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D6 Items of Interest Week of October 14, 2024

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Last week Mayor Rhodes Conway released her 2025 Executive Operating Budget which includes two operating budgets: one if the referendum passes and an alternative budget if the referendum request for $22M fails on November 5.

The City of Madison is faced with an unprecedented operating budget gap of $22M due to population growth, the lingering economic disruption from COVID and state levy limit constraints which have made it difficult for the city to cover the increasing costs of providing services because revenues have not kept up with inflation. 

Mayor's Executive Summary Pages 13-14 show agency cuts proposed under the cost to continue budget if the referendum passes and pages 15-18 include details of cuts for every agency if the referendum fails. The following are highlights provided in the Executive Summary.

Cost to Continue Budget cuts if the referendum passes (1% cuts) include:

  • Reducing the budget of the Office of the Independent Monitor by $195,000 and reallocating that money to the library system for Reindahl Imagination Center start-up costs. 
  • Eliminating Sunday drop-off hours at the Olin Avenue drop-off site for garbage, yard waste, and recycling. 
  • Adding two new Street Machine Operators for garbage and recycling pick-up to meet the needs of a growing population. The city has added around 800 new garbage and recycling customers each year.
  • Maintaining current investment levels in public safety and vital community services.

Alternative Budget if the referendum fails (5% cuts)

The alternative budget includes $22M in cuts:  $5.6 million in service and staff cuts (highlights below), $10 million in new revenue from a new infrastructure Special Charge on the monthly municipal services bill, and use of $6.4 million from the rainy-day fund (which has a surplus due to revenue from investment income and savings from vacant positions).

Examples of proposed reductions if the referendum does not pass include the following:

Community Services

  • Sunday hours would be eliminated from all libraries except for the Central library, and funding for library programming such as family story times, teen engagement programs, and job- and computer-training sessions would be reduced by $329,000.
  • Over $500,000 would be cut from funding to community-based organizations that provide critical services like restorative justice programming, employment training, and funding assistance for early childhood programs.
  • Grant support for the arts will be reduced from $92K to $11K and grants for neighborhood projects would be eliminated ($30K).
  • City funding for the downtown Business Improvement District will be reduced by $62,000 which may lead to fewer downtown events.
  • Eliminating currently vacant positions in Building Inspections will likely lengthen wait times and require more automated interactions when contacting the agency.
  • Funding for city-operated ice rinks, which are increasingly unviable due to climate change, would be eliminated ($60K).

Government Services

  • Reductions to vacant IT Media Team positions will require the City to reduce the number of meetings that are broadcast publicly for remote viewing.

Public Safety

  • The popular CARES program, which provides mental health emergency response, will leave a position vacant and expand its limited coverage more slowly.
  • All funding for the Office of the Independent Monitor and the Police Civilian Oversight Board would be eliminated ($195K in cost to continue budget and $272K in alternative budget).
  • Recently enacted state laws instituted financial penalties that would further reduce the City budget if core police and fire budgets or staffing are reduced. The city values the services provided by both our Police and Fire departments. The city also recognizes that public safety is the largest share of the budget. To equitably distribute cuts, the Police Department was asked to identify $300,000 in reductions, and the Fire Department was asked to identify $200,000 in reductions. In both scenarios, the reductions must not impact state mandated requirements related to “maintenance of effort.”

Public Works

  • The special charge paid by property owners for the State Street “mall maintenance” will increase from 50% to 75% of expenses.
  • Cutting hourly staffing in the Streets department will significantly reduce weekday hours and eliminate Sunday hours at the city’s drop-off sites.
  • Curbside brush pick-up will be reduced from five to three times per year, and the free woodchip program for residents would be eliminated ($433K).
  • Overtime hours would not be used to clear snow from the arterial multi-use paths, which will slow snow removal from paths.

Transportation

  • Metro will reduce service hours from their bus schedules ($500K plus $500K in one time cuts).
  • Cutting a vacant Traffic Engineering position would lead to longer wait times for traffic safety improvements.

If the referendum fails to pass in November, additional cuts will be required every year, and future reductions will cut more deeply into core services. 

The Finance Committee meets Monday and Tuesday for agency briefings on their budget requests. The public can register for public comment on Monday, details below. I have received emails from constituents who were unhappy to learn about the cuts to the Office of the Independent Monitor in both versions of the Operating budget. I share your concerns.

District 6 Budget Presentation

Please join me for an overview of the 2025 Capital and Operating Budget, including impacts for District 6/Downtown/near Eastside on Thursday October 17 at 6:30p. At the end of the presentation, attendees can ask questions during a Q&A session. Advanced registration is required. You will receive the link to the Zoom upon registering at www.cityofmadison.com/District6Budget. For background see my 2025 Budget Explainer blog from October 2. Please share questions and comments to district6@cityofmadison.com.

Imagination Center Receives a $4M grant 

Gov. Tony Evers and the Wisconsin Department of Administration (DOA) announced this week that the Imagination Center at Reindahl Park will receive $4.25 million in grant funding through the DOA’s Flexible Facilities Program (FFP).

Boards, Commissions, and Committee Meetings

Note: This is not a complete list of meetings for this upcoming week. All meetings and their details can be found at the Meeting Schedule page.

  • Finance Committee: The Finance Committee meeting will take place on Monday, October 14, at 4:30 p.m. in virtual format. Agenda items include a briefing on the 2025 Executive Operating Budget.

    4. 85435 Authorizing the Mayor and City Clerk to execute a parking lease agreement with Arts & Literature Laboratory Inc. for five parking spaces at the South Livingston Street Garage. (District 6)

    11. 85445 Authorizing the Parks Division to submit, and if awarded, accept a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for the Madison LakeWay Project, authorizing the Mayor and City Clerk to enter into a contract with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to accept the grant award, and authorizing the Mayor and City Clerk to enter into a Statutory Partnership Agreement with Madison LakeWay Partners Inc. (District 13 and District 4)

  • Finance Committee: The Finance Committee meeting will take place on Tuesday, October 15, at 4:30 p.m. in virtual format. Agenda items include a briefing on the 2025 Executive Operating Budget.
  • Economic Development Committee: The Economic Development Committee meeting will take place on Wednesday, October 16, at 5:00 p.m. in Suite 303 of 2352 S Park St. Agenda items include an update on the City of Madison’s Economic Development Plan, as well as a discussion of the 2025 Budget.

  • Transportation Commission: The Transportation Commission meeting will take place on Wednesday, October 16, at 5:00 p.m. in virtual format. Agenda items include the Director’s report, a review of the 2025 Transportation Projects List, and clarifying Transportation Demand Management procedures.

    2.* 85435 Authorizing the Mayor and City Clerk to execute a parking lease agreement with Arts & Literature Laboratory Inc. for five parking spaces at the South Livingston Street Garage. (District 6) This item is also at Finance on Monday.

If you would like more information about becoming a member of a City board, commission, or committee, please visit the page linked here.

Announcements and News Releases

Events

For the full list of upcoming events, please visit the City events calendar. 

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District 6 - Alder Rummel

Alder Marsha Rummel

Alder Marsha A. Rummel

District 6
Contact Alder Rummel