[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6528254,"mediaKeyId","3411947-f202b329ba8b33cc0d3308eae5d840a8","parentId",3411947,"title","Madison proclaims May as Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month","audioSeconds",279,"startMs",1086000,"endMs",1365000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3411947-f202b329ba8b33cc0d3308eae5d840a8&start=1086&end=1365","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3411947-f202b329ba8b33cc0d3308eae5d840a8/thumbnail_1086000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6528254/Madison/Dane-County/Wisconsin/Madison-proclaims-May-as-Asian-American-Native-Hawaiian-and-Pacific-Islander-Heritage-Month","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6528254-606d3d938cf8b4524d131bd8f7c2da4f/orig.mp4?Expires=1771203140&Signature=cR92Y~-jbE~jCvtNFzy5ofzt~aD9EaKpFBYFrilLUDznXfRsxAt076j64QvCTXqsQq5SOytSeNuPEYW~fPMaQxlyu4k7pSq8pp2iQhabDiGEtGtSlOgaGfsQqadgzstUVxfYaSJIU2aEQ1mo6OkbU8-fmrz8yUSSlUiaweESn6vHN89LPkTOa8AWObVE5VKvAQ~fCKrUXfEACSBpDfx1CEEDtCAksyR3xLTUzit~N7D-PkZoxj9bPe-5Lh66YdkNI5N2ga6rLj9mVff2-T-O0ABnJTiwIOOV1rpDmGRr97R5WKyN-TdAVbwSYgv0-brAJ7pS3Xcmcy7m8-8lYMnISg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City of Madison, WI","date","2025-05-20T00:00:00Z","article","On May 20, 2025 the Madison Common Council adopted a proclamation recognizing May as Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Alder Govindarajan moved the proclamation and Alder Lankella seconded; the council recorded a unanimous voice vote in favor.

The resolution text presented by Govindarajan recounts national and local demographics and historical notes. It states that approximately 24,000,000 U.S. residents identify as Asian and about 1,600,000 identify as Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, comprising about 7% of the U.S. population. The resolution also states that Madison’s AANHPI population totaled 25,815 in the 2020 census and highlights that 2025 marks 50 years since the start of Hmong immigration to Wisconsin following 1975.

At the meeting Fanny Paletti, identified by the clerk as a local business owner, accepted the proclamation on behalf of the community. The council recorded the item as moved and seconded and noted a unanimous vote in favor.

The proclamation encourages celebration of AANHPI achievements and recognition of the community’s contributions to Madison’s history.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Common Council: Meeting of May 20, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Madison Common Council on May 20, 2025 adopted a proclamation recognizing May as Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month and cited local and national demographic information in the resolution text.","taxTitle","Madison, Dane County, Wisconsin","taxId",2852,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6528259,"Madison council honors Metro Transit general manager Justin Sternberg",321,780000,1101000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3411947-f202b329ba8b33cc0d3308eae5d840a8&start=780&end=1101","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3411947-f202b329ba8b33cc0d3308eae5d840a8/thumbnail_780000.jpg","/articles/6528259/Madison/Dane-County/Wisconsin/Madison-council-honors-Metro-Transit-general-manager-Justin-Sternberg","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6528259-63198525ea2118821020da1c07a6df1e/orig.mp4?Expires=1771203140&Signature=Z~lw1zVbL89Coq41~u-adsKOq3qL8tx~KDvzZzsJBvpwVUDJnc4~hoYekwZUOi64LEfGntZV257fIvMrJYHcjZrpnwvP90yAik9oMbTAAZMXo61kL-hRKS-L8rDxpenFdI7lkay4-e4JfqYjGqnJjqzKmwRZ8R2vJ4QXJZRAkFKotetg0uXFbrZoV5QVu83iCCJF2BjFc7DpHK~JcSKHpoHr4OOTCIRFy3UPLg1nq~WxDm7zoycoANcBWL~Oi2FXEPUbzGIb9niMb6n2XY8QvqtBWsSwxpUGBMWym5-co4ewdxU8KsfDJgAbSFn3AwYPOI-fQg93WK5TRH2SL5sXWQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Madison Common Council on May 20, 2025 adopted a resolution expressing appreciation for Metro Transit General Manager Justin Sternberg and his leadership since his selection on March 10, 2020. Alder Govindarajan moved the resolution and Alder Vitevere seconded; the council recorded a unanimous voice vote in favor.

The resolution credited Sternberg with overseeing a comprehensive network redesign, updating fare collection technology, renovating a 40‑year‑old operations facility and opening a second operations hub. It said roughly one‑third of Metro’s fleet transitioned to electric vehicles under his leadership and that Sternberg helped secure hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding for transit initiatives.

Sternberg attended the meeting and thanked the council. “I really couldn't be more thankful and more honored to have been given this opportunity, and to be able to work with so many dedicated city staff,” he said, adding that he is “extremely grateful” and “happy and excited to leave Metro hopefully in a better place than I found it.”

