Mayor Rhodes-Conway Releases 2027 Executive Capital Budget

posted 

For Immediate Release
September 8, 2026

The sunsetting at a City Park with a large tree in the foreground

Mayor's Message

"The City of Madison's 2027 Capital Budget and five-year Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) outline infrastructure investments that uplift our entire community and are essential for a thriving city. The funding in this proposal provides residents with housing and transportation options so they can decide what works best for their families. It underpins our local economy and attracts innovative employers and businesses. It also furthers our goals to build a more resilient city. And by investing wisely in our facilities, it allows city staff to more efficiently provide critical services that we all depend on. My 2027 Executive Capital Budget proposal reflects years of strategic planning that is firmly grounded in the values and aspirations of the people of Madison. It's my honor to present it to the community and their elected representatives on the Madison Common Council for approval.  

The public will have multiple opportunities to weigh in on the Executive Capital Budget, as well as my 2027 Executive Operating Budget, which focuses on services, staffing, and programs and will be introduced in October. Both budgets will have public hearings and be considered by Alders, first at the Finance Committee and then before the full Council.  

The City of Madison continues to be fiscally healthy thanks to our commitment to supporting essential services and infrastructure improvements, conservative financial management, and a strong regional economy that benefits the entire state. This is reflected in the City's Triple-A bond rating from Moody's, which ensures we have the lowest possible borrowing costs and results in millions in savings over the life of a bond. It's a delicate balancing act to prepare for the needs of a growing city while keeping our debt payments, felt in the operating budget, at a sustainable level.  

Due to cutbacks in funding from state and federal governments, the burden of maintaining critical infrastructure is falling too heavily on local property taxpayers. When coupled with high inflation, local governments simply cannot keep up. Just as our residents are experiencing, the high costs of construction materials are also hitting the City's bottom line. We need bipartisan policies that invest in the American people and the places they call home, rather than starting wars and tariff fights abroad. There is nothing controversial or political about effective stormwater infrastructure, roads free of potholes, or adequate facilities to provide emergency services. In fact, deferring these investments comes with real costs to our quality of life, our economy, and our health.  

With this in mind, my Executive Budget is $90.6 million lower in general obligation borrowing, supported by the general fund, than what was originally requested by city agencies. To be clear, the original agency requests are for projects that are long overdue and would benefit the entire city. My administration will continue to seek out both opportunities for increased efficiency and every available opportunity for outside investments in infrastructure. I'm proud that since I was first elected, we have secured more than $750 million in federal and state funding, which has helped fund critical infrastructure while lessening the impact on local taxpayers. I'm hopeful that these opportunities will become more frequent in the future, and City staff are doing the planning work so we are ready to capture these funds if and when they become available. Because when Madison is successful, that success is shared far beyond our city limits. 

In the meantime, the goals of our five-year capital improvement plan are focused on creating more homes, saving future operating budget dollars by modernizing a few key facilities, and investing in public safety.  

Continuing Investment in Affordable Housing 

Like many growing cities across the country, Madison needs to diversify the type of homes available to existing and future residents. We will continue to confront this challenge head-on and use all tools at our disposal.

One way we are doing so is by creating more housing. The Triangle Redevelopment will nearly quadruple the number of homes for working families at that location and, because of sustainability features, renters will see long-term savings on their utility bills. This ambitious, generational investment in social housing is in addition to the $87.8 million we are including in the affordable housing fund and will help meet our goal of creating 15,000 more homes by 2030. We are doing everything we can as a local government to bend the curve on the rising costs for renters and first-time homeowners. Despite our efforts, the consequences of federal government disinvestment are felt acutely by cities like Madison. Like many in our community, I'm deeply frustrated by the affordability crisis and the associated costs of mitigating the problem instead of solving it. We need support at the state and federal level to reach long-term stability in the housing market and I'm eager to work in partnership with these entities to make it happen. 

Efficient City Operations 

The upgraded Streets facility on South Point Road on the far west side is an excellent example of how capital spending can save taxpayers millions in future operating budgets. This facility will cut hundreds of hours per year in the travel time and associated fuel costs it takes for both trash and recycling pickup, as well as snow and ice removal for a large portion of the city. In this capital budget, there is a modest amount for remodeling the Streets Division's Badger Road facility to complete the final transition steps of the South Point Road project and create a permanent home for Parking Enforcement. We are also taking preliminary steps toward finding a long-term solution to updating the outdated Traffic Engineering facility on Sayle Street. Evaluating the long-term needs of our city and potential operations savings will be at the forefront of this process. Additionally, the City's ambitious Park & Badger redevelopment remains on track. This project is slated to replace the outdated Fire Station 6 with a modern facility, create a new public health clinic, and fund hundreds more affordable homes. It has already created space for Madison College to build a new childcare training facility that will increase the number of providers in our area.  

Public Safety and Body-Worn Cameras 

Also included in my Executive Budget is funding to launch a body-worn camera program for the Madison Police Department. Chief John Patterson has indicated this is his number one priority for his department. Throughout this year, many alders have also communicated their support for body-worn cameras. Even before the recent death of a community member at the hands of the police brought this issue to the forefront of public attention, this item was included in my Executive Budget because of the clear support from the Council and Chief Patterson's efforts to lessen the significant operating budget impact needed to implement this program. Body-worn cameras are not the only police accountability measure that Madison needs to consider in the weeks and months ahead. However, I think it's time to take a step forward on this long-debated equipment decision, which is why I included funding for this technology in this year's capital budget.  

Maintaining Core Infrastructure 

The 2027 Executive Capital Budget prioritizes projects in the following areas:  

I want to thank city staff for their thoughtful and creative work during this year's Capital budget process. I'm looking forward to the process of briefing the community and the Common Council on this budget, and to seeing what amendments my Council colleagues have before it is finalized in November. "

— Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway

Departments:

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