District 19 Blog: Government Efficiency and Accounting Systems

Let’s Talk Budget

Understanding the budget takes effort and curiosity! Knowledge is the most powerful weapon in the fight against disinformation, misinformation, and biases. 

The city budget is not equivalent to our household budgets; they have similarities, but are not the same thing. I started seriously budgeting when I walked into my boss’s office 10+ years ago and declared that I was retiring on my 55th birthday. I was in my 40s and had no idea what it would take to retire, but I had chosen an easy day to remember: my 55th birthday. 

We were in the middle of an acquisition, and multiple integrations were in the pipeline. But things were moving slowly, I was bored, and I wanted to quit. But my boss assured me that things would pick up soon and encouraged me to stick around. 

I decided to stay, but not permanently. My boss looked at me and, with a giggle, accepted my multi-year resignation notice. Saying those words out loud marked the beginning of my personal budgeting journey. 

In 2021, when presented with the city’s budget, I froze! But a former Alder and a colleague (now also a former Alder) took the time to go over the pages with me and answered all my questions. And that was the beginning of my City budget journey. Since 2021, there have been many improvements, and via blogs, newsletters, emails, and conversations, I have shared tips about the budget with the hopes of sparking your curiosity! 

This blog post from District 19 provides information about staff’s ongoing efforts to make the budget more accessible. Thanks to John for sharing!

https://www.cityofmadison.com/council/district19/blog/2026-01-20/government-efficiency-and-accounting-systems

By the way, eventually my retirement date moved to age 57. I had come to terms with the 2-year extension. But sometimes life takes the wheel, and the stars find alignment, and just a few weeks before my 55th birthday, I gave my official 2-week notice. 

If you have questions about the budget or anything city-related, please ask. If I don't know the answer, our professional staff will help us.