View of skyline from Capital City Trail along John Nolen Drive
Finance
David Schmiedicke, Finance Director

Budget

View of skyline from Capital City Trail along John Nolen Drive

The City of Madison’s Operating and Capital Budgets are planning and financial documents that detail how the City pays for services and infrastructure that benefit City residents.

  • The Operating Budget funds daily operations, including staff salaries, community-based organizations that deliver services on behalf of the City, and other costs such as supplies and equipment.
  • The Capital Budget funds physical infrastructure like roads, bike lanes, building improvements, affordable housing developments, and other projects.

Budget development is a multi-step process that involves City agencies, the Finance Committee, and Common Council.

2027 Budget

The City is currently developing the 2027 capital and operating budgets.

Capital Budget Timeline

  1. Budget Kickoff

  2. Agency Requests

  3. Executive Budget

  4. Finance Committee Hearings

  5. Common Council Hearings

  6. Adopted Budget

Operating Budget Timeline

  1. Budget Kickoff

  2. Agency Requests

  3. Executive Budget

  4. Finance Committee Hearings

  5. Common Council Hearings

  6. Adopted Budget

2026 Adopted Budget

 Adopted Capital BudgetAdopted Operating Budget

  • $286.2M Capital Budget

    The 2026 Capital Investment Plan includes funding for 2026 and outlines future investments for 2027 – 2031

  • $452.7M Operating Budget

    The Operating Budget total includes City operating expenses within the General and Library Funds. 

About the City Budget

About the City Budget is an online resource that the Finance Department has developed to explain the fundamentals of the City's budget and fiscal condition. An informational series is available now and more materials are coming soon.

Finance Committee

Budget

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