City employee raises, road projects make Madison’s 2027 budget
MADISON – The Madison City Council passed the city’s budget for fiscal year 2027 at Monday’s city council meeting. It features changes to employee compensation and infrastructure projects.
District 2 councilman David Bier, chairman of the finance committee, said the 2027 budget focused on saving money.
“One of the biggest things we’re zeroing in on is this deficit. You see [that] there still is a deficit spending. Every single extra dollar in revenue we earn helps offset that deficit. Every single dollar that we don’t spend offsets that deficit,” said Bier.
Projects that the budget will spend money on include a 2% cost of living adjustment for all city employee salaries, step increases for eligible city employees, and funds for four school resource officers and one new police officer.
The budget covers fourteen other projects that the council deemed highest priority.
“Mayor [Bartlett] sent us out a list of probably over 20, maybe 20, 22, 24 different projects, and council was asked to rank them one to 10. And that’s how we came up with this list for the capital master plan, and that’s the first time in 10 years that I’ve ever been asked my opinion,” said District 1 councilwoman and council president Maura Wroblewski.
These projects include an aquatic center, a new park in western Madison, 20 new vehicles for police department use, Fire Station 5, upgrades to Madison Boulevard, a ladder bay at Fire Station 4, and design plans for a Wall Triana Highway widening project.
The budget also funds additional road projects including Segers Road and Maecille Drive widening, additions to the Town Madison greenway, improvements to Slaughter Road and Eastview Drive, phase two of the Royal Drive extension, and sidewalk extensions on Hughes Road.
Funds from gas taxes will cover other road projects, such as, improvements to the Powell Road and Burgreen Road traffic signal, Gillespie Road between Balch Road and County Line Road, Old Madison Pike between Hughes Road and Shelton Road, County Line Road between the railroad overpass and Production Avenue, and the Madison Boulevard bridge, and resurfacing of downtown roads.
“Council, I just want to thank all of you for passing this budget and reviewing it as expeditiously as you did. We are able to pass it much earlier than we ever have in years before,” said Mayor Ranae Bartlett.
The FY 2027 budget contributes to a 5-year capital improvement plan that will go before the council at the October 14 work session.
