Downtown Residents Concerns - Not Police.

Last night, downtown Alders Verveer, Rummel and myself (Eli Judge was ill) met with the Capitol Neighborhoods group to discuss issues of concern to the downtown. What struck me was that unlike many other areas of the City, the police weren't even mentioned. Each of us outlined some of the issues that we see in our districts and after 45 minutes, we opened it up for questions. Questions from the audience included: downtown neighborhood plan, zoning code rewrite, planning coordination between State St and Hilldale with an emphasis getting a good variety of retail and other businesses, beautification of the downtown area, support for our neglected parks and homelessness. It wasn't until the end of the discussion that someone asked about Madhatters, but even then, this discussion wasn't about police or police resources. It was about the behavior of the people who go to these places.

This just refueled something that I'm been thinking about. Why isn't the downtown having the same kind of hysterical safety meetings that are going on around other parts of the City? The issues are largely the same. We have the same "quality of life" issues that everyone else is facing. We have the same types of police non-responsiveness to these types of issues. They don't respond to our calls about noise and other issues either.

I'm not sure why there is a little bit different attitude downtown. I can't really say for certain, however, I have several guesses. So, here's a few ideas about why the reaction of downtown people is a little different:

1. We've been facing these issues for years. Some people are just worn down from talking about them ad nauseum and feel like we've gotten the best response we can from the police.

2. Our downtown alders have been asking for resources and getting them, essentially getting a better response from the police department because of the advocacy of some very active alders (I credit Alders Verveer and King for this.)

3. The responsiveness of the police includes regular downtown safety meetings and liaison officers for our neighborhoods. (These are not necessarily neighborhood officers, just a primary contact in the police department.)

4. Downtown people are very involved in neighborhood listserves and the information that they need has been provided through police newsletters and active questions to the police with relatively prompt answers.

5. Perhaps, by this point, they are satisfied with the promise of 30 new police officers.

6. We were ahead of the curve and had our "freak out" meetings last year and have moved on to solutions.

7. The police and the Mayor were not there last night and so they focused on other issues.

8. These issues were expected to be discussed in other venues.

I'm not sure what the reason is, but the noticeable lack of expression of concern about "downtown crime" was interesting, even if the reasons were not clear. And, to be clear, I don't think this means that downtown residents are not concerned about crime, I am certain that they are. I just think that when given the opportunity to discuss issues of concern with their alders, there were many other issues that were of concern.

After saying all of that, there is one other factor to be considered. How meetings are portrayed in the media and the amount of hype that they get. Check out the headline in the Badger Herald. Based on the headline and what the writer chose to focus on, I would have guessed I was at a completely different meeting. I guess the other issues discussed just weren't "sexy enough" to write about. That's the danger of relying on the media to know what really happened.
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Oooops! 1.9 still equals 2.4, but . . . .

The problem with blogging, is sometimes you make a mistake, then do you erase and fix, or do you just note the problem? There was an error in my police numbers this morning . . . but the problem makes the point of my blog even worse . . . .

On my blog I said the number of commissioned officers was as follows, but that includes civilians as well . . . I grabbed the numbers from the wrong column, so I included the other numbers here as well - the first number here is the number of commissioned officers, the second number is the number of total personnel. I should have just told people to look at the link to appendix H, but some people don't like that . . . lesson learned. Here's the numbers, but of the compared cities 64% of them have less than 1.95 officers per 1000 or 18 of the 28 cities the police chose to compare themselves to.

Durham NC 2.44 2.90
Reno NV 1.61 2.47
Columbus GA 1.98 2.46
Orlando FL 3.54 4.95
Modesto CA 1.34 1.90
Huntington Beach CA 1.18 1.89
Irving TX 1.57 2.32
Yonkers NY 3.17 3.53
Tacoma WA 1.81 2.01
Des Moines IA 1.82 2.50
Glendale CA 1.16 1.72
Spokane WA 1.47 2.02
Grand Rapids MI 1.89 2.28
Shreveport LA 2.56 3.10
Richmond VA 3.23 3.80
Montgomery AL 2.12 2.97
Lubbock TX 1.43 1.70
Fort Wayne IN 1.84 2.43
Fremont CA 1.00 1.55
Madison WI 1.76 2.14
Scotsdale AZ 1.66 2.76
Rochester NY 3.12 3.87
Garland TX 1.25 1.79
Lincoln NE 1.35 1.82
Glendale AZ 1.42 1.98
Plano TX 1.41 2.03
Baton Rouge LA 2.62 3.34
Greensboro NC 2.09 2.85

I'd have to check on the number of civilians at the UW and Capitol Police, but I thought I should fix the numbers as soon as I was made aware of the problem.
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How Many Jobs Did That Create?

So, one of my concerns over the years is that with all of the talk about Economic Development in this town, its hard to see what Ald. Zach Brandon and Mark Bugher have done in their four years on the Economic Development Commission that helps workers. The Mayor, in his response to Mark Bugher's resignation, makes a list of things he feels have been accomplished (paraphrased cuz I couldn't copy the text in the pdf):

Creation of Small Business Advisory Council
Acquisition of software
Started to create a One stop shop to make it easier for developers to do business with the City
Two Small Business conferences
Healthy City Economic Development blueprint
Starting an economic development plan for the city (the first since the early 80s)
Start to revise the zoning code
Giving money to the Collaboration Council
Rapid Respose Team
Giving Developers a record amount of TIF
Strengthening the Economic Development Commission
Creating a buy-local policy
Giving more money to Greater Madison Convention and Visitors Bureau
Bringing Wi-fi downtown

OK - nice list, but how many jobs did all that create? And meantime, what policies did they stand in the way of that would have made it easier for workers to live in the City of Madison - a few come to my mind - minimum income, paid sick leave and multiple affordable housing programs.

And why were things like getting the economic development plan and a buy-local policy made so difficult by some of these same people?
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When does 1.9 = 2.4?

When you are the City of Madison police department.

Ok - you asked for it. Several people asked me, "why isn't that on your blog?", so here it is.

The need for 30 new police officers is partially based on a formula and a committee recommendation that we try to get to 1.9 police officers per 1,000 people in the city of Madison. Although I thought we were getting away from that formula and that is why we authorized spending on a study, for the sake of simplicity, we'll go with the 1.9 figure. There is one fatal flaw in that reasoning and it is as follows:

The City of Madison has 398 authorized police. (Organizational Chart)
The University of Wisconsin Police have about another 50 police officers.
The Capitol Police have about another 50 police officers.

398 + 10 new officers approved last year that will hit the streets in 2008 + 50 UW police + 50 Capitol police + 30 new police = 538

The population of Madison is $224,0000 (from police website).

That means, we actually have 2.4 police officers per 1,000 residents of the City of Madison.

The next question people seem to ask is, so what? How does that compare? According to the 2003 Police Staffing report, here's how that compares to others based on data from 2001 (see appendix H):

(Note, I made an error, this number includes officers AND civilians, new numbers are here.)

Durham NC (190,217) 2.90
Reno NV (190,218) 2.47
Columbus GA (190,262 377) 2.46
Orlando FL (190,769) 4.95
Modesto CA (192,366) 1.90
Huntington Beach CA (193,117) 1.89
Irving TX (195,963) 2.32
Yonkers NY (196,447) 3.53
Tacoma WA (196,638) 2.01
Des Moines IA (198,468) 2.50
Glendale CA (198,596) 1.72
Spokane WA (198,744) 2.02
Grand Rapids MI (198,842) 2.28
Shreveport LA (199,986) 3.10
Richmond VA (200,842 648) 3.80
Montgomery AL (202,350) 2.97
Lubbock TX (204,093) 1.70
Fort Wayne IN (206,886) 2.43
Fremont CA (207,193) 1.55
Madison WI (209,537) 2.14
Scotsdale AZ (209,686) 2.76
Rochester NY (220,177) 3.87
Garland TX (220,665 275) 1.79
Lincoln NE (225,841) 1.82
Glendale AZ (226,348) 1.98
Plano TX (227,069) 2.03
Baton Rouge LA (227,637) 3.34
Greensboro NC (227,700) 2.85

I'm not sure how these cities were chosen, but note, that even in 2001, when the recommendation of the committee was to go from 1.8 to 1.9, the City of Madison was at 2.14.


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It's not in there.

In looking at the Capital Budget, I was at first horrified. Then just very disappointed. And now, even more people are being disappointed. Here's some examples of what's making at least a few people unhappy, in what is usually not a controversial document.

1. Tenney Park Shelter. This one took several emails before people believed me. I kept getting the response of "but the Mayor told us". I don't know what the Mayor promised my constituents, as I was not invited to the meetings about this project in my district, but, it's not in there.

2. James Madison Park. This one, I'm not surprised. The Mayor took forever to appoint a committee to deal with selling the homes in James Madison Park and as a result, we didn't spend the $200,000 that was in the budget to make improvements to this park. The Comptroller explained that when money is authorized and not spent, that we just reauthorize it the following year, which is why our capital budget is growing so much. However, this money was not re-authorized. It's not in there.


3. TIF 10% Set-Aside Program. Same story, different budget line item. This is money, based on a program we set up, that assures that 10% of the money in TIF districts is spent on affordable housing. However, the program has essentially been undermined by budgeting gimmicks ever since the program began. Last year, we put money in the budget, but I don't believe it was spent. So, it should be re-authorized. However, it's not in there.

But what is in there? Raiding the Affordable Housing Trust Fund to build a road. Something not allowed under our current ordinance.
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City Committee Resignations

When I first heard about several committee resignations due to being upset with a decision of the Mayor, I thought they were talking about the EOC (Equal Opportunities Commission), but it was the EDC (Economic Development Commission). It seems Mark Bugher has resigned over the decision of the Mayor to hire Bill Clingan as the Economic and Community Development Director for the City of Madison. Rumor has it that Tom Still has resigned as well and others may be considering it.

I thought it was going to be 4 members of the Equal Opportunity Commission who were talking about resigning after the Mayor shoved the new version of the Chronic Nuisance Ordinance through the Common Council without the advice of the Commission, which his office asked to wait to consider until they could get a new draft. However, I think ultimately decided to stay on the EOC because of the impending race issues likely to explode over the assinine comments of the police department about "people from Chicago".

