Mayor Paul Soglin’s largest capital budget to date was up for discussion at Madison’s Board of Estimates meeting Wednesday, deconstructing the $247.7 million proposal which looks to fund a wide range of city projects from improvements to police technology, to environmental initiatives.

The 2015 proposed budget is larger overall than the $225.3 million 2014 budget, however, Soglin has proposed $6 million less for new projects citywide than last year. Of the total amount, $92.5 million was allocated to new projects in 2014 compared to $82.7 million in 2015.

Body cameras for police officers

The possibility of funding Madison police officers to arm themselves with body cameras proved to carry weight in the discussion.

Madison Police Chief Mike Koval said he was, “not opposed to the notion of transparency,” but would much rather have additional neighborhood officers instead of the body cameras. The cost of the cameras would be between $150 and $2000 per device.

Ald. Scott Resnick, District 8, spoke in favor of funding the body cameras.

“While the chief has the opportunity to advocate for his department, I believe the cameras are a valuable resource beyond just the police department,” Resnick said.  “While I do respect the chief’s opinion, I believe we can achieve more. I think this is a case where it’s our duty to the public to get to great.”

Although officers within the Madison Police Department do not currently wear body cameras, Koval said the most highly contested interactions between officers and civilians, including interrogations and traffic stops, are already filmed. Additionally, Koval praised the city’s camera network, which helped identify a person of interest in a recent homicide on Badger Road.

Encouraging composting

Another budget topic was the lack of funding for a filter for the biodigester, which costs around $120,000. Several members of the public spoke about their opposition to the delay in constructing the biodigester, saying the issue was one of quality of life.

The biodigester was proposed as part of an increased effort to encourage composting among city residents and would provide clean fuel using organic waste.

The program, which is in the pilot stage, provides residents of several Madison neighborhoods curbside compost bins that they can use to discard their organic wastes for conversion to biofuels and compost.