MADISON, Wis. — Madison residents could see property taxes rise by about $30 annually for the average home under Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway's proposed $452.5 million executive 2026 operating budget, unveiled Tuesday.

The budget includes a $20 million (4.6%) spending increase compared to the 2025 adopted budget. $8.5 million of that increase will go towards personnel and $11.6 million for non-personnel items. This comes after voters approved a referendum in 2024 to increase the city's levy limit when the budget faced a shortfall.

"That additional revenue from the referendum was critical in providing flexibility in our city budget," Rhodes-Conway said. "While we continue to lobby for fair treatment of local governments at the state level, we are also strategically using the city's reserve

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