All I can say is "duh". This was a trainwreck anyone paying attention probably could have seen coming. Just like trying to hire a Clerk/Treasurer, its very difficult to find someone who has the skills in both areas. I even asked the question at the time and I was told "don't worry." And of course, the Mayor pretty much promised the business community an "Economic Development Czar" position, forgetting about the second half of the job which was the "Community Development Czar" part of the position.

I gotta say, this Mayor just doesn't care who he alienates. Didn't he learn anything from Sue Bauman?

p.s. You can read Marc Eisen's (Isthmus) account of the public Bugher/Mayor Dave break-up here.
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Call the Building Inspector!

Last week, I got into a little argument with George Hank from Building Inspection. The argument went something like this (yes, its edited and perhaps a little exaggerated, for effect):

Brenda: Housing stock in the downtown is really deteriorating.
George: Well, we only have 7 building inspectors and only a few work on systemic building inspections so we can only get to every unit once every 6 years, the rest work on a complaint basis.
Brenda: Well, how many building inspectors do you need to get to the buildings downtown faster?
George: If I had more building inspectors, I wouldn't send them downtown, there are bigger needs in other areas of the City. (He did a much better, more eloquent job of saying why they were needed elsewhere)
Brenda: Well, how many?
George: 2
Brenda: What about downtown, I think that especially closest to campus, in Eli Judge's and Mike Verveer's district its really gotten bad.
George: It has really gotten bad, in your district too.

The conversation goes on a bit, I think I irritated George a little with my questions, and finally, he kinda (justifiably) sarcastically tells me that the Tenant Resource Center should work harder to get people to call the Building Inspector, since most building inspections are based on complaints.

Then, I kinda got mad, but didn't saying anything. Then, I got to thinking. Yes, the City of Madison gives the Tenant Resource Center a little over $40,000 to help tenants, including telling them to call the Building Inspector. However, this is about the same amount of money that the Tenant Resource Center got back in 1991 and there have been a significant number of rental units added to the City of Madison since then, not to mention inflation. Anyways, with a little over 40,000 rental units in the City of Madison, that's a little less than $1 per rental unit. If there is an average of 2 people in rental units, that's 50 cents per renter. About all you're going to get for 50 cents is:

CALL THE BUILDING INSPECTOR! 266-4551

Ok, seriously, the real point of this is not if Building Inspection or the Tenant Resource Center should advertise building inspection services or the even bigger question of why City services get pushed off to non-profits with inadequate funding. The point is, I get the feeling that these types of conversations go on all over this City as budgets get squeezed, the City grows and there is no more money for the services that the City needs. Just another reminder of what the budget discussions are going to be like this year as we bend over backwards to pay for 30 cops which we may or may not need.

[Note: If you're having repair problems, here's my best (brief) advice, click on the link for more info.
1. Call your landlord, let them know about the problem.
2. Start a log of all the times that you call the landlord, note the date, time and who you talked to.
3. Follow up in writing if you have a smaller, non-full time landlord or you think the landlord won't do the repair.
4. If you give the landlord a reasonable amount of time to fix the problem and they still don't fix it, call the building inspector!

There, now I said it, twice. And, for the record, Tenant Resource Center is always taking donations.]

p.s. My Program Director informs me that we referred over 1,000 people to the building inspector last year, which is between 1/6 and 1/7 of the people who call us. That ranks right up there with the number of people we referred to Consumer Protection. The only place we made more referrals to were Small Claims (1700) and the Landlord (4000).

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The Cost of 30 Police Officers.

At the last council meeting, we stopped crime in Madison. Well, not really. We passed two ordinances, one that would stop new bars from opening in the downtown area and one that would hold landlords accountable for building inspection problems (5 in one year) or tenant arrests on the property (3 in 90 days). They were called the Alcohol License Density Plan and the Chronic Nuisance Ordinance. These two ordinances, plus the promise of $100,000 in extra overtime for the Police Department, the somewhat racist crackdown on "people from Chicago" or "suppression" efforts on the westside and 30 new police officers were all designed to give the public comfort that we were getting tough on crime. It was all a very orchestrated attempt, including blowing off committees, to show that we were catering to those in this community that are uncomfortable with their changing neighborhoods. Press releases were issued and we made a big deal out of our efforts, but what is going to change?

In 6 months, will the City be safer? Will people feel safer? How will we know? Will we be told in a press release that we are safer so some can declare victory? (Mission Accomplished!) Will there be more arrests for "quality of life" crimes committed with the new "zero tolerance" policy of the police department? Or, will things just feel different because it is the dead of winter and people aren't hanging out on the streets? Will tenants get evicted because landlords are concerned about getting charged money for police calls? Will all of this hoopla make people feel safer, or will the frenzy continue? And how much of this is more of a cultural clash that could be handled through education and neighbors getting to know each other? What happened to that great Madison philosophy of "educate first"?

Are these two new ordinances and extra money for overtime enough to address the concerns of people who feel unsafe? Will the 10 new officers that will start in 2008 help to address these problems? Or do we really need the 30 new officers in 2009? How are we supposed to know? And how will we know when we are successful?

Equally problematic is the question of whether the entire City budget is going to be held hostage to the costs of 30 new police officers. Will city services be curtailed because some alders and the Mayor decide that they are "auxillary" functions? Will social service programs be cut because its "the County's problem"? And, in the long run, will all of these cuts in services just further erode the public's faith in the ability of the City to provide basic services? And will these cuts result in future increases in crime because we don't invest in our community and the people who are struggling to live here?

We won't see the Mayor's operating budget until next week, but even with TIF money falling from the sky, there are going to be some major issues coming up that will determine the future of this City and how to sustain this level of funding for the police department. Are we going to be a City that is living in fear and puts all of our money into public safety, or will we have a longer term vision of what this City can be, for everyone that lives here, and invests in that future?

[Note: After I wrote this, I read Alder Solomon's blog, he said it even better.]


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The Week Ahead: Sept 24 - 28.

Here's all the excitement you can handle for this week! The full weekly schedule can be found here, with agendas here. Unfortunately, the city's website was not working this morning and I kept getting a "This page cannot be displayed" warning. So, I couldn't access the agendas and eventually the entire Legistar page stopped showing up. So, links and details are missing.

Monday, September 24, 2007
4:30 PM BOARD OF ESTIMATES ROOM 260 MMB
6:15 PM COMMON COUNCIL - DISCUSSION ROOM 260 MMB
This is a council discussion on the budget, both Capital and Operating.

Tuesday, September 25, 2007
4:30 PM MADISON ELECTION ADVISORY COMMITTEE ROOM 303 MMB
5:00 PM PEDESTRIAN/BICYCLE/MOTOR VEHICLE COMMISSION ROOM 260 MMB

Wednesday, September 26, 2007
8:45 AM EARLY CHILDHOOD CARE AND EDUCATION BOARD ROOM 260 MMB
12:00 PM CDA LONG RANGE PLANNING SUBCOMMITTEE ROOM LL-110 MMB

Thursday, September 27, 2007
7:15 PM WARNER PARK COMMUNITY ADVISORY CENTER ADVISORY COMMITTEE 1625 NORTHPORT DRIVE, WPCRC

Here's a few meeting the Clerk doesn't have properly noticed, but agendas (sort of, used to) appear in Legistar:

09/25/2007 Tue 12:00 PM PARKING STRATEGIC PLAN, AD HOC COMMITTEE TO DEVELOP
09/26/2007 Wed 6:00 PM STREETCAR STUDY COMMITTEE
09/27/2007 Thu 5:00 PM ALLIED AREA TASK FORCE
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Quick Vacation: ACL

This week has been such a blur, Rob and I went to the Austin City Limits Music Festival last Friday - Monday, here's the highlights, written on Monday and I'm first getting the photos together to blog it.


Rob and I spent the last three days in Austin Texas! Where even they want to impeach the president! We got to see all kinds of great music, some of it planned, some of it, a pleasant surprise. On Friday we got into town around 1:30, took a taxi to our hotel and headed down to the festival. We waited for a taxi for about 45 minutes, then we gave up and took the bus for 50 cents! (Unfortunately, Rob heard on the news that they may be raising it to $1, but still a bargain by Madison standards!) Some nice locals let us know where the best place to get off the bus was and we got to walk a bit through downtown Austin on the way to the free shuttles to Zilker Park. We were able to see:

JJ Grey and Mofro – These guys actually were in the same hotel as us. As we were waiting for the cab that never came, we saw them load up their instruments and jump in a van to the festival. When we got there and walked over to the stage we both realized that we had just been in the same parking lot with them. They rocked and I was very excited that they played Lochloosa – which is my favorite song they do. They almost didn’t do the last song because the “soundsystem” was too loud, but the crowd made them come back.


LCD Soundsystem - After JJ Grey and Mofro were done, we had to go see the “soundsystem” that was so loud. Turns out, they were fun to listen to and we enjoyed them very much when they weren’t competing with the other band.

The Mighty Clouds of Joy – The best way to describe these guys would be gospel rock and soul. They played under the tent and the shade would have been a real welcome thing because the sun was so hot, but it was just muggy and sweaty under the tent and it was better outside.

Reverend Horton Heat – Rob finally got me to listen to him live. I actually kinda liked it, but not as much as Rob. He pl.ayed a music through time section and it really showed the variety of music he could do well. The crowd loved it, from age 2 or 3 to those with gray hairs.


Bjork – Well, we kind of listened on our way out . . . .

After a long day of traveling and music we went downtown to 6th street to check it out then we found a cab with the help of a dude pedaling a rickshaw and then made it back to our hotel for some much needed sleep.

Saturday we slept in, went back to the bus to get us back downtown, ate some lunch on 6th street and then went to the festival grounds saw:

Railroad Earth – We found a spot in the shade next to the tent and were able to enjoy the bluegrass/funk/rock but we didn’t go into the tent because as the guy behind us said in a southern drawl “that’s gotta be swampy in there.”

Steve Earle – He played acoustic guitar with a DJ scratching on stage with him which was a unique sound.

