The City Council adopted a $100,000 Downtown Safety Initiative Tuesday night, while a referendum to put the fate of the proposed trolley system on the April 3 ballot failed.
The downtown safety initiative was the first item on the agenda and passed with a unanimous vote. Nearly all the alders and community members who spoke on the issue were in full support of Mayor Dave Cieslewicz's plan.
The bulk of the $100,000 is to be spent on police overtime and new security cameras in the downtown area. Cieslewicz and the police hope the money will provide some solution to the rise in crime seen last year. Madison Police Central District Commander Mary Schauf, one of the main supporters of the plan, said now that the money is guaranteed, work can begin soon.
""The work just starts,"" Schauf said. ""We'll start working on stuff tomorrow.""
Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, was an advocate of the mayor's plan throughout the legislative process. He said all the attention to cameras and added security are a good start to ending some of the violence in troubled areas.
""I think the plan will go a long way toward fixing the problems that occurred last year,"" Verveer said.
However, debate quickly picked up when talk turned to the proposed trolley system, as attendees argued whether to bring the issue to vote in April. The City Council voted 16-1 to reject the proposal after many members voiced concerns over the lack of information currently available.
""Right now, I don't know how I would I vote [in April],"" said City Council President Austin King.
Cieslewicz said he was glad the referendum failed because more studies need to be done before the community votes on it. ""It's ridiculous to put it on the ballot,"" he said.
King agreed and said he could not take a stand right now. He said he ""wants to know the positives and negatives.""
Currently, the trolley study is costing taxpayer's $300,000, according to mayor hopeful Ray Allen. Still, Cieslewicz said the study is necessary and is designed to answer questions about cost, loss of green space and traffic congestion.
""We will have 100,000 vehicles in Dane County in the next 20 years,"" Cieslewicz said.
Yet, all three of the mayor's opponents—Ray Allen, Peter Munoz and Will Sandstrom—were in favor of moving the vote to the April ballot. Munoz said the trolleys will do nothing but impede traffic and cost money, and Allen noted other ways the money could benefit the city.
""The cost of one mile of trolley track can go a long way in stopping poverty,"" Allen said.
