a program that has included increased funding for the police department and setting up permanent security cameras to monitor the downtown area.

Brandon said he understands the issues that the downtown area is facing but he thinks the police department should delegate the funds they receive themselves so that other districts may see some of the benefits as well.

"I’m not sure it changes much of reality, this amendment, other than, say, when we ask the department what you need, you tell us," Brandon said. "I certainly appreciate the position both downtown alders are in and arguing for their constituents, but it shouldn’t just be about tax dollars."

Brandon added he believes labeling the funding as the Downtown Safety Initiative alienates other residents in the city.

"It continues to add money where I think money’s already there, and it also creates this ‘us versus them’ paradigm in the city," Brandon said, adding, "I certainly don’t think that we should continually perpetuate safety initiatives that are only for a geographical reason."

Two campus area representatives, City Council President Mike Verveer, District 4, and Ald. Eli Judge, District 8, were in opposition to Brandon’s amendment, both saying they believed the initiative has been successful and has significantly helped cut down on crime.

"It was obviously in response to some very high-profile series of very scary, violent incidents in the downtown in the last year," Verveer said. "The fact of the matter is that I think it’s made a big difference in both a practical sense and a symbolic sense. I think that my constituents do feel safer, particularly on the weekends because of this $100,000 safety initiative."

Judge was in agreement with Verveer, adding that the increased visibility of the police downtown has made it a much safer place.

"My constituents are 90 percent pedestrian," Judge said. "Being able to see, not only the mounted police, but that extra cop walking down the street could potentially stop a crime of opportunity in areas that are very prone to such things."

Another amendment discussed in detail, although ultimately vetoed, was introduced by Ald. Jed Sanborn, District 1, which would remove the post of alcohol policy coordinator. Sanborn said he believed the post was unnecessary, especially with the expenditures it requires.

Verveer and Judge were also in opposition to Sanborn’s amendment. As a member of the Alcohol License Review Committee and having worked firsthand with the new alcohol policy coordinator, Verveer said he believes it is a very worthwhile position to maintain.

"If by some miracle, these issues go away, obviously we can revisit this position annually if we have to," Verveer said. "But these issues aren’t going to go away anytime soon."

Judge also agreed the alcohol policy coordinator was needed, especially as he sees so many alcohol-related incidents in his downtown district, which directly affect the image of downtown Madison.

"Probably 60 to 70 percent of the constituent calls, and pretty much all the duties that I have, are directly related to alcohol-related whatever," Judge said. "The image that the downtown sets for the rest of the city is truly something that’s very valuable."

The amendments to both the 2007 Operating and Capital budgets that were not vetoed at the meeting Monday will be further reviewed by the City Council at a future meeting.

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