Public Comment on Referendum at this Tuesday's Council Meeting

Hi Everyone,

Yes, we’re now in the dog days of August, but the good news is it’s supposed to cool off starting tomorrow.

Here are this week’s updates, starting with an invitation for you to provide input on the proposed City referendum.

Public Comment on Referendum Resolution Scheduled for this Tuesday, August 6

The Madison Common Council is encouraging residents to submit public testimony on an important resolution affecting the City budget at its next meeting on Tuesday, August 6 at 6:30 p.m. If adopted, the resolution would place a referendum on the November 5 general election ballot. The referendum would authorize an increase of $22 million to the state-imposed property tax levy limit to allow the City to continue to fund police, fire, garbage collection, parks and library operations, and other City services and operations.  

To register to speak in-person or virtually at the August 6 meeting, please fill out this form. The agenda item for the referendum resolution is 84443. You can also register to speak at the City County Building the day of the meeting. You can submit written comments on the referendum resolution by emailing allalders@cityofmadison.com.

The Council meeting on August 6 is the community’s opportunity to have their voice heard on this vital City budget issue. A special virtual council meeting will then be held on August 20 for alders to take a final vote on the resolution. This is due to final figures from the Wisconsin Department of Revenue, needed for the referendum resolution, not being ready until after August 15. Please note, in-person or virtual public testimony on the referendum resolution will only take place at the August 6 meeting. However, you can submit written comments to your elected officials anytime between now and August 20.  

More information on the 2025 budget process is available on the City’s Budget Outlook page. 

• Watch Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway's presentation outlining a sustainable long-term budget plan for Madison’s budget delivered at the July 16 Council meeting.
• Read the Mayor’s memo to Alders  
• See answers to Frequently Asked Questions about the budget and a potential referendum.
• Check out some interesting facts and figures about Madison’s budget.  

There are some facts worth emphasizing. The structural deficit has been brewing for over a decade due to changes made by the State. This has not been ignored by Council or the Mayor, neither the current ones nor those who served in previous administrations. Madison is the fastest growing city in Wisconsin, yet due to revenue limits imposed more than ten years ago, our staff numbers have not risen commensurately. In fact, had we kept pace with our population growth, there would be an additional 217 employees now working for the city to provide the services you’ve come to expect. Instead, our staff is stretched beyond measure, literally doing more with less.

This is not a scare tactic; this is a fact. Those who suggest the city needs to live within its means forget that we already do. We balance our budget every year, and over the last ten years we’ve been forced to come up with creative means for doing so.

Alas, we've run out of options. Either we raise revenue or we make severe cuts in services.

Why does Madison have a structural deficit? (from the Budget FAQ)

The City’s structural deficit is the result of two basic dynamics: a rapidly growing city and harsh restrictions on revenue enacted by the State Legislature and former Gov. Scott Walker. Since 2011, the State Legislature has strictly limited the amount of revenues available to pay for City services. According to the independent Wisconsin Policy Forum, Wisconsin has the one of the tightest restrictions on increases in the entire country. As a result, the City has had to close deficits in every City budget since that time.

• Revenue restrictions have caused deficits each year of approximately $10 million.  The latest estimate of the deficit for 2025 is $22 million.
• The City has done many things to balance its budget over the past 13 years, such as increasing the amount that employees pay for their pensions and health insurance, increasing existing fees, and creating new special charges.
• Limits on City revenues under state law — property taxes levy limits, no local sales tax, no local income tax, low level of shared revenue — have not allowed the City to keep up with the need for services.

I encourage you to offer feedback at Tuesday's Council meeting. If you wish to instead share your ideas with me personally, you may reach out to me at district13@cityofmadison.com.