Stephen Marley – Reggae!

Zap Mama – This was one of the pleasant surprises for us. This woman had a ton of enthusiasm that the crowd couldn’t help catching. Although the Texas sun was beating down hard, you couldn’t help dancing.


Damien Rice – Time for some mello rock so we could sit down and relax for a bit after dancing to Zap Mama. He played a couple of songs we recognized from the radio but nothing outstanding.

Indigo Girls – We listened to a few songs but we really wanted to go see Cross Candian Ragweed, so after a few tunes, we grabbed another beer and went on our merry way.


Cross Canadian Ragweed – We listened for a while, but it was a little too country pop for us, so we headed back downtown.

We ate at the Speaghetti Warehouse – we had some good food and gave our feet a small rest before we headed back to 6th street where we spent some time listening to the Mizzbehaving Band and back to the hotel.

By Sunday, we had the routine down, city bus, walk, shuttle bus, walk, beer, music, beer, music, sun, sun and more sun! Sunday we got there a little earlier and we saw:

STS9 (Sound Tribe Sector 9) – We enjoyed this band a lot. We did a little dancing, a little people watching and got some more sun.


Grace Potter and the Nocturnals – After dancing to STS9 we went back over to the tent and found a bleacher to sit on and listened to this band, however, we didn’t stay sitting for long. She had us quickly on our feet watching her play her flying V guitar, organ


and a little drums and listening to her great voice. This was another of the pleasant surprises.


DeVotchKa – We went and saw them cuz of the name and they were a unique blend of Russian music and pop with a dude playing the fiddle and a chick playing a pink and black tuba as well as the cello.

Charlie Musselwhite – Never disappoints.

Lucinda Williams – Unfortunately, the last sounds of the festival was that irritating song . . . you took my joy . . . . bummer.

Unfortunately we missed Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Ziggy Marley and Bob Dylan, but we went out to a fantastic dinner with Rob’s cousin and her husband. It was nice to see them as we only see them once every few years, so it was well worth it.

We’ll be back in Madison soon, to read hundreds of emails, answer phone calls, let the blisters on my feet heal and get back to work, but it was a great little get-away.
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3:30 AM . . .

I hope this trend of skipping committees and doing committee work on the Council floor doesn't continue . . . these late nights are a killer when you have to work full days on both sides.

The first 15 minutes, we didn’t do much of anything substantial. We passed an honorary resolution to honor the 27 years of service to the City by Roger Goodwin, we did some committee appointments and made some referrals. We tabled the Downtown Alcohol License Density Plan, so that at 6:45 we could take up the public hearing items. We did the public hearing and referred the Cliff Fischer project on Butler St, the hotel on E Washington and the capital budget. We did pass the Freakfest ability to choose their vendors and some houses and duplexes on the Westside.

We then passed the “consent agenda” which was everything on the agenda with the exception of items
14 – Alcohol License Density Plan
18 – Surplus Property
30 – Bassett small cap TIF
35 – Improvements to Municipal and City-County Building
36 – Double-filling Mayoral Aide position
77 – Term limits on alders and the Mayor
78 – Early Public Testimony
81 – Capital Borrowing Program
86 – Chronic Nuisance Ordinance
96 – Mayoral Committee Appointments

Then, about 7:15 we took up the Downtown Alcohol Density Plan. We heard from a handful of people, then did question and answers for quite some time. Around 9:00 I made a motion to table the questions and hear from the rest of the people speak so that they could go home if they needed to instead of listening to the Common Council babble at ourselves. The motion failed with the following votes:
Aye: Webber, Bruer, Gruber, Judge, Konkel, Palm, Rhodes-Conway, Rummel, Sanborn, Solomon
No: Clausius, Cnare, Compton, Kerr, Pham-Remmele, Verveer, Clear, Schumacher, Skidmore
Abstain: Brandon (conflict of interest due to ownership in Laundry 101)

So, we stopped, took a break and moved on. Alders talked and around 11:00 Thuy Pham-Remmele, after speaking herself, made a motion to prevent everyone else from speaking. That motion needed a 2/3 vote and passed with the “aye” votes as: Webber, Bruer, Clausius, Clear, Cnare, Compton, Gruber, Kerr, Pham-Remmele, Sanborn, Schumacher, Skidmore, Solomon, Verveer. “No” votes were Konkel, Palm, Rhodes-Conway, Rummel, Judge and abstaining was Brandon.

Then, because their motion passed, without allowing the Mayor and I’m not sure who the ability to speak, we proceeded to the vote after the Mayor thanked Joel Plant (former Alcohol Policy Coordinator, now Mayoral Aide). The “Aye” votes to pass the ordinance were: Bruer, Clausius, Clear, Cnare, Compton, Gruber, Kerr, Pham-Remmele, Rummel, Schumacher, Skidmore, Solomon, Verveer. The “No” votes were Judge, Konkel, Rhodes-Conway, Sanborn, Webber, Palm. Brandon abstaining.

At 11:00 we finally started testimony on the Chronic Nuisance Ordinance. The testimony went from 11:00 to 11:45. Several speakers, of course, had gone home. We then asked questions of speakers for 20 minutes or so before we heard from the police department around 12:05. We were lobbied by 5 polices officers in uniforms for quite some time and it was after 1:00 by the time we started debate. The first motion was from Brian Solomon for referral. That motion was made at 1:50 and failed 8 - 12. Those who voted to honor the process and consider what the Equal Opportunities Commission had to say were Webber, Gruber, Kerr, Konkel, Rhodes-Conway, Rummel, Solomon and Verveer. Those against were Brandon, Bruer, Clausius, Clear, Cnare, Compton, Judge, Palm, Pham-Remmele, Sanborn, Schumacher and Skidmore.

There were a few motions made to change the sunset the length of the sunset and to change the dates of reports. At that point, there was a vote to call the question and accept no amendments. Even though I had told council members I had 8 amendments. That motion failed with those voting to cut off the possibility of any amendments being Bruer, Clausius, Clear, Compton, Pham-Remmele, Sanborn, Schumacher and Skidmore. Those voting to allow discussion and amendments were Webber, Cnare, Gruber, Judge, Konkel, Palm, Rhodes-Conway, Rummel, Solomon, Verveer and Kerr. After losing that vote, we went on to discuss the ordinance.

I moved to divide the question so that the building inspection part of the ordinance would pass unanimously, but there were some disingenuous comments about how this was an inseparable package and so that motion failed. Aye votes being Webber, Konkel, Rhodes-Conway and Rummel (The Green Ladies). The rest of the votes being Brandon, Bruer, Clausius, Clear, Cnare, Compton, Gruber, Judge, Kerr, Palm, Pham-Remmele, Sanborn, schumacher, Solomon and Verveer. Skidmore being out of the room. Several more amendments were made, some passed, some failed, some were friendly. The final vote on the ordinance was 18 - 2. The two being Webber and myself.

At this point, we dealt with items 18 (passed), 30 (passed with amendment to require property to be up to energy efficiency standards), 35 (passed), 36 (passed), 77 (passed), 78 (passed with voice votes of no by Compton and Cnare), then at 2:55 in the morning we got to number 81. 6 people had registered to speak, 5 for, 1 against, but all had gone home.

The issues of doing capital borrowing to create affordable housing was ignorantly discussed for a while, until the Mayor kindly suggested that it was late and perhaps we should just refer this. Remarkably, that motion failed. Those voting against referral (and then later complaining that it was late and we should just vote) were Brandon, Bruer, Clausius, Clear, Compton, Judge, Palm, Pham-Remmele, Sanborn, Schumacher and Skidmore. Those voting to take the Mayor's advice and refer this and discuss at a more reasonable time were Webber, Cnare, Gruber, Kerr, Konkel, Rhodes-Conway, Rummel, Solomon and Verveer.

After some more discussion, there was a motion to call the question, which failed with those voting to cut of the debate they didn't want to refer being Brandon, Bruer, Clausius, Clear, Compton, Judge, Kerr, Pham-Remmele, Sanborn, Schumacher and Skimore. Those voting to keep debating were Webber, Cnare, Gruber, Konkel, Palm, Rhodes-Conway, Rummel, Solomon and Verveer. After some further discussion - and I might add - pointing out that this could be the solution to helping some of the very properties that we had been talking about all night with the chronic nuisance ordinance - the motion finally failed with the following people voting against tax-free affordable housing for the City of Madison: Brandon, Bruer, Clausius, Clear, Cnare, Compton, Gruber, Judge, Palm, Pham-Remmele, Sanborn, Schumacher and Skidmore. Those voting to a virtually tax-free simple solution for affordable housing were: Webber, Kerr, Konkel, Solomon, Verveer, Rhodes-Conway, Rummel.

Then item 96 passed after a few words of thanks to Mike Barrett for the often thankless work of sitting on a City Committee and being unceremoniously dumped. There were some items introduced from the floor and around 3:30 we adjourned.

I then went and grabbed breakfast with Marsha Rummel, got home at 5 am and now . . . its getting light out. So, please excuse the inevitable typos and lack of links, but I have to get a few minutes sleep before I have to take a shower and get to work as I have a long day in front of me, including my board meeting this evening (a 12-hour work day!).
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Sorry.

Sorry, no preview of the council meeting. I was in Austin TX enjoying the Austin City Limits Music Festival Friday - Monday and am trying to catch up on everything I've missed. Hopefully, I'll be back to my regular blogging schedule starting tomorrow.
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Just Eliminate City Committees

Here’s a half serious proposal – eliminate all city committees. It’s only half serious because I value the input of city committees and I think they add a lot of value to the outcome of various proposals, save the City Council time and that the City is a better place because of the hard work and dedication of the volunteers that make the committee process function on a daily basis here in Madison. However, not everyone seems to value that input. In fact, some seem to go out of their way to eliminate or greatly curtail the input of various committees. And worse, the Mayor has been more and more vocal about reminding people that they serve at his pleasure and removing those whom he does not see eye to eye with or somehow challenge him. So, if we just eliminated City Committees we could save staff time and money and hey, hire another 20 cops or so.

