Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz presented the 2011 Operating Budget Tuesday, which cuts back on student safety services and provides a 4.8 percent tax increase for the average home.
Cieslewicz called the budget ""modest"" in a statement and said property tax increases are needed to keep basic services available and to maintain financial stability.
The budget will scale back the Downtown Safety Initiative by reducing it to $50,000. The Downtown Safety Plan puts more police on patrol when downtown Madison and the campus area is crowded, including Friday and Saturday nights and campus sporting events.
Funds for the Downtown Safety plan were cut from $100,000, when the plan was put in place in 2007, and were further reduced in 2009 to $80,000.
Cieslewicz said the budget does not decrease police, fire or snowplow services overall. Additionally, there will be no change in strategy for how snowplows tackle the downtown area. The mayor's office has received criticism in the past for its approach to snow removal.
There would also be no increases in fares for Madison Metro services and no routes will be cut.
