[media-credit name=’JEFF SCHORFHEIDE/Herald photo’ align=’alignnone’ width=’648′][/media-credit]After an hour and a half of debate, a proposal to require all Madison city buildings and rental properties to use compact fluorescent light bulbs failed at Tuesday night's City Council meeting.

Outgoing City Council President Austin King, District 8, proposed the ordinance and defended it at last night's meeting, saying it would help reduce energy consumption, which contributes to global warming.

King acknowledged the ordinance would likely not have a huge effect on the polar ice caps or sea levels but said it would be a start.

"We have, I think, a global crisis in terms of our changing environment," King said. "We do have an opportunity here to send the right message and also to take a real concrete step that shows that our stated commitment to reversing global warming pollution in Madison has some serious value to it."

King added fluorescent bulbs last longer, meaning lights in areas such as stairwells would not need to be changed as often — making these areas safer for those who use them.

Ald. Zach Brandon, District 7, adamantly spoke out against the proposal at Tuesday's meeting.

He said Madison does not currently have the ability to recycle compact fluorescent bulbs and added most of the bulbs he found at Madison stores were made in other countries, which he believes could hurt American jobs.

Brandon also expressed concern about mercury pollution, as current compact fluorescent bulbs contain a toxic element that can cause pollution if not disposed of properly.

"The only person who loses out when you start mandating technology is, frankly, the environment and American workers," Brandon said.

Ald. Judy Compton, District 16, said she would like to support a proposal like King's but felt details of the plan need to be studied further. In particular, Compton said she was worried the bulbs would not be disposed of properly and would result in poisonings.

"We have to know, if we're mandating a certain product, how are we going to dispose of it?" Compton said. "We are voting in the blind for a vaporous idea."

Another part of the failed proposal called for LED lights to be used in exit signs that, according to King, last longer and are therefore less likely to burn out and create an unsafe environment.

"Our fire inspecting unit writes about 500 tickets a year for burned-out exit signs, and there's a reason that they write those tickets, and it's that burned-out exit signs are a threat to safety," King said. "When people can't find their way to a door to escape a fire in thick smoke or when the lights are out, those are real people's lives that are in danger."

Since this proposal failed, King said it would likely be introduced at an upcoming City Council meeting, but not by him — Tuesday night's meeting was the last of this particular council, and King is not seeking re-election this year.