Madison City Council Meeting – September 14, 2026

The Madison City Council met on September 14, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. The meeting featured the unanimous adoption of the FY2027 budget, extensive public commentary on automated license plate readers (ALPRs) and the need for government transparency, the approval of a major rezoning on Slaughter Road, and the establishment of a new Public Park and Recreation Board to fund a future aquatic center.

Consent Calendar

• Fire department record destruction authorized.
• One-year agreement with COSTAR for economic development approved.
• Surplus fire safe house donated to Hazel Green Volunteer Fire Department.
• Professional services agreement with River Tree Systems ($60,000) for sales tax auditing.
• Disposal of surplus vehicles and fire equipment approved.
• Land sale on Kaiser Boulevard to Taylor Properties authorized.
• Transfer of $110,000 for Fire Station 2 repairs.
• Donations of $9,760 (Police) and $22,000 (Fire) accepted.
• $446,000 payment authorized for prior work on the I-565/Cline Interchange.
• $435 claim for police vehicle graphics replacement approved.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Rhonda Fox (Senior Citizen, Madison Senior Center member): Formally requested the council establish a senior advisory committee to provide monthly feedback on programs and activities at the senior center.
• Caroline Christian (District 3): Expressed strong opposition to the city's use of Flock cameras (ALPRs), calling it "mass surveillance." She cited a 32.3% false positive rate from an LAPD audit, raised concerns about ICE accessing data through backdoor queries, and argued the cameras are prone to errors and misuse.
• Jamie Paulson (President, Ashbury HOA): Presented a utility billing dispute, stating Ashbury HOA was incorrectly billed $5,144 for water on commercial property owned by a third party. She requested the council direct Madison Utilities to immediately issue a refund.
• Kim Delessandro: Raised ongoing concerns about communication, operational knowledge, and management at the Madison Senior Center. She noted unfulfilled promises of staff training and a lack of consultation with seniors on fee structures.
• Maggie Minsk (Vice President, Ashbury HOA): Discussed the theme of government trust and transparency. She linked the HOA's unresolved water bill to a broader pattern of resistance and silence from city leadership and echoed concerns about transparency regarding surveillance data.
• Amy Price (Non-resident/Community User): Argued against ALPR surveillance, characterizing it as pre-crime data collection without probable cause. She urged the council to consider not expanding the system and to implement strong data governance guardrails.

Discussion Items

• Aquatic Center & Parks Board: Mayor Bartlett announced a partnership with the school system to build an aquatic center at Dublin Park. She stated it will not require a tax increase. To help fund it, the council voted to incorporate the city's first Public Park and Recreation Board and appointed Scott Harbour, Dr. Steve Sullens, and Terran Thorpe as its initial directors.
• FY 2027 Budget: Finance Director David Long presented the $108.6 million budget. Highlights included five new police officers (four for SROs), a 2% cost-of-living adjustment for employees, and 23 neighborhood street resurfacing projects. The budget reduces planned deficit spending from $20 million to $10.5 million. Councilmember White expressed disappointment that the full budget book was not made public before the vote, citing past practice. Councilmember Beer noted it was the first time council was asked to rank capital projects. The budget was approved unanimously.
• Slaughter Road Rezoning: The council held a public hearing and approved rezoning 23.4 acres on Slaughter Road for 30 single-family homes and 4.4 acres of commercial development. Discussion focused on traffic impacts; Mayor Bartlett noted long-term plans to widen Slaughter Road. A 45-foot natural buffer was added to address tree canopy concerns. The planning commission recommended approval. The vote was 6-0-1 (Robleski abstaining on the related ordinance).
• Board of Education Sidewalk Partnership: The council approved an agreement where the school board contributes $150,000 towards sidewalk construction at Discovery Middle, Liberty Middle, Bob Jones High, and James Clemens High Schools.
• Fire Apparatus Antitrust Litigation: The city approved joining multi-district litigation against fire truck manufacturers to address rising costs and prolonged wait times for emergency vehicles.

Key Outcomes

• FY 2027 Budget Adopted: The budget was passed with unanimous support.
• Public Park and Recreation Board Created: The board was formally established and its first members appointed to oversee funding for the aquatic center.
• Slaughter Road Rezoning Approved: The 30-lot residential and 4.4-acre commercial rezoning was passed.
• Litigation Joined: The city joined national multi-district litigation against fire apparatus manufacturers.
• First Readings: First readings were held for updates to the Disability Advocacy Board code and Security Alarm Systems code, and for annexations on Forest Drive, Holiday Boulevard, and Ludar Drive.
• Council Project Funded: $520 approved for mural paint supplies at the Animal Control building.