Why is Madison’s mayor proposing to subsidize Metro Transit’s budget by $6 million? How is the construction of new, affordable housing affecting homeowners who pay property taxes? How does the city’s Community Development Division decide which housing programs to fund?
Those are a few questions readers recently submitted to the Cap Times about the city’s operating budget for next year, following Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway’s proposal of a $452 million budget plan. The City Council will next deliberate the budget on Oct. 27 and pass a final plan mid-November.
To help answer readers’ questions, the Cap Times reviewed the mayor’s budget plan, listened to the council’s first two budget committee hearings, reviewed city agency budget requests, and interviewed the city’s finance director. Here’s what we learned:…