Mayor Sponsored Resolution Recommending $110,000 for Printing and Mailing Postcard on Property Tax Referendum

The City of Madison’s postcard notifying residents about the upcoming referendum to permanently increase the property tax levy by $22 million.

This week, residents across Madison likely received a postcard about the upcoming property tax referendum. What many don’t know is that the Mayor sponsored a resolution asking the Finance Committee to recommend that the Common Council approve spending up to $110,000 to print and mail the postcard to roughly 150,500 addresses, including 142,500 owner-occupied and rental properties and 8,000 businesses. This resolution was scheduled to be on the Finance Committee agenda on September 20, 2024 (Legistar ID: 85350).

However, it’s not certain what the final printing and mailing costs were. Under MGO 4.26, the Mayor is authorized to spend up to $100,000 without Common Council approval under certain circumstances. This might explain why the resolution was put on file without further action. Late today when I spoke with Dylan Brogan, communications manager for the city, he emphatically stated, "the cost was less than $50,000," and he promised to provide the actual costs. I’ll update this post when I have them.

To be clear, I’m not raising a red flag solely because of the cost—although taxpayers should always know how their money is spent. What stands out is the content of this postcard and how it fits a troubling pattern: the city is pulling a classic case of Washington Monument Syndrome—essentially framing the vote as “Approve this or risk cuts to basic services.”

Details from the City of Madison’s referendum postcard, explaining what will happen if voters choose 'Yes' or 'No' on the November 5th property tax referendum, including projected budget impacts and cuts to basic services.

The postcard doesn’t explicitly tell you to vote “yes,” but the message is clear: if the referendum fails, we’re supposed to believe that basic services will be at risk. It’s a false dilemma and scare tactic designed to box residents into a corner.

I’ve had conversations this week with several voters about whether or not the mailing is legal. Both an attorney who worked for the state and I have reviewed state statutes, and we haven’t found anything that makes it illegal. If someone finds a statute this postcard may violate, please let me know—but as far as I can tell, there doesn’t appear to be any legal issue here.

But as I’ve explained in a previous blog post, Premature and Unjustified: Madison's Referendum to Permanently Increase Property Taxes, this referendum is premature and unjustified. City hall hasn’t done the due diligence to exhaust other solutions to address the budget shortfall, and we don’t need to approve a referendum to increase property taxes now. The city’s financial issues are serious, but using fear to push through a permanent tax increase without fully exploring other options is the wrong approach.

I’ll leave it up to voters to decide how they feel about this spending and the looming vote, but one thing is clear: this postcard is yet another example of city hall’s tendency to play on fear, rather than make a rational case for action. If you enjoy this content, please like and share. For questions and media inquiries, email asaloutos@tds.net or call (608) 345-9009. © Alex Saloutos 2024.