Mold Remediation in Madison, WI

Supporters of three referendums from the city of Madison and the Madison school district have spent nearly a quarter of a million dollars combined to advocate for “yes” votes, according to campaign finance records.

Madison city officials are asking residents to approve $22 million in additional property tax revenues to avoid what they say would be steep cuts to services. The school district is pushing for $100 million in additional taxes to support its operations, as well as a separate $507 million referendum to renovate or rebuild 10 schools.

The bulk of the campaign spending has gone toward one group’s effort to promote the two school proposals, according to public records filed with the Madison Metropolitan School District.

Strong Schools, Strong Community, which is backed by an arm of the Madison Public Schools Foundation, is the primary group urging a “yes” vote.

The organization has spent nearly $223,000 since the start of the year, a campaign finance report filed last week shows. Most of that spending occurred between late September and mid-October.

Top donors to the group include the North Carolina-based political action committee Strategic Victory Fund, which donated $100,000. The political arm of Madison Teachers Inc., the union representing educators in the district, has also donated $80,000 since January.

Much of the money has been used on consulting services from the Madison firm Spector Roh Strategies, as well as marketing and phone banking in support of the referendum.

The group has launched a website and social media accounts advocating for the referendum, as well as digital and radio advertisements.

Under state law, groups advocating for or against a referendum must report their campaign finance activities if they spend or receive over $10,000. No group opposing any of the referendums has hit that $10,000 threshold, though some have tried to organize an effort to urge residents to vote “no.”

The ballot questions also have generated substantial debate. If all three referendums pass, property taxes for the average homeowner could increase by about $1,580 by 2028.

The campaign finance reports do not include public funds spent by the city and school district to inform voters about the referendums, including postcards and letters mailed recently to Madison residents.

A private-sector group’s spending to push the city referendum has been more subdued.

Yes for Madison, the group urging approval of the $22 million question, has spent $2,200 so far this year. Almost all of that was spent on consulting costs.

Of the $20,665 raised by Yes for Madison, $3,150 came from members of the Madison city council or city staff, including $1,025 donated by Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway. The two unions representing city workers also donated $7,500.

Across Wisconsin, nearly half of the school districts are asking voters to approve referendums in the Nov. 5 election. Twelve municipalities, including four in Dane County, are asking for the ability to increase property tax revenues, according to data provided by the Wisconsin League of Municipalities.

Andrew Bahl is a politics reporter for the Cap Times. Andrew writes about Wisconsin politics with a focus on state government and elections. Email story ideas and tips to Andrew at abahl@captimes.com or call (608) 252-6418.

Please consider supporting Andrew’s work by becoming a Cap Times member or sponsor. Sustaining local journalism in Madison depends on readers like you.

Mumford & Sons, Gracie Abrams, and the National rallied behind Kamala Harris last night in Madison. The musicians, as well as Remi Wolf, performed for the crowd at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum, with Abrams and Wolf also giving speeches in support of Harris.

Mumford & Sons performed four songs, “The Cave,” “Little Lion Man,” “Awake My Soul,” and “I Will Wait.”

Before performing “I Love You, I’m Sorry” and “Free Now,” Abrams encouraged young voters to step up for Harris.

“For many of us here onstage and in this crowd tonight, this is either the first or second time that we’ve had the privilege of voting in a presidential election,” she said. “As we know, we’ve inherited a world that is struggling and it’s easy to feel disconnected and disillusioned. Between the advent of social media in our childhoods and Covid and relentlessly targeted disinformation, we’ve been through some things. It’s easy to be discouraged, but we know better. We know that unless we vote and keep our democracy intact, there is nothing we will be able to do to fix it when it is our turn.”

The National’s Aaron Dessner and Matt Berninger dedicated their song “I Need My Girl” to Harris. Wolf, meanwhile, performed “Cinderella” and explained why she was supporting Harris during a short speech. She noted that Americans need “a place where we feel safe, accepted and free.”

