Three key roll call votes from Tuesday’s
Madison Common Council budget meeting

Involved citizens, whether driven by fear or not, deserve to know how their alders voted on public safety 11-12-19. Here are three key roll call votes on public safety in the City of Madison 2020 annual budget.

More firefighters, kill the police auditor/monitor

Henak

Ald. Zach Henak, District 10 (Orchard Ridge, Midvale Heights, Nakoma) moves “Substitute 1a” to add 10 firefighters to staff a 9th ambulance housed at Station 14. Pay for it by eliminating the $200,000 police auditor, rolling back the $115,000 increase in” Community Building & Engagement,” reduce Obrich Garden additional staff position to half a year, eliminate “Digital Equity.”

Aye: Skidmore, Tierney, Abbas, Baldeh, Henak — 5
Nay: Moreland, Rohrer, Rummel, Verveer, Albouras, Bidar, Carter, Evers, Foster, Furman, Harrington-McKinney, Heck, Kemble, Lemmer, Martin — 15

Add 6 police officers

Alds. Henak and Tierney sponsor amendment to add 6 police officers and pay for it by reducing the wage increase for general municipal employees from 3.25% to 3.0%; Remove funding for ‘Digital Equity,’ and cut $115,000 from bus rapid transit studies.

Aye: Skidmore, Tierney, Henak — 3
Nay: Moreland, Rohrer, Rummel, Verveer, Abbas, Albouras, Baldeh, Bidar, Carter, Evers, Foster, Furman, Harrington-McKinney, Heck, Kemble, Lemmer, Martin — 17

Add 3 police, transfer expenditures to the Capital Budget

Aye:  Moreland, Rohrer, Skidmore, Tierney, Verveer, Abbas, Albouras, Baldeh, Carter, McKinney, Lemmer, Martin — 12
Nay: Rummel, Bidar, Evers, Foster, Furman, Heck, Henak, Kemble — 8

Ald. Henak explains his No vote:

I have a very strong stance that we should not be moving funding for operations to [the] capital [budget] and it is rather hypocritical for me to do it on something I want and then speak against it when someone else does it. This is the mechanism Alder Verveer was using to find his funds. Not to mention [the amendment] is grossly inadequate.

What do YOU think?