Mayor Paul Soglin addressed the city's 2012 Operating Budget Tuesday, saying he is "open" to discussing a compromise for the current Overture Center budget.
Madison's Board of Estimates recommended Monday a $250 million operating budget to be considered by the Common Council on Nov. 15, with $1.35 million allotted toward the Overture Center budget.
According to Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, Soglin is willing to compromise additional funding for the Overture Center, somewhere between $50,000 and $500,000.
According to Soglin, the allotted $1.35 million is an increase from the 2011 Overture funding of $1,297,473, though some have suggested funding should be $2 million, the amount promised by former Mayor Dave Cieslewicz.
"The structural agreement was reached last year before the new world of Gov. Walker," Soglin said in a statement, referring to cuts in aid to local governments from the state. "Since that time many contracts were rewritten, including labor agreements with most city unions."
Verveer proposed an additional $500,000 for the Overture Center's $1.35 million budget, but the additional funding was denied by city officials Oct. 24.
"A half a million dollars is a lot of money for anybody's budget," Verveer said after his proposal was denied. "It could make the difference between an individual having a job or not ... between shows taking place or not."
Soglin said if he could spend additional funds, he would allot them to snow plowing for exceptional blizzards and to different services and positions that focus on strengthening neighborhoods and building communities.
"Streets, neighborhood resource teams and other priorities will have to wait," Soglin said in a statement. "Overture can too."
-Taylor Havey
