Ok – due to popular demand, here’s the run down on what happened last night . . .
We heard excellent public testimony from 6:30 – 9:45 or so last night. Thanks to everyone who came and tried to figure out how to be most effective. Obviously, we have some work to do on our process. 5 minutes to talk about 54 budget amendments with only a few days notice isn’t a good way to do things. But I digress . . .
Around 9:45 we started plowing through the Capital Budget amendments. And we didn’t get very far.
Amendment 1 – $319,759 in borrowing (costs the taxpayers $41,410 in the operating budget) to move design and engineering services for a new Far West Fire station from 2008 to 2007 passed on a unanimous voice vote. We have a site and own it and we are very likely to start this work in 2007.
Amendment 2 – $58,866 in borrowing (costs the taxpayers $7,623 in the operating budget) to purchase a new ambulance passed on a voice vote. There is some lingering concern about if it is the city’s role to provide extra ambulances on football saturday or if the University should start hiring a private ambulance service for this function.
Amendment 3 – $70,000 to remove funding for the bus shelter replacement for the bus shelter in front of Walgreens on the square. This would have no impact on the taxpayers in that it is TIF funds that are used for this shelter. Despite the difficulty getting answers out of staff about how much money goes for the actual shelter and how much is for the demolition, electrical work for the lighting and plumbing for a water source for the folks who maintain the capital square, the motion to remove this funding failed. Votes to remove the funding were: Brandon, Cnare, Compton, Knox, Palm, Sanborn, Skidmore, Thomas, VanRooy (9). Votes to replace the bus shelter were: Webber, Benford, Bruer, Golden, Gruber, King, Konkel, Olson, Radomski, Rosas, Verveer (11).
Amendment 4 – This would have removed Capital Square and State Street upgrades. Ald. Brandon knew he didn’t have the votes and moved to place this item on file. (“Place on file” in City speak basically means to remove from consideration.)
Amendment 5 – $75,000 in borrowing (costs the taxpayers $9,713 in the operating budget) to upgrade electronics at the railroad crossing at Johnson and Fordem Ave. These upgrades could make it so that there is a quiet zone in this area and the trains will not blow their horns (waking up the neighbors many times a night) unless there is a safety reason to do so. This passed 15 – 5. Voting against were: Brandon, Compton, Knox, Palm, Skidmore. Voting in favor were: Webber, Benford, Bruer, Cnare, Golden, Gruber, King, Konkel, Olson, Radomski, Rosas, Sanborn, Thomas, Van Rooy, Verveer
Amendment 6 – Removing $900,000 in funding for quiet zones around Union Corners. Would have saved the taxpayers $116,554 in the operating budget. This failed 12 to 8. Voting for removing the funding were: Brandon, Cnare, Compton, Knox, Sanborn, Skidmore, Thomas, Van Rooy. Voting for the quiet zone upgrades were: Webber, Benford, Bruer, Golden, Gruber, King, Konkel, Olson, Palm, Radomski, Rosas, Verveer.
Amendment 7 – Removing $1.2 million for upgrades to James Madison Park. This was a bit of a complicated discussion given that it was more about how we budget than the improvements to the park. At this point, the funding is removed, but I think we can expect an amendment from the floor to modify this. The funding for the improvments is tied to the sales of property involving the land under Lincoln School, the Collins House and two other houses in James Madison Park. Stay tuned on this one, I don’t think it’s over.
At this point, it was a little after 11:30 and we adjourned for the evening.
Tonight we start at 7:00 and we will be in room 260 in the Municipal Building (215 Martin Luther King). There is some confusion by several folks who I have talked to who wanted to show up tonight to testify. If many folks do show up, I may try to suspend the rules to allow them to testify. I’m not sure that my colleagues will go along with that, but it seems several people thought they could show up on any budget night.
