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Madison Public Library Operating Budget 2026

Posted by Tana on Jul 9, 2025 - 6:00pm

2026 Budget Guidance

Aerial view of downtown City of Madison, John Nolen Drive, and Lake Monona

Each year, city agencies receive guidance from the Mayor's office about how to prepare their operating budgets for the year ahead. Thanks to the $22 million referendum that was passed to increase property taxes, the budget outlook for 2026 is significantly more stable. 

Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway has asked all city agencies to prepare a cost-to-continue budget for next year (compared with the 5% reduction requested last year). There are also limited options for supplemental requests for additional funds if the asks meet certain criteria: 

Agencies may submit a supplemental request if: 

  1. Funding operating expenses for a new City facility that is not included in the base budget, or 

  2. Funding ongoing costs associated with one-time revenues that will no longer be available.

Because the Imagination Center at Reindahl Park will open in fall of 2026, it fulfills the first criteria, and we are able to ask for additional funds to help operationalize the costs needed to staff and run the new library. 

Madison Public Library's Budget Proposal 2026

Madison Public Library's operational budget for 2026 includes both a cost-to-continue budget, as well as a supplemental request according to the above guidance laid out by Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway. 

A happy group of children at a storytime with smiling librarians

Cost-to-Continue Budget

In our regular operating budget request, we continue all services and service hours as they are now. This does not include operating costs for Imagination Center, except for the systemwide support positions we're in the process of adding and the $195,000 in purchased services costs given to the library in 2025. 

We also included a regular two-shift model for the Imagination Center at Reindahl Park in the 2026 cost-to-continue operating budget proposal, with hours matching those of many of our other library locations from 10am - 8pm Mon-Fri and 9am - 5pm Sat. 

Supplemental Request

Imagination Center at Reindahl Park 2024 Renderings

Madison Public Library meets the criteria for a new city facility that is not included in the cost-to-continue budget. Imagination Center at Reindahl Park is currently under construction and expected to open to the public September 2026. We have reviewed areas where current operating budget can be adjusted to incorporate Imagination Center operations and, in 2025, have reallocated $229,000 in vacant positions to hire additional system-wide positions needed for a tenth library. Even with the changes already made, Madison Public Library needs an additional $326,040 to fund 2026 operations. Those funds would help cover a partial year of staff positions, supplies and purchased services. 

If these supplemental funds are not received in full or in part, we will have to reduce services in other areas in order to open and staff the Imagination Center at Reindahl Park in 2026, and make further reductions in 2027. The Library Board approved the following reduction to services in priority order should the supplemental request not be approved in full or in part: 

Computer training
  1. Elimination of Sunday hours at Goodman South Madison and Lakeview Libraries
  2. 40% of existing programming services & supplies funds
  3. One additional Librarian or higher position as it becomes vacant
  4. Elimination of Sunday hours at Central Library
  5. Operation of Imagination Center at a one-shift model (8 hours Mon-Fri instead of 10)

You can watch the full library board meeting discussion online. 

Next Steps

Madison Public Library is unique among city departments in that our operating budget needs to be approved by the Madison Public Library Board prior to being submitted to the Mayor's office. 

  • The Library Board approved our proposed budget for 2026 on Tuesday, July 8.
  • Cost-to-continue budget and the request for supplemental funds get submitted to City Finance on Friday, July 18 where it will be reviewed.
  • More information will be shared once the Mayor's Executive Budget is released on October 7, 2025. 

Read below to see a budget timeline, access key resources, read budget FAQs, and learn how you can get involved in sharing your priorities for library service with city officials. 

Key Resources

 

July 11 Library Board Agenda

Library Board Approves Budget

Watch July 8 Meeting
Library Budget Outlook 2025 Presentation

2026 Budget Presentation

Library Budget Proposal
City of Madison Web Graphic budget update August 5 2024

Understanding the City Budget Request

City Budget 101

Budget Timeline

  • July 8: Present proposed budget request to Library Board for discussion and approval
  • July 18: Agency requests due to City Finance
  • August 13-21: Agency briefings with Mayor's Office
  • October 7: Executive Budget introduced to Common Council
  • October 13 - October 24: Common Council & Finance Committee review budgets with agencies
  • October 27 - November 4: Common Council amendments week
  • November 11-13: Common Council budget adoption meetings

Library Budget FAQs

How does the Library budget fit into the City’s budget?

