In a marathon session lasting just under eight hours, Madison’s city council approved its 2019 budget, including an amendment eliminating funding for a test run of a police body camera program.
The council approved a more than $6.5 million increase in the city’s capital budget, which funds city projects and maintenance. Just over $5.7 million was added for flood mitigation efforts in response to the historic floods that ravaged the city in August.
Most of the money will be used for public works projects to counter effects of the storm, though some will also be used to help prepare the city in case of another major flooding event.
A pilot program for police body cameras was defunded by the council after a contentious debate lasting over half an hour. The city’s Finance Committee added $104,000 to the police department’s budget to implement the program, but Ald. Amanda Hall, District 3, proposed an amendment to the budget that would cut all of those funds.
The council heard from residents of Madison’s North Side, where the program was slated to run, who worried footage from the cameras could be put to the wrong use if obtained by immigration authorities. Ald. Shiva Bidar-Sielaff, District 5, echoed those concerns and said the benefits of body cameras did not outweigh the potential costs they could have on Madison’s undocumented community.
“Your number one goal should be to preserve your rights and your privacy,” Ald. Larry Palm, District 12, said. “I have concerns … [the program] will spin out and not benefit our community in the way it was intended.”
The council ultimately voted 16-3 in favor of defunding the project, with Alds. Paul Skidmore, Mike Verveer and David Ahrens voting in favor of keeping it.
The operating budget, funding the city government’s day-to-day operations, was also approved by the council as Tuesday night turned into Wednesday morning. The budget included amendments to fund community development programs focused on decreasing violence in Madison’s impoverished communities.
Also included was a proposal from American Family Insurance to give the Madison Police Department $110,000 to hire a full-time officer who would patrol the area around the company’s corporate headquarters in the northeastern part of the city. The proposal was met with near-unanimous condemnation on the part of council members and community members who came to speak.
“It’s against our core values and ethics,” Officer David Dexheimer said, warning against police becoming indebted to private companies. “We know what happens when a state declares it is open for business. Do not let MPD go down that road.”
Most members of the council similarly criticized the possibility of private control of the police.
“I think this is a terrible policy idea,” Ald. Rebecca Kemble, District 18, said. “We shouldn’t be relying on private money for this.”
The council ultimately voted 16-3 to reject American Family’s proposal.
The operating budget was finally approved by unanimous vote, ending the city’s budget negotiations for the year.
