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Finance Committee directs 2027 RFP for downtown programming after months-long debate; BID funded for 2026
Summary
After weeks of discussion and public testimony from Black On State, MadLit and the Madison Central BID, the Finance Committee directed staff to develop a competitive RFP for downtown programming to be implemented in 2027 and provided interim funding for the BID in 2026.
The Madison Finance Committee voted Oct. 27 to direct the Economic Development Division to develop a competitive request-for-proposals (RFP) process for the city's downtown programming funds to be implemented in 2027. The committee adopted a compromise to fund the Business Improvement District (BID) for 2026 and to add a modest $6,000 to its 2026 appropriation to avoid disruption to scheduled events.
Alder Madison proposed that the city require a competitive RFP process for $50,000 in downtown programming funds, saying the change would open opportunity to organizations led by people of color and make city funding more equitable. The committee heard public testimony from event organizers who said the city's traditional practice of routing downtown programming dollars to the BID had kept other organizers from gaining access to funding and limited diversity in…
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