“That is why I’m here today to support our future president, Kamala Harris, in her efforts to create this safe space for us again,” Wolf said. “She understands that the right to make decisions about our own bodies is fundamental. She’s committed to tackling big issues like climate change and, like me, she’s a girl from the Bay Area who loves to laugh and have fun.”

Harris used the rally as an opportunity to speak directly to younger voters. “I love your generation, I just love you guys,” Harris said of Gen Z. She praised young people for being “rightly impatient for change,” acknowledging the issues that face them specifically. “I see your power, and I’m so proud of you,” she added. “Can we hear it for our first-time voters!”

Watch the full Madison rally below:

With 100% of precincts reporting unofficial results in the Nov. 5 election, the Madison school district achieved victory on a pair of tax referendums totaling $607 million.

Voters approved both questions on the ballot, including $507 million to renovate or replace 10 schools and $100 million for the Madison Metropolitan School District’s day-to-day operations.

About 72% of voters favored the facilities referendum and 69% favored the operations referendum, exceeding the majority needed to pass by tens of thousands of votes.

In a statement Tuesday night, Superintendent Joe Gothard said the results show the community "continues to be committed to investing in our students."

"Our focus, as always, is centered on our students, staff and families," he said. "We have important work ahead of us and look forward to engaging with the community to make Madison a destination school district."

The two referendums were “unprecedented in size and scope in district history,” according to an analysis from the nonpartisan Wisconsin Policy Forum.

Average homeowners will see a $40 hike in their property taxes this year for the operations referendum. By 2028, the operations referendum will permanently raise the average homeowner’s property taxes by an estimated $1,050 annually.

Starting next fall, the facilities referendum will also increase property taxes by nearly $325 annually for the average homeowner over the next 23 years.

The nonprofit Madison Public Schools Foundation spent nearly $223,000 this year on a campaign urging residents to support the referendums. Melinda Heinritz, who leads the foundation, thanked voters in a statement Tuesday night.

"We are incredibly grateful to this community for voting in support of our public schools, students and staff," Heinritz said. "Because of the investments you made toward our future and the growth of our community, MMSD will be able to make critical repairs to their facilities, build new modern schools, and continue to uplift the wellbeing of all of its scholars and staff."

With the approval of the operating referendum, district officials can move forward with a recently passed budget that includes a portion of the $100 million.

The district will have $30 million in additional funds to draw from this year. Over $7 million of that money will go toward a 2.06% salary increase for district employees. The remaining funds will mostly be used to maintain the district’s current services.

The rest of the $100 million ask will phase in over the coming four years, with another $30 million added next school year and $20 million for each of the following two years.

The total $100 million will then be permanently added to the district's state-imposed revenue limit, allowing it to spend more than otherwise allowed.

Leading up to the election, school district leaders said the funding would help expand academic programs, like multilingual education and 4-year-old kindergarten options. They stopped short of outlining more specific spending plans, but Gothard told the Cap Times last week that the money could still be used to expand programs in future years.

Despite the funding increase, the school district still expects to have a $22.9 million structural deficit this year.

Gothard said district leaders would identify potential budget cuts for next year following the election results. He said those cuts could include staff reductions.

“We are not going to have sustainable revenue moving forward, so we are going to have to look at identifying priorities,” Gothard said. “If there are 100 priorities, I'm here to say that we likely are not going to be able to fund all 100.”

With the approval of the $507 million facilities referendum, district leaders will also begin planning upgrades to 10 school buildings.

With $443 million of the total, the district has proposed reconstructing five buildings that are home to two elementary schools, five middle schools and Shabazz City High School. The remaining $64 million would renovate Anana Elementary School and Crestwood Elementary School, extending the life expectancies of those buildings by 25 to 30 years.

Each school is either past its prime or nearing the end of its life expectancy, according to district records. Most lack air conditioning or operate with decades-old boiler heating systems. Some are failing to meet federal accessibility laws.

Construction would begin in spring 2026 and finish in summer 2029, according to a proposed timeline. Rebuilding each school would take a little over a year. Renovations to Anana would last through spring 2028 to summer 2029. Crestwood would be renovated from spring 2029 to summer 2030.

