City Meetings and Updates Week of Nov 10
posted- Common Council’s 2026 City Budget Deliberations 11/11 - 11/13
- Information About Proposed 2026 Capital and Operating Budgets
- Meeting information
- Madison Park Permits for 2026 Now Available
- 2026 & 2027 Trash and Recycling Schedules Now Available
- Events & Announcements
Common Council’s 2026 City Budget Deliberations Tuesday-Thursday
Information About Proposed 2026 Capital and Operating Budgets
In 2025, 38% of your property tax dollars go to the City of Madison; see the Summary of Local Property Tax Levies on page 29 in the 2025 Adopted City Budget. The proposed 2026 budget funds services at the same level as 2025 with no major reductions and would add $30.41 to the City’s portion of the tax bill for the median-value home (a home worth $481,300).
The City Budget is made up of the Capital Budget and the Operating Budget. The Capital Budget pays for investments in the City’s infrastructure and assets like property or equipment. In addition to the capital spending in 2026, the 2026 Capital Budget also includes a non-final Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) for the following five years of spending on capital projects. Here is a link to the City’s webpage for the 2026 Capital Budget; for a more reader-friendly view, here is a link to its Executive Summary. An example of Capital Budget spending in District 3 includes a sorely-needed rural-to-urban street reconstruction project next year.
The Operating Budget is the part of the City Budget that pays for staff salaries and services. The Operating Budget is affected by a variety of State laws that constrain both its revenues and expenditures; this year, the main constraint is the State’s Expenditure Restraint Expenditure Program (ERIP) which provides critical grant funding to the City if the City limits year-over-year growth in spending. Here is a link to the City’s webpage for the 2026 Operating Budget; for a more reader-friendly view, here’s a link to its Executive Summary. Examples of Operating Budget spending proposed for 2026 include a new ambulance team in the Fire Department to keep emergency response times low, funds to run the new Bartillon shelter for homeless individuals and services offered there to get them into housing, and staffing at the new Imagination Center at Reindahl Park library/park facility in an underserved and growing area of northeast Madison.
I’m co-sponsoring an Operating Budget amendment that reduces the property tax levy from the current proposal by shifting the cost of the October 27th Finance Committee amendments from the tax levy to “fund balance” money from the General Fund, which has a very healthy balance now and has been earning interest on investments. Here is a link with more information from City Finance staff about the amendment. Note that changing the funding source for the Finance Committee amendments does not create additional budget capacity under the ERIP limit because ERIP limits local governments’ spending, not revenue sources. Alders also have the opportunity to propose new amendments from the floor, meaning not posted or shared ahead of time, during the meeting.
For those interested in another take on the City budget, I highly recommend checking out the Wisconsin Policy Forum’s nonpartisan, third-party analysis and review of Madison’s proposed 2026 budget.
Common Council Meeting Information
The Common Council meeting and budget deliberations will take place on Tuesday, November 11, at 5:30 p.m. in hybrid format. Agenda items include adopting the 2026 City Budget.
Note: additional meetings are scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday in case the Council doesn’t finish budget votes on Tuesday.
Madison Park Permits for 2026 Now Available
Get ready for 2026! Permits for cross-country skiing, disc golf, dogs, watercraft storage, and lake access are available. Each permit is valid from the time of purchase through December 31, 2026, except the Lake Access Permit, which is valid through March 31 of the following year. See this Madison Parks permits webpage for more information.
2026 & 2027 Trash and Recycling Schedules Now Available
The free 2026 and 2027 trash and recycling collection schedules are now available. You have two easy options to get your trash and recycling calendars with pick-up dates for your address:
Request a Physical Copy
Contact the Streets Division and they will mail you a collection schedule for your home.
If you email the Streets Division, don’t forget to tell them your address so they can look up your schedule.
Online Lookup
Go to the Streets Division website and enter your address into the form. After you enter your address, you will see your next collection dates.
You will also see an option to see the “Full collection schedule” as a PDF file. Click on that link. Scroll past the 2025 dates, and then you will find the 2026 and 2027 collection calendar.
Here are some links with additional information:
Events & Announcements
- Elmside, Sommers, Center Reconstruction, Monday, November 10: A public information meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m., Nov. 10, 2025, via Zoom. Registration prior is required. Please complete the project questionnaire by 1 p.m., Nov. 17, 2025. Elmside Sommers Center Reconstruction Questionnaire
- Updates to Winter Alternate Side Parking Program: The City of Madison is reviewing its Alternate Side Parking Program to find ways to improve safety, efficiency, and communication during winter months. [posted November 3, 2025]
- Put Your Pumpkins in Your Leaf Piles: Spice up your leaf piles with this season’s jack-o-lanterns. Streets Division crews will collect pumpkins, hay, corn stalks along with your leaves and other yard waste. Remove wires, candles, string, electric lights, and similar items from your… [posted November 3, 2025]
- Public Art Dedication at Parks Lakeside Offices, Friday, November 14: The City of Madison is pleased to announce the acquisition and installation of a significant late mid-century mosaic mural by acclaimed Dutch artist Arnold Zweerts.
- T-shirt to Tote, Saturday, November 15: Give an old tee new life as a reusable tote! Visit the first indoors Dane County Farmers’ Market of the season and stop by our activity station to make a bag for your market purchases.
- Bird & Nature Adventures | Starkweather Creek Area, Saturday, November 15: Fall Tree Walk ~ Join Tree Expert Naturalist Sean Gere for a fun and informal free family friendly guided walk for all ages on easy paths along Starkweather Creek. Enjoy the outdoors and learn about trees when leaves have fallen and you can see the branching structures and bark more easily.
- Visit RoundTrip @ the Winter Bike Fashion Show, Sunday, November 16: This free, family-friendly event features models showing off their winter biking gear, demonstrations on how to layer for cold-weather rides, and Q&A sessions filled with tips for staying comfortable riding through the winter. You’ll also have a chance to practice loading a bike onto a Metro bus rack!
Please visit the City news webpage to find additional news and announcements and to subscribe to receive notification of news releases as they are posted. Additional upcoming events can also be found on the City events calendar.