There are three very glaring examples of the City Committees being skipped and the Council voting before getting their input, two at the last meeting and at least one at the upcoming meeting.. The Allied Drive Resolution, the Zatch Act and the Chronic Nusinance Ordinance.

Allied Drive – At our August 7 meeting, the Mayor introduced his Allied Drive Resolution, abandoning the Request For Proposal (FRP) process we had been talking about for the past 11 months and announcing that the CDA would be the only people we would negotiate with to build affordable housing on Allied Drive. That resolution was then rushed through the process with the CDA, CDBG Commission and Housing Committee all being forced to schedule special meetings at the last minute at the request of the Mayor’s office. Unfortunately, the Housing Committee meeting wasn’t properly noticed by staff and the Housing Committee was unable to meet, but the City Council voted without their input. (Oddly enough, staff then showed up at the last meeting, after the council had voted on the matter and asked for the Housing Committee’s input. What was the point?)

Zatch Act – This was the “loophole” proposal to limit the political activities of poll workers and people who work in the City Clerk’s office. The Election Advisory Committee rushed and had special meetings and voted against the proposal. Alder Brandon decided to change the proposal, waited several more weeks after rushing it through the committee process and then at the last minute introduced a new proposal and didn’t want to get the committees input. The Council voted on this proposal that would have greatly impacted the elections process without the input of the Madison Elections Advisory Committee.

Chronic Nuisance Ordinance – This is the ordinance that the Mayor decided was important after hearing from folks on the Westside about their concerns about crime. This ordinance, in my opinion, has many unintended consequences for tenants in the City of Madison. What they say it will do is if there are more than 3 arrests for certain crimes in 90 days or 5 building inspection write ups in a year, then the police department will work with the landlord to remedy the situation – i.e. evict the tenants. This ordinance has been sitting around for months, and a new draft came out late last week (Thursday). The Equal Opportunities has been waiting for this draft. However, the Mayor and others have decided that we will be voting on this ordinance on today, without the input of the Equal Opportunities Commission, despite the fact they were told to wait for the new draft before acting on the ordinance.

This situation is exacerbated by the more distant comments by the Mayor to the Transit and Parking Commission when they were voting on bus fare increases which many on the commission were against but the Mayor supported; comments to the Parks Commission since they voted against the Mayor’s wishes about selling land in James Madison Park; the fact that the Mayor removed Paul Skidmore and myself from the Parks Commission and Plan Commission because we disagreed with him; and with more recent appointments, the removal of Kelly Thompson-Frater from the Plan Commission (without talking to her first) and Michael Barrett from the Urban Design Commission (without talking to him first). The message is loud and clear, tow the line, or be removed.

To me, all of this flies in the face of our proud Madison tradition of welcoming and valuing citizen imput, having a robust and thorough committee process and our rules about having a 45 day referral process for all committees. Some people wonder why process matters. This is why. When some people feel like they can just ignore the rules, the public process is cut short, the debate is stifled and the end product has less buy in and consensus within the community and we have longer council meetings because things have to be discussed on the floor of the Council instead of in committee. I’ve always been proud of the fact that the City of Madison was an open, public process oriented City and I’m sad to see that change and I don’t like the direction we are headed.
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Serious Crime or Quality of Life

The Isthmus has reported on how the police a going to crack down on the west side, and included the letter the police department sent out. In looking at the list of crimes they are going to have zero tolerance on, I started wondering how this is going to work with the Chronic Nuisance Ordinance (which we are rumored to be voting on next Tuesday, despite the fact that EOC has not seen it yet and we just got a copy yesterday to ask us if we want to be a co-sponsor.)

MGO 24.02(1) DISORDERLY CONDUCT $424
MGO 24.09(6), 24.04(1) & 24.04(2) NOISE VIOLATIONS $172
MGO 23.06(2) DAMAGE TO PROPERTY $676
MGO 23.07(2) UNLAWFUL TRESPASSING $424
MGO 23.11(2) CURFEW VIOLATION $52
MGO 23.32(1) PERMITTING DOG TO RUN AT LARGE $109
MGO 38.07(7) POSSESSING AN OPEN CONTAINER OF ALCOHOL ON A PUBLIC STREET $298
MGO 12.011 STANDING ON ROADWAY $58.60
MGO 12.011 SPEEDING $83.80-424.00
MGO 12.011 PARKING ACROSS SIDEWALK $30.00
MGO 10.17 LITTERING ON PUBLIC STREETS OR PUBLIC GROUNDS $298.00
MGO 7.321 DEPOSITING HUMAN WASTE PRODUCTS $172.00
MGO 8.21 PUBLIC PARKS CLOSED DURING CERTAIN HOURS (10 PM TO 6 AM $109.00
MGO 10.16(1) DEPOSIT OF INOPERABLE VEHICLE ON STREET $298.00
MGO 10.26 PERSONS NOT TO CONGREGATE ON STREETS OR SIDEWALKS $298.00
MGO 23.065 GRAFFITI ON PUBLIC/PRIVATE PROPERTY $676.00
MGO 34.31 UNLAWFUL FIREWORKS $424.00

If these are the issues that the police believe are being faced by the neighborhood which they characterize as "quality of life", then why does the chronic nuisance ordinance have this list of crimes?

1. An act of harassment as defined in s. 947.013, Wis. Stats.
2. Disorderly conduct as defined in s. 24.02, MGO or s. 947.01, Wis. Stats.
3. Crimes of violence as defined in ch. 940, Wis. Stats.
4. Resisting or obstructing an officer as prohibited by Sec. 5.06, MGO or s. 946.41, Wis. Stats.
5. Indecent exposure as prohibited by Sec. 26.01, MGO or s. 944.20(1)(b) Wis. Stats.
6. Damage to property as prohibited by Sec. 23.06, MGO. or s. 943.01, Wis. Stats.
7. The production or creation of noises disturbing the peace, as prohibited by sec. 24.04, MGO.
8. Discharge of a firearm as prohibited by Sec. 25.06, MGO.
9. Crimes involving illegal possession of firearms as defined in ss. 941.23, 941.26, 941.28, 941.29 and 948.60, Wis. Stats.
10. Trespass to land as defined in s. 943.13, Wis. Stats. or criminal trespass to dwelling as defined in s. 943.14, Wis. Stats, or unlawful trespass as prohibited in Sec. 23.07, MGO.
11. Obstructing a street or sidewalk, as prohibited by Sec. 10.23(1), MGO.
12. Theft as defined in s. 943.20, Wis. Stats.
13. Arson as defined in s. 943.02, Wis. Stats.
14. Depositing rubbish as prohibited by Sec. 10.17, MGO.
15. Keeping a place of prostitution as defined in or s. 944.34, Wis. Stats.
16. Loitering for the purposes of prostitution as prohibited by Sec. 26.08, MGO.
17. Loitering for purposes of soliciting prostitutes, as prohibited by Sec. 26.085, MGO.
18. Prostitution as prohibited by s. 944.30, Wis. Stats.
19. Soliciting prostitutes as prohibited by s. 944.32, Wis. Stats.
20. Pandering as prohibited by s. 944.33, Wis. Stats.
21. Loitering for purposes of soliciting prostitutes, as prohibited by Sec. 26.085, MGO.
22. Possessing an open container which contains alcohol beverages or consuming alcohol beverages upon any public street as prohibited by Sec. 38.08(7) of these ordinances.
23. Selling, offering for sale or giving away of any intoxicating liquors or fermented malt beverages without a license as provided in Sec. 38.05(1), MGO, or s. 125.04(1), Wis. Stats.
24. Possession, manufacture, distribution or delivery of a controlled substance or related offenses as defined in ch. 961, Wis. Stats.
25. Maintaining a drug dwelling as defined in Sec. 961.42 of the Wisconsin Statutes.
26. Illegal gambling as defined in s. 945.02, Wis. Stats.
27. Owning, keeping or harboring a dangerous animal, as defined in Sec. 25.22, MGO.
28. Violations of the Minimum Housing Code, as prohibited by Ch. 27, MGO.

Even more interesting to me is that Jennifer Zilavny from the City Attorney's office keeps promising me that eviction is not going to be the primary result of of this new ordinance, however, I think the police department has something else in mind. In fact, they even say so in their letter.

Property owners could be subject to a variety of nuisance abatement actions. Renters could face non-renewal or eviction.

Once the word starts to spread that people are getting evicted and non-renewed due to police calls, do you think that renters in these neighborhoods will be calling the police, even when they need help themselves? Or will that be something that they avoid because they are afraid (justifiably or unjustified) of losing their housing? And will that be a good effect for the neighborhoods, or will it have unintended consequences?

And even more interesting, the police have been promising that this will only get used about 10 times per year. With this new crackdown, if the police take is seriously, it sounds like it could be used 10 times in the first month of the ordinance, especially since it includes some more minor ordinances like noise or littering.

All I can say is, I'm glad I don't live on the Westside. I wonder how many of the people who wanted these things to happen will get caught for speeding, walking their dog without a leash, jogging in the park too early in the morning or their kid gets a ticket for curfew and how they're going to feel about that? Or is this new zero tolerance policy only going to be enforced against "those people"?

p.s. That the info I was looking for from the police department about their budget was right there on my computer. Once I knew how to get it out of the financial program, I was able to print of the reports in less than 5 minutes. And if I drill down, I could probably get even more information.
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Police Department: No Income/Expense Report with YTD Budget to Actuals?

All I want to do is make an informed vote. It should be something that the public expects. However, sometimes, it is so difficult. Once again, it involved the police department. I wanted to get some spreadsheets that have the last few years budgets, with actuals. I wanted to look at a detailed line item description of what we have budgeted and what we have spent our money on. Shouldn't be that difficult right? Wrong.

First of all, I stopped making these requests personally, I have to send someone from the Council Office to do it, because once you make the request, it usually requires several follow ups and dogged determination and usually results in very little information.

