Fiscal Note
No expenditure is required.
Title
Establishing "77 Square Miles Surrounded by Reality" as the official motto of the City of Madison.
Body
WHEREAS, during his 1978 campaign for Governor, Lee Sherman Dreyfus off-handedly referred to the City of Madison as "30 square miles surrounded by reality"; and,
WHEREAS, the current Mayor of the City of Madison once advised Bill Kraus, an aide to Governor Dreyfus, that the Governor had it wrong because Madison had grown to 65 square miles; and
WHEREAS, the land area of the City of Madison is now closer to 77 square miles; and,
WHEREAS, the phrase "77 Square Miles Surrounded by Reality" has become popular with bloggers (see 77squaremiles.blogspot.com), websites (see www.surroundedbyreality.com <http://www.surroundedbyreality.com>), newspapers (see the weekly magazine 77 Square), and writers, including Doug Moe's collection of stories called "Surrounded by Reality"; and,
WHEREAS, the City has adopted an ordinance used to park ordinances no longer enforceable, called the 77 Square Miles Ordinance, see sec. 45.07, MGO; and,
WHEREAS, Madison has an official city bird (the plastic pink flamingo, (see RES-09-00727, Legistar No. 15721, adopted September 1, 2009) but has no official City motto.
NOW THEREFORE, Be It Resolved that Common Council of the City of Madison adopts the phrase "77 Square Miles Surrounded By Reality" as the official motto of the City of Madison; and,
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the motto will automatically change from time to time, without a new resolution, to reflect the then land area of the City (excluding the lakes).