Madison’s city Council will deliberate and vote on Mayor Paul Soglin’s proposed operating and capital budgets for 2013, including a set of amendments packaged together, during three upcoming meetings this week.
The bundled amendment package would make changes to the operating and capital budget, including restoring $900,000 to the Overture Center for the Arts and eliminating an increase in bus fares the mayor’s budget proposes.
Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, said if the bus fare were to increase, the price of student bus passes would most likely increase in about a year when the existing contracts between the university, Metro Transit and UW Transportation Services expire.
Adopting any amendment requires 11 out of 20 Council member votes. Fourteen alders are cosponsoring the amendment package.
“Assuming that the 14 of us stick together, the amendment will likely be adopted either Tuesday or Wednesday evening,” Verveer said.
After Common Council decides on the amendments, members will vote on both budgets together. Soglin will have five days to either sign or veto the budget once it is complete.
Verveer said Soglin has “privately threatened” to veto the budget because of the proposed increased funding to Overture.
The Council would then be able to override a veto with a two-thirds majority vote of 14 alders.
Ald. Scott Resnick, District 8, said voting on the amendments together provides Council members with a bigger picture of the budget.
“Grouping everything together... gives members a much easier sense to understand what the end goals are,” Resnick said.
