Paul Soglin: Waxing America

Madison Welcomes EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy

I was pleased to be among the Madisonians who met today with Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy.  She had the opportunity to learn more about what Madison, through the assistance of Sustain Dane, has done with the MPower program.  It was really inspiring to listen to speakers like Kate Schachter of Union Cab Cooperative, John Mulcahey with UW Health and Ross Hansen of CUNA Mutual.  Those business leaders have made great strides in increasing energy efficiency through MPower initiatives.

The MPower Business Champion Program is a one year, fully customizable program allowing businesses to take advantage of dozens of sustainability resources and experts in an effort to reduce waste and energy use, increase employee engagement, and create a healthy, vibrant workplace.  Participating businesses are assisted as they develop and rollout a sustainability strategy that will enable them to achieve measurable results.  http://www.mpoweringmadison.com/mchampions

Ross Hansen with CUNA Mutual talked about the number of employees who have started to bike to work as a result of their MPower involvement.

Sustain Dane, with leadership from Jessie Lerner and her staff, has overseen the MPower program with the EPA grant and funding from Madison Gas and Electric.  As a result of the five-year program, over 240 MPower projects have been implemented for a total savings to businesses involved of $916,000.

It was great to hear Gina McCarthy talk about her impressions of Madison and of our new 'repurposed' library.  We are doing a great job as we work to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels.  As I told the many attendees who were at today's event, I felt lucky to be there but they were the people who did all the work.

Central Library's Grand Opening

On Saturday, September 21st, Madison will open its new Central Library, a symbol of our city's commitment to learning, creating, and thinking. This is not your mother's or father's library and it is not even your childhood library. This is your library of the future.

The Central Library includes traditional books and library services and also has welcoming spaces, innovative programming that showcases community expertise and new technologies that offer residents interactive and exciting new ways of learning, connecting, and sharing ideas with others.  Space previously dedicated to books and periodicals are now occupied by computer stations, which no longer resemble call center cubicles but are real work areas.

As demographics change and technology rapidly advances, the role of public libraries is evolving. Modern libraries retain their traditional values but are also enhanced by the latest technological innovations.  The new Central Library offers five times more public computers, Wi-Fi throughout the building, a fully equipped Media Lab and expert staff assistance. The Central Library is technologically advanced. 

Libraries are serving as busy neighborhood community centers and the new Central Library is a shining example of the new role public libraries play in community building. The new library offers an abundance of meeting spaces and programs that invite residents to gather and share ideas and experiences. Meeting rooms are no longer focused just on the needs of a lecturer but provide the latest interactive technology for real group dynamics.

Engaged staff offer equitable access to tools which allow residents to learn and discover the information they need to lead healthy and engaged lives. The new Central Library also serves as a celebration of creative expression, showcasing art by local and national artists.  Many of the features in the new library – from lighting to building materials to the very concept of a shared library collection – are environmentally sensitive and focus on sustainable use of shared resources.
 
I invite you to experience the new Central Library. And bring friends and family, they will thank you for offering up a new adventure.

Join us this weekend, September 21-22, 2013 at the Central Library's Grand opening festivities.

 

 

 

Remembering our Fallen

I hope that you have had a chance to stop in at the lobby of the City County Building, 210 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd this week.  From September 16-20, there is a display, called Remembering our Fallen. It  honors the men and women from Wisconsin who have died in the War on Terror.

 It is an incredibly compelling display and I urge everyone to spend some time looking at the faces of the young men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country.  One cannot help but think of their families, the empty chairs at tables, the celebrations they will miss, and the people missing them.  We owe those families a debt of gratitude as well. 

 The Dane County Council of the American Legion sponsors this traveling exhibition.  That group is also holding a Remembrance Ceremony at the display on Friday September 20 at 11:00 a.m. I will be speaking along with County Executive Joe Parisi and Purple Heart Veteran Jason Johns.  The ceremony will conclude with a reading of the names displayed on the memorial.

City Budget and the Premium

 On Tuesday, September 17, 2013 the city of Madison held a competitive sale of debt to raise funds for capital projects and equipment.  The winning bid of 2.16%, which will cost about $600,000 less than the highest bid of 2.33%, reflects current market conditions and the city’s Aaa bond rating. 

 In recent years, winning bids included a reoffering premium. When a bid includes a ‘premium’ it means the purchasers of the city’s debt are willing to pay cash upfront in order to receive higher interest payments from the city in future years. 

 The city placed a maximum price on the bonds.  The goal was to obtain a targeted premium amount of $4 million, which was factored into my Executive Capital Budget. Prior to my taking office, the city was using this premium to help fund on-going operating costs .  This violates a sound budgetary principle.  Irregular revenue sources should only be used to fund programs that do not occur year after year.

 It is my goal to use the $4 million in premium to fund capital projects-that will reduce the need for additional borrowing in the future.   Hopefully, despite disagreements on this point in the past two budget years, the city council will agree. In 2011, when I came into office, the city was projected to spend 20% of its operating budget on debt. Prudent decisions, despite some tough budget disagreements with the city council, means that, if the council adopts the recommended capital and operating budgets, only 14% of our 2014 budget will be devoted to paying off debt.