The Board of Estimates passed a proposal Monday night to form a committee that would create a reduced bus fare program for low-income community members.
The Low-Income Bus Pass Committee would allow low-income community members affected by the recent increase in Madison Metro bus fares to continue riding the bus at a reduced rate, according to Janet Piraino, chief of staff to Mayor David Cieslewicz.
Piraino said she does not know the rate of the reduced bus fares, but the committee will set fare prices if the committee is formed.
The proposal for the committee will go before the Madison City Council next Tuesday. If the proposal is passed, the committee will begin working on the program immediately.
In addition, the board unanimously passed an American Reinvestment Recovery Act package application that includes applications for funds from every city agency. The board approved project proposals all at once to ensure the agencies are prepared to accept grant money because many federal grants have tight deadlines, according to Piraino.
By the time federal grant regulations come out, Piraino said it might be too late for agencies to bring their project proposals before the board for approval. She added the board’s overall approval Monday night ensures agencies will not miss out on their opportunity to apply for federal grants.
The board also approved a $25,000 grant for the Madison Police Department to fund additional traffic safety enforcement.
The grant money is designed to fund Madison police programs that combat impaired or dangerous driving, including paying officers overtime wages while working on these programs, Joel Plant, assistant to Cieslewicz, said.
According to Plant, the grant can also be used to enforce drunken driving programs and underage drinking laws.
Piraino said the police ask for this money each year and are usually granted the funding.
According to Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, the city is applying for millions of dollars worth of grants and will continue to update the committee at each BOE meeting about the city’s current federal grant situation.
“The bottom line is the city continues to monitor and take advantage of every dollar of any federal dollars we could receive,” Verveer said.
The board also passed a proposal to pay attorney fees totaling $11,202 for two Madison police officers who won lawsuits brought against them earlier in the year.
According to Madison City Attorney Mike May, when private citizens bring a lawsuit against a Madison police officer, the city pays the officer’s attorney fees if the officer wins his or her case.
However, because outside legal costs are difficult to predict, the city decided to cease budgeting any money for outside legal fees, according to Plant.
“Sometimes we have zero cases, sometimes we have several in a year,” Plant said.
According to Plant, the city will instead continue to take funds from the contingent reserve fund to pay officers’ legal fees if necessary. Contingent reserves are put in the budget each year to cover the city’s unanticipated expenses, Verveer said.
