A $22 million property tax referendum will go on Madison’s November ballot after the City Council voted 17–2 Tuesday to approve it, the Wisconsin State Journal reports. The referendum is part of Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway’s long-term plan to address the city budget deficit while avoiding deep cuts to city services.
The referendum would raise annual property taxes for the average Madison home (valued at $457,300 this year) by around $230. Madison would avoid large cuts to city services through 2030 by spending $25 million from its reserves, saving several million dollars through efficiencies, and rolling out new special charges starting in 2027 — provided the state government does not change how the city is allowed to raise money.
With the referendum’s failure would come $6 million in permanent cuts to city services in 2025, along with new special charges, and additional cuts by 2027, when the budget gap would return nevertheless. It would reach $22 million again by 2030.
The council rejected an alternative proposal by Ald. Marsha Rummel that would have raised the referendum amount to $29 million as a tradeoff for nearly eliminating the city’s urban forestry special charge, expected to cost $7.5 million in 2025.
