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City Platform of Progressive Dane 2010

The platform is also available in PDF format for printing

Revised and Approved by the Progressive Dane Membership, November 2010

As members of Progressive Dane, we dedicate ourselves to these goals and principles:

• Quality Social Services and Public Health
• Sustainable Economic Development
• Responsible Land Use
• Safe, Efficient, Accessible Transportation
• Affordable Housing and Tenant Rights
• Employment Rights of City Employees
• Open and Democratic Government
• Protected Civil Rights and Liberties
• Tax Justice and Local Sovereignty

Quality Services and Public Health

We believe it is important to improve and sustain high-quality health and safety-net programs.

• We support sufficient funding and annual cost of living increases and oppose budget cuts and re-allocations that come at the expense of such programs. We seek reforms promoting greater community participation in the prioritization and allocation of funding.
• We support improving and expanding job training; child care assistance for families and training for teachers; assistance to neighborhood organizations; services and accommodations for people with disabilities; domestic violence prevention; public health, including HIV and AIDS services, prevention and education; services for the homeless; services for tenants; alcohol and drug abuse treatment services; medical and legal services for the poor; consumer protection; libraries; parks; and public areas for meetings, assembly and art.
• We support ordinances that promote clean air for the health, safety and comfort of workers and the general public and to give people with respiratory illness fair access.

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Sustainable Economic Development

We support economic development that will allow workers and their families to become self-sustaining members of the Madison community. City policy should promote economic development that benefits the general public by favoring and furthering the creation of family-supporting jobs; equal opportunity; a rising standard of living; a more equal distribution of wealth and workers’ rights. We believe the city should have an Economic Development Plan that is annually updated through a public process, that actually guides the decision-making of the City of Madison, including budget and planning decisions, and that focuses on areas of the city most in need of assistance.

• We believe in a minimum wage that acts as a living wage and is indexed to inflation.
• We believe that the City, in granting contracts and economic support for development projects and when purchasing goods and services, should locally owned firms, minority owned firms, women owned firms, unionized firms and firms with a proven track record of recruiting and hiring a diverse workforce.
• We believe that City policy should promote and expand job training and educational opportunities, particularly to benefit those members of our community who have been under-represented due to income status, disability, gender/gender identity, sexual orientation, racial and ethnic background.
• We believe that City policy should prioritize programs of economic and social aid and protection to our community’s most vulnerable residents and should protect funding for such programs as part of an economic development agenda.
• We believe that City policy should seek opportunities to make health care benefits available and affordable to small businesses and the self-employed.
• We believe that the City should critically evaluate prospective development projects to fully understand any potential environmental and economic impact.
• We believe that City policy should require businesses that receive economic subsidies, including Tax Incremental Financing (TIF) funds, from the City to pay their employees a living wage, indexed to inflation and to provide health insurance benefits.
• We believe TIF should be used to support projects that would not otherwise occur and where there are clear public benefits, economic and otherwise, and include Community Benefit Agreements.
• The location and scope of TIF districts should be driven by priorities set by the City, and the City should issue guidelines and seek applicants for projects to be funded according to these guidelines within districts.
• We support a uniform application of minimum financial feasibility criteria for funding TIF Districts.
• We expect and support tangible, measurable economic benefits, including permanent employment for residents, from developers receiving Tax Incremental Financing. Developers who fail to produce these results should be required to repay the TIF subsidy with interest.
• We believe that the City development approval process should be transparent and predictable, taking into account independent expert opinion (e.g., the Landmarks Commission and the Urban Design Commission) and neighborhood opinion. 
• We believe that city policies should promote and expand affordable and accessible public transportation options to promote economic development along transportation corridors making jobs and commercial activities more accessible without relying on motor vehicles.
• We support initiatives and programs that promote energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy by the City of Madison and its residents; including distributed renewable generation.
• We support cooperation, financial and otherwise, between the city and public school system.
• We believe the city should support initiatives and programs that promote environmentally friendly technology and employment.
• We support neighborhood based economic development.  City policy should strengthen and grow locally-owned small businesses.
• We believe that concerted efforts to employ local sources in meeting the collective needs of Madison's residents, businesses and organizations must an essential part of a successful economic plan.

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Responsible Land Use

City policy should be used to contain urban sprawl and preserve the environment.

• We support city policy that discourages urban sprawl and encourages community-oriented infill development and redevelopment.
• We support transitional zoning to encourage gradual reversal of inefficient and wasteful styles of development.
• We support zoning codes and development of infrastructures that further local sustainability, such as community gardens, edible landscapes, water catchments, urban agriculture, and marketing and commercial preparation of local food products.
• We support sustained attention to Madison’s water system to ensure a comprehensive long-term plan for new and existing wells, water conservation, and efficient water distribution. 
• We support Dane County’s green space plan and efforts to coordinate city policy with its goals, as well as aggressive implementation of measures for preserving shoreline and expanding public park land.
• We support strengthening responsible land use requirements for large retail developments.
• We seek to strengthen enforcement of laws regulating industrial, commercial, agricultural, and residential pollution, and reinstatement of local powers to reduce pesticide pollution.
• We seek strong city support, adequate staffing, and funding for neighborhood planning.
• We support stronger adherence to neighborhood planning and creation of neighborhood conservation districts.
• We advocate the use of only environmentally friendly pesticides by the City of Madison.
• We support sound practices which avoid or reduce problems of groundwater shortages, flooding, lake contamination, and algae blooms. We also support programs that improve storm water management and reduce harmful runoff.
• We support investments in sustainable transportation alternatives.  Any vehicle owned or leased by the city should be as fuel efficient and non-polluting as practicable.

