By Bex Kane
Northside News
On June 16, the City of Madison held a public meeting at the Warner Park Community Recreation Center for information and discussion regarding the city’s budgeting process for 2026. This was at the beginning of the process for the city’s operating budget, which is distinct from its capital budget. Several city officials representing different departments spoke to give overviews of their respective budgets and departmental functions. Several Common Council alders were present to provide information and answer questions.
Some of the information shared included outlines of what proportions of spending fell into various categories for the city’s overall operating budget as well as several of the individual government departments. The general breakdown of the operating budget noted that major segments of the budget include public health and safety, debt servicing and public works, with these three categories accounting for roughly 70% of total expenditures.
Also in attendance were representatives of the city clerk’s office, IT offices and library system. These representatives outlined the roles played by their respective departments, as well as the general breakdown of their departmental budgets. In each case, personnel accounted for the largest single portion of spending.
The meeting also served to elaborate on the process by which the city’s budgets are developed. Work on the capital and operating budgets is active in some stage for almost the entire year, with agencies examining their own costs early in the year and development of full budgets taking place from March to November.
A particularly sensitive topic was the Madison budget’s structural deficit and the $22 million tax referendum, which passed last year as part of efforts to address that problem. The budget resolution passed as a result of this referendum was used to implement a balanced budget for 2025 and included measures to assist in balancing future budgets.
The deficit initially emerged as federal funding related to the COVID-19 pandemic began to recede but has deeper roots. City officials emphasized the role of the state government, pointing to statutory limits on municipal tax revenues, which have slowed the city’s revenue growth, as well as Madison’s receipt of relatively little state funding per capita. They also stated that the city has engaged the services of a lobbying firm to pursue more favorable policy for local funding in the state legislature.
Madison’s budgeting process for 2026 is ongoing, and up-to-date information on its progress can be found on the city’s website (cityofmadison.com/finance/budget).
