P.O. Box 1222, Madison, WI 53701 | www.prodane.org | office@prodane.org | (608) 257-4985
This year's City of Madison budget was a vehicle for several significant insights to the Council's current state. With a backdrop of priority setting, pledge making and positioning for the future, there is a book's worth of short stories to write about the budget. But we've only got so much space, so here are the items of most interest to progressives. Thanks to Kristian Knutsen of the daily page for providing alot of data and analysis that helped us with this article.
Memo to local government: City residents view this as their budget
In spite of the difficulties people had navigating the City's budget debate and registration process, the City budget proved to be a very public document with more than one hundred of people weighing in on dozens of amendments over an unprecedented three days of debate by the City Council. Initially, the Mayor's budget has held out as giving everyone a little to love, a little to hate. Instead, the Mayor's budget proved to be a good draft, but one that needed some serious editing; Alders and the public went to work in earnest.
Full funding for Metro, in the wake of dramatic fare increases and promises to avoid dramatic service cuts, mobilized teachers, students, sane transportation policy advocates, bus riders, communities of color, workers, and advocates.
The attack on planning councils, led by Alders Zach Brandon and Larry Palm, mobilized neighborhood activists from across the city, moving the council to reject the 11th-hour sea-change in policy in favor of a future full debate.
The business community showed up to support bus shelters on the square and to oppose a handful of items.
The list goes on, and the testimony clearly helped some alders decide their votes. The public had a good day.
Pledges give way to actual priority setting; progressive ideals carry the day. Of keen interest to the Madison media was the emergence of a large group of alders that pledged fealty to an arbitrary line in the sand for the tax levy (a 4.1% increase, as compared to the final outcome of 4.3%). But when the debate moved beyond the headlines and onto the actual budget, the hard core Tax Cappers looked a lot like the parade at end of Animal House: a small group of marchers stuck in a deserted alley with Drum Major Brandon squished up against a wall.
Metro was made whole. Sister Cities, Race Study Circles, neighborhood planning councils, an extra neighborhood planner, a child care inspector, a receptionist at the senior center and Sunday hours at the downtown library avoided the axe. Funds were added for snow removal for disabled access to public transportation, the City's Weed and Seed coordinator, planning for Regent Street, and a bus route for LaFollette students.
Taxpayers were protected from a big bump in the levy by new revenue sources from the Transit Utility and developers and targeted cuts to overblown budgets in some agencies.
In every instance progressives voted with a diverse, varying list of centrists and conservatives to win key changes to the budget. Priorities had a good day.
Perhaps ironically, Progressive Dane endorsed alders proved to be the real centrists when it came to balancing progressive ideals and the effect on taxpayers.
Finally, the Mayor broke from his hard stance and embraced a budget that was built from the ideas he began while incorporating modest, but important changes that position Madison well for the future. Representative government had a good day.
Posted by prodane at 09:10 PM
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 09:04 PM
County Board races are coming up soon! The Progressive Dane Elections Committee will be holding interviews with candidates that are seeking the PD endorsement. The meeting will be on December 28 at the Social Justice Center - 1202 Williamson St. This meeting is open to Progressive Dane members.
4:00 pm John Hendrick D6
4:30 pm Barb Vedder D2
5:00 pm Chuck Erikson D13
5:30 pm Al Matano D11
6:00 pm Discussion and Elections Committee meeting
Hope to see you there!
Posted by prodane at 08:48 PM
Progressive Dane has endorsed the Healthy Families, Healthy City campaign to ensure that all Madison workers have paid sick leave.
A public hearing will be held on the proposed sick leave ordinance on: Wednesday, December 14th at 6pm at the Common Council Chambers (Room 201, City-County Building, 210 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd).
We need a lot of people to attend this hearing and register and/or speak in support. Please mark your calendars now and spread the word!
The hearing is sponsored by the Equal Opportunities Commission and members of the Common Council, the EOC, the Economic Development Commission, Joint City and County Board of Public Health and Early Childhood Care and Education Board will be in attendance to hear public comments.
Contact Vicky Selkowe at 772-6046 with any questions.
Posted by prodane at 09:37 PM