At the Elver Park Shelter’s polling place Tuesday afternoon, voter Meg Murphy said she wanted to support the schools "for compensation, better equipment, better buildings."

"I think that's really important and often overlooked," Murphy said.

Kayla Huynh is an education reporter for the Cap Times. Kayla writes about schools serving young children and teens in the Madison region. Email story ideas and tips to Kayla at khuynh@captimes.com or call (608) 252-6472.

Please consider supporting Kayla’s work by becoming a Cap Times member or sponsor. Sustaining local journalism in Madison depends on readers like you.

City leaders are closer to maintaining the services and programs that many Madison residents rely on — including trash and recycling pick-up, libraries, busing and mental health services — after voters approved a $22 million referendum Tuesday.

With 100% of precincts reporting unofficial results, the property tax hike backed by Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway passed with about 57% of voters in favor. City officials estimate the hike will cost the average Madison homeowner $230 annually.

If voters rejected the referendum, Rhodes-Conway had proposed cutting $5.6 million for city services to help fill an anticipated $22 million budget hole next year. She also proposed hiking fees by $10 million and tapping one-time budget reserves.

Now, with additional funding from property taxes, city leaders could avoid making cuts entirely — though Rhodes-Conway has urged making at least 1% reductions to city agency budgets to avoid fee hikes and maintain budget reserves.

Leading up to the election, Rhodes-Conway and City Council members frequently blamed the city’s financial misfortunes on state lawmakers, who have passed limits on local property taxes and who control how much state aid flows to local governments for services.

“Obviously, this is not the end of the story," the mayor said at a news conference Tuesday night. "We have a lot of work to do going forward, and this will make the 2025 budget process a little easier, but we still have to look outwards for multiple years.”

“I'm absolutely committed to doing the work with the state Legislature to find a solution, not just for Madison, but for cities all across the state of Wisconsin who need the Legislature to invest in them,” Rhodes-Conway added.

Ald. Derek Field, who represents the far east side of Madison, similarly pointed to working with state lawmakers as the next step as election results were reported Tuesday.

“I think the result shows residents strongly support their city services and recognize the tough spot Madison is in with state pressure on the city’s budget,” he said. “For me, this result reinforces that we all really need to work with state legislative partners to get a permanent state policy fix to municipal operating deficits in Wisconsin.”

City leaders have also played a role in Madison’s budget challenges, though. While projecting budget deficits in recent years, the City Council nonetheless approved a series of pay raises for city employees, adding millions in costs to future budgets.

City officials reported spending at least $47,168 on mailers ahead of the election to notify residents about the referendum. In campaign finance disclosures, a group advocating for the referendum reported raising more than $20,000, including $1,025 from the mayor.

Groups advocating for or against a referendum must report campaign finance activities under state law after spending or receiving over $10,000. No group opposing the city referendum hit that threshold days before the election, but the measure had vocal opponents.

Former Mayor Paul Soglin, former Dane County Sheriff Dave Mahoney and former Ald. Sherri Carter held an event publicly calling for the measure’s rejection. Among other reasons, they argued that city leaders hadn’t tried hard enough to lobby for more state funding.

Sabrina Madison, an alder on the city’s budget committee, said she and members of her family have used city services at risk of being reduced. She said the city’s most vulnerable would be harmed if the referendum failed, echoing concerns from other community members.

“If we don't pass this referendum, we are going to increase the burden on people who are using food pantries, who are using eviction prevention resources, like the Tenant Resource Center, who are using our shelters, who are catching a bus,” Madison said.

The mayor agreed.

“Despite our best efforts, the cuts that we laid out would disproportionately affect lower-income households,” she said.

The City Council plans to weigh the mayor's budget proposals and decide its own budget plans in mid-November. Madison urged prioritizing wages of the people who provide city services and funding for agencies that make the city a community.

Ald. MGR Govindarajan, who represents parts of the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus, said college students would have been significantly affected if the referendum failed.

