Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz's 2007 budget is scheduled to meet final approval Thursday, but it is expected to receive final adjustments from the City Council early this week.
Cieslewicz proposed both the 2007 operating and executive budgets in early October, followed recently with approval by the Board of Estimates. The next step for both budgets is approval from the council, which can amend the budget as they see fit.
George Twigg, spokesperson for the mayor, said Cieslewicz feels the current 2007 budget meets all of his goals for the coming year.
"In building the budget, [Cieslewicz] wanted to balance investments in issues like public safety and community services with the need to show restraint and keep taxes to a reasonable level," Twigg said. "The mayor feels like he achieved both of those goals in the 2007 budget."
Twigg added there are several proposed amendments, both to add and cut spending, but none of them affect the major parts of the mayor's original budget. Still, one of the budget debates involves a proposed $2,500 coffee maker for the Madison Senior Center, and has sparked accusations of unnecessary spending.
Overall, Twigg said there are no amendments to the largest chunks of spending on additional childcare, the Madison Metro system and public safety. Twigg noted that the amendments keep the total amount of spending the same because they "just about cancel each other out."
Ald. Zach Brandon, District 7, proposed more than two dozen amendments to the mayor's executive budget, including the elimination of funds for the James Madison Park renovation and for the controversial mid-State Street parking ramp.
"Ald. Brandon and the mayor don't always see eye-to-eye on everything, but it's significant that Ald. Brandon left all the major budget initiatives intact," Twigg said. "It's typical of what we've seen in past years."
Brandon looks to cut $9 million in unnecessary spending from the mayor's budget. He did not return phone calls for comment as of press time.
But City Council President Austin King called many of Brandon's amendments "ideological" and "irresponsible."
"I think some of [Brandon's] proposed cuts and amendments are worthy of debate," King said. "I'm probably not going to support more than a handful of them."
Brandon would like to cut $44,000 designated for "Project Respect," King added, which aims to keep former prostitutes off Madison streets by offering job training. King said Brandon tried to cut the same funds three years ago without success, and it is "irresponsible" to cut such a small portion of money for a good cause.
"This is one of the best tools we have to … actually solve the problem, and frankly, I'm a little flabbergasted [Brandon] bothered to bring it up again," King said.
He also said the conservatives in the council are proposing to cut $100,000 devoted to the downtown safety initiative because Chief of Police Noble Wray has not yet disclosed exactly how the funds will be used.
"I think the overall goal is to come in with a budget that stays within our fiscal means," King said. "But also we're looking for a budget that … makes for a better tomorrow."
