2020 Capital and Operating Budget

On Tuesday, November 12 (and November 13 & 14, if necessary), the Common Council is scheduled to hold a public hearing and adopt a capital and operating budget for 2020.

For those interested, this is post provides details on what's happened so far and what's next.

The City of Madison has a capital budget and an operating budget.

The capital budget provides funding for the City's major construction projects including building new facilities, improving our transit system, maintaining our roads and parks, and purchasing major equipment. The capital budget includes the Capital Improvement Plan, which lays out anticipated projects for the next five years. The capital budget is primarily funded via borrowing over a 10 year period.

The operating budget provides money for running City departments and services. It pays for the day-to-day spending on employees, materials, supplies and community programs. The operating budget is primarily funded via taxes.

Capital Budget

On September 3rd, Mayor Rhodes-Conway introduced the 2020 Executive Capital Budget. The Executive Capital Budget includes $170.6M in new capital expenses in 2020 and $66 million in reauthorizations from 2019.

You can explore a very cool project map, which outlines proposed spending for 2020 to 2025, spending based on the elements of the Madison Comprehensive Plan (Land Use & Transportation, Neighborhoods & Housing, Economy & Opportunity, Culture & Character, Green & Resilient, Effective Government), funding sources, and a map of facilities, parks, transportation and utilities that are covered in the budget.

Some brief highlights of the 2020 Executive Capital Budget (full highlights in the Mayor's Executive Capital Budget Summary):

Land Use & Transportation 

Funding implementation of the first phase of Bus Rapid Transit by 2024, modernizing and increasing Metro's outdated facilities, enhancing the City's pedestrian and bike path infrastructure and continuing to make priority investments in our street network. 

Neighborhoods & Housing 

New Land Banking Fund that makes $1.0 million available annually to acquire parcels of land that can be used for affordable housing and other neighborhood supporting developments, increases funding for the Affordable Housing program due to increased construction costs, continues funding for Consumer Lending loan programs aimed at supporting families and funds the Healthy Retail Access program.

Green & Resilient 

Continued investment in the Sustainability program, increased investment in flood mitigation projects, continued investment in electric vehicles for the City's fleet, and funds to study ways to keep PFAS and chloride contamination from winter salt use out of our drinking water. 

Economy & Opportunity 

Continuing funding for the Cooperative Business Development and planning for an Equity Business Initiative.

Culture & Character

Funding to complete the renovation of the Warner Park Community Center by 2024, continued investment in our library collection, and new funding to renovate the Senior Center.

Effective Government

Investments in new IT systems replacing outdated legacy systems, improving access to City services and increase employee efficiency by remodeling City office space in the City County Building.

Horizon List

The 2020 Capital Budget introduced a new concept called the Horizon List. This list identifies critical and high priority projects that are at the conceptual stage, but need additional planning before being included in the Capital Budget. The 2020 Horizon List includes Equity Business Initiative, Mineral Point Road, Intersection Safety Program, Fire Station 6, Fire Station 10, Reindahl Library, Electric Buses, Hill Creek Park, Northeast Park, Property & Evidence Complex, North District Police Station, Far West Public Works Facility, Starkweather Coagulant Treatment. 

Public Meetings

On September 9th and 10th, the Directors from each of the City's departments presented their capital budget requests to the Common Council's Finance Committee. I am a member of the Finance Committee this year. The meetings were very long, but very informative. Here's a Capital Improvement Plan Overview that was presented to the Finance Committee at the beginning of the hearing.

September 9th focused on Monona Terrace, Public Health, CDA Redevelopment, Planning Division, Community Development Division, Economic Development Division, Information Technology, Police Department, Fire Department, Streets Division, Parks Division, Finance, and Henry Vilas Zoo.

September 10th focused on Library, Transportation: Traffic Engineering, Transportation: Parking Utility, Transportation, Transportation: Metro Transit, Public Works: Fleet Service, Water Utility, Engineering: Facilities Management, Engineering: - Bicycle & Pedestrian Projects, Engineering: Major Streets, Engineering: Other Projects, Sewer Utility, and Stormwater Utility.

• September 9, 2019 – Online Video (Starts at 19 minutes after a regular Finance Committee meeting. Total video is 4 hours and 6 minutes) | PDF Presentation
• September 10, 2019 – Online Video (4 hours and 10 minutes - Unlike 9/9 meeting, this meeting is indexed and you can skip to the presentation by each department) | PDF Presentation

The Finance Committee is the Council's first opportunity to amend the Mayor's proposed budget. Any Council member not on the Finance Committee was able to submit amendments with courtesy sponsorship by the Council President. On September 23rd, the Finance Committee discussed and voted on those amendments.

• September 23, 2019 – Online Video (Starts at 14:30 minutes after a regular Finance Committee meeting; 2 hour 12 minutes) | Proposed Amendments | Approved Amendments

Starting November 12th, the Council will discuss and vote on additional amendments (which have not yet been proposed).

You can see the full legislative file for the Capital Budget here.

Operating Budget

On October 1st, Mayor Rhodes-Conway introduced the 2020 Executive Operating Budget. The Executive Operating Budget is $634.6M.

You can explore the budget more here.

