With the spotlight on downtown crime, the mayor plans to pour $275.2 million into public safety and the transportation services students use in his 2014 budget.
Mayor Paul Soglin pledged an increased budget of $65,000 for the Downtown Safety Initiative to fund overtime police officers to address the higher incidents of crime recently, especially at bar time on weekend nights, Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, said.
Soglin also proposed to maintain funds for Madison Metro Transit.
According to Verveer, the operating budget largely preserves the “status quo” by retaining previous levels of funding to safety and transportation programs that students use.
“The main services that students depend on like police and fire and building inspection … really [would] remain at the same levels,” Verveer said.
Verveer said he is pleased Soglin pledged more funds for the safety itiative this year, adding the 2013 operating budget only allocated $55,000 to fund the initiative.
However, Verveer said he is disappointed Soglin did not pledge the full $100,000 the Madison Police Department requested.
“I give the mayor credit for increasing the DSI funding for last year,” Verveer said. “However, I’m afraid it will fall short and will not provide for enough cops to be on the street.”
The proposed capital budget for 2014 also includes funding for surveillance cameras and improved lighting in order to address safety issues.
Katie Crawley, Soglin’s spokesperson, said the mayor increased the transportation budget to $11 million to match the increase in fuel costs.
The funds would also go toward clearing snow at transportation stations and bus stops, Crawley said. The safety and transportation funding would ensure “the quality of life” for city residents, she said.
“The quality of life in the city affects everything, including the students,” Crawley said.
The budget also includes a $1.45 million subsidy for the Overture Center for the Arts, which is the largest government subsidy Soglin has ever proposed, Verveer said.
The city adopted $1.75 million in subsidies for Overture in the 2013 operating budget.
Verveer said the Overture Center, which has significant cultural and entertainment value to the city and employs a significant amount of students, was one of the most important items in the operating budget.
“The Overture has really been a hot potato and the most controversial object in the operating budget,” Verveer said. “I’m really pleased the mayor has pledged the most he has recommended in comparison to prior years.”
Crawley said Soglin does not usually pledge funds for a one-time expenditure, but after meeting with Overture officials, he decided to make an exception.
City Council will take up the 2014 operating budget and capital budget in their Nov. 5 meeting.
