Madison Reporter

The town of Madison, Wisconsin, is no longer after being founded 180 years ago.  

The cities of Madison and Fitchburg are poised to become the new homes of the former town.

As of midnight on October 30th, the small portions of land that remained in the town were absorbed by the cities of Madison and Fitchburg. 

Channel3000 reports after a nearly two-century-long run, which includes being transformed into a city back in 1859, the change is now in motion. The project has been in the works over several decades and involves annexing land from the town as it expanded.

With so many addresses set to change so soon before an election, some are wondering what kind of impact it could have as the votes are counted.

“A big number of residents voted at the Town Hall facility, and that’s not a polling place anymore, so I would suggest that every single resident from the town checks the website,” Madison City Planner Angela Puerta said.

Election officials are encouraging those with additional questions to call the clerk to learn such things as where their new polling place will be. The change also could mean higher taxes for old town residents, as the city offers far more services than their old municipality.

In the end, the final plan calls for 90% of the land that was left in the town to be absorbed by the City of Madison. Additionally, the city will be adopting 79% of its population even though the group is much more diverse than the population that currently calls the area home.

The city of Fitchburg is taking the rest of the town, gaining some 1,400 residents. Since 2020 the City of Madison has been responding to calls for firefighters, police and emergency medical services in what used to be the town of Madison.