Although Tuesday’s blizzard closed much of Madison’s operations Tuesday night, the City Council fought through the weather to debate Mayor Dave Cieslewicz’s proposal for a shared bike rental system scheduled to begin this summer.

The proposal, which was ultimately passed by a 15-4 vote, will move $100,000 of this year’s operating budget from the city’s reserve funds to help finance the program’s operations.

Debate about whether the proposal should pass at all arose between alders who called the project a “sweet-heart deal” from Cieslewicz to Trek Bicycle Store, a shareholder of B-Cycle, the company proposing the project. Trek sponsored a bicycle trip for Cieslewicz and other city employees earlier last year.

Ald. Bridget Maniaci, District 2, along with other alders, said she was wary of the program because of how quickly it reached the council floor without highly detailed plans for the system’s logistics. Ald. Thuy Pham-Remmele, District 20, hinted that the mayor’s trip to Europe could have played a potential role in speeding up the adoption process.

“I have nothing against the concept,” said Ald. Larry Palm, District 15. “I have everything against how we got here and how we’re going to spend the money. We’re going down a rabbit hole, and I’m very concerned this is something we haven’t studied enough.”

However, Trek spokesperson Danielle Dejean said the window of opportunity to bring the B-cycle program to Madison is small, which creates a need for a quickly paced process. She said the proposal is being pushed now because the funds were not previously available to Trek and, further delay might lead to losing the opportunity.

Trek would donate the bikes, but the station locations are still undetermined at this time, Dejean said. Madison residents would be able to rent bikes with time-designated passes like 24 hours or 30 days and return the bikes to any kiosk in the city.

The program will be under a three-year contract between Trek and the city, where the city will pay $100,000 per year and Trek will foot the additional $750,000.

Along with providing bicycles, Trek would operate the system, including repairs and maintenance. Dejean said the company hopes sponsors might help offset costs. While Trek does not expect any initial profit, Dejean said if a profit were made, the money would be split evenly between the city and Trek. 

Alders also debated the advertising legalities, proposal logistics and the chance for the program’s success in Madison.

Ald. Bryon Eagon, District 8, called the proposal a “no-brainer” and said the program itself is an outstanding long-term transportation investment. Ald. Mark Clear, District 19, said he believes the program will be “wildly popular” throughout the city.

The locations for rental stations are currently unknown but will be decided after careful review with various city departments, officials and members of the public, Dejean said. Other concerns such as advertising locations will be determined after further review by city officials and district attorneys.

Trek’s goal is to have the system implemented by May, in time for the summer months, Dejean said.