City Meetings and Updates Week of November 9

posted 
  • City Meetings:
    • Common Council's 2027 City Budget Deliberations 11/10
    • President's Workgroup on MPD Use of Deadly Force, De-Escalation, and Body-Worn Cameras 11/9
  • East District Coffee With a Cop 11/9
  • Madison Police Department Use of Force Practices to be Reviewed by Independent researchers
  • Sharing Information About WI Home Energy Assistance Program
  • What's Next for Pathways 2050: Regional Transportation Plan
  • Events & Announcements

City Meetings

Common Council

The Common Council meeting will take place on Tuesday, November 10, at 5:30 p.m. in hybrid format. Agenda items include 2027 budget deliberations. The Council will take up proposed amendments to the 2027 Capital Budget and Operating Budget and will vote on final adoption of both. 

This City Finance webpage is full of links to resources with more information about the 2027 budget, which I summarize below. In addition, I recently shared in this blog post the Wisconsin Policy Forum's policy research brief on the 2027 City Budget proposal because it does a good job at providing the big picture.

The Capital Budget pays for assets like land, buildings, and vehicles; the Operating Budget pays for City staff salaries and contracted services. The Operating Budget is where the City faces strict revenue limits and spending limits imposed by State law which significantly restricts the City's ability to expand City services or to find new revenue sources. One significant policy development in the 2027 budget is the purchase and implementation of body-worn cameras for Madison Police Department officers.

In 2027, the Operating Budget proposes to fund City agencies at these amounts for City staff and services, among agencies receiving $10 million or more:

  1. Madison Police Department: $102,492,663
  2. Madison Fire Department: $ 81,114,847
  3. Streets Division: $30,473,16
  4. Metro Transit: $25,506,519
  5. Madison Public Library: $ 24,927,453
  6. Madison Parks: $ 18,915,290
  7. Community Development Division: $17,350,043
  8. Information Technology: $ 12,811,081
  9. Mobility & Infrastructure (formerly Traffic Engineering): $ 10,858,858
  10. Public Health (City-funded portion): $10,652,611

The 2027 City tax rate (‘mill rate') is proposed to be 6.93, down from 7.01 in 2026. The mill rate represents the rate of tax per $1,000 of assessed property value, meaning that the 2027 City portion of property tax on the average-value home ($500,300) would be $3,466. In 2026, the City portion of the property tax levy was 34.5% of the total property tax bill; we don't know the percentages for 2027 quite yet.

Alders have proposed six Capital Budget amendments (more information available here) and two Operating Budget amendments (more information available here).

Meeting info:

President's Workgroup on Madison Police Department Use of Deadly Force, De-Escalation and Body-Worn Cameras Policies and Procedures

The Common Council President's Workgroup on Madison Police Department Use of Deadly Force, De-Escalation and Body-Worn Cameras Policies and Procedures meeting will take place on Monday, November 9, at 5:00 p.m. in virtual format. Agenda items include a discussion regarding body-worn cameras records release policies.

East District Coffee With a Cop Monday, Nov 9

From East District Madison Police Department: 

“The Madison Police Department is hosting a Coffee with a Cop event in the East District next week.

Coffee with a Cop is a chance for community members to connect with the officers who serve their city. The event is free and open to the public."

  • When: Monday, November 9th at 9:00am
  • Where: Mercies Coffee, 1748 Eagen Road

Madison Police Department Use of Force Practices to be Reviewed by Independent Researchers

In an effort to be responsive to community concerns regarding police use of force, the Madison Police Department has asked for an unbiased review of use of force practices.

Professors Ian Adams and Scott Mourtgos, both with the University of South Carolina, will conduct the review. Both are world-renowned researchers and have spent years reviewing police use of force and other law enforcement trends.

The Madison Police Department is asking for a review of policies and trainings around the use of force, use of deadly force and de-escalation practices. The researchers will also provide feedback on the department's current use of force standards, training and curriculum. This project will complement the ongoing and important work of the Common Council President's Workgroup on Police Department Use of Deadly Force, De-Escalation and Body-Worn Cameras Policies and Procedures.

The work on this project is set to begin in January 2027 and will culminate with a written report and recommendations for improvement. 

Sharing Information About WI Home Energy Assistance Program

With dramatic increases in energy prices over the last year and cool weather moving into our area this weekend, I'm sharing this information in case you or someone you know might find it useful.

The Wisconsin Home Energy Assistance Program (WHEAP) provides assistance to qualifying households for heating costs, electric costs, and energy crisis situations. Most types of fuel are eligible to receive assistance. Whether you use wood, propane, natural gas, electricity, or fuel oil to heat your home, energy assistance is available if you qualify.

If you need help paying your energy bills, please use one of the following options:​​

A new application is required for each program year, which runs from October 1 through September 30. Customers will need to reapply, even if they received help in previous years. Funding pays a portion of energy costs, and the payment is not intended to cover the entire annual energy costs of a residence.

This State of WI webpage has more information about the program, including income-qualification guidelines.

What's Next for Pathways to 2050: Regional Transportation Plan

The Greater Madison Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) works with 36 communities across Dane County to plan for the region's transportation needs and help direct millions of dollars in federal funding to local transportation projects. 

\Right now, the MPO is updating Pathways to 2050, the region's long-range transportation plan. The plan will help guide transportation priorities and investments over the next 20–30 years, including roads, public transit, biking, and walking.

Over the summer, the MPO gathered feedback from community members through surveys, focus groups, and community events. Now, they're hosting virtual public meetings to share what they heard, how that feedback is helping shape the plan, and what's coming next. 

Join one of two upcoming virtual public meetings:

More Information is available on this webpage for the project.

Events & Announcements 

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.

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