MADISON, Wis. -- Other cities are bigger and wealthier than Madison, but none are more wired.

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Of all the cities in the country, Madison was just ranked "the most wired," presenting a challenge for local business and local government.

A recent Media Audit report ranks Madison and Washington D.C. No. 1 in Internet usage at 73.4 percent.

The survey included the 85 largest cities in the nation and found that 58 percent of adults use the Web at least once a month