The Madison City Council passed the 2008 capital budget late Wednesday night, started deliberation of the operating budget and pushed debate about adding 30 new police officers to the Madison Police Department until tonight's meeting.
Mayor Dave Cieslewicz and several other city officials sat through grueling hours of debate on 17 proposed amendments to the capital budget that totals nearly $167 million. The capital budget addresses long-term goals of the mayor and the city, whereas the operating budget is meant to focus on current issues - mostly public safety.
Changes to Allied Drive became one of the more debated issues, as well as a proposed amendment to delete $35,000 in funding for police Tasers. Ald. Brenda Konkel, District 2, noted the MPD already has 103 Tasers available for officers. The money would push that amount to 175.
Some alders supported Konkel's proposed cut, citing safety issues. Still, others claimed Tasers are less lethal weapons compared to hand guns which is the alternative. Ald. Zach Brandon, District 7, who was the only alder to vote against the adopted 2008 capital budget, said the idea behind Tasers seems to be a more national issue.
Ald. Judy Compton, District 16, echoed Brandon's thoughts and said local safety should not be sacrificed.
If we don't have adequate equipment for the police department, people can die,"" she said.
Heated discussion stretched into the night. At 9 p.m., the back-and-forth deliberations prompted Cieslewicz to inform the council that if they continued on their snails pace, they would be debating the capital budget for another 26 hours.
Still, the council came to agreement, despite Brandon's warnings of painful cuts in years to come if they did not address the 182 percent increase in borrowing.
The council then began deliberations of the 2008 operating budget with the understanding that talks about the addition of officers to the MPD would be saved for debate at tonight's meeting. Police and public safety have been hot-button issues in this year's $224 million budget. In fact, police costs make up nearly 25 percent of the $224 million.
Ald. Eli Judge, District 8, sponsored an amendment to the mayor's proposal of adding 30 new officers. He said he wants to knock the number down to 18 in an effort to save money for social programs, which he feels would fight poverty and crime.