The Library is a restricted fund reported in the General Fund when looking at the City’s budget because it is mostly funded through property taxes. Within the General Fund, the Library budget is part of the Public Facilities group, which also includes Monona Terrace. However, Monona Terrace is an “Enterprise Fund” meaning their services are not funded through property tax revenues. While the majority of the Library’s funds come from the City of Madison, by statute, the Library Board must approve the Library's budget.

What is the Library's budget and how is it spent?

In 2025, Madison Public Library’s Operating Budget from the city was $22.2 million dollars, with additional funding from contracted services for South Central Library System, Dane County Library Service, Madison Public Library Foundation, Friends groups, and various grants. Madison Public Library operates nine libraries, one service center, and a mobile Dream Bus. Personnel costs (64%) include funding for approximately 270 employees, or 138.15 FTE. Non-personnel costs (26%) include facilities costs, supplies, and contracted services through South Central Library System and Dane County Library Service, which helps deliver books and materials between libraries, provides technology support and databases, and more. Debt service (9%) reflects the library’s payment for capital improvement projects, and the remaining 1% reflects payments made to other city departments.

How did the library decide which items or services to cut in the proposed reduction plan?

To guide its decision-making, library leadership relied on the new, equity-focused Madison Public Library strategic plan and considered the following:

  • Which library services do most people use?
  • What types of unique services does the library offer?
  • Which reductions affect certain customer groups the most?
  • Which services is the library statutorily or contractually bound to provide, and at what levels?
  • What kind of guidance has the Common Council offered?
  • What guidance has the Madison Public Library board offered?

Priorities included:

  • minimizing any reductions in library closures, layoffs, hours of operation, and services
  • opening the Imagination Center at Reindahl Park in 2026
  • minimizing effects of increase to Dane County net payment
  • applying an equity lens in relation to hours reductions or closures

What is the Imagination Center at Reindahl Park? How will it be funded?
The Imagination Center at Reindahl Park, planned on the northeast side, is a City of Madison multi-departmental project of the library, Madison Parks, and Engineering. Situated in one of the city’s largest green spaces, the facility will include a library, community gathering spaces, and collaborative programming. The northeast side is growing at twice the pace as the rest of the city and has no library service nearby. The area also is home to a high percentage of immigrants, low-income families, and residents of color who desperately need library service to thrive.

  • The Madison Public Library Foundation is committed to raising $4.5 million of the project cost and has already secured a majority of those funds. However, the funds provided by the Foundation and partially covered by the $4.25 million Flexible Facilities Program Grant are restricted to construction costs and other capital funding needs.
  • The Imagination Center at Reindahl Park will also need funding for staffing, programming, and operations, and Madison Public Library will be adding $1.7 million to its overall operating budget over the course of three years (2025, 2026, 2027) for branch and system-wide needs.
  • In the budget proposal outlined above, we're requesting $326,040 be added to our 2026 budget to help pay for a partial year of service for the Imagination Center at Reindahl Park.
  • In 2027, we'll need to add $591,962 more to the operating budget to fully fund operations at the new library. 

Learn more about the history of the project, sign up for our email newsletter, and get updates at madpl.org/reindahl.

What role does the Library Board play in approving Madison Public Library's budget?

Madison Public Library is governed by a nine-member Board of Directors, appointed to three-year terms by the Madison Mayor. Chapter 43 of Wisconsin statutes provide the board with the authority to oversee library policies and direction. The board works in conjunction with the Mayor, library staff, and the Madison Common Council to plan, fund, and implement public library service in Madison. 

Madison Public Library is unique from other city departments. While the majority of library funds come from the City of Madison, by statute, the Library Board must approve the library's budget. This means the Library's budget was discussed in a public forum — at a Library Board meeting — earlier than other city agencies typically share their budgets. 

Get Involved

You can share your library service priorities and feedback on all city services with your alder or at any common council meeting during the budget process listed above.