After months of debate on the topic, Madison’s City Council members postponed the police officer body cameras project Tuesday.

An amendment proposed by Ald. Scott Resnick, District 8, postponing the implementation of body cameras for police officers was approved, moving the project back to 2016.

The project sparked some controversy among community members who thought the funds could be better used to help underprivileged groups instead of on surveillance.

Madison Police Chief Mike Koval said he saw body cameras as not only a necessity but also an inevitability.

“Death, taxes and now body cams, they’re all inevitable,” he said.

Despite stressing the need for the cameras, Koval said it’s important to take the time necessary to ensure the project is implemented properly.

“A lot of the communities that are going to the cameras are starting from a position of mistrust,” he said. “I really don’t think we have the same mistrust in our city toward our police.”

Koval said he’d like to make sure everybody has a voice in the process to ensure everyone is on the same page.

The council also struck down an amendment that would have reduced funding for traveling to different cities to gather information about how those cities operate.

“I do support staff going out and seeing the best of the world and bringing it home to Madison,” Ald. Larry Palm, District 12 said.

Visiting other cities and describing Madison’s benefits also helps market Madison, he said.

Mayor Paul Soglin said the trips were beneficial for bringing new ideas into the city.

“When you look at the millions of dollars that are new directions for the city […] they all derived from city staff traveling,” he said.

In the future these ideas from traveling will help shape the city’s energy and transportation policies, he said.

A proposed amendment requiring a business plan before any capital funds could be spent on the public market project faced criticism from Soglin.

“If the amendment was limited to acquiring land […] I think the amendment would be reasonable. But an amendment that prohibits the expenditure of all capitol expenditures […] kills the project,” Soglin said.

In many cases, the city would have to spend some capital in order to enact the business plan, he said.

Several members of the public spoke in favor of allowing funding for a public market to be added to the budget.

The council also approved an amendment allowing for a $5 increase on parking fines for expired meters, and approved a postponement of a road expansion project on the west side that would affect access to a bike trails and increase traffic in a residential neighborhoods.