Let's talk Budgets! Wow!
postedGetting back to Business:
If I were to label months by profession, I would have a colorful list this year! 2026, what is happening? August was all about Nursing and Medical care —shout-out to the medical profession! Physical therapy and recovery after surgery are smoother with the support of service providers working together and pushing the human body to its limits. Jesse's recovery from knee surgery is looking good.
September was so short that I ran out of days to complete administrative tasks such as replying to August's emails, crunching data, and setting up meetings. September felt like coming back to work after a vacation, except for the vacation part. Without Administrative Assistant, Data Analyst, and Researcher roles to keep us on track, life can turn pretty chaotic. Couldn't keep up with emails! Blogging was deprioritized! Saludos to all of those who keep the office lights running.
October was all about Budgets! City budget, County budget, life-as-a-new-retiree Budget. Three budget management sessions in one month led to more budget meetings, more budget strategies, amendments, long nights, and little sleep. Bravo for Accountants, Financial advisors, Tax professionals, and all elected officials who deep dive into the budget season. I am caught up on emails from August to date. If you have not heard from me, please ping me again. I will prioritize a response.
November will be the culmination of the City & County budget season, a period of decision-making that shapes our community's future. And it is also the beginning of the holiday season, a time to reset and reconnect with family and friends. Watching the footage of the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa has been triggering. My thoughts are with those here in Madison, far from family and friends in Jamaica, Cuba, and Haiti. These first few weeks will be tense while you wait to hear from your loved ones. Please take care of yourselves, lean on your Madison tribe!
Funding Sources
- The 2026 budget is $452,505,115
- $125,838,694 in revenues and fund balance.
- $326,666,421 in property taxes (general funds)
- The following funds sustained these agencies
- CDA Fund: CDA HOUSING & CDA REDEVELOPMENT
- Fleet Fund: FLEET
- GOLF Fund: GOLF
- Other Restricted: LANDFILL
- Monona Terrace Fund: MONONA TERRACE
- Room Tax: ROOM TAX
- Sewer Fund: SEWER
- STORMWATER FUND: STORMWATER
- Water Utility Fund: WATER
- The following agencies use a combination of general funds, grants, interagency transfers, and restricted funds:
- DANE COUNTY & MADISON PUBLIC HEALTH, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, DEBT SERVICE, FIRE, LIBRARY, METRO, PARKS, PLANNING, POLICE, STREETS & TRAFFIC ENGINEERING
Agency Services
To learn more about all the services the city provides, look no further than the city budget. Each agency has a list of services that includes a description of each service, its expenses and revenues, and a funds overview. The service itemization has been years in the making. Mil gracias to the staff and finance for all the work organizing the ledger accounts and providing clarity and transparency in the budget book.
The 2026 budget contains 137 services across all agencies. The attached PDF includes all service descriptions, grouped by category and agency.
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Administration Agency Services -
GENERAL GOVERNMENT SERVICES -
PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT SERVICES
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2026 PUBLIC FACILITIES
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2026 UBLIC SAFETY & HEALTH
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2026 PUBLIC WORKS
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2026 TANSPORTATION
Agencies related to General Funds sources
Other funds agencies
Top 25 services all funds
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Alder Yannette Figueroa Cole
District 10
Contact Alder Figueroa Cole