The Madison Common Council made decisions directly affecting the livelihood of University of Wisconsin students at a meeting Tuesday.
The council placed the confrontational keg-registration ordinance proposal on file, essentially killing it for the time being. However, according to Ald. Paul Skidmore, District 9, the proposal will be back on the table in the future.
"There is a 100 percent chance the proposal is going to come back," Skidmore said.
The proposal, if it is ever approved, would not only require consumers to obtain a permit and adhere to a one-keg-per-day limit, but would also require all kegs in the City of Madison to be licensed and tagged.
The registration proposal had gained some momentum with support from the Madison Police Department, the UWPD, UW PACE Project, UW Housing and the Madison Metropolitan School District.
However, the recent withdrawal of the MPD's backing prior to last week's Public Safety Review Board meeting hindered the ordinance's potential for approval, as PSRB committee members noted the proposal was not likely to pass without the MPD's support.
Skidmore said the MPD's removal of support was a matter of timing and added that he is extremely disappointed with Chief Noble Wray's decision to pull out the backing for the ordinance.
"The police department felt it wasn't the right time to support the proposal," he said. "I will continue my contact with police to determine the correct time to bring it back."
The council also approved the final plans for the demolition of University Square and the subsequent construction of a multi-use facility.
UW Director of Facilities Planning and Management Gary Brown outlined the timeline for the new University Square project.
"The demolition of the square is planned for June of 2006," Brown said. "Construction will take three years to complete. So, if all goes according to plan, it will be completed and ready for use in August of 2009."
The approved project is a 12-story building that will include retail businesses, offices, University Health Services, a student activity center and 430 apartment units.
