Two representatives from the city and county government met with University of Wisconsin students Monday to discuss their respective 2013 budgets and their impact on the city and campus community.
Dane County Supervisor Leland Pan, District 5, and Ald. Scott Resnick, District 8, both represent UW student districts at the county and city level and spoke on topics including student safety, transportation and homelessness.
Resnick spoke on the city budget, which at $266 million is much smaller than the county budget, which sits at $500 million.
He said $108 million will be allocated for the Madison Fire Department and the Madison Police Department in the budget, and $50,000 has been proposed for police overtime on campus.
Resnick noted $100,000 will add more cameras in the downtown area and added approximately 72 new pedestrian lights have already been installed.
Library Mall, which has been under construction in various places for 10 years, will also receive $500,000 for planning a multi-million dollar project, he added.
Resnick also added that the Metro fare is increasing from $2 to $2.25. This may not affect students as much as the student bus pass increase from $1.15 to $1.25 for the 80 buses, he said.
Resnick said this will not affect the 80 or 81 routes this year or next year, but it will in future years.
Mayor Paul Soglin is proposing cuts in overtime for campus move out, which includes the extra city cleanup staff. Resnick said he is pushing for this to be included in the budget.
Resnick also addressed moped parking as another issue affecting students, but one that is not included in the budget. He said mopeds are currently considered bicycles, but that will change this coming spring.
“The entire issues stems from the moped cluster outside Grand Central,” Resnick said. “Safety is an issue.”
A moped subcommittee created an ordinance that will cover the entire city, he said. Resnick said the area between the sidewalk and street is not legal, but the sidewalk to the building is legal in most cases.
Pan said buses, an important issue for students, are not addressed at the county level, however the county has leeway on spending on lakes.
“We [the county] are extremely limited compared to others,” Pan said regarding budget leeway.
As for the issue of homelessness in Madison, Pan said half of the $500 million county budget is going towards health and human services, which includes homeless shelters.
Pan said $50,000 is being proposed for a temporary homeless shelter. Currently the site is yet to be determined, but he said a location on Wright Street near the airport and a location on East Washington Avenue are two options.
He said the location on East Washington is “much more convenient” due to the prominence of homeless people in the State Street area.
“I agree that the ultimate solution to homelessness is housing,” he said. “We can’t just sit around and wait so pushing for funding is incredibly important. It’s the moral thing to do.”
Pan said he is confident one of the two locations will work, although neither is ideal. He said he hopes to make a more fully-fledged daytime center in the future.
Regarding the upcoming winter’s effect on the homeless, Pan said the homeless usually stay in Madison Library or the Capitol basement during winter, but both are shut down for construction.
Students can vote on county and city budgets in mid-November.
