P.O. Box 1222, Madison, WI 53701 | www.prodane.org | office@prodane.org | (608) 257-4985
Julie Spears thought she was doing the right thing. She showed up at the City-County building on the first night of the budget debate, filled out her registration form indicating which amendments she supported and which she opposed, and sat for a while to listen to the testimony of her fellow Madisonians. She chose not to speak, assuming that her views would be communicated to the Council when the non-speaking registrants were announced. Except that they never were, and it turns out that her registration was meaningless.
Julie's experience is representative of the city budget process this year. Despite the Mayors public budget workshops, which were ostensibly designed to solicit input, it is remarkably hard for the average citizen to participate in the actual budget process. Do you know how to get a copy of the Mayor's proposed budget or the amendments proposed by alders? You can find the Mayor's budget, but only after clicking through multiple city web pages. The Alder's amendments are only available if you use the search function.
Suppose you wanted to get involved early on in the process. You could go to the Mayor's budget hearing, and see a general presentation about why we have to cut the budget, but you wouldn't get any specific information about what might be cut. You could also have gone to the one of the mayor's budget workshops, where participants did a 'build your own budget' exercise, which was very interesting and resulted in some very creative thinking from the people who attended. Unfortunately, none of the mayor's staff was taking notes, so none of those ideas went anywhere. You could also have gone to the Board of Estimates meetings where the budget was discussed, but you would have had to choose between those meetings and at least five other city meetings, not to mention whatever else you have going on in your life.
On the night of the actual budget meeting, there was quite a bit of confusion. City staff had posted a short list of "items of interest" with their amendment numbers outside of the council chambers, but it wasn't until you went inside that you could pick up the actual text of the amendments. There were registration forms available, and the official word on how to fill them out was to list all the amendments you cared about and to indicated if you supported or opposed them, and if you wanted to talk. Missing from the scene were city staff available to answer questions or assist residents with the registration process.
Conversation in the hallway included questions about whether amendments supported and opposed should be listed on the same form; whether those wishing to speak could speak on only one item at a time or all amendments together; if one could speak on some amendments listed on the registration form and list support or opposition for others without including them when speaking; questioning whether the 5 minute limit was for capital and operating budgets together or 5 minutes was given for each; general discussion of how to best complete the forms so they make sense; and much frustration over the lack of assistance in understanding and completing the registration process.
Some were still confused when they had their turns to speak. At least two speakers returned to their seats thinking that they would have another opportunity to speak on additional amendments. As the evening wore on (the last public testimony ended at 10:45 pm), it was clear that many people who had wanted to speak had to leave, thus forfeiting their chance to have their voices heard. A large crowd turned out for the meeting, many of whom do not ordinarily attend. This sort of civic involvement should be encouraged with a friendly welcome and some assistance with the process, rather than stifled by confusion and frustration.
The budget is probably the single most important thing the City Council deals with in any given year. It's critical that the people of Madison have access to the budget process, and that their voices be heard. This year's budget process leads me to suggest several needed reforms to the process:
The reforms won't solve all our budget related problems, but they would go a long way towards making the process accessible to the average Madisonian. Remember - the Mayor and the Council work for us.
Posted by prodane at December 17, 2005 09:04 PM
We, the members of Progressive Dane, join together to form an independent political party in Dane County with a major focus on local issues. We pledge to work to improve the quality of life in Dane County for all people, particularly those marginalized by economic and social discrimination. We will work to improve our local government by making it open, easier to understand, and accessible for all citizens of Dane County. We are working to achieve positive policy change by electing accountable progressive officials and mobilizing citizen action.
Progressive Dane's "In The News" blog keeps you up to date on the latest news from (and about) PD. Check here for information on PD's policy initiatives and to read about what our endorsed elected officials are up to.
