🗣️ Bring on the laughs — it’s comedy week!

🗳️ Want a Say on the City’s Budget?

• Madison’s City Council is asking residents to testify on a proposed tax referendum at their upcoming Aug. 6 meeting.
• If approved by the council, the referendum would be put on the November ballot. Voters would then decide whether or not to authorize a $22 million property tax increase to support various city initiatives. If approved, the measure would cost homeowners $240 annually on average. The City Council will vote on whether or not to put the referendum on the ballot Aug. 20.
• Dig deeper: What’s at stake for Madison’s budget? [City of Madison, City Cast Madison 🎧]

💭 Trouble for the “Imagination Center”

• This $18.6 million library project is up in the air as the city doesn’t have a plan to fund staffing and operations, even with the potential budget referendum coming this fall.
• The current plan is to create a 16,000-square-foot facility combining the library with a park pavilion and more city services at Reindahl Park.
• This area is one of the few in Madison where residents are more than two miles from the closest library.
• Stay tuned: City Cast Madison will speak with District 17 Ald. Sabrina Madison about the future of the Imagination Center later this week. Don't miss out, subscribe to the podcast today! [🔒WSJ]

🍼 What’s Next for Madison’s Child Care?

• With the rising costs of child care on the mind, Madison is looking to help parents who need assistance, including college students and homeless residents.
• Three new projects are breaking ground this year to help with the issue. These new facilities will be at the plumbers’ union on East Springs Drive, Madison College’s Goodman South campus, and the Truax campus will expand its existing space.
• Related: The City Cast Madison team recapped the issue of child care on our most recent Friday News Roundup. [Cap Times, City Cast Madison 🎧]

🏛️ Historic Madison Building Gets National Recognition

• The Italian Workmen’s Club, also home to Greenbush Bar, has been added to the National Register of Historic Places. This building on Regent Street was constructed in 1922, 10 years after the club was founded.
• Related: The City Cast Madison team recently spoke with Sam Brown, the new owner of the Greenbush Bar, to see what the future of the establishment and Regent Street as a whole will look like. [🔒WSJ, City Cast Madison 🎧]

7 Days, 100 comics, 12 Venues. Welcome To Madison Comedy Week

Madison Comedy Week is in full swing and we’ve got the inside scoop on the shows you can’t miss. Host Bianca Martin caught up with Madison Comedy Week’s executive director and Madison-bred comedian Jake Snell to get the details on what to expect from this week of laughs and even play a fun game of Madison-themed Would You Rather.