Second, once the staff did try to get the information, this is the answer I finally got back from the Council Office staff:

I talked to Terri Genin, the Finance Manager for the Police Department. She said they don't have a line-by-line itemization - no spreadsheet, nothing like that. I'm going to talk to the Comptroller's Office, too, to see what they have to say, but I wanted to update you on what I know so far. Terri did say that back when he was first elected, Zach had a lot of questions about the Police budget, so he scheduled a 2-hour meeting with her and an assistant chief, and they went over the details of the budget with him. She offered to do the same for you, if you'd like. I don't know which assistant chief it was back when they met with Zach, but now it's Davenport. And, just to complicate things, Terri is leaving on Wednesday for a 2-week vacation. So, if you do decide you want to meet with her and Assistant Chief Davenport, the earliest time available would be the end of the month.

I'll get back to you with what I learn from the Comptroller.

Don't have a line-by-line itemization? They have a freaking $50M budget and they don't have a spreadsheet or report of what was budgeted for the last few years and how that lines up with what was spent? "Nothing like that"?

How the hell are they coming up with their budgets? Excuse me for my language, what what are they doing, pulling budgets out of their ass? If they can't answer the most basic information about having a basic income and expense report with budget to actual information without a 2 hour meeting, maybe there is some room for some efficiencies and better management practices that could save alot of taxpayer money!

I've been concerned about basic lack of information in the police budget for some time. And I've tried getting information in the past, to no avail. But I honestly didn't think it was this bad.
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Taxpayer Free Affordable Housing - Defeated.

Q: What if the City could come up with a program that created affordable housing and didn't cost the taxpayer a dime?
A: The Mayor, Zach Brandon and Tim Bruer would oppose it.

Fortunately, this isn't a hypothetical question. There is such a program. It's called the capital borrowing program. The program would work like this.
1. City borrows money at its lower affordable rates.
2. Developer promises to provide affordable housing in exchange for the City lending at these lower rates.
3. The developer pays us back, with costs and interest, over a 10 year period.
4. Affordable Housing is built and housing options are provided for our community.

Oh, did I mention, it was only for rental housing, not owner-occupied housing. So it would reach the lowest income people in the City, unlike Inclusionary Zoning which has been criticized for being a program for the middle class. This housing would be housing for people of more modest means.

Additionally, the program likely wouldn't be used extensively as very few developers will create affordable housing, even when offered lower interest rate money. This is a voluntary program that is designed to incentivize developers to help our community. A carrot, not a stick.

Unfortunately, the Mayor, Zach Brandon and Tim Bruer did oppose it and it failed to pass the Board of Estimates last night. Why?

The Mayor says that since he's been Mayor we've nearly tripled our borrowing and we simply can't borrow more. And other communities in Dane County have to do something before Madison does any more.

Zach Brandon says a new police station is more important, cuz its all about safety and only safety.

Tim Bruer says we should just use the Affordable Housing Trust Fund. However, by the end of the year, we will have committed $3M of the $3.5M for Allied Drive and there won't be any money to create any other affordable housing and the Affordable Housing Trust Fund, no matter what changes we make, will be just a theory with no funds.

This is typical. Every time we come up with a program for affordable housing Alderpersons complain that we should do something else. With IZ on the chopping block, the Affordable Housing Trust Fund drained and no other plans on the table for affordable housing, what is this community going to do to make sure that this is a community that has a wide range of housing options available.

Apparently, nothing. That is, unless these people start to hear from you. The Housing Committee will be meeting to discuss this tomorrow at 3:00 (its still showing up as 5:00 but the meeting has changed to 3:00) if you want to hear more details. The Community Development Block Grant Commission already passed it 6 - 0. If the Housing Committee passes it tomorrow, it will be at the Council meeting on Tuesday.

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A Different Way to Look at Things

So, the police department didn't have to cut 3% like all the other departments and now they have over nearly $3M in supplemental requests over last years budget and the Council seems poised to give them whatever they want. Again. This info from Michael Jacob puts their request into perspective:

September 10, 2007

Dear Mayor Cieslewicz, Chief Wray and members of the common council,

In light of the increased discussions about public safety and the recent request by Chief Wray, supported by Mayor Cieslewicz, for 30 additional officers in the forthcoming budget, we feel it important to broaden the discussion to additional "core services" provided by the City to its residents and begin to get realistic about what it would take to provide funding for these officers through cuts to other departments.

We appreciate that several alders have asked for advice from the public on where to find cuts and appreciate the Mayor's sentiment that the public will be open to cuts in order to provide this unprecedented increase at the Police Department. But we wonder if the cuts can, or should, be made without doing serious damage to the mission of Madison's governmental services and the quality of life we have come to enjoy and expect once the scope and depth of the cuts required become clear.

To further this conversation we've reviewed the 2008 agency operating budget requests and note below some possible areas to find $2.3 million. To be clear we are not suggesting the funds be found in these areas, simply articulating the draconian effect seeking such a large amount of money from within an already strained city budget could have. We urge you to be clear and forthcoming with your constituents about the potential effect of making such cuts and, to the extent there is indeed clear public support for such a large increase in police staffing, that you ask your constituents not only about cuts they'd accept, but also willingness to accept an increase in property taxes or shifting of other revenue in order to satisfy the community's priorities,

Should the entire $2.3M come from one area, what core services are you willing to abandon or severely curtail?

* Reduce by half the amount of Snow & Ice Removal (Streets, $4.5M in 2007)?
* Reduce by 18% the Solid Waste Division (Streets, $12.8M in 2007), perhaps by eliminating garbage pick-up once every 4-6 weeks?
* Eliminate the Streets, Highways & Path Systems ($1.8M in 2007), plus Sidewalks ($.35M) programs (Engineering)?
* Eliminate the Signs ($1M in 2007) and Street Lighting ($1.2) programs (Traffic Engineering)?
* Eliminate Weed Control ($.48M in 2007) and Street Repair & Maintenance ($1.85M in 2007) (Streets)?
* Eliminate Pavement Markings ($.87M in 2007), Communications (.2M in 2007) and Traffic Signals ($1.2M in2007) (Traffic Engineering)?

What other services, which certainly many Madisonians would consider "core", are you willing to abandon or severely curtail?

* Eliminate Paratransit services at Metro ($2.2M)?
* Eliminate 29% of fixed routes at Metro ($7.8M total)?
* Reduce by three-quarters the Community Resources services provided through the Office of Community Services ($3.18M total in 2007)?
* Eliminate the Child Care section in the Office of Community Services ($2.2M in 2007)?
* Reduce by 45% support for the Central Library ($5.15M total in 2007)?
* Cut in half the support for Neighborhood Libraries ($4.82M total in 2007)?
* Cut by more than one-third maintenance of General Parks and Greenways ($6.4M in 2007) (Parks)?
* Reduce by a quarter Madison's commitment to the Public Health Department ($9.8M total)?

What else, that people might not think of as the front line of Madison's services, are you willing to cut?

* Eliminate the Planning Division ($2.3M)?
* Nix the Inspection ($1.9M in 2007) and Health & Welfare ($.45M in 2007) divisions of Neighborhood Preservation and Inspection?
* Reduce by three-quarters the Forestry Division ($2.98M in 2007) (Parks)?
* Eliminate city funding for Olbrich Botanical Gardens ($.96M in 2007), Forest Hill Cemetery ($.87 in 2007) and either the Winter Activities ($.5M in 2007) or Boating/Beaches/Concessions (.4M in 2007) sections (Parks)?

There are, of course, a number of other Departments and programs you could consider. What combination of the following are you willing to eliminate or severely cut to expand the Police Department?

* Comptroller - $2.5M
* City Attorney - $2.38M
* Dept. of Civil Rights - $1.39M
* Common Council office - $.34M
* Mayor's Office - $1.1M
* Overture - $1.72M
* Office of Director of Planning and Community and Economic Development $.5M
* Community Development Block Grant - $.71M
* Economic and Community Development - $1.27M
* Madison City Channel - $.26M
* Application Development and Support or Network Support divisions of Information Services - $1.9M each
* City Assessor - $1.97M
* Madison senior Center - $.39M
* Human Resources - $1.76M
* Municipal Court $.14M
* City Clerk - $1.2
* Housing Operations - $.05M
* Department of Public Works & Transportation - $.01M
* Fleet Service - $.89

We respect the tough position you are in. Such a position requires moving beyond platitudes and generalities and into a real discussion about exactly how tough the choices before us are. We look forward to you all taking that next step with the community.

Sincerely,

Michael Jacob on behalf of the Policy Committee of Progressive Dane

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The Mayor and Police Department exempt?

Every year the Clerk's office sends out an email reminding committee staff not to schedule meetings on certain dates. The memo states as follows:

To facilitate a quorum, while allowing the maximum amount of public input, please avoid scheduling any meetings on the following days/evenings of 2007:

Monday, January 15, 2007 Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
Monday, April 2 at sunset through sunset on Wednesday, April 4, 2007 Passover
Monday, May 28, 2007 Memorial Day
Wednesday, July 4, 2007 Independence Day
Monday, September 3, 2007 Labor Day
Wednesday, September 12, 2007 at sunset through sunset on Rosh Hashanah
Friday, September 14, 2007 Rosh Hashanah
Friday, September 21, at sunset through sunset on Saturday, Yom Kippur
September 22, 2007 Yom Kippur
Thursday & Friday, November 23 & 23, 2007 Thanksgiving Holidays

I thought it was odd the the Public Safety Review Board was meeting on Thursday, but that meeting was canceled today. However, someone else wrote the Council this email:

Why are there meetings on Rosh Hashanah? There are two large, important neighborhood meetings on Wednesday and Thursday night this week-- on the holiest day of the Jewish year. One on the west side I would have liked to attend, but I will not be able to. Why were these meetings scheduled on this important holiday?

At first I wasn't sure what she was talking about, then, I realized that she was talking about these two meetings on the Mayor's schedule:

Wednesday, September 12, 2007
7:00 p.m. East Police District crime listening session (LaFollette High School Auditorium)
Thursday, September 13, 2007
6:30 p.m. Southwest neighborhoods meeting (St. Maria Goretti School, Gym)

Sunset is at 7: 13 on Wednesday.

At least Thuy Pham-Remmele sent a note of apology.

Thank you very much for taking time to write and bring to my attention the conflict caused by the Sept. 13th date of MPD Response Session to our District. I am very sorry to learn the date is inconvenient for you and other Jewish & Muslim friends and neighbors.

