Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway expressed her gratitude towards state leaders for their efforts in securing increased funding for the Municipal Services Program as part of the new state budget agreement. She acknowledged Governor Tony Evers, Senate Minority Leader Dianne Hesselbein, Senator Kelda Roys, and other bipartisan state leaders for addressing the needs of Wisconsin communities.
The newly negotiated agreement will allocate an additional $14 million this biennium to local governments across Wisconsin. This funding aims to support critical public safety resources provided to state facilities by local municipalities. The last increase in payments to the Municipal Services Program occurred over two decades ago. During this period, towns, villages, and cities have struggled with insufficient compensation for essential services like police, fire, and emergency response provided to UW System campuses and other state-owned properties that do not contribute to local property taxes.
Since 2011, total payments under the program have remained unchanged despite a cost increase of over 30 percent. As a result, municipalities receive reimbursement for less than 38 percent of their expenses. The Governor and legislative leaders recognized this imbalance and worked together to address it in favor of local taxpayers.
Mayor Rhodes-Conway emphasized her appreciation for the legislative leaders and advocates who supported this initiative. She noted that coalition-building and strategic advocacy played a crucial role in achieving this outcome.
“Thank you to Governor Tony Evers, Senate Minority Leader Dianne Hesselbein, Senator Kelda Roys, and other state leaders on both sides of aisle for listening to Wisconsin communities and securing an increase in funding for the Municipal Services Program in the pending agreement reached on the state budget,” said Mayor Rhodes-Conway.
“I want to thank our legislative leaders and everyone across the state that helped advocate for this common-sense increase. I’m grateful that our coalition-building and strategic advocacy have made a difference,” she added.
