Chuck Litweiler, the lone citizen who addressed the Madison City Council Tuesday in opposition to wrapping more city buses in ads, was surprised when the council refused to add five more buses to the full-wrap pilot program that will end in 2009.

So he probably won't be surprised if the council reverses itself at its next meeting on Feb. 5.

Ald. Jed Sanborn, the sponsor of the proposal to add the ads, was not at the meeting. As council President Mike Verveer, who led the meeting in Mayor Dave Cieslewicz's absence, explained to the spectators, the resolution needed 11 votes to pass. Ten voted in favor of the measure Tuesday, with seven opposed.

Sanborn said today he will probably ask the council to reconsider its vote. Under council rules, anyone who voted for adding the wraps or any council member who wasn't at Tuesday's meeting could call for reconsideration.

"There were three of us absent last night, and we all support the wraps," Sanborn said.

However, all bus riders do not.

"For most people, it is the cumulative effect of all the 'little' things that happen to them that determines the quality of their lives. Bus wraps that cover the windows with a mesh are one of those 'little' things that matter," Litweiler said.

He also said that if bus wraps are a good idea, then the city should consider full-size ads on garbage and recycling trucks, governmental buildings and the Central Library. "But you and I know that ... we won't wrap any other city property and we won't wrap any buses going to the suburbs when we get a Regional Transit Authority."

Spectators broke into applause when Litweiler recommended the city "not spend any more money on strictly aesthetic improvements like the bus shelters on State Street and the Square and the metal benches on East Washington - at least until we can afford to unwrap the buses."

Ald. Mark Clear, who supported the immediate addition of the five wraps, said after the vote that he was concerned about the impact the council's action would have on Metro Transit's 2008 budget. He said the $72,000 the wraps would bring in is already built in to the agency's budget.

Metro Transit general manager Chuck Kamp said Metro only budgeted $50,000 of the maximum $72,000 because it is not possible from a practical standpoint to have all the advertising spots filled all the time. However, Metro's budget does really need this $50,000, Kamp said, so he hopes the reconsideration strategy works.

Under the current pilot program, the advertiser pays $36,000 for each wrapped bus, but Metro Transit only gets $14,400 of that, Kamp told the council Tuesday night. The rest of the fee goes to Adams Outdoor Advertising, he said.

Ald. Judy Compton said, "The city should get the whole fee. We have people who could mount ads on the buses and the big companies who buy these wraps have their own advertising agencies who can and should design them for them."

Ald. Julia Kerr, who said she voted to add the wraps, said she will review the pilot project at its end because so many of her constituents oppose the program.

Ald. Brenda Konkel, who also reported lots of constituent complaints and who voted against new wraps, said she favored finishing the current pilot before looking at adding anything.

Liquor, gambling wraps: In a related matter, in the course of accepting a citizen petition against allowing the buses to use alcohol or gambling wraps, City Attorney Michael May explained the council's options for restricting the kinds of ads that can be allowed.

He said that because of the way the council initiated the action, the buses are "public forums" and the council cannot restrict the ads on them. In order to do that, the council would need to transform the buses into non-public forums, allowing the city to restrict the types of ads. But he cautioned that the council would have to include studies and reports as well as clear statements about the city's justification for refusing certain kinds of ads to make such a policy withstand a legal challenge.
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