I taught almost 3 decades with MMSD and knew Steve Morisson from Temple Beth El always provides our school district with a Jewish Observations Calendar for us avoid conflicts while planning all school activities. For this Response Session MPD set the date and I was not consulted.

I am forwarding your concerns to MPD so they are aware of this problem. I expect Madison City Channel 12 to tape and broadcast the Session, so those who are unable to attend can watch it on future dates.

Sincerely,

Thuy Pham-Remmele

District 20 Alder

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More ineffective public input?

Ok - after being yelled at in the hallway as I was leaving Board of Estimates like I was a two year old by someone who disagreed with me questioning why we need 30 new police officers and what they were going to do, (and several other meetings) I came home to lunatic emails. Is there a full moon or something? Do these people realize that screaming at an alder or sending these emails is not an effective way to get your voice heard . . . ok, maybe I'm hearing it, but I'm not listening, the methodology and delivery are drowning out the message. Here are my top three favorite emails from the last week.

Number three:
I got this email 12 times in about 10 minutes:

Fix these problems so it does not consume our City NOW!

WATER, SAFETY, IMPROVED ROADS, UPGRADED INFRASTRUCTURE this is what makes a CITY.

So Visitors Come, Business Flourishes. So All those wonderful Artsy, Eatery, Musical Venues, Parks, Pools will be filled.

When you lose touch with how to provide Safety to Neighborhoods, Schools and you lack the fortitude to spend money where it is most needed like Water Improvments.

Madison will loose and all of it's investments will loose and go else where.

Be very careful what you vote for.

Trolley's and Rail are beyond pie in the sky thinking that everything is wonderful.

Wonderful it is not and Madison is going down hill right before your eyes.

Wake Up, Report on what's really going on! Do you know the score? The Doppers Do, The Gangers Do, The Prositutes Do, The Robbers Do,

Those who don't understand or don't want to have a vibrant community all Know the Score how about YOU!

Get Refocused on what makes a city vibrant before it's too late. It's time to get serious about many things you have gone too far in other directions and lost touch with how to Manage a City!

Number two:
The same guy that has emailed me in the past saying "First thing we do, kill all the lawyers", sent us an email with the heading "Hate". Normally I ignore the emails as they are hardly ever anything but calling us names, but I have to admit, I really wanted to know what this one said. Here it is:

It’s all about “hate Bush,” nothing else. Those with brains can see through the loons in Madison/Dane County. What sort of planning goes into a meeting that lasts 9 hours? You can’t get a handle on City problems, but you can waste everyone’s time on an issue that even Senator Feingold does not support. How about fixing cost over-runs on the pool, bus system, convention center, Overture center, et. al.

One had only to visit the Labor Temple Labor Day last Monday. It was all the far left-wing, socialists, Communists, and Bush haters rolled into one event. Everyone was drinking Progressive Dane Kool-aid. Well, not everyone.

At least there are some level heads on the City Council, Lauren Cnare being one of them.

Number one:
We're clearly on some O'Reilly or Limbaugh website and get these emails from time to time, but this one was one of my favorites:

General Information
Name : James Wilson
Address : 2228 Auhuhu St.
City : Pearl City
State : Hi
ZIP : 96782
Phone :
Work Phone :
Email :
Should we contact you?: No

Message :
Socialist Bastards!!!

And they call the left loony!
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Mayor Bans Certain Phrases

This could be fun.

If you were Mayor, what phrases might you ban? In Russia, one mayor banned some phrases for City workers, saying he doesn't want any more excuses about why employees aren't customer friendly.

Admittedly, the person who sent this article to me is on the city-is-anti-business-and-we-need-better-services-for-businesses bandwagon, but it is an interesting concept. Since it's budget time, and we are essentially being blackmailed into approving a request for 30 new police officers and the Mayor has already agreed to it, I think one of the phrases to be banned is particularly interesting - "There's no money".

When one department has nearly 25% of the over $200 million budget, isn't required to make 3% cuts like other departments, is essentially off limits to questioning and tells us its none of our business how new officers are used, we have a problem. The council made a huge mistake last year when we gave in to the police department's temper tantrum and decided we didn't need to be part of the police staffing report process.

Now, we have no answers to our questions about how we use our police resources, an unprecedented request for new officers and no choice but to say "yes"? Or will the Council find its backbone and stand up and ask some serious questions about this plan? And if they do, will Chief Wray tell us to mind our own business again?

I guess that new plan for neighborhood policing didn't work out so well, eh? At least, the public didn't fall for it. And that plan to cut back on neighborhood officers? Now maybe some of those neighborhoods will get their neighborhood police officers back? Or are neighborhood police officers only for white middle class people? And what happened to promises made last year when we added 10 officers, did that end up being effective?

p.s. No, Mayor Dave isn't banning phases, the Mayor in Russia is.
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Voila! And now the Mayor Agrees to Try to Add 30 Police Officers

That didn't take long. I wonder what the "sacrifice and cuts" are going to be?

To: Chief Noble Wray
From: Mayor Dave Cieslewicz
cc: Members of the Common Council
Date: September 8th, 2007

Thank you for your memo regarding your adjusted budget request for the Madison Police Department. Like you, I have and will continue to listen closely to the comments and concerns of Madisonians at neighborhood meetings throughout the city. In response to what you and I have heard, it is my intention to add an additional 12 new officers to your original request of 18, for a total of 30. Because I have been building my budget on your original request, this will require sacrifice and cuts from other parts of the city budget. However, I believe that Madisonians are willing to accept these costs to make their neighborhoods safer.

This extraordinary increase of officers is contingent upon passage of a state budget which contains the state Senate provisions related to municipal levy limits and Payments for Municipal Services. Adoption of the Assembly provisions for these two items would result in $15 million in cuts to the city budget, so public safety literally hinges upon the Senate language in this regard. Moreover, I will ask the legislature to exempt police and fire expenses from state spending limits under the Expenditure Restraint Program.

In addition to this historic increase in police resources, I am proposing a broader Mayor's Public Safety Initiative which has six parts:

1. Increase police resources

As noted above, I will work hard to find the resources to add 30 new police officers and fund an accelerated police academy when I introduce my budget in October. I will also work with you to add new resources for Community Policing Teams, gang prevention and suppression, enforcement of quality of life concerns, stepped up traffic enforcement and more. I will continue the successful $100,000 Downtown Safety Initiative (DSI). In addition, because I know that we have particularly acute needs in the West Police District, I will ask the Common Council to provide an additional $50,000 for policing in that area for 2007. Along with these resources will come the opportunity for greater accountability to the public through specific measures of on-the-ground neighborhood safety through my Madison Measures program.

This commitment represents the largest increase in support for the Madison Police Department of any mayoral administration in recent history. The attached chart shows the historic growth in the size of the MPD.

2. Target bad landlords

In our neighborhood listening sessions, the two most common concerns we heard were the need for more police and the need to address landlords who do not maintain their property or adequately screen their tenants. I am committed passing the nuisance abatement ordinance at the next Council meeting. In addition, we are working with a city team comprised of the Police Department, Building Inspection, and the City Attorney's office to develop consistent, long-term inspections of problematic properties with consequences for landlords who do not show improvement.

3. Strengthen Neighborhoods

I will work to form a Westside Planning Council to give westside neighborhoods greater resources, coordination, information sharing and access to their city government. We will also work to expand and strengthen neighborhood watch programs.

4. Give young people positive alternatives

My 2008 capital budget contains support for the Urban League of Greater Madison, helping them to expand their youth mentoring program. We will also add resources yet this year for after school programs on the southwest side, and I will work to expand after school programs citywide in my 2008 budget. In addition, we will closely review the recommendations of the City-County Enhanced Gang Task Force with the intention of partnering with Dane County on gang prevention activities.

5. Lobby the federal, state and county governments to partner with us

The City of Madison can do a great deal, but we can't do it alone. I will work with the state legislators to head off cuts to local aid programs and levy limit proposals that would prohibit the City from investing what it needs to address our public safety concerns. I will also ask the state to fund an adequate number of Assistant District Attorneys to pursue quality of life crimes. Finally, I will work with our federal delegation to reinstate the COPS program to help us hire more officers.

6. Take a citywide approach

While much of the recent focus has been on the challenges faced by southwest Madison neighborhoods, we need a citywide approach that looks at all aspects of public safety. I will work to pass the Alcohol Density Plan this fall, as a means of stopping the flow of police resources to the downtown. We will continue to improve the Allied Drive neighborhood, to stem flow of police resources there (especially from the West Police District). Finally, to create a coordinated approach to all of these issues, I will be designating one of my aides to a new Safe Neighborhoods position in the mayor's office.

In addition to these six initiatives, I will work with all community leaders to raise our expectations with regard to behavior in every Madison neighborhood. Every Madisonian deserves to feel and to be safe in their own neighborhood and throughout the city.

Madison is fortunate to enjoy a reputation as a safe community with a high quality of life. These initiatives will help it to stay that way. I appreciate your commitment to protecting Madison neighborhoods and families.
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Police Department: 18 not enough. Now we need 30.

No joke. The other shoe has dropped.

DATE: September 7, 2007
TO: Dave Cieslewicz, Mayor
FROM: Noble Wray, Chief of Police
SUBJECT: Revised 2008 Police Staffing Proposal

As you know, police managers have been meeting to discuss staffing issues, particularly in response to input received at recent community meetings. Although the supplemental requests included as part of the 2008 Police Department Operating Budget request were substantial, they outlined only the minimum number of positions needed to begin to address the many issues facing the Police Department. As a result of our review of overall staffing needs, the Police Management Team met with you on August 28 and outlined a staffing proposal which would provide a more effective citywide police approach to these challenges. Since that meeting, the cost estimates were reviewed, and in an effort to reduce the funding requirements, the proposal has been adjusted.

