Nineteen amendments to Madison's 2010 Executive Operating Budget were discussed at the Board of Estimates meeting Monday night.
The amendments covered a wide span of funding issues, including alcohol inspectors, a vending monitor, ice skating rinks, community access television, traffic engineering and bus stops, mail notifications concerning ALRC members and health insurance co-pay.
One proposed amendment in particular garnered a considerable amount of public support.
Eleven representatives—some officially representing WYOU, a Madison public access cable television station, and some individuals of the Madison community—spoke at the meeting in support of an amendment that would grant WYOU $70,000 in restorative funding.
Madison resident Jane Anne Morris was one of several community members expressing support of the proposed amendment.
""Institutions like the Central Public Library and WYOU community television promote the gathering, dissemination, discussion and exploration of knowledge and ideas,"" she said.
Despite this support, the council ultimately decided against the amendment.
Restorative funding for public education and community outreach, which will include snow emergency updates to the UW homepage, was approved, while funding for ENACT, a community program that promotes environmental awareness and more sustainable living, was eliminated.
Instead of approving an amendment that would delete $10,000 in funding for alcohol inspectors, an alternative was decided upon. The Alcohol License Review Committee will provide a detailed plan, including position descriptions for alcohol inspectors, before making any funding decisions.
One amendment awarded $38,000 in restorative funding for ice rinks for Garner, Goodman, Olbrich, Warner and Westmorland Parks.
Additional funding for 200 nearside Madison Metro bus stop signs was also approved in an effort to correct ""boarded corners,"" in which signage faces motorists, not passengers, making the location somewhat ambiguous.
Mayor Dave Cieslewicz said he remained optimistic about the amendments and the overall budget.
""There's a good balance between modest tax increases without any major cuts anywhere … taxpayers will see continuation of services, no pay cuts, and no one will lose their jobs,"" he said.
