Finance committee approves IGA to fund operations of new men's shelter at 1904 Bertillon Drive

The City of Madison Finance Committee on May 11 approved an intergovernmental agreement with Dane County to support operations of the new men's shelter at 1904 Bertillon Drive and authorized staff to accept county funds and amend the Community Development Division's 2026 operating budget.

The agreement (Legistar 92 2946) was moved and seconded during the committee meeting and recorded as a unanimous vote. President Madison moved the motion and it was seconded; the committee recorded no objections.

Why it matters: The agreement is a procedural step that lets the city and county transfer operating funds and clarifies responsibilities before the facility opens. City staff said the shelter will not replace overflow capacity and that several operational steps must be completed before opening.

Director Jim O'Keefe, who outlined the city's next steps, said the IGA will return to the common council on May 19 and then go to the Dane County Board, where county officials are likely to act in late June. He said the city is negotiating a separate facilities operating agreement with Porchlight, the selected operator, and that agreement addresses day-to-day responsibilities between Porchlight and the city.

O'Keefe gave details about how the new facility will operate. "It continues to be the case, Alder, that the shelter will open operating on an overnight basis only," he said, and added that converting to a full 24-hour operation would require additional funding and staffing. He estimated that the additional funding needed to operate 24 hours is "somewhere between $750,000 and $1,000,000 a year," and said private fundraising led by Shelter Friends of Dane County is expected to help close that gap.

Public comment: Elise Salriar of District 17, a registrant who spoke during the meeting, urged the committee not to open the new shelter without a clear plan for overflow capacity. "Opening this new shelter without plans for that overflow shelter fully thought out is a little irresponsible," she said, citing visible shelter overflow in the community.

County coordination and overflow shelters: O'Keefe said the Dane County RFP process for an overflow operator is more closed than city procurement; city staff believe there was a single response and that county officials may invite that organization to set up overflow capacity. He added that city staff had not yet been contacted about a reported $440,000 emergency overflow grant to Madison Street Medicine and that engineering has not completed any assessment of a potential overflow site at the Arziah/Dyer Road facility.

Next steps: With the committee's approval, staff will bring the IGA to the full council on May 19; county action is expected in late June. City staff said the shelter's construction is substantially complete but that final cleaning, furniture installation and operator preparation are required before opening, making early July the earliest reasonable estimate for opening.

The committee recorded a unanimous vote in favor of the IGA and related budget actions; individual roll-call votes were not read aloud during the recorded segments.