Madison Common Council members voiced frustration at Mayor Paul Soglin after he said he was considering a veto of the council’s budget, saying the mayor should have made his concerns known earlier.
The mayor announced in a statement late Thursday that he and council members will hold a news conference at 11 a.m. Friday to discuss options for the budget.
Soglin had expressed concerns about budget items throughout the process, including at Tuesday’s meeting, but never indicated he was considering a veto until after the Common Council passed the budget Tuesday.
Ald. Scott Resnick, District 8, who is running against Soglin in the upcoming mayoral race, said council leadership and the mayor will work together to address concerns, but expressed disappointment with the mayor for not making his intentions known earlier.
“I’m woefully disappointed with the mayor’s leadership, that he did not communicate with council members prior to a veto threat,” he said.
The mayor didn’t realize the effects of his budget until after it was proposed, Resnick said.
“The mayor’s executive budget created millions of dollars in additional operating costs,” Resnick said. “It’s unfortunate the mayor only realized these costs after he proposed this budget to council members.”
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The budget, which the council passed unanimously Tuesday after eight hours of discussion, will experience one of four outcomes, alders said.
Two of the options include a veto from the mayor, which the council can either uphold or overturn.
The other two options would be for the council to pass a motion to reconsider the budget or for the council to amend the budget through a resolution, which would require 15 votes from the 20-member council, Ald. Chris Schmidt, District 11, said. Schmidt is also the council president.
Many of the alders felt strongly about Soglin’s possible veto, he said.
“Alders are very unhappy with what has happened this week,” Schmidt said. “We have a budget process, and we have followed it. Concerns should have been brought forward from the start.”
Schmidt and Resnick both said they believe the budget as it stood Tuesday has enough support from alders to survive a veto attempt.
Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, said a compromise had been reached between council leadership and Soglin Thursday, but could not provide specifics as to what the compromise involves.
“I’m pleased that a compromise has apparently been reached,” he said.
Details from the compromise are expected to be unveiled at Friday’s news conference, he said.
The new budget proposal will be presented to council members at a regularly scheduled meeting Tuesday night, Verveer said.
Soglin did not return a request for comment for this story.
