At a press conference Wednesday regarding Madison’s 2013 capital budget, Mayor Paul Soglin discussed a request he made in July that all city department heads present an operating budget with a five percent reduction in spending.
The city’s annual operating budget manages Madison’s spending for the upcoming year, while the capital budget includes city expenses that will last for more than 10 years like ambulances, fire stations and major street construction.
For departments like Madison Police, a reduction in operating budget spending could mean cutting their city funding by $3,303,330 and would result in eliminating 30 police officer positions, 11 civilian positions and the crossing guard program, Madison Police Chief Noble Wray said in a letter to the mayor and council members.
“A reduction of this magnitude ... would dramatically affect the manner in which we deliver police services here in Madison,” Wray said in the letter.
In addition, Soglin said that due to prior commitments with other communities and the federal government, there is not space within the capital budget for his own priorities, which include strengthening community and neighborhood centers, partnering with school districts and creating a public market, which is similar to a farmer’s market.
“For those who are looking for this budget to reflect my own priorities, I’m sad to say that’s minimal because we don’t have a lot of flexibility given the inherited level of debt service,” Soglin said.
The idea of a public market in Madison would provide fresh, local food, and would improve the local economy, according to Soglin.
“A public market that focuses on access to quality fresh food not only provides a health benefit to a community, but it also provides some economic savings,” Soglin said. “It provides an opportunity to grow locally owned and controlled businesses.”
Madison’s Common Council will vote on both the capital and operating budget together in November.
