Fiscal Note
No additional City appropriation required.
Title
AMENDED SUBSTITUTE: Amending or repealing various sections in Chapters 8, 10 and 33 of the Madison General Ordinances related to reorganization of City Boards, Commissions and Committees.
Body
DRAFTER’S ANALYSIS: The report of the City’s Task Force on Government Structure recommended that the City reduce and consolidate its Boards, Commissions and Committees in order to create efficiencies and promote accountability. This ordinance eliminates the Downtown Coordinating Committee, the Community Development Division’s Conference Committee, the Public Safety Review Committee, and the Ho-Chunk City of Madison Coordinating Committee. It also consolidates the responsibilities of the Commission on Aging, the Early Childhood Education Committee, and the Community Services Committee into a new Community Resources Committee. It also alters the membership of the Community Development Block Grant Committee.
This ordinance also makes several changes to effectuate the transfer of Urban Forestry services from the Parks Division to the Streets Division in 2020. As a result of that change, the Urban Forestry Section is now primarily responsible for the City’s street trees (park trees are maintained by the Parks Division and greenway trees are maintained by the Engineering Division). Under existing ordinances, the City Forester has the authority to issue tree trimming, pruning and removal permits for public trees in the rights-of-way and greenways, and that framework includes a hearing process before the Habitat Stewardship Subcommittee of the Board of Parks Commissioners, a subcommittee that meets quarterly. This ordinance would shift that hearing procedure to the Board of Public Works, and also make it clear that the City Forester is no longer subject to oversight from the Board of Park Commissioners, but remains subject to the oversight of the Street Superintendent and the Board of Public Works.
In addition, this ordinance gives the Urban Forestry Section of the Streets Division the clear authority over street trees to ensure that the City continues to meet the Arbor Day Foundation’s requirements to be named a Tree City USA community. Finally, this ordinance updates the authority of the Habitat Stewardship Subcommittee of the Board of Park Commissioners to reflect this narrowing of its authority from all public trees to park-related trees.
The substitute adds a delayed effective date of April 21, 2026 for the Downtown Coordinating Committee (DCC), as recommended by the Common Council Executive Committee.
The amended substitute removes the repeal of the Public Safety Review Committee (PSRC).
***********************************************************************************
Please see Legistar File No. 87044 Body in Attachments.