Madison also spends more than the statewide average on fire and emergency medical services. The city’s net per capita spending of $207 is above the statewide average and third highest among the 10 largest cities, behind Kenosha and Racine.

“Public safety staffing is one of the challenging issues facing the city council,” the report states.

Transportation

Transportation is a focal point of the 2020 budget debate, in part due to the mayor’s proposal to create a $40 vehicle registration fee. A portion of the $7.9 million raised from the new fee, which would be the highest in the state, would cover five new positions and three studies related to bus rapid transit.

Rhodes-Conway hopes to reach ridership of 18 million trips per year on Metro Transit with BRT, a system that aims to deliver fast and efficient bus service.

The forum’s analysis found that boosting ridership to reach that record high will be challenging given current trends.

“Like many other transit systems, Madison Metro has lost passengers, with the drop attributed to factors such as low gas prices and the rise of ride hailing apps as well as challenges such as limited space to store additional buses,” according to the report.