Some brief highlights of the 2020 Executive Operating Budget (full highlights in the Mayor's Executive Capital Budget Summary):

Land Use & Transportation 

Three new Transit Operators, an Evening Shift Supervisor, and a position dedicated to building out Metro's IT systems, efforts to incorporate BRT into current operations, improving equity in our transit system by providing free summer bus passes for middle and high school students eligible for free and reduced lunch and increasing the monthly allotment of bus passes available for adults living with lower incomes, and expanding Metro Transit service for increased route frequency on Madison's south side, better connecting working-class families and communities of color to numerous employers and Madison College's new Goodman South Campus. 

Neighborhoods & Housing 

Funding for the City's 15 neighborhood centers under a new improved framework, increased funding for Community Building and Engagement, additional staffing for the new Pinney Library, helping children impacted by trauma and instability through a new Child Care Specialist position, a Teen Librarian at the Goodman Library and a Teen Programming Specialist at Warner Park. 

Green & Resilient 

Watershed Studies as a way to inform future capital investment through the Citywide Flood Mitigation program, testing performed on a four-year rotation analyzing water quality, additional testing for PFAS, and creation of a new Energy Group within Engineering-Facilities Management. 

Economy & Opportunity 

Funding for the child and youth programming, continued funding for youth and adult job training programs, strengthening our local food economy by continuing to invest in the SEED grant program, community gardens partnership and other food programs. 

Culture & Character

Continued funding for the Sina Davis Movies in the Park Program, investment in an online parks reservation system, and ongoing support for the Arts through neighborhood arts and placemaking grants.

Healthy and Safe

A 6.5% increase in funding to Madison Police Department (+$5M), 7.9% increase in funding to Madison Fire Department (+$4.16M), creation of an Independent Police Auditor position, funding to invest in new tools to train Madison police officers on how best to deal with interactions with individuals who may have mental health concerns, employee wellness and mental health check-ins for MPD staff, general fund support to continue the Community Paramedicine program, continued funding for 5.5 major snow events (which is the 10-year average rate), and dedicated funding in the Public Health budget to continue the Covering Wisconsin Navigators program assisting Madison and Dane County residents when enrolling for coverage through the Affordable Care Act.

Effective Government

Increasing permanent staff in the Clerk's Office, improving the accuracy of our property tax assessments, additional funding for the interpretation services reflected in our Language Access Plan, incorporating recommendations from our Neighborhood Resource Teams, continued investments in the Racial Equity and Social Justice and Performance Excellence Initiatives, and preparing for the 2020 Census.

Due to strict state limits on the City's ability to raise the tax levy and the raising cost of services, there isn't a lot of room for the Council to add additional spending. The Mayor's Executive Summary does a pretty good job breaking down the areas of expenditures and the sources of income that fund the budget.

This year's budget proposed a new Vehicle Registration Tax. You can learn more about that by reading a previous blog post.

PUBLIC MEETINGS

On October 7th and 10th, the Directors from each of the City's departments presented their operating budget requests to the Common Council's Finance Committee. Much like the capital budget hearings, the meetings were very long, but very informative. Here's an Executive Operating Budget Overview that was presented to the Finance Committee at the beginning of the hearing.

October 7th focused on Monona Terrace, Room Tax Commission, Library, Assessor, Attorney, Civil Rights, Clerk, Employee Assistance Program, Human Resources, Information Technology, Finance, Building Inspection, CDA Housing Operations, Economic Development Division, Planning, PCED Office of Director, CDA Redevelopment, Community Development Division.

October 10th focused on Public Health, Municipal Court, Public Works: Fleet, Streets, Parks & Golf, Engineering, Landfill, Sewer, Stormwater, Water, Public Safety: Fire, Police, Transportation: Parking, Traffic Engineering, Transportation, Metro Transit

October 7, 2019 – Online Video (Starts at 59:30 minutes after a regular Finance Committee meeting; Total video is 6 hours and 16 minutes) | PDF Presentation
October 10, 2019 – Online Video (6 hours and 55 minutes) | PDF Presentation

The Finance Committee is the Council's first opportunity to amend the Mayor's proposed budget. Any Council member not on the Finance Committee was able to submit amendments with courtesy sponsorship by the Council President. On October 22nd, the Finance Committee discussed and voted on those amendments.

October 21, 2019 – Online Video (Starts at 16:30 minutes after a regular Finance Committee meeting; Total video is 8 hours and 03 minutes) | Proposed Amendments | Approved Amendments

Starting November 12th, the Council will discuss and vote on will discuss and vote on additional amendments (which have not yet been proposed).

You can see the full legislative file for the Operating Budget here. 

Details on the 2019 budget is available on the bottom of the budget site: https://www.cityofmadison.com/budget

Upcoming Meetings

Information on the upcoming budget meetings:

• Tuesday, November 12 @ 5:30 p.m. in Room 201, City-County Building
• Wednesday, November 13 (if needed) @ 5:30 p.m. in Room 215, Madison Municipal Building
• Thursday, November 14 (if needed) @ 5:30 p.m. in Room 201, City-County Building

If there is anything I can do to help, feel free to reach out: district19@cityofmadison.com

-Keith F