I’m submitting this memo in order to clarify the overall police needs, and ensure that both the proposal and its costs are clearly articulated. The following are the three components to the proposal:

- Supplemental requests submitted with the Madison Police Department (MPD) 2008 Operating Budget proposal: The first sixteen original supplemental requests continue to be our top priorities for funding for 2008. A minimum of 18 officers, and additional promoted positions, civilian positions, and vehicles are essential in order to maintain our current level of service. The issues of overtime and vacation convert-to-pay funding (supplements #17 and #18) are the subject of ongoing discussions, so the priority need for this funding is not addressed. The only change to these supplemental requests relates to the proposal to Civilianize the Records Manager position. In order to reduce costs, we have determined that this request could be postponed until 2009. Therefore, we are withdrawing Supplemental Request #8. (Please note: we originally proposed withdrawing supplemental request #5, but further evaluation indicates we could achieve the same goal, with a greater savings, if request #8 was withdrawn instead.)

- New proposal for additional staff in 2008: In order to sufficiently address current issues that have been identified during citywide community listening sessions, the Management Team has determined that a total of an additional 30 officer positions are needed. Since the supplemental requests provide for only 18 officers, this new proposal requests 12 more officers. Although many of these positions are needed now, the current Academy cycle would not provide any additional officers available for service until February of 2009. Therefore, this proposal to add 12 officers includes a plan to introduce an “accelerated” Preservice Academy. This Academy would begin in February and would be open to qualified applicants that are currently sworn law enforcement personnel from other agencies. Since the program is condensed due to prior training, these recruits will be available for assignment in late June of 2008. As always, if we add personnel, we will also need to add vehicles. In reviewing recent vehicle acquisitions, and considering the supplemental requests for vehicles already submitted, it was determined that an additional two vehicles would be needed if these positions were added.

- Possible additional civilianization of positions in 2008: In addition to the above requests, the Department is analyzing Court Services functions to determine whether or not additional civilian personnel could be added so that sworn personnel could be utilized in other positions. If it is determined that any of these positions could be civilianized, that proposal would be submitted at a later time.

The overall staffing plan if entirely adopted would be a significant increase to the Department. However, in reviewing citywide service needs, as well as current issues, we believe this increase is needed. As noted in my letter accompanying the MPD 2008 Operating Budget request, in order to reach a 1.9 ratio for the projected city population in 2008, an additional 27 sworn positions need to be approved. However, only 12 of these officers will be available in 2008, which is well short of the 1.9 ratio. The remaining 18 will be used for 2009 staffing, and estimated population projections indicate we would need to add a total of 32 officer positions in 2008 to be at the 1.9 ratio. So in effect, by adding the 30 requested positions on the timeline outlined above, the MPD will remain 2 positions under the 1.9 ratio of personnel available for assignment in 2009.

To clarify, if this plan is adopted, the earliest any additional staff would be available is the end of June 2008. The overall plan would not be completely implemented until February 2009. If the City delays hiring until the 2009 budget cycle, the new officers would not be available for assignment until 2010. Our primary goal is to enhance public safety in each police district through the allocation of these additional resources. The areas of assignment that we are currently considering include the following:

Strengthening our Community Policing Teams (CPT)
Assigning an officer to focus on citywide gang-related issues
Assigning additional neighborhood officers
Adding additional patrol officers
Supplementing the Department’s training staff
Supplementing the Traffic Enforcement Safety Team

Although this list includes a preliminary outline of potential position assignments, the final determination will be dependent on the actual issues at the time the officers are available for assignment, as well as the number of vacancies and/or staff unavailable for full-duty assignments.

Again, it will be necessary to adopt the entire plan to add 30 officers, fund promoted positions, add civilians, and purchase vehicles in order to begin to address all of the issues outlined above.

The cost for the original supplemental requests (excluding the requests for overtime and vacation convert-to-pay) is $1,449,685. The cost for the new proposal to add 12 officers in an accelerated Academy, to remove the request to Civilianize the Records Manager, and to add vehicles for these additional officers is $848,225. Thus, the total cost for additional staff, vehicles, and training is $2,297,910.

If it is determined that two Court Services positions currently filled by police officers can be civilianized, a proposal will be submitted in 2008 for approximately $99,450 (at 2007 rates).

If it is determined that the requests for overtime and vacation convert-to-pay should be funded, the total current budget proposal would be $2,934,580 (which excludes the Court Services positions outlined above).

Again, I realize that the fiscal issues facing the City may impact your ability to provide the funding that would be needed for this entire proposal. However, it is my responsibility, as Chief of Police, to outline a proposal that I believe would more sufficiently address the city’s public safety issues.

I look forward to the ongoing discussions with you and other elected officials throughout the budget process.

cc: All Alders
Police Management Team

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Konkel Productivity: Back Up!

I re-learned a couple of valuable and obvious consumer lessons yesterday.

1. Know your rights.

2. Never accept the first answer you're given. If you don't get what you need, find another way to get what you need.

It seems, an appropriately placed call to the the City's Cable Coordinator was the key to getting my cable/internet fixed yesterday, instead of waiting until Tuesday.

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Your Input Needed for Schools

Because, as go the schools, so goes the City.

An Invitation to Our Parents, Students and Community

As you may be aware, the Board of Education has initiated its search for a new superintendent of schools. To provide counsel to us in this important process, we have retained the services of Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates, Ltd., a search firm that specializes in assisting boards with the identification and selection of superintendents.

A very important step in this process is the identification of the characteristics we will be seeking in our new superintendent. We invite you to participate in the identification of these characteristics by attending a Community Information and Input Session and/or completing a Leadership Profile Assessment form which can be found on our web site.

The Community Information and Input Sessions, which will be facilitated by a member of the consultant firm, will be held on:

* Wed. Sept. 19 at 10:00 a.m. at the Exhibition Hall at Alliant Energy Center (1919 Alliant Energy Center Way)
* Wed. Sept. 19 at 7:00 p.m. in the auditorium at Memorial High School
* Thu. Sept. 20 at 7:00 p.m. in the auditorium at La Follette High School

These sessions will likely be 60 to 90 minutes in length. Every effort will be made to provide Spanish and Hmong interpreters.

To access a Leadership Profile Assessment form, you can go to the Madison School District website ( www.mmsd.org) and click on "Superintendent Search". You can:

1) complete a form and submit it electronically, or

2) print a form, complete it by hand, and either bring it with you to one of the Community Sessions or mail/fax it to the address/fax number indicated on the form.

All forms must be submitted by September 20.

Thank you in advance for your assistance with this most important task.

Sincerely,
Arlene Silveira
President, Board of Education

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Garbage Cart Info

Here's the info you need for the new garbage collection (the tan carts) service that begins on Monday. (Giggle, I still don't have my cart.)

Madison residents will be able to use their new tan refuse carts when the automated refuse program begins this Monday, September 10th.

Combined with the savings from the new recycling program automated collection will save taxpayers over $600,000 annually.

Madison residents will no longer be able to use their old traditional garbage cans. The Streets Division will collect old metal trashcans at the curb as part of the large item service. Residents who want to recycle their old plastic trash cans must bring them to one of the City’s three drop off sites, 1501 W. Badger Rd. (south), 4602 Sycamore Av. (east) or 402 South Point Rd. (west). Details on the recycling program are contained in the Cart Chronicle that was distributed with each new refuse cart.

Residents who have questions about the new program should visit www.cityofmadison.com/streets or call the Streets Division at 246-4532 (east) or 266-4681 (west).

Top Ten Things Everyone Should Know About the Automated Refuse Program

1) When does the new program start?

The program begins on Monday September 10th.

2) How often will my material be collected?

Refuse will continue to be collected every week. Recycling collected every other week on the same day as your refuse.

3) Why is this change being made?

The new program will improve efficiency and reduce worker injuries.
The new trucks can collect 250-300 more stops per day than the old manual system could. This means fewer trucks and employees assigned to the service which will save taxpayers $300,000 to $400,000 per year when the new system is fully implemented.

4) What do I do with my old garbage can?

If you have plastic garbage cans you must rinse them out and then bring them to one of our drop off sites for recycling. The sites are located at 1501 W. Badger Rd. on the south side, 4602 Sycamore Av. on the east side, and 402 South Point Rd. on the west side. The drops off sites are open from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. seven days a week. On Tuesday and Thursday they will remain open until 8 p.m.

We can only accept plastic garbage cans for recycle until Friday October 12th so don’t delay.

We will recycle metal garbage cans as part of our large item metal collection. This is our current practice. Just place your old metal can at the curb and attach a note/sign that says “Please Recycle” and we will collect it the same day as your regular trash or the following two working days. you do not want to recycle your old garbage can, you can place it inside your tan refuse cart. Do not put old garbage cans in your green recycling cart.

5) Can I use my old garbage can for other things?

Old garbage cans can be used to make rain barrels, compost bins, and pet waste digesters. They also make excellent storage containers for bird seed, lawn implements, or other items in your garage.

6) What do I do with trash that doesn’t fit in the cart?

The Streets Division will NOT collect regular refuse that does not fit in your tan refuse cart. This restriction does not apply to large items such as furniture, appliances, mattresses, box springs, etc.

We do make exceptions for “major clean up projects” and “move outs” only. Major cleanup projects and move outs are defined as those times when a household generates 6 or more 30 gallon bags of refuse.

If you have less than 6-30 gallon bags of refuse that will not fit in your cart you have several options:
1) Hold the material until the following week.
2) Ask a friend or neighbor if you can put your extra material in their cart.
3) Bring the extra material to our drop off sites at 1501 W. Badger Rd. (West) or 4602 Sycamore Ave. (East).
4) Purchase an additional refuse cart(s).

7) How do I purchase an extra cart?

You can purchase an extra cart by contacting the Streets Division at 246-4532 (east) or 266-4681 (west). A 95-gallon cart costs $50, a 65- gallon cart is $45 and a 35-gallon cart is $40.

8) How do I get a different size cart?

You will need to use the cart you ordered until after the first of the year. If you still want to exchange your cart at that time you should contact the Streets Division at 246-4532(east) or 266-4681 (west) and we will arrange an exchange.

9) Where should I put my cart at the curb?

