Madison officials will juggle a second budget in the following months now that Mayor Dave Cieslewicz has introduced the city’s 2011 operating budget about a month after introducing the city’s capital budget.

Cieslewicz introduced the city’s operating budget at a City Council meeting Tuesday night, where alders voted to refer the budget to a number of city committees.

The budget has increased by about 3 percent from the previous years while housing taxes hover around 5 percent, Cieslewicz said in a statement.

Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, said he was impressed Cieslewicz managed to keep property taxes reasonable. He added the upcoming election may have played a factor in the lower increase.

“I’d say this is a status quo budget.” Verveer said. “Most Madison residents will not notice any dramatic changes in city services provided.”

Although housing taxes may seem irrelevant to students, Verveer said students who rent buildings downtown pay city property taxes through their rent.

He added other components in the budget directly affect students, including decreased funding for the downtown safety initiative.

The initiative funds overtime pay for downtown police control in the evening weekend nights and began as a response to a period of violent crimes in 2007. Verveer said the initiative has seen its funding cut in half over the past two years.

University of Wisconsin Senior Ald. Bryon Eagon, District 8, said the budget maintained a grant program dedicated to increasing lighting downtown. He said the program is a positive for students because additional lighting would improve students’ quality of life and safety.

The budget also introduces alternative initiatives to combat city crime.

Cieslewicz’s budget would create a new crime prevention unit comprised of four detectives, according to a statement. The team would work to target an identified group of habitual criminals who contribute to upwards of 50 percent of the city’s crime.

Along with the unit, the budget would expand a current program that aims to minimize crime by approaching it as a public health issue. The program would additionally create stronger neighborhoods by helping curb crime rates, Cieslewicz said in the statement.

“We continue to weather the challenging economic climate with steadiness and consistency,” Cieslewicz said. “My budget makes no major cuts to basic services and invests in the strength and health of our neighborhoods.”

Eagon said the budget is reasonable considering the time and fiscal constraints the city faces.

“There were no drastic increases or cuts,” Eagon said. “For Madison to maintain its community and public services is an accomplishment in itself.”

Staying consistent with previous budgets, Cieslewicz increased community service funding by $200,000 more than the agency’s proposed amount. In the past eight budgets, the funding for community services has increased by roughly 50 percent.

Eagon said potential areas of debate include certain agency budget cuts and the decision not to include 20 additional police positions.

After reviewing the operating budget, alders will propose amendments to the Board of Estimates. The board will then debate the operating budget next Monday and Tuesday before recommending it back to the City Council.