Madison officials are preparing for a difficult 2027 budget that could affect library access, public safety, transit, parks and services for residents who speak languages other than English. The city’s proposed operating budget is expected to total about $483 million next year, roughly $11 million more than projected revenue. Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway has directed city agencies to identify at least 2% in savings while complying with state spending limits and the city’s Results Madison performance framework. Her proposed operating budget is expected in October, with budget hearings scheduled for November, so the potential reductions are not final. The mayor released her 2027 executive capital budget this week. The capital budget pays for long-term projects, while the operating budget covers personnel, programs and day-to-day services. Among the most visible possible changes is the elimination of Sunday hours at Madison’s nine existing library locations, a step that could save about $209,000. Library officials also proposed reducing access to databases and streaming services and cutting programming by 75%, for an estimated $139,000 in savings. Donations could help preserve some programs. The new Imagination Center at Reindahl Park is scheduled to open later this month, but Library Director Tana Elias said the effect of budget reductions will not be clear until the facility is operating. Public safety agencies are also warning that cuts could constrain services as demand rises. Madison Fire Department Chief Chris Carbon said postponing the city’s planned 10th ambulance and eliminating a Community Alternative Response Emergency, or CARES, team are among the possible outcomes. The CARES program sends behavioral health specialists to certain crisis calls. The Police Department’s $104 million budget could face reductions affecting traffic enforcement, violent-crime investigations or community outreach. Police Chief John Patterson is also seeking about $415,000 over three years to begin implementing body-worn cameras, excluding the cost of five additional full-time employees and roughly $100,000 in software. The request follows renewed community pressure for cameras after the fatal police shooting of Corey Ruiz this summer. City Council President Sabrina Madison has formed a workgroup to make recommendations on police use of force and body-worn cameras. The city has previously cited cost, records management, police union conditions and policy questions in debates over the technology. Public Health Madison & Dane County plans to stop providing Narcan purchased solely with county funds and leave several positions vacant. Narcan, also known as naloxone, reverses opioid overdoses. Several proposed administrative reductions could affect access and accountability. About $61,000 in Language Access Program funding is at risk in the Department of Civil Rights, even as the program’s three employees are handling high demand from residents seeking bilingual assistance. The citywide budget plan could also produce a hiring freeze. The City Clerk’s Office estimates that a 2% reduction could mean one fewer election official at each polling place during next year’s two elections. Clerk Lydia McComas is seeking two additional municipal clerk positions to prepare for the 2028 presidential election and reduce operational risks during what she described as an unusually demanding and closely scrutinized period. Other proposed changes include reducing each City Council member’s annual expense account from $1,330 to $570, ending $37,000 in funding that primarily supports public-facing air-quality data, and limiting conferences, legal internships and other training. Municipal Court security could be reduced, potentially requiring major changes to hearing schedules, while Information Technology staff could lose access to Zoom. Community organizations that provide crisis intervention, youth and child services, neighborhood support, older-adult services and housing assistance could receive less city funding. The city plans to continue supporting operations at the new north-side men’s shelter, which will be operated by Porchlight Inc. Child-care tuition assistance would also be reduced to reflect a decline in the number of families expected to qualify. A 2% reduction in the Parks Division would equal about $377,000. Potential effects include less beach cleanup, fewer drinking fountains and portable toilets, reduced trash collection and fewer seasonal employees at parks and cemeteries. The city could also curtail its Ride the Drive event. Odana Hills Golf Course is already scheduled to close for the rest of the 2027 season for reconstruction. The closure is expected to reduce revenue and lead to fewer hourly positions, while golf fees may rise modestly after a later review. The Streets Division could end its $74,000 partnership with Sustain Dane for food-scrap collection, increase recycling and urban-forestry fees, reduce seasonal staffing and limit snow removal on shared-use paths to business hours. Eliminating vacant positions could also make it harder to respond to severe weather. Residents could see higher utility bills under proposed cuts affecting engineering and utility operations. Sewer-treatment charges could rise by about $1.60 per month, while stormwater charges could increase by 39 cents per month. Metro Transit faces an estimated $9.4 million increase in the cost of maintaining current services, driven by inflation, wages, benefits, fuel, paratransit contracts, parts and software. General Manager Jamie Acton said the agency could save about $4.2 million by reducing service on lower-ridership fixed routes and bus rapid transit trips, particularly early in the morning and late at night, as well as reducing some weekday holiday service. Paratransit ridership has increased, prompting a review before a new service contract is bid next July. Metro expects about $3 million in additional revenue from a federal tax refund for electric buses, but Acton warned that annual operating costs could exceed $100 million by 2028. The city’s budget proposals come as agencies review their core services and internal operations. Six agencies, including the Office of the Independent Monitor, City Attorney’s Office, Parking Division and Water Utility, are undergoing Results Madison evaluations. City leaders will have to decide whether to apply uniform reductions or protect services that residents rely on most as the formal budget process moves forward.