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City Cast Madison

Every year the Wisconsin State Patrol Record Coordinators respond to 

. In 2023, the University of Wisconsin Police Department 

 The public has a right to access this information and, for what it’s worth, the State of Wisconsin has been known to have 

 when it comes to accessing records. But a new law is changing the accessibility of certain records, specifically police body camera footage.

Public records include documents and audio or visual materials that belong to the government. This can include meeting agendas, emails, text messages, birth and death records, to name a few.

This new law, Act 253, was enacted in March and 

 those requesting video or audio material for redactions. When law enforcement releases body camera footage, parts often need to be redacted. This takes time and effort for police officers, many of whom claim to not have the bandwidth, which is part of the reasoning behind these 

What Does This Mean for Those in Wisconsin?

The general consensus is that it will make it 

 to these materials. This is the first time in state history that people will have to pay this kind of fee for records.

Many worry that this will affect police transparency. Madison officials are also concerned that this could create an equity issue due to the scale of potential necessary payments. Requesters can apply for an exemption to redaction fees if they agree they won’t use the record “for financial gain.” However, the law doesn't lay out specifics of what exactly “financial gain” means.. And, if the requester falsely — or mistakenly— attests, they could get fined $10,000.

 City Cast Madison’s executive producer Hayley Sperling talks with Tone Madison’s publisher Scott Gordon about what this will mean for 

The public has a right to access information and, for what it’s worth, the State of Wisconsin has been known to have a more open policy when it comes to accessing records. But a new law is changing the accessibility of certain records, specifically police body camera footage.

Wisconsin's Open Records

Wisconsin’s Open Records

What Madisonians have been wondering. We break down why things in Madison are the way they are and how they work.

Madison, Explained

first adopted an official city flag in the early 1960s

, and until recently, it existed in obscurity and was rarely flown. The flag’s use experienced a resurgence in 2015 after a resolution was passed requiring the flag be flown on city property to serve as a symbol of local pride. But that initial flag has some key differences with the flag you’ll see all around town today.

In its original design, the white and blue stripes featured a center design of a cross with a Zia sun, a symbol that is sacred to the 

 features a red circle at the center of a cross where each line has four lines extending from it, which to the Zia people represents the circle of life. The symbol is also on the New Mexico state flag, and the Zia people have long fought for 

. Many Madisonians and Wisconsinites debated whether this former flag represented their city, the relevance of using a symbol representing an Indigenous group that lives outside of Wisconsin, and 

Fast forward to today, and Madison’s got a new flag! The white and blue stripes representing Lake Mendota and Lake Monona remain, and the Zia sun symbol has been replaced with a black and yellow cross representing the state capitol at the center of the Isthmus, with the four legs representing city lakes: Mendota, Monona, Waubesa, and Wingra.

Madisonians have a lot to be proud of with this new flag: It was voted one of the best city flags in the nation, according to the North American Vexillological Association. 

So why is Madison’s flag so great? (And why the state flag is so not 😬) To find out, City Cast Madison spoke with Ted Kaye, the nation’s foremost authority on flag design.

😍 What makes for an A+ or F flag?

Madison, Wisconsin's flag today is considered one of the best-designed flags in the country. But there was a time when the city's flag was controversial and possibly offensive.

The History of Madison's Flag

The Story Behind Madison’s Flag

, Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway described the future of Madison’s budgeting as 

To be clear, the city isn’t in trouble right now. In fact, the Madison area has shown major signs of economic growth this year — think rising housing prices, low unemployment, construction everywhere.

But the city is tightening its belt. The 2024 executive budget called for every city department to cut their budgets by 1%. In practice, this comes in the form of spending cuts and holding job vacancies open for longer periods of time, 

Madison Finance Director Dave Schmiedicke said on the City Cast Madison podcast

 through the State and Local Recovery Funds component of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).

According to Schmiedicke, half of that money went directly to community recovery efforts, which included funds for the new men’s shelter in Madison, rental assistance for residents and businesses, and youth violence prevention programming.

The other half of the Covid-19 relief funds help maintain city government services, Schmiedicke said. The city knew building its revenue back to pre-pandemic levels would be a challenge. Using pandemic funding to plug holes in the 2024 budget has bought the city more time to come up with new revenue streams. But the last of that money will be used in the coming year. So expect to see more fees in the future.

When it comes to raising money, the city is trying to get creative with its options, because it knows it can’t rely on the state for more cash.

Despite the state government’s move to give municipalities more funding through “shared revenue,” 

Madison is also looking to its contemporaries for ideas — places like Lincoln, Nebraska, Columbus, Ohio, and Austin, Texas. Schmiedicke said the idea of a city sales tax, like 

, has been discussed but wants to ensure any additional costs to residents are imposed equitably.

When announcing the city’s 2024 Executive Operating Budget, Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway described the future of Madison’s budgeting as “pretty bleak.”

local politics

Wisconsin’s Open Records

The Story Behind Madison’s Flag

Understanding Madison’s 2024 Budget

Latest articles

Wisconsin’s Open Records

The Story Behind Madison’s Flag

Understanding Madison’s 2024 Budget