Football season is not the only important thing beginning in Madison this week; budget season began Tuesday night when Mayor Dave Cieslewicz unveiled his capital budget for the next fiscal year.
The approximately $238.2 million budget lays out the city’s long term fiscal plan and includes funds set aside for the redevelopment of the Central Library and approximately $63.5 million worth of streets engineering and improvement.
Despite the tough economic climate, Cieslewicz said he was satisfied with the amount of ground the budget covers.
“We know the pace of economic recovery is not as swift as we had hoped,” Cieslewicz said in a statement. “This budget is mindful of the tough economic climate we face, but poised to take full advantage of recovery that is sure to come.”
Cieslewicz said in a statement the budget will address economic development surrounding Madison’s new downtown high speed rail station along with funding finishing touches to Madison Police’s new training facility.
MPD’s request for new police officers, which Cieslewicz said was unlikely to be included in the final budget, are not present in its current incarnation. More officers could be added if the city wins a federal grant for community policing.
Additionally, the budget will include approximately $34 million for streets engineering funds used to redevelop or resurface city roads. Cieslewicz highlighted the city’s plan to improve pavement on major thoroughfares such as Williamson Street.
Cieslewicz also created a separate budget section for pedestrian and bicycle traffic — a first for the city. He also highlighted the inclusion of funds to continue the redevelopment of the East Washington Avenue corridor and eventually construct more community centers in individual Madison neighborhoods.
University of Wisconsin senior Ald. Bryon Eagon, District 8, said the streets engineering portion of the budget could have an effect on UW students in the coming years, when Lake Street and Library Mall are set to undergo redevelopment.
Eagon said no major redevelopments outlined in the capital budget will come to the campus area for several years, but the city must lay out their fiscal plan for the overhauling of a space like Library Mall before drawing up any specific plans for re-development.
Eagon said the budget does not present any major initiatives similar to last year’s proposals for major city projects requiring heavy use of city and taxpayer funds.
“Unlike last year there aren’t as many noteworthy, big ticket items in the capital budget,” Eagon said. “Last year…there were more substantial big issue line items like the Edgewater TIF.”
The budget will next undergo scrutiny from both the public and city agencies throughout the next several months.
The operational budget, which will be the city’s next fiscal undertaking after working through the capital budget, may cause more discussion and possibly controversy throughout the city, Eagon added.
A public hearing concerning the budget will be held September 28, while city officials from the city council and Board of Estimates will amend the budget. The current timeline calls for a final city council vote on the budget on November 16, with overflow meetings scheduled for the 17th and 18th.
