Madison Mayor Paul Soglin is hoping to establish a citizens committee to recommend changes to the structure of the 20-member Madison City Council.
According to an article in The Capital Times, Soglin will introduce a measure to create the committee soon.
The mayor is concerned that the current council is isolating itself and leaving the public “sitting on the sidelines” by making decisions such as increasing its salaries and proposing a chief of staff position that influence its structure more toward a governing body.
“[The council] further insulates itself in an era where there’s hardly anybody running for the job,” Soglin said in the Cap Times article. The mayor isn’t opposed to a full-time paid six to eight member Council, although 12 people paid part-time would be his ideal.
He hopes a citizens committee of between 11 and 15 residents would give the community a say in the council’s structure and recommend changes.
