As city representatives debated a series of amendments to the city operating budget'ranging from parking fees to sister-city programs'for a second consecutive night Wednesday, some of the debates became pointed.
Ald. Zach Brandon, District 7, emphatically pounded his desk while questioning City Council President, Ald. Paul Van Rooy, District 18, about council procedure.
Brandon's questions came after Van Rooy scolded someone who interrupted testimony from a fellow alder. He responded to Brandon's qualm by telling him that he wished to run this meeting as efficiently as possible, in light of the six-hour session that had occurred Tuesday.
'If we addressed all 50 of [tonight's] amendments, we would be here until 3:00 tomorrow morning,' he said.
The tension was eventually broken by the laughter that filled the room following Brandon's remark, 'If someone wished to address the council, would they really have to stand every time they wished to speak'?
One of the only amendments to receive approval, which had considerable bearing on the annual operating budget, was the sixth amendment of the evening. The amendment would increase revenue from parking meters following final budget approval. More meters will be installed in parking spaces under right-of-ways.
Brandon did not support this amendment, saying that the city should keep down taxes in a realistic way. Ald. Ken Golden, District 10, responded by saying that this was a service people should be paying for.
The room was split for most of the evening and many of the amendments did not pass, including a cut to a $10,000 sister-city program with Rafa, a city in Israel's Gaza strip.
Another amendment to the budget that might have had consequences for friends of students was a proposal to increase the hotel room tax by one-half percent to ultimately subsidize the Overture Center. Ald. Austin King, District 8, supported the proposal.
'The Overture Center is getting people from out of town come into Madison to stay overnight,' King said. '[By increasing this tax] we would be placing the burden off the citizens.'