The resolution was introduced as Legistar 88303 and was moved and seconded during the meeting; the council recorded a unanimous vote in favor.","The Madison Common Council on May 20, 2025 adopted a resolution recognizing Justin Sternberg’s service as Metro Transit general manager, citing network redesign, facility upgrades, a shift toward electric vehicles and federal funding secured during his tenure.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6528263,"Finance staff brief Madison council on budget, structural deficit and debt outlook",3088,1631000,4719000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3411947-f202b329ba8b33cc0d3308eae5d840a8&start=1631&end=4719","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3411947-f202b329ba8b33cc0d3308eae5d840a8/thumbnail_1631000.jpg","/articles/6528263/Madison/Dane-County/Wisconsin/Finance-staff-brief-Madison-council-on-budget-structural-deficit-and-debt-outlook","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6528263-2619329ad3e7db7b7259c562f998497f/orig.mp4?Expires=1771203140&Signature=g2oO36mOThY5OAYflDTxMFETd9UWuloMvldWleLTh9hUWruAQdHjy0MX85L8hVIqwcgcm-Dm0OSxNM4WlF-e9RJuNVo1JVXRYka3MWzSi4TXlw-Icyd51wqbBTC~dQCrWzP5w2vdGUWGymZEjIyM0g-kkZo7yGXFCiCBrzHBB9~iWvYKrlG9DORybitvREY3WgyA618NOtdHgnuUyj5aGLJOFFiVNdep7HoTH5gADbM4eX4Sh3b70Tpt37ijNS3MNpnzSr9MKFdPSyToGj6uORLkKETkgnyRjLsJ6A1KTYCXTSj9TGW-SOyFLI3rnQcnP4mP5Nej6PSBsOIWf89-tQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","At its May 20, 2025 meeting, the Madison Common Council heard a detailed overview of the city’s operating and capital budgets from Christine Ko, Budget and Program Evaluation Manager, and Dave Schmidke, Finance Director.

The presentation explained that Madison’s budget is split into an operating budget (day-to-day services) and a capital budget (roads, buildings and other infrastructure). “The capital budget is primarily funded through borrowing,” Ko said, noting the capital budget includes a five‑year capital improvement plan. Schmidke summarized the city’s fiscal challenge: “the cost to maintain current service levels in the city goes up faster than we are allowed to increase our revenues.”

The finance team presented these headline figures for 2025: property tax is the largest single revenue source, comprising about 74% of the general fund or roughly $318,000,000; local revenues account for about $64,000,000; and intergovernmental revenues around $50,000,000. On the spending side, personnel costs are the largest category—about 62% of the budget, or $267,000,000—followed by debt service at roughly 16% or $71,000,000.

Schmidke said the city’s outstanding general obligation debt is about $650,000,000. He added that interest on that debt is “probably another 200 to 300,000,000 on top of that” principal figure. He also noted Madison’s general obligation debt is far below the constitutional limit that caps outstanding debt at no more than 5% of total property value.

The presentation described how a structural gap in ongoing revenues led to a referendum: the council and staff identified an ongoing shortfall of about $22,000,000, and voters approved a referendum to allow the levy to increase by that amount to fill the 2025 gap. Finance staff cautioned the referendum does not permanently close the city’s structural deficit; the five‑year outlook in staff materials shows another gap reopening before 2030 absent other changes.

Staff discussed how the city uses a mix of tools to manage risk and pay for capital: general obligation bonds (backed by property tax), revenue debt (backed by utilities and user fees), and smaller state loan programs. Schmidke said Madison’s bond rating is AAA, which lowers borrowing costs. He described different approaches to assessing long‑term infrastructure needs, noting the city has asset‑management work in pieces (for example, engineering’s Transportation Improvement Plan and the water utility’s capital plan) but not yet a fully integrated citywide asset management system.

Alders pressed staff on details in a question-and-answer period. Alder Okovich asked how much of debt service was principal versus interest; Schmidke replied that the outstanding $653 million number shown is principal and estimated interest would be an additional $200–$300 million. Okovich also asked about asset management; staff said agencies like engineering and the water utility maintain program-level plans and that capital requests published this summer reflect those plans, but an integrated, citywide asset management system is a work in progress.

Other questions covered midyear budget adjustments and reserves. Ko described the twice‑a‑year reconciliation process—midyear and year‑end appropriation adjustments—that compares budget to actuals and can adjust agency appropriations. Schmidke pointed to the city’s reserves and contingency tools for resiliency: a rainy‑day fund the city maintains at least at a 15% target and a contingent reserve (about 0.5% of the budget, roughly $2,000,000) for unexpected needs. He also noted the state’s Expenditure Restraint Program, which can provide roughly $7,000,000 in aid if the city meets the program’s spending growth limits.

Why this matters: Madison relies heavily on property tax and has limited alternative revenue authority compared with many other cities. The referendum gave temporary relief for 2025, but staff told the council they expect ongoing revenue pressure as costs (wages, healthcare, service expansion, and aging infrastructure) continue to rise.

The finance staff urged Alders and residents to engage in the budget process: operating requests will be published this summer, the executive budget will be released in October, and the finance committee will hold briefings and amendment sessions in August through October. Ko pointed Alders to cityofmadison.com/budget for detailed materials and agency capital requests published ahead of the executive budget.

Meeting notes: the presentation was informational; no formal council action on the budget occurred at this meeting. The meeting earlier adopted the consent agenda by unanimous voice vote and later adjourned by unanimous voice vote.","Finance staff presented a city budget primer and five-year outlook to the Madison Common Council on May 20, 2025, highlighting reliance on property tax, a $22 million referendum to close a 2025 gap and roughly $650 million in general obligation debt.","actionData","errors"]

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Madison proclaims May as Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

Madison council honors Metro Transit general manager Justin Sternberg

Finance staff brief Madison council on budget, structural deficit and debt outlook