–submitted by Joy Cardin
Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway presented two city budget scenarios to the Rotary Club of Madison this week. One of them included a voter-approved referendum that would allow Madison to exceed the state-mandated property tax levy limit to pay for a $22-million deficit and fund city services for 5 years. The other plan does not include the referendum and calls for $6-million in cuts to city services with the need for more cuts in subsequent years. Mayor Rhodes-Conway says an unfair shared revenue formula is partially to blame for the budget deficit. Madison gets the lowest amount of shared revenue per resident from the state than any other Wisconsin city. Over the next 5 years, she says the city will also lobby the state legislature to change the shared revenue formula and allow cities to find other sources of revenue. The political make-up of the state legislature could change with new legislative maps in place and lawmakers could be more willing to make these changes. The Madison City Council is expected to approve putting the $22-million referendum on the November 5 ballot. If voters approve the referendum, it would raise the annual property tax on the average Madison home by $240 or $20 a month.
If you missed our meeting this week, you can watch it here: https://youtu.be/QqSsHUAc2-o.
Rotary Club of Madison, Wisconsin 