City of Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway hosted a student media roundtable Sept. 19, addressing important issues impacting Madison including affordable housing, budget cuts, gun violence and the upcoming election.

Rhodes-Conway said there needs to be greater awareness about the role of local government in University of Wisconsin students’ lives.

“I think a lot of citizens … start talking to people who are in local government but have no idea what cities actually do,” Rhodes-Conway said, highlighting the fact that many Madison residents remain unaware of the city’s scope of services and responsibilities.

Sept. 10, the Madison Common Council approved changes to the city’s zoning code aimed at increasing access to affordable housing for low and moderate-income families, according to the MCC website.

But, Rhodes-Conway recognized substantial limitations imposed by state legislation that hinder the development of affordable housing.

According to Rhodes-Conway, the city cannot require developers to create affordable units or mandate rent limits.

Despite these challenges, the mayor stressed the importance of creating and preserving affordable housing, asserting that the city must advocate for changes at the state level to enhance local control over housing policies.

The discussion also touched on Madison’s $24 million budget deficit, with the mayor addressing how many of the limitations on local revenue generation are imposed by the state government. On the ballot there will be a city referendum regarding the budget, according to Rhodes-Conway.

“The state government has limited how much we can spend,” Rhodes-Conway said. “They have limited how much we can put on the property tax, and they have limited the other ways that we can raise revenue.”

The mayor also expressed reluctance about the need for a ballot referendum to address budgetary issues.

“Nobody in the city … is excited about going to referendum, [but] we are even less excited about the prospect of having to make significant budget cuts to our services,” Rhodes-Conway said.

Despite these challenges, Rhodes-Conway said she believes a successful referendum could ultimately be more beneficial for students in the long run, given that it will prevent extreme budget cuts.

The referendum will appear on the ballot this upcoming November and will ask about an “increase in the levy of the City of Madison,” referring to raising the city property taxes to account for the budget deficit, according to District 8 Alder and UW student MGR ​Govindarajan. 

Following recent incidents of gun violence close to campus, Rhodes-Conway said rates of gun violence are decreasing in Madison.

“There’s no level of gun violence acceptable in our community, however the rates of both shots fired and actual instances of people being struck are way down from last year,” Rhodes-Conway said.

The administration’s approach to combat gun violence includes collaboration with local police to analyze patterns and implement targeted strategies to enhance public safety and make sure students are being notified of any danger in the area.

With the election season approaching, Rhodes-Conway said she is committed to voter engagement, particularly among students. 

“We really want to make sure that people are registered and vote,” Rhodes-Conway said. “We actually found out that we won the Big Ten [voting] challenge. Two years later, we have a little bit of a reputation to defend, and we’d like to keep that trophy.”

The city is implementing various measures to ensure students have access to voting, including absentee ballot options and early voting opportunities around campus, according to Rhodes-Conway.

Rhodes-Conway also highlighted Madison’s commitment to sustainability, particularly through the introduction of electric buses into the city’s transit fleet.

“The new BRT system buses, they’re all electric … this is thanks to the Biden Harris infrastructure bill,” Rhodes-Conway said.

Madison’s Bus Rapid Transit system is active as of Sept. 22 and will provide new benefits to students such as shorter wait times, larger capacity buses, and updated bus stations, according to the city’s website.

To end the discussion, Rhodes-Conway said students are encouraged to take an active role in shaping the future of Madison. As the election approaches, young voters should engage with local issues that directly affect their lives and support local government, Rhodes-Conway said.