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Safe, Efficient, Accessible Transportation

We seek efficient public transportation that is accessible and affordable to all and believe the city should encourage use of alternative forms of transportation including bicycling, walking, car-pooling, and public transit use. Funding priorities for the city should emphasize alternatives to driving alone.

• We support a regionally integrated public transportation system, including a convenient, accessible inter-city bus station with easy connections to other forms of transport.
• We support comprehensive, efficient, and fully accessible bus service (including nighttime service), holding fares at affordable levels, subsidies for low income residents, and assistance for employers to provide incentives for alternatives to driving alone.
• We oppose burdensome surcharges for paratransit services, especially door-to-door service.
• We support the creation of a parking stall or impervious surface fee to generate increased revenue for alternatives to driving alone.
• We support the adoption of a complete streets policy.  We believe facilities investment and engineering, law enforcement, and public policy should facilitate bicycling and walking.
• We support a reduction of motor vehicle miles traveled in the city.

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Affordable Housing and Tenant Rights

We believe that housing is a human right and the city should ensure high quality, safe, fair, accessible, and affordable housing for all.

• We support the development of additional affordable/low-income and accessible housing throughout the city, including the construction of new city housing.
• We support progressive incentives for developers who maintain a substantial proportion of developments as permanently affordable housing.
• We oppose displacing anyone from current traditional housing or transient shelter.
• We support making available long-term housing to people without homes of their own.
• We support flexible zoning policies in order to promote affordable housing alternatives, including co-ownership and cooperative housing arrangements throughout the city.
• We support improved enforcement of tenant rights in accordance with the Madison General Ordinances. We support licensing of property owners and management companies renting three or more residential units so that repeat violators of housing regulations lose their licenses to rent residential units.
• We oppose the use of eminent domain procedures against resident owners of private homes or against local owner-occupied businesses unless there is a clear benefit to the neighborhood and a substantial majority of the residents of Madison.
• We support zoning policies that increase the supply of quality affordable housing in all parts of the city.
• We oppose policies that perpetuate discrimination and segregation in housing and support policies that affirmatively further fair housing and facilitate economically diverse and inclusive neighborhoods.
• We support adequate funding and a dedicated funding source for the Affordable Housing Trust Fund.
• We support adequate shelter space for homeless individuals and families.
• We support access to facilities for life-sustaining activities for homeless individuals and families.
• We support legal protections to enhance security of tenure, including a good cause standard for eviction.
• We believe those applying for and participating in emergency shelter and CDA housing programs are entitled to services delivered with respect, courtesy and care.
• We support a 3rd party complaint process for grievances related to homeless shelter services.
• We oppose discrimination in housing based on credit history which is unreliable, dated, or unrelated to a housing obligation.

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Employment Rights of City Employees

We support the rights of city employees to join unions and to enjoy protection from discrimination as defined by law.

• We oppose the privatization or contracting out of services provided by city employees.
• We seek better enforcement of provisions against discrimination and sexual harassment in the public workplace.
• We oppose pre-employment drug testing of prospective city employees. We oppose drug testing of current city employees without probable cause.
• We support improved communication concerning human resources processes and a more transparent process for discipline of non-union employees.
• We support a more transparent process for revision of job descriptions and positions.
• We support a public process for department and division reorganizations that includes vigorous employee input in the process, including when to undertake reorganization.

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Open and Democratic Government

We support open, accountable, and understandable government that fosters meaningful civic engagement by the public as well as election systems that are free from the influence and impact of private money.

• We support full public financing of elections.
• We support the establishment of mandatory filing of campaign finance reports to the city in electronic format.
• We support making all public documents easily accessible in a timely manner.
• We support strengthening and enforcing the city ethics code.
• We support council review of mayoral appointments to city boards, committee, commissions, and work groups.
• We support efforts to enhance the ability of all residents to fully participate in city boards, committees, and commissions.
• We favor extending local voting rights to all adult residents of Madison.
• We support enforcement of the current city ordinance requiring the annual registration of lobbyists.
• We support a stronger and more straightforward lobbying law that provides for frequent reporting and disclosure by anyone being paid to influence elected officials and staff.
• We support a strong ethics training program and rigorous enforcement.
• We propose that the city adopt a resolution calling for state enabling legislation to allow local governments to use alternative electoral processes for local offices.
• We support the use of voter-marked paper ballots at all polling places.
• We support policies that ensure the right to vote free of intimidation or harassment.
• We support an inclusive public input process for the City’s budget, including providing detailed information in the budget.
• We support expanded opportunities to offer meaningful public input to all public officials.
• We believe that community education, government television, and other community media are vital to an open and democratic government and should be publicly supported when necessary.

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Protected Civil Rights and Liberties

City policy should support the civil rights of all, regardless of socioeconomic status, citizen status, disability, and all other Madison protected classes. City law enforcement agencies should consistently reflect the goal of protecting and serving the public.

• We support effective formal citizen oversight of the police.
• We support strong enforcement of the Equal Opportunities Ordinance.
• We oppose the criminalization of loitering.
• We support treating drug-related issues as a public health, rather than a law-enforcement concern.
• We support prioritizing neighborhood police officers and other community policing efforts.
• We oppose the reduction or elimination of domestic partner benefits.
• We believe everyone should have the right to enjoy public spaces and parks.  We oppose over-policing and profiling of various populations, including the homeless, and support improvements to ensure access by the physically disabled.
• We oppose the banning of alcohol in parks and call for alternative solutions to problematic behavior instead of prohibitions.
• We support the current sanctuary city status and oppose any cooperation of city agencies, including the police, with the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency and with any agency cooperating with the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.

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Tax Justice and Local Sovereignty

We support a system of progressive local taxation based on the ability to pay and sufficient to meet local needs.

• We oppose state-imposed caps on local spending.
• We support statutory changes allowing additional revenue options for local units of government.

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