[media-credit name=’JEFF SCHORFHEIDE/Herald photo’ align=’alignright’ width=’336′][/media-credit]The Madison City Council met to discuss a variety of agenda items Tuesday night, including the recent problem of neighborhood officer shortages and the newest downtown liquor license debate from the Alcohol License Review Committee.

After approving multiple agenda items, the council struck upon one item which prompted debate.

The topic under attack involved a request to delay the relocation of three officers of the Madison Police Department until the MPD's staffing study is finished.

MPD Chief of Police Noble Wray said he supported the proposal, adding that by delaying the transfer the police department would be better able to serve the Madison area.

"There are several reasons why holding off on this assignment with the neighborhood officers would not be the appropriate thing to do," Wray said.

The three police officers would be transferred from their respective neighborhoods to undecided locations and would be replaced by police liaisons. MPD liaisons are not assigned to a specific neighborhood but instead patrol larger Madison areas.

Wray said removing the respective officers is always hard to do because of the ties they have made with the neighborhood. The only reason the MPD is forced to do this, he added, is because the areas no longer need a permanent neighborhood officer due to decreased crime activity.

Overall, the agenda item found support with council members due to their trust in Wray's decision-making abilities. But some questioned whether delaying the action would truly benefit the city.

Ald. Brenda Konkel, District 2, opposed the idea of implementing police department liaisons due to the challenge of contacting them.

"When all the [MPD] resources are being diverted to many different areas, it's hard to get the attention of the liaisons for issues that are going on in the residential areas," Konkel said.

Although the item found some resistance, many supporters cited their trust in Wray as their main reason for supporting the item. Yet even with the support, the agenda item was placed on file for later debate.

One agenda item, the Alcohol Density Plan, was finally brought forth by the ALRC after extensive debate. After several months in the committee, the agenda item included revisions to Madison's current alcohol policy by making the liquor licenses more concise. Ultimately, the council decided to refer the Alcohol Density Plan to the next meeting.

With multiple items on file for later discussion, the City Council will meet next month in order to further discuss these issues.