City agencies presented their budget requests for the year’s operating budget Tuesday and fielded questions from the board.

All told, the Board of Estimates reviewed the budget requests of more than 45 city department and agencies in two marathon sessions Monday and Tuesday night.

One issue rising to the surface of the debate was the addition of a civilianized liquor license compliance checker. This position would entail hiring a civilian checking local and state laws, as well as conditions of an establishment’s liquor license.

According to Joel Plant, assistant to Mayor Dave Cieslewicz, the ultimate goal of this program is to garner more voluntary compliance from establishments by having a consistent and reliable system of compliance checks.

Plant said one or perhaps more civilians will be hired to ensure alcohol license compliance in the downtown area. The hope is having a civilian in a non-disciplinary position check the more administrative aspect would leave police to foster a better relationship with establishments and focus on the bigger problems.

“In the last couple of years, we have identified a few opportunities to improve the process by which we identify problems in local establishments,” Plant said.

Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, said many police officers in the downtown area are very knowledgeable on liquor licenses and he wondered why a program Plant has wanted to institute for a few years was chosen to be started in this year of budget hardships.

Cieslewicz said it is being proposed now because the proposed civilian checker is part of a process of alcohol regulation for the city that began with adding the alcohol policy coordinator a few years ago; this is the just the next step in the process.

Plant added the police have the authority to go into bars and do checks, but the routine establishment checks should not be the burden of the police.

Madison Fire Department Chief Debra Amesqua also presented her department’s budget, asking for funding for 20 new staff this year to fill existing vacancies and foreseen retirements.

Also included in the budget request is funding for another fire station that opened this year and staffing for an 8th ambulance.

With all of these additions to the budget, and since the fire department has remained even, Ald. Mark Clear, District 19, wondered if there were other cuts to offset the costs.

Amesqua added that sound budgeting practices and millions of dollars in grant money over the last few years can account for the level budget.

“We have planned for many years in advance,” Amesqua said. “When we think about adding people to the department, it’s a two or three year project. We make sure we have the funding set aside.”

Contingent on receiving a federal grant, Madison Police Department Chief Noble Wray is proposing adding 11 officers for the year, some of which will be involved with a new crime and gang unit, which expands current crime prevention efforts.

According to Wray, Madison police have calculated the city has a base number of 900 gang members, in addition to 1,200 associates.

“There are a whole host of things that are simmering out there,” Wray said. “This is the right time to move this (program) forward.”