Madison staff propose merging Economic Development and Vending committees into new Business and Economic Resources Committee

Deputy Mayor Christy Baumel and City economic development staff on Sept. 16 presented a plan to reorganize several city boards, commissions and committees and proposed merging the Economic Development Committee and the Vending Oversight Committee into a single Business and Economic Resources Committee (BERC).

The proposal, which was presented for discussion to the Common Council Executive Committee, includes a draft ordinance to combine the two committees, guidance that staff will draft the ordinance in the coming months, and a preliminary schedule that would seek Common Council approval in November or December, mayoral appointments in January and the first meeting of the new committee in February. "We were trying to make sure we had effective and efficient operations, strong accountable committees, clarity for residents who were working and engaging in the legislative process, and accessible community oriented engagement," Deputy Mayor Christy Baumel said.

Why it matters: the changes would consolidate oversight for business policy, street vending and sidewalk cafes into a single body, alter how some vending approvals are handled, and change committee membership and staffing needs — affecting small businesses, food-cart vendors, neighborhood commercial districts and city staff workload.

Details of the BERC proposal

Matt McClojewski, the city’s economic development director, said staff propose a new Business and Economic Resources Committee with 11 voting members: a mayoral designee, one downtown alder, two other alder members and…