(The Center Square) – The city of Madison had 46 employees who made $150,000 or more in base salary last year, according to data collected by Open The Books and shared with The Center Square.
Those numbers showed that 508 city employees made $100,000 or more in base salary.
The median household income in the city was $76,983 in 2023, according to data from the U.S. Census, while the average per capita income in the city was $48,557.
Madison saw a $22 million city referendum pass in November. Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway said before the vote that the budget issues leading to Madison’s referendum ask came from a state levy limit issue that is up to the state to fix. She added that Madison has a six-year budget plan in place where the city would not go back to the public for another referendum.
This came despite a MacIver Institute report before the referendum showing that despite Finance Director David Schmiedicke’s claims that the city financial situation was “the worst we’ve seen,” the city’s independent auditors had said “The City’s sound financial operations are expected to remain solid, supported by growing revenue from ongoing development and strong fiscal management.”
MacIver found that city revenues outpaced expenses for the 10 years prior, with revenue growing 66% from 2014 to 2023 while expenses grew by 54% and property tax revenue increased by 50%.
“Voters are the ones who should hold their government accountable, and government works best for them when they are actively engaged with their government,” MacIver CEO Annette Olson told The Center Square.
The most recent Madison audit reported a $164 million total budget with a $105.4 million surplus for government-only activities for 2023, MacIver found, with the total unassigned fund balance for the year sitting at $80 million.
The city’s top earners last year were Schmiedicke and Police Chief Shon Barnes, who each made $198,963 in base salary while Schmiedke received $214,037 in gross pay and Barnes received $211,350.
Barnes left the department to become the chief of the Seattle Police Department in January. In Seattle, Barnes now makes $173.1 per hour, which is more than $360,000 per year in annual pay.
Madison Director of Transportation Thomas Lynch, Streets Superintendent Charles Romines and Fire Chief Christopher Carbon are the other individuals who made base salaries of more than $190,000 last year.
Madison also paid more than $50,000 in overtime to 22 employees and more than $20,000 in overtime to 202 employees during 2024.
“If it were my community, I would be screaming from the highest building about ridiculous overtime payments that in some cases more than double the salaries of city employees,” Olson said. “There are many reasons why Madison is broken, but these expenses are one major reason why.”
