Committe recommends
holding off on boulevard changes
Nov.
6, 2006 -- A Common Council committee has recommended
delaying major changes in boulevard planting and maintenance
until the public have more input on the plan.
The
"Sustainable Boulevard Plan," proposed by Mayor
Tom Barrett in his 2207 budget, was developed by a committee
of well-qualified individuals, but “it wasn’t
very inclusive in terms of involving more the residents
of our city,” Ald. Michael Murphy told the Finance
and Personnel Committee.
Murphy
said he was not philosphically opposed to the plan, which
would increase planting of perennials, but added: “If
we’re going to make this kind of shift, we should
do our best to make sure residents have a strong buy-in
to it and support it.”
The
next year should be used to educate the public about the
plan, he said.
The
committee agreed, on a 3-1 vote. The full council will
vote on Nov. 10.
Barrett
proposed the new plan because "annual fiscal pressures
have required the department to craft alternatives for
the boulevards that increase the system’s environmental
and financial sustainability while preserving its aesthetic
value," according to budget documents.
As
a result, the Public Works Department developed a Sustainable
Boulevard Plan that would:
• Reorder boulevard types as landmarks, gateways,
and connecting;
• Remove flower beds from street segments that connect
key intersections;
• Plant shade and ornamental trees on connecting
street segments where beds have been eliminated, as funding
becomes available, as a means of reducing maintenance
costs and improving the city’s air quality;
• Enhance planting beds at key street intersections
through the use of a mix of annuals, perennials, shrubs,
native plants, decorative edging and automated irrigation
systems; and
• Introduce rain garden elements into boulevard
segments.
Budget
Director Mark Nicolini said new plan was worthwhile.
"It’s
a good long-term solution, that is financially and environmentally
sustainable," he said. "It will continue to
make our boulevards an attraction and I just think we
need to start taking some realistic steps to reduce our
costs, and we get the added bonus of long-term added environmental
benefit.”
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Barrett
proposes $1 million cut for library
Oct.
16, 2006 -- The Milwaukee Public Library would
take a $1.1 million cut under Mayor Tom Barrett's proposed
budget, records show.
The
library would lose the equivalent of six full-time positions
and its books and materials budget would be slashed $355,630,
or 17%.
The
operating budget would decrease from $23.9 million this
year to $22.8 million in 2007, a 5% cut, according to
Barrett's proposal.
The
capital budget also would be reduced sharply, from $1,060,000
to $830,000, a reduction of $230,000, or 22%.
Cuts
were made to meet state-imposed levy limits and because
grant funding decreased, according to the budget.
The
library, over the coming year, will look at other ways
to save money.
"In
2006, the Library began studying the viability of implementing
self checkout systems at Central and branch locations,"
the budget said.
The Library will continue to study the issue in 2007,
the budget said.
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Milwaukee
Public Library in line to get whacked, again
June
21, 2006 -- Service hours of some Milwaukee Public
Library branches would be cut by more 50% and funding
for books and would be slashed, under the library's 2007
budget request.
Some
19.27 full-time equivalent positions would be eliminated.
The
$25.3 million request could have to be pared further because
it was submitted before Ald. Tony Zielinski introduced
a proposal to fund another police recruit class this year.
If approved, as seems likely, Zielinski's measure would
boost police spending by $2.3 million next year. That
money would very probably have to come at least in part
from other city departments.
The
library already has donated to the crime-fighting cause.
The library's old book mobile, which the city decided
it could not afford, has been designated a mobile police
substation, which the city can afford.
Health
care costs also play a large role in the fiscal squeeze
being felt by the library and all city departments. The
city's HMO costs are expected to jump from $65.1 million
to $78.7 million, and increase of $13.6 million, or 20.84%,
according to budget docuements.
Mayor
Tom Barrett will submit his budget to the Common Council
in September. The council then will consider it and can
make changes.
The
requested library budget, submitted by retiring City Librarian
Kathleen Huston, calls for cutting Central Library Service
hours from 60 per week to 51 per week, a 15% reduction.
It
also calls for reducing 11 branch library service hours
from the 43.5 to 54 hours per week they are now open to
21 to 42 hours a week.
The
books and materials budget would be reduced from $2,042,452
this year to $1,850,000 in 2007, a decrease of $192,452,
or 9.4%.
The
2006 books and materials budgets was the largest since
2002.
