City to town of Madison: This can't go on

Four months after town of Madison residents voted 1,182-473 to reject annexation to the city of Madison, reports Isthmus editor Marc Eisen, the two entities remain locked in political stalemate. "We're in a situation where neither of us can move aggressively against the other," says town chairman Tom Solberg, who foresees working with Fitchburg and Dane County to address the town's needs. "My answer is that he should bring his checkbook," says Madison Mayor Paul Soglin, who supports annexation as a means of helping the town's poorer residents. "If you want to participate in solving social and economic problems, you have to pay your fair share." Soglin says that as more town residents seek city services, "I'll be faced with the horrible choice of turning town residents away or making city residents subsidize the town's responsibility." In 2003, the town of Madison enters into a cooperative plan that will lead to its eventual complete annexation by Fitchburg and Madison.