After sifting through a long list of amendments Wednesday night on day two of city budget debates, the Madison Common Council members voted to approve the 2009 operating budget in the early hours of Thursday morning.
The council passed an amendment created by Ald. Eli Judge to provide $50,000 in funding for a pilot program adding additional lighting to downtown streets. The Downtown Residential Lighting Initiative will serve heavy pedestrian areas including State, Langdon and Mifflin Streets as well as Capitol Square in an effort to improve safety.
The initiative received support from a number of figures, including officials from the Madison Police Department and the UW-Madison Dean of Students Office.
In accordance with the Dark Skies Initiative to reduce light pollution, Judge said specific details of what types of lights would be used in the program would be decided on by the Economic Development Division staff in conjunction with the Public Safety Review Board.
In one of the most controversial issues in the budget, the council voted in favor of increasing Madison Metro revenue $682,000 through a 50-cent fare increase. Mayor Dave Cieslewicz said the hike to a $2 fare was the most difficult decision he made when proposing his budget, yet essential in securing Metro's future.
An amendment to Cieslewicz's budget sponsored by Ald. Brian Solomon, District 10, and Ald. Satya Rhodes-Conway, District 12, attempted to eliminate revenue from a fare increase to lessen the financial burden on low-income riders who make up about half of Metro ridership.
I think we can all agree that Metro is a basic service'¦because it's an essential service and a basic service, we need to make sure that it is affordable for the people who need it most,"" Solomon said.
Ultimately, an amendment created by Ald. Jed Sanborn, District 1, that essentially reverted Solomon and Rhodes Conway's amendment back to most of Cieslewicz's original proposals gained the support of the council in a 12-8 vote. Supporters of Sanborn's amendment like Ald. Julia Kerr, District 13, said a fare increase was the best way to improve Metro services in a time of economic hardships and high fuel costs.
""I'm hoping that a fare increase will help us lay a foundation for a more robust Metro over time that serves more people and that's the basis for my support of this,"" Kerr said.
