Fiscal Note
The proposed resolution authorizes the creation of a 1.0 LTE (Limited Term) Legislative Analyst position in Comp Group 19, Range 29 in the Mayor's Office 2026 Operating Budget. The position will be filled by a fellow matched with the City of Madison through the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative at the John F. Kennedy School of Government's ("Harvard") Bloomberg Harvard City Hall Fellowship program. The fellow is anticipated to begin on July 27, 2026, and the position is anticipated to last no more than 24 months.
The resolution further authorizes the City to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Harvard setting the conditions of the fellow's placement and lasting through the duration of the fellowship. Under the agreement, Harvard will reimburse the City up to $300,000 over the 24-month period to pay for the fellow's salary, benefits, relocation fees, and subscriptions.
Lastly, the resolution amends the Mayor's Office 2026 Adopted Operating Budget to appropriate $65,563 from Harvard to cover salary, benefits, relocation expenses, and subscriptions for the position. This funding and the corresponding expenditures will be appropriated in the Other Grants Fund (Fund 1220). Harvard will reimburse the City for these expenses, and no City match is required. Expenses related to the position in 2027 and 2028 will be considered during the development of those Operating Budgets.
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Creating a 1.0 FTE position of Legislative Analyst-LTE in the Mayor’s Office operating budget, authorizing a Memorandum of Understanding with Harvard College to place a Bloomberg Harvard City Hall Fellow in this LTE position in the Mayor's Office and accept a grant from Harvard College to pay the salary, benefits and other employment costs, and amending the Mayor’s Office 2026 operating budget accordingly.
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WHEREAS the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard College administers the Bloomberg Harvard City Hall Fellowship program, and
WHEREAS the City applied to the Bloomberg Harvard City Hall Fellowship program through the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative to receive a 2-year Harvard graduate fellow to work in the Mayor’s Office and with the Department of Planning, Community, and Economic Development (DPCED) on ways to improve and communicate about the development permit process, and
WHEREAS the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative has selected the City of Madison to receive a 2-year fellow starting July 27, 2026, and has matched the City with an individual fellow through a competitive interview process, and
WHEREAS under this arrangement the fellow would be placed as an LTE employee of the City because the Bloomberg Harvard program is interested in placing Fellows as actual employees of the city where they work for the purpose of creating a stronger relationship with the city and to allow for participation in benefit programs, and
WHEREAS the Bloomberg Harvard program is interested in placing fellows in the offices of mayors and/or city administrators of the communities they work with to ensure top level support and assistance in conducting the work, and
WHEREAS the Bloomberg Harvard City Hall Fellowship program will reimburse the City for the personnel costs of the employee, including an annual salary of $107,750 plus one mid-point cost of living adjustment, benefits up to a 33.1% benefits rate, relocation reimbursement up to $4,000, and up to $500 in software or media subscriptions, and
WHEREAS a defined employment relationship of less than 4 years meets the City’s definition of a Limited Term Employee, and
WHEREAS the desired salary range aligns with the City’s Compensation Group (CG) 19, Range 29, and the work aligns with the Legislative Analyst classification in that CG and Range, and
WHEREAS placement in CG19, the non-civil service compensation group, allows the Mayor to directly appoint a person to the position,
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that a 1.0 FTE position of Legislative Analyst is created within the Mayor’s Office operating budget as a Limited Term position with an anticipated duration of no more than 24 months, and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Mayor’s Office 2026 adopted operating budget is amended by $65,563 to accept grant funding to cover the cost of salaries and benefits for the position, and
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED that the Mayor and City Clerk are authorized to sign an agreement with the President and Fellows of Harvard College acting through the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative at the John F. Kennedy School of Government ("Harvard") for the duration of and setting forth conditions of the fellow’s placement, and providing up to $300,000 to pay for the position’s salary, benefits, relocation fees and subscriptions.