In a meeting that lasted nearly six hours and saw several yawning aldermen, the Madison City Council passed part of next year's capital budget Tuesday night.
City police will have what Madison Police Chief Noble Wray called 'non-lethal force' at their disposal after an amendment that would have cut funding for police Tasers failed to pass, despite the efforts of its architect, Ald. Austin King, District 8. King called the Tasers 'financially unnecessary,' but the council voted overwhelmingly to reject his amendment and the city will now look to purchase one Taser for every police officer.
State Street moved a step closer to a new parking structure after an amendment to the budget that would have eliminated funding for a structure was soundly rejected by the council.
Many of those who testified argued against the amendment because they thought a parking lot would boost State Street business. Ald. Ken Golden, District 10, also opposed the amendment but pointed out that the proposed lot has been on the capital budget for 10 years without action. Those opposed claimed that another parking structure will increase traffic and pollution downtown.
After the council deadlocked 10-10, the mayor voted to reject an amendment that would have eliminated funding for four new bus shelters on the Capitol square.
Ald. Zach Brandon, District 7, opposed funding the shelters, which, at $76,000 per unit, cost approximately seven times as much as normal shelters. 'What's good enough for East Washington Avenue is good enough for the square,' Brandon said.
But the shelters, which will cost the city roughly $304,000 and are identical to those found on State Street, were almost unanimously supported by members of the public who testified at the meeting. Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, called the current shelters on the square 'bunkers' and said that new shelters were 'desperately needed.'
A key issue in the budget discussion was Mayor Dave Cieslewicz's vow to keep property taxes below 4.1 percent citywide. Because of his refusal to raise property taxes, Cieslewicz turned to cuts in public services to keep the city on a balanced budget.
One of those cuts would reduce city spending on Metro services. At one point, several LaFollette High School students pleaded with the council to amend the budget and raise spending on Metro. The students said they could not participate in after-school activities because of the infrequency of busses on the south side.
That amendment, along with many others, will come before the council tonight as it considers the city's operating budget.
