The Madison Common Council is considering a resolution that, if passed, would result in a referendum on the November 5 ballot to authorize an increase of $22 million, which is needed to ensure the City’s on-going capacity to address the climate crisis and sustain the viability of the whole city.
The Common Council will be taking verbal testimony from the community on Tuesday, August 6 at 6:30 p.m., and will be accepting written comments until mid afternoon on August 20. Information on why and how to do this is below.
More information:
- The Council will vote on the resolution in its August 20 meeting.
- 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 City services and operations.
- The additional tax would amount to roughly $5/month per $100k of property value, or approximately $20/month for the average Madison home. This proposal would distribute the cost of running the city government between residential and commercial property owners.
- Our City’s capacity to continue its leadership role in addressing the climate crisis could be in the balance. With the additional revenue to meet its budget, our City would be better able to maintain its capacity to address the climate crisis and sustain the viability of the whole city.
Take Action Now!
- To register to speak in-person or virtually at the August 6 meeting, fill out this form by 6:30 PM on August 6. 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.
- To submit written comments (due prior to the August 20 meeting) click HERE or email allalders@cityofmadison.com.
More Information
See the City’s Budget Outlook. Highlights from this 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.
Sample Comment
We strongly suggest that you write your own comment in your own words, but if you need help getting started, we’ve provided a sample comment below.
Madison Alders:
I am a climate-concerned citizen of Madison, and I am proud of the City staff’s impressive work producing and implementing cutting edge work implementing sustainability plans. Like me, they know that when it comes to addressing the climate crisis, we have NO TIME TO WASTE!
I ask you to approve the referendum resolution (Legistar 84442) on August 20. Without the proposed tax levy increase, the City would need to make significant cuts in 2025, resulting in roughly 60 layoffs plus ongoing serious budget stress in subsequent years. I am concerned that without additional revenue, many of these layoffs would occur in many departments that are key to implementing the City’s sustainability work. By contrast, with the tax levy, the City will be able to continue this important work.
This is extremely important because an “ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” If the City cuts the staff who are actively working to reduce the threat of climate change, the price our City and its residents will have to pay to cope with increasingly devastating climate events will be extremely high.
Thank you for considering my request.
Name (address)