• Always place your Cart so that the white serial numbers are facing the street. This places the lid opening in the proper position for emptying.
• Place your cart in your driveway or next to it so that it is four (4) feet away from obstacles such as parked cars, mailboxes, and utility poles.
• Another option, place your cart in the gutter right next to the driveway. This works very well in areas with lots of parked cars.
• Place your Tan-colored Refuse Cart on the opposite side of the driveway from your Recycling Cart.
• Alley placement: Carts must be placed at the alley edge. Carts on private property or by the garage will not be collected.

10) What about putting my cart out in the winter?

• The best placement is on your driveway after you have cleared it of snow.
• It can also be placed on a cleared area of your terrace, or
• After your street has been plowed, place it in the gutter right next to your
• driveway.
• Do not leave your cart on the sidewalk or on top of a snow bank.
• Improperly placed carts will not be collected.


Number 11: Always bag your trash before you put it in the tan cart.
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Konkel Productivity . . . D. O. W. N.

When they started construction in front of my house, I was prepared for many things, but not this. I was prepared to have no parking on my street. I was prepared to have noise every morning. I was prepared to wake up some morning and not have water. I was prepared to not be able to park in my driveway. I was prepared to have dust all over everything in my house. However, I was not prepared for this:

"This" is my cable/internet connection. At first I thought, no problem, I'm just going to sleep tonight anyways and they'll be out to fix it tomorrow, right? WRONG. Sure, they'll be out to fix it. Charter can be out . . . next Tuesday! That's 6 nights and 6 mornings, including a weekend, with no cable/internet access on my computer and no Tivo. This, I was not prepared for!

I wonder, what is the value of 6 days and 6 nights without an internet connection for a person like me? There's gotta be a work around!
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Sleepless Recap

The agenda kept us up until 4:00 in the morning, that's a 9.5 hour meeting. Here's the highlights, or lowlights, depending upon your opinion . . .

4 & 5 - Finally appointing the James Madison Park Committee, after all this time! (It only took 7 months)
29 - Putting the nail in the coffin on a good project on the Westside of Madison? We ended up placing this on file without prejudice meaning that if the developer chooses, they can come back with their proposal without waiting.
34 - Approving changing 625 E Mifflin St from a 5-story building to a 3-story building at the request of the developer. This passed without comment.
53 - Fixing our Living Wage Ordinance so that non-profits and for-profit businesses are treated equally. This passed without comment.
62 - Finally approving the consultant to help us update our 1980 Economic Development Plan for the City. This passed.
69 - Issuing an RFP to hire somone to Advertise the BioAg Gateway. We're planning on spending $235,000 on this in the next 16 months. Seems like alot of money to me, but it passed.
70 - Police Overtime Report. There was a little discussion but nothing earth shattering. It's the same old, same old. We budget, they go over, we say ok. Nothing changes.
72 - Approving Frank Productions to help with Halloween on State St. Passed without comment.
136 - Small tweak to reporting on the lobbying ordinance. Passed without comment.
137 - Allied Drive rush job. This passed with two votes against, the other alder besides myself was Thuy Pham-Remmele. The WSJ reports about it here. The outline of my arguments are essentially there. I offered a few amendments that failed. My biggest concern after getting the CDA projections are that they are projecting that it will cost $187,000 per unit to build these 47 rental units. It was nearly twice the amount that it should be per square foot. But more on that later.
150 - Alcohol and Gambling Bus Wraps. This was referred to the City Attorney's office for legal comment.
152 - Another goofy Water Utility Contract. We authorized spending of $40,000 for technical services and public participation. It is estimated that 20% of these funds will be spent on public participation, however, we don't know who will decide or how, but someone should.
155 - The latest and greatest Zatch Act Ordinance. This failed on a 10-10 vote with the Mayor breaking the tie and killing the ordinance. No votes were Verveer, Webber, Bruer, gruber, Judge, Kerr, Konkel, Rhodes-Conway, Rummel, Solomon and the Mayor broke the tie. In favor were Brandon, Clausius, Clear, Cnare, Compton, Palm, Pham-Remmele, Snaborn, Schumacher, Skidmore. Kind of predictable except for Judge's change of heart.
156 - Police horse and dog crap. Suffice it to say, it passed unanimously after an amendment to clarify. Lots of bad puns and giggling.
159 - RTA After alot of wrangling and a couple amendments, it passed with everyone in support except Judy Compton.
160 - Impeachment We didn't get to this issue until 3 am and yet there were 9 people who spoke and 15 citizens who stayed to watch. The final votes were Verveer, Webber, Gruber, Kerr, Konkel, Rhodes-Conway, Rummel and Solomon in support. Clear, Compton, Pham-Remmele voted no. Brandon, Bruer, Clausius, Cnare, Judget, Palm, Schumacher and Skimore were wimpy and abstained. Jed Sanborn chose to leave. What does it say that the County Board passed this and and City of Madison Common Council didn't? I don't even want to think about it.

I may have more later, but I only got 1.5 hours of sleep and I've been on two different radio shows for a half hour each already this morning and I have meetings starting in 25 minutes.
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Uh . . . Microsoft Sucks.

I don't know why my blog isn't showing up correctly on Internet Explorer . . . except that it is a Microsoft product. What can I say, try a different browser and I'll see if I can get it fixed. Firefox is working just fine!
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Tonight's Council Agenda

Because we think we can get away with only having one meeting in August, our agenda for tonight is really 99 pages long with 233 items. That's alot of items, many will be referred for introduction or quickly disposed of because they are routine, but this agenda does have more than usual items of interest, here there are.

2 - Hiring Brad Wirtz as our new Human Resources Director
4 & 5 - Finally appointing the James Madison Park Committee, after all this time! (It only took 7 months)
20 - "Placing on file" the 1,000 square foot garages (My house is only 1200 square feet!)
27 - Re-referring the Demolition ordinance
29 - Putting the nail in the coffin on a good project on the Westside of Madison?
34 - Approving changing 625 E Mifflin St from a 5-story building to a 3-story building at the request of the developer.
53 - Fixing our Living Wage Ordinance so that non-profits and for-profit businesses are treated equally
56 & 57 - Warner Park Mallards Stadium
62 - Finally approving the consultant to help us update our 1980 Economic Development Plan for the City
69 - Issuing an RFP to hire somone to Advertise the BioAg Gateway
70 - Police Overtime Report
72 - Approving Frank Productions to help with Halloween on State St.
136 - Small tweak to reporting on the lobbying ordinance
137 - Allied Drive rush job
150 - Alcohol and Gambling Bus Wraps
152 - Another goofy Water Utility Contract
155 - The latest and greatest Zatch Act Ordinance
156 - Police horse and dog crap
159 - RTA
160 - Impeachment

Items of interest to be referred
180 - Expanding reverse mortgage program
197 - Water Utility Manager buy out
198- Charge if use more than 4 carts for garbage pick up
199 - Pool overrun
208 - Capital Budget

Should be a long night. But before the meeting even starts, I'm going to try to be in two places at once and attend the emergency Housing Committee meeting on Allied Drive while also attending to the Common Council Organizational Committee meeting that is full of items I placed on the agenda, so I'll miss everyone at that Impeachment Rally prior to the Council meeting. (Still working on more links!)
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Is Scott Milfred at the WSJ Stupid, Incompetent or Just So Arrogant He Doesn't Think People will Realize the Truth?

Or maybe he just thinks that the readers of the Wisconsin State Journal are dumb? Just when I think he can't top himself, Scott Milfred and the Wisconsin State Journal prove, once again, that they just don't care if what they print is the truth or not. Milfred's latest, PD Distraction Isn't Worth a Vote is just precious. I'll let the co-chairs of PD tell you about how dead wrong that headline is. And here's Lukas Diaz's expansion on the letter to the editor.

For me, Milfred's complete misunderstanding of how the City Council works is mind-blowing. Here's a few of his laughable comments:

1. "233 items for consideration". I don't think he realizes that of the 233 items "up for consideration", several of them are first being introduced and then referred to committees for action as well as several referrals. Several examples of how he gets this wrong will follow.

2. "Getting rid of a failed water utility director". This item is first being introduced and will not be voted on at the meeting.

3. "Courtesy of the hard-left political party Progressive Dane, the Madison City Council will debate whether to urge Congress to begin impeachment investigations against President Bush and Vice President Cheney." See above links about why this is so wrong. This was an initiative started and supported by the Green Party and the Democratic Party, Progressive Dane never even endorsed this resolution. (It was more of an oversight than a conscious decision.)

4. "Instead of pouring over a report on police overtime, instead of carefully considering the expansion of a city program to help more elderly people stay in their homes, a handful of PD council members want to pretend they are members of Congress." Most of us read the routine report on police overtime weeks ago and the city program discussed is on the agenda for introduction and referral.

5. "Forget about careful consideration of zoning changes that would allow larger garages and sheds to go up on certain property without city approval (Item No. 20)." This was an idea that didn't work and is being "placed on file" i.e. tossed in the garbage.

6. "And if the five PD supporters of the resolution soliloquy on Bush's follies for about five minutes each, that's another half hour wasted." This is laughable. The biggest time wasters on these issues are the 7 or 8 alders who make a speech about how this isn't City business. Thereby usually wasting more time than the item itself.

Nevermind the obvious that City Council members are perfectly capable of multi-tasking and dealing with more than one issue at a time. Nevermind that many of us Madisonians have friends or family members who served in the bogus war in Iraq and feel that this is an issue that affects us here in Madison. Nevermind the impact that the actions of the President have had on our state and local budgets while we spend billions of dollars in Iraq and Madison taxpayers are forced to fill in the gaps that the federal government isn't funding. Yeah, that's right, the war in Iraq and the President's actions have nothing to do with Madison . . .

For me, my vote for impeachment will be dedicated to those who survived Hurricane Katrina, and even more so for those who did not.

p.s. Here's what is really on the agenda for tonight.
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Madison's Shit Spread Across the Internet!

At first, I thought this was a joke, but apparently, Alds. Cnare and Compton are making headlines for Madison. Check it out.

Associated Press
Chicago TV
Kentucky Paper
Blogs, blogs and more blogs (Compton, CA via Mobile, AL).
And of course, channel 27, covering all the best news.

This is on the agenda for tomorrow night along with several other items. I can't wait to have this discussion!

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