Resident urges Middleton to fund $200,000 climate roadmap ahead of budget vote

Kevin Spitler, a Middleton resident addressing the Common Council during public comment on Oct. 7, urged the city to include funding for the Planning Department’s strategic city climate roadmap in the 2026 budget. He said the department’s top budget request is $200,000 to develop a citywide plan that would evaluate buildings and equipment for decarbonization and capital planning across departments.

Spitler cited a recent presentation by planning staffer Kelly Hilliard and described work completed in the nearby school district by the consulting firm McKinstry. According to Spitler’s remarks, the district’s phase-one work has already led to solar installations on seven schools, charging infrastructure for buses and other vehicles at the transportation center, and energy-efficiency measures that the speaker said will save “millions of dollars.” He told the council he did not want to wait until late in the process to raise the concern.

The speaker urged the council to consider the $200,000 request within current budget deliberations and noted potential new funding sources mentioned earlier in the meeting. The council did not take immediate action on the request during the Oct. 7 meeting; budget deliberations continued and the body authorized publication of the notice for a Nov. 4 public hearing on the recommended budget.

Next steps: the council directed staff to publish the budget notice for a Nov. 4 public hearing. The inclusion of the planning department’s climate roadmap in the final budget will depend on subsequent deliberations and any amendments made before final adoption.