Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter.
Madison City Council members have offered 10 amendments to Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway's proposed $368.4 million capital budget for 2023.
City Council members offered modest initial changes -- and no new funds to close a financing gap for the Madison Public Market -- to Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway's proposed, record $368.4 million capital budget for 2023.
The initial set of 10 amendments to be considered by the city's Finance Committee on Wednesday deliver $250,000 to support accessible taxi cabs, $200,000 for small business grants in a tax incremental financing (TIF) district on State Street, and $850,000 for citywide flood mitigation.
Two other amendments would delay engineering projects and save money in 2023.
But the proposed amendments include no additional money to help close a $5.2 million financing gap revealed early this month that will, at minimum, delay construction from November until early spring and could threaten the Public Market project altogether.
In August 2022, Madison selected three finalists in its Lake Monona Waterfront Design Challenge, aimed at creating a “visionary, inclusive and environmentally focused master plan” for 1.7 miles of shoreline and 17 acres of Madison’s foremost public lakefront. Planners are looking for concepts that can better connect neighborhoods and residents to the lake, improve water quality and preserve the lake's cultural history. Take a brief tour of this stretch of shoreline, which runs from Williamson Street to Olin Park.
The mayor and council members, however, will get another chance to offer amendments during final consideration of the capital and operating budgets in November.
Alds. Erik Paulson and Charles Myadze to borrow $250,000 next year to establish a grant program for private, licensed taxi companies to purchase accessible vehicles to increase the availability of "on-demand" accessible cabs in the city. The amendment directs staff to design a plan in early 2023 for council approval with implementation in the second half of the year.
Ald. Mike Verveer, 4th District, and two others proposed another $200,000 in TIF borrowing to provide additional funding to meet demand for small business grants. The funds could also be used to support planning activities and furniture repairs and upgrades on State Street.
And Ald. Bill Tishler, 11th District, proposed spending $850,000 to design and construct culvert replacement on Orchard Street and extend a culvert through the drainage way, as well as fund maintenance path construction and restoration work within the damaged Robin Greenway.
A customer selects a tomato at the Canopy Gardens booth during the Dane County Farmers’ Market on the Square in Madison, Wis., Saturday, April 16, 2022. KAYLA WOLF, STATE JOURNAL
A customer samples cranberry chipotle chutney from Savory Accents at the Dane County Farmers’ Market on the Square in Madison, Wis., Saturday, April 16, 2022. KAYLA WOLF, STATE JOURNAL
Ted Ballweg, left, of Savory Accents near Verona, talks with a customer at his stand that specializes in products made with organic hot peppers. Ballweg has been selling at the Dane County Farmers' Market since 1984.
Mark Olson reaches for an order of cinnamon sticks at his Renaissance Farm stand at the Dane County Farmers' Market. Olson, of Spring Green, is helping organize a little red wagon project and is recruiting 50 artists to take part in the effort that will be similar to the CowParade and Bucky on Parade.
A customer selects a basket of tomatoes from Don's Produce at the Dane County Farmers' Market. The tomatoes and cucumbers are grown in a hydroponic greenhouse near Arena by Don Uselman, who has been a vendor for 45 years. The potatoes were harvested last fall and stored over the winter.
The Koch family, from left, Eric, Soren and Mandy walk through the Dane County Farmers’ Market on the Square in Madison, Wis., Saturday, April 16, 2022. KAYLA WOLF, STATE JOURNAL
Despite chilly temperatures, thousands came out Saturday for the season's first outdoor Dane County Farmers' Market on Capitol Square. It's the first April on the Square for the market since 2019, when the COVID-19 pandemic forced officials to move the market to a more spread-out area at the Alliant Energy Center in 2020 and for part of 2021 before returning to the Square in June.
Garden plants from the Flower Factory were among the Wisconsin-produced items at the Dane County Farmers' Market on Saturday. Of the 230 members of the market, 49 vendors turned out, but that number will grow as the weather warms, market officials said.
A colorful variety of tomatoes and cucumbers are displayed at the Canopy Gardens stand at the Dane County Farmers Market on Saturday.
Sandra Schroerlucke selects a bag of greens from Don's Produce at the Dane County Farmers’ Market on the Square in Madison, Wis., Saturday, April 16, 2022. KAYLA WOLF, STATE JOURNAL
Renae Marsh of Canopy Gardens adds more tomatoes to a display at the Dane County Farmers' Market. Her family farm, which uses a ¾-acre greenhouse to grow tomatoes 11 months of the year, is located near Antigo, 162 miles north of Madison.
A hip crowd walks the Capitol Square in October 1975 for the Dane County Farmers' Market.
At the 1974 Dane County County Farmers' Market, Robert Mendenhall, left, and Tom Mendenhall came from Plainfield to sell cantaloupe.
One of the handful of vendors to show up for the inaugural Dane County Farmers' Market on Sept. 30, 1972, was a farmer from Black Earth who sold seven cases of honey. "I never dreamed we'd sell anywhere as much as we did today," owner Wesley Rolfs told the Wisconsin State Journal.
DANE COUNTY FARMERS' MARKET 1993 (Published on Nov 7 1993) Melody Webster, Madison, selects a peacock feather Saturday as snow flies at the Farmers' Market on the Capitol Square.
DANE COUNTY FARMERS' MARKET 1975 (Published on 6/14/1975) Visitors to the Farmers' Market this morning gathered around the stand of Richard Salzman, of Fall River, who was one of many area farmers on the Square to sell their products. Salzman has a wide array of vegetables to sell.
The Wisconsin State Journal's Oct. 1, 1972, story about the first Dane County Farmers' Market, which was held on Sept. 30.
Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter.
Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.
The new dollars would close a funding gap for the project and keep it on track for construction starting in 2024.
Madison City Council members have offered 10 amendments to Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway's proposed $368.4 million capital budget for 2023.
Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device.