The city of Madison’s annual operating budget has been a topic of debate among the City Council members because of a series of proposed budget amendments now facing the group.
Council President Mark Clear, District 19, said the mayoral agenda would likely be influenced by the changes to the city budget.
“Our main objective, right now, is to keep the tax increases for the average homeowner in Madison to five percent or less,” Clear said. “At this point, the city budget as it stands is within $100,000 dollars of triggering that five percent tax increase, so any proposed amendments that increase spending would be against the mayoral agenda.”
Clear said that there are no specific amendments that would directly affect the students at the University of Wisconsin. One amendment, however, has the potential to indirectly influence students at UW.
A proposed amendment would add additional funding towards the city’s street division and the public bus stops, which will have a strong impact on the UW students who use the Madison Metro for daily transportation. Clear said he expects this amendment to pass.
Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, said another proposed amendment he is sponsoring would earmark spending for traffic improvements to the downtown area, including the area surrounding the Capitol.
“The amendment includes a $3 million budget for the reconstruction of the outer ring of the capital square from State Street to East Washington,” Verveer said. “It also includes funding for pedestrian street lights, which are absent on the street right now.”
A way to tell whether or not an amendment has the ability to become a part of the city budget, Clear said, is to look at how many sponsors the amendment has attracted.
One of the most strongly supported amendments currently under discussion, which would add a ‘small business specialist’ position in the city government, currently has 8 sponsors attached to the bill.
According to Clear, this proposal would most likely be passed by the council.
Another proposed budget amendment would establish, for the first time, an opt-in health insurance system for the members of the City Council. According to the wording of the proposal, the proposed health insurance system for the alders – a term that is used to describe the City Council members – will largely be funded by a reduction to the council members’ salaries.
Verveer said he disagrees with some of the proposals that will cut programs from the city, including a proposal to add a new park in Madison’s Near East Side.
“Another member on the Board of Estimates has sponsored a few amendments that will cut programs such as the proposed Central Park that will run along the lake, and I disagree with him on those sponsorships,” Verveer said. “Just because we’re both on the Board of Estimates does not mean that we share the same view on the budget.”
He also said in wake of a difficult economic climate, the deliberations over the city’s operating budget, which comes to the City Council for final approval this week, will likely hit some controversy.