“I think most of my constituency will vote in favor of the referendum,” he said ahead of the election result. “Voting ‘yes’ is the right thing to do for our demographic in downtown Madison.”

Nicholas Garton is a local government reporter for the Cap Times. Email story ideas and tips to Nick at ngarton@captimes.com or call (608) 252-6443.

Enjoyiana Nururdin is a local government reporter for the Cap Times. Email story ideas and tips to Enjoyiana at enururdin@captimes.com or call (608) 252-6465.

Please consider supporting Nick and Enjoyiana's work by becoming a Cap Times member or sponsor. Sustaining local journalism in Madison depends on readers like you.

The committee studying the future of the Universities of Wisconsin wants the state Legislature to explore spinning off the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

But the group voted against several other proposed measures, including increasing tuition and limiting courses at individual universities to “avoid duplication,” and restricting the independence of the Board of Regents.

The 18-member legislative committee made up of politicians and community members has been meeting since July to consider the future of the state’s public university system.

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On Oct. 24, committee members voted on 19 proposals to possibly send to the Legislature. But the paper ballot results weren’t released until Friday.

Any change to the Universities of Wisconsin’s structure requires legislative approval and would happen when the session begins next year.

On Monday, a spokesperson for Gov. Tony Evers said if the proposal reaches his desk, he would veto it.

“Gov. Evers has spent years fighting to bolster and support campuses across our UW System, including the UW-Madison, and a proposal splitting off our state’s flagship campus from the rest of the UW System is a nonstarter,” said Britt Cudaback.

Splitting off the system’s flagship school received 13 “yes” votes and five “no” votes.

Those voting in favor of spinning UW-Madison off included: State Rep. Amanda Nedweski, R-Pleasant Prairie; state Sen. Cory Tomczyk, R-Mosinee; former UW Regents Bob Atwell and Scott Beightol; UW-Green Bay Professor Shauna Froelich; UW Foundation board members William Hsu and Peter Kies; former UW system vice president Jim Langdon; UW-Madison professors Ananth Seshadri and Cecelia Klingele; CEO of Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce Kurt Bauer; Marshfield businessman Jerome Lippert; and CEO of the Chicago-based company Miami Corporation Management Robert Venable.

In a statement, Kies and Venable, representing a group called Badger Advocates, said creating a dedicated board for UW-Madison would improve outcomes for all of the state’s public universities.

“Doing so would enhance the ability for one Board to focus solely on our flagship university’s unique challenges and opportunities while bringing its governance model more in-line with its peers,” Kies and Venable said. “Having a separate board govern the State’s twelve regional universities can accelerate finding solutions to the demographic and financial challenges that many of these campuses now face.”

State Sen. Chris Larson, D-Milwaukee; state Rep. Alex Joers, D-Middleton; UW-La Crosse Provost Betsy Morgan; former UW Regent Jan Mueller; and Mark Tyler, who serves on the state Technical College System board, voted against the proposal.

Supporters of the spin-off say doing so would be a way for UW-Madison to compete on a more national level and give the other campuses a chance to be out of the shadow of the larger school.

But Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin and UW President Jay Rothman are opposed to the idea.

“The Universities of Wisconsin are better and stronger together,” said UW spokesperson Mark Pitsch. “Additional governance structure and bureaucracy would not improve affordability and access, which we believe should be a priority.”

Instead, Pitsch said a split would increase costs, decrease efficiency and undermine collaboration among the public universities.

“UW-Madison also has indicated that its primary legislative objectives, such as having bonding authority and new investment that can preserve its world-class status, can be better supported as part of the UWs,” Pitsch said.

The legislative committee voted to support changing bonding authority to give UW-Madison more flexibility.

The idea of spinning off UW-Madison is not new. Former Gov. Scott Walker floated the idea in 2011, which was supported by UW-Madison Chancellor Biddy Martin, but the plan did not move forward.

Walker proposed cutting $300 million from the UW system in 2015 and creating a “UW Authority” to give the regents more power on budgeting decisions. Lawmakers did not support the proposal.