Mayor considering creating program to have nonprofits make voluntary payments

With finances tight, Mayor Paul Soglin is exploring if the city should create a program to have nonprofit property owners make voluntary payments in lieu of taxes. Madison, like Boston, relies heavily on the property tax to cover its budget and exempts a lot of government, college and university and nonprofit from tax payments. Soglin said his task force will focus on nonprofits. But the city will continue to lobby the state for higher payments in lieu of taxes for government and UW-Madison buildings, he said.