Madison Media Digest: Budgets, Community and Business

Here’s what we were reading while riding our bikes, which we can do because the city is that bike friendly. 

Budgets

The City Council passed a $290.1M operating budget and a $295M capital budget on Tuesday and early Wednesday morning. It includes funding for the public market and the Midtown Police Station, which had been delayed in the mayor’s initial proposal. Soglin was satisfied with the budget, signing it instead of letting it pass into law without his signature as he did last year. The Board of Estimates had previously voted to reopen discussions with developers about the redevelopment of Judge Doyle Square. The budget section on Judge Doyle Square maintained what supporters called maximum flexibility.

The Dane County Board restored $500,000 in funding to test a technology aimed at removing phosphorus from manure in order to protect the region’s lakes. The board also removed a proposal that would have moved laundry work at the county jail in house, pointing to the fact that the laundry work creates jobs outside the jail. Conservative David Blaska objected, saying it would have saved money. He also doubts the planned Office for Equity and Inclusion in the budget will accomplish much. The County Board approved the purchase of a homeless day center on the Isthmus.

Community

Madison365’s 12 on Tuesday talked to Young Gifted and Black Coalition leader Brandi Grayson (Part 2 is here). The city council funded a pilot program of police body cameras for Madison officers over the objection of a panel it had delegated to study the issue. A citizen panel tasked with reviewing Madison police procedures convenes for the first time, although with a sense that momentum has slowed on these issues. Deputy Mayor Gloria Reyes described plans for the commission. President James Howard, Dean Loumous and TJ Mertz will run for reelection to the Madison school board. Madison’s Latino Academy of Workforce Development trains people to work in a range of jobs around the city.

Michael Johnson says this has been the most successful year yet for the Boys and Girls Club of Dane County. Capital Times editor Paul Fanlund explained what it means to be a progressive newspaper in 2015. Dave Zweifel praised the work of our friends at the Simpson Street Free Press. A new community radio station has launched in Sun Prairie. Alternate side of the street parking is back. The group MadHacks seeks to introduce newbies to programming. The Madison Museum of Contemporary Art participates in the VA’s Compensated Work Therapy program. The Salvation Army extended the nights women can sleep in its shelter each year from 60 to 90. A campus group focused on racial inequities on the UW–Madison campus plans to join with the Young, Gifted and Black Coalition to work on issues within the institution. The city won a federal grant to house 25 homeless veterans on the East Side. 

Business

Mayor Paul Soglin asked state government for funds to help with the public market and to support for the 1,000 Oscar Mayer workers who will lose their jobs when the company abandons its Madison factory. Gov. Scott Walker said he was interested in finding a role for the state in the market. Chris Rickert thinks Kraft Heinz, the parent company Oscar Mayer, knew taxpayer money was available in Madison, if it had wanted it. Former Mayor Dave Cieslewicz said state job policies are bad but not why Kraft Heinz took Oscar Mayer to Chicago. Alan Talaga offered seven suggestions for the Oscar Mayer site.

Progress appears to be stalled on converting the Garver Feed Mill on the East Side into a artisanal food production facility. We wrote this summer about the community-based process that led to this plan. Madison’s development boom is opening up more and more retail space. Madison’s Cellular Dynamics won a more than $80M contract to provide stem cells to a Swiss pharmaceutical company.