Mayor Proposes Citizen Task Force on Government Structure

The mayor and I are a lot alike in some regards. Good idea Mayor. But, you know he won’t appoint me, grrrrrrr . . . .

April 12, 2016

To: Members of the Common Council
From: Mayor Paul Soglin
Re: Citizen Task Force on Government Structure

As you know, I oppose the recent proposal to significantly restructure city government. Even more troubling than the substance of the proposal, is the process by which it was conceived. It was formulated without public input, and without proper consideration of the unique structure of Madison government.

It is a disservice to our history, and to our residents to make major changes to City government without a proper process. If there is a problem with city government, we need to identify it and work to fix it. If there is a desire for fundamental reform, we need to articulate our goals and our ideals, and reexamine how we operate.

Proponents of the Clear-Ahrens proposal plan to have it adopted by mid-May with virtually no public leadership or discussion. The paradigm they introduce has little connection to the history of the city of Madison government. Madison, like many local governments, has developed its own practices and allocations of power to fit the community.

Since Alders Clear and Ahrens released their proposal, I have had productive conversations with many alders about the need for a more open and inclusive process. I am pleased that a number of them have voiced their support for a citizen-led process that will guarantee transparency and public input.

On April 19, I will introduce a resolution to create a task force of city residents to examine, among others, the following issues:

– The impact restructuring has on people of color and those living with lower incomes, including a full racial equity analysis that assesses benefits, burdens, and unintended consequences of any potential changes

– A comparison of the structure and practices in selected cities in the population range of 250,000-500,000 including:
o Whether the city is growing or declining in population, as well as its diversity
o An evaluation of the quality of life, economic health and fiscal systems

– The attributes of councils with full time members, part time members, and those considered to be volunteers performing their duties for a nominal salary or honorarium (The current form based on the last citizen lead, council approved recommendations.)

– The committee system, and the use of resident members

– The size and cost of council staff

– District and city wide elections for council members

– The powers and duties of the mayor including the hiring, firing and supervision of department and division heads

– Any extraordinary powers of the mayor including appointment authority to the Board of Estimates, veto, line item veto and emergency management

– The size of the staff and budget of the mayor’s office

– The division of authority between the Council and City staff, such as the size of contracts that may be approved administratively

– The roles of the executive and legislative branches regarding operation of City agencies and development of work plans

As I work on finalizing the resolution, I welcome your input and suggestions on these or any other issues we should be examining.