Madison is a Welcoming City ☀️

posted January 30, 2026 - 12:14pm

Native plants in front of the Nakoosa Trail Fleet facility

The City of Madison made meaningful progress toward our sustainability goals in 2025. Successes include strengthening our Tree Protection Ordinance, securing $17 million in federal funds to continue to modernize the Metro Transit fleet, Monona Terrace launching a geothermal energy study, and more.

2025 Sustainability Wins!

Mayor's Message

"I would like to take a moment to assure community members who are concerned regarding potential ICE action in our city. Madison is — and will remain — a welcoming city that supports its immigrant and refugee communities.

City of Madison staff are closely coordinating with emergency management personnel, local law enforcement, and the organizations who are directly serving our immigrant populations. We are also engaged in scenario-planning for situations that other cities have faced in recent months and are in touch with staff in those cities to make sure that we learn from their experience. The City’s Know Your Rights page has links to useful information about how to protect yourself, your family and our community. Our priority, as always, is to keep Madison safe.

There are many ways you can uphold our values while keeping everyone safe from harm. Consider supporting organizations that work with our immigrant community members. Make sure you know your rights and share that information with your networks. Stop doomscrolling on social media and get to know your neighbors. Our community is a better place when we know and support each other."

— Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway

Know your rights resources

Fresh Water Salinization: Get the big-picture view of freshwater salinization and why it’s emerging as a critical water-quality challenge across the country.
Salt Wise Stories: Hear directly from winter maintenance practitioners who have made the shift to smarter salting. In this webinar, they’ll share how they built the business case for change — reducing costs, improving efficiency, and protecting local waters.
Smart Salting Contracts: If you aren’t an industry professional, you likely feel out of your league when deciphering terms like deicing vs anti-icing, pre-treatment vs pre-wet. Learn the basics about industry best practices and valuable resources that are available to support you to get the services you need and reduce liability at your property.
Engineering Solutions: Discover how innovative engineering can dramatically reduce the need for winter salt. This webinar will highlight design approaches—such as optimized grading, drainage, and material choices—that set the stage for safer, more efficient winter maintenance.