A budget committee unanimously approved a proposed amendment to Madison Mayor Paul Soglin’s 2015 operating budget, providing city funding for the University of Wisconsin’s Revelry Music and Arts Festival.
In a Board of Estimates meeting Monday, the board approved the amendment, which would provide Revelry’s organizers with $5,000 for its 2015 event.
The amendment was proposed by Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, who said he wished the city could provide even more than the $5,000 in funding.
“I really think that Revelry has been undervalued,” he said.
Organizers deserve tremendous credit for creating the event and helping it grow and fill the void of the Mifflin Street Block Party, Verveer said.
Revelry has played a role in dramatically reducing the police costs for Mifflin weekend, allowing the city to use some of the savings to fund Revelry, he said.
“Revelry has helped fill the void left when the police cracked down on Mifflin,” he said.
Josh Levin, a UW junior and former director of Revelry, said the money legitimizes Revelry as an established event.
“We have an entire community behind us,” he said. “It’s something that’s here to stay.”
The unanimous vote shows the city values the work organizers have put into the event, Verveer said.
The funding is the first of its kind for Revelry, which held its first festival in 2013, Levin said.
“Without the city… it would be impossible to put on a quality event,” Levin said.
A total of 34 amendments to Soglin’s 2015 operating budget were discussed at the meeting Monday, ranging from increasing parking fines to adding funding for structural façade improvements.
The board also approved an amendment providing funding for three additional neighborhood resource officers, which Madison Police Chief Mike Koval has advocated for.
Fines for parking illegally on private property were approved, but increased fines for expired meter and alternate-side parking did not pass.
The board also voted to increase alder salaries by $200 per month. Currently, alders make $8,250 per year in their roles.
The board also approved $25,000 to improve the façades of buildings in targeted areas around the city, including on State Street and the Capitol Square.
Soglin’s budget allocated $319,754 for additions to the budget, of which every penny has been allocated, Verveer said.
The board’s recommendations will be presented to the full City Council next week, Verveer said.
