Mayor Dave Cieslewicz unveiled parts of his 2007 executive operating budget Sunday, stressing public safety in light of recent downtown muggings.
Topping the proposed budget is the addition of 10 new Madison police officers, a $500,000 move that would mark the largest increase in the police force since 1995. Cieslewicz also plans to commit $190,000 to state-of-the-art squad cars for the Madison Police Department and to upgrade seven officers to detective in the hope of solving criminal cases.
""Madison is fortunate to be a very safe community, but we are not immune from the disturbing national trend of increasing crime,"" Cieslewicz said. ""Public safety is the single most important service that local government can provide.""
Police have had particular trouble in their investigations of campus-area robberies, which have put downtown on edge since early 2006. Central District Commander Mary Schauf said, ""Victims are often too drunk to remember what happened to them and have been unable to provide adequate suspect descriptions.""
Still, Cieslewicz plans to commit $100,000 to a Downtown Safety Initiative aimed at preventing future assaults and robberies. According to spokesperson George Twigg, Police Chief Noble Wray will work with downtown ""stakeholders"" in determining how the money should be spent.
Wray applauded the mayor's budget, which would provide more than $1.5 million in public safety initiatives if approved by the city council.
""These are important investments in public safety to protect our community,"" Wray said.
In addition to programs aimed at curbing crime in downtown's ""rapidly-growing entertainment district,"" Cieslewicz also plans to put more money into the Allied Drive area.
A $100,000 jobs initiative targeted at the south side neighborhood will include a program to prepare Allied Drive residents for the employment world and a push to help minorities enter training programs. Since his 2003 election, Cieslewicz has made Allied Drive a priority of his administration and has repeatedly said the city must work to improve its most crime-ridden neighborhood.
The total proposed budget will run approximately $49 million and will be introduced to the city council Tuesday. As is the case with most municipal budgets, Cieslewicz's will probably run into public opposition regarding programs that do not get as much funding as others.
""The mayor's budget features investments in the Police Department to fight crime, and in community services programs to address the root causes of crime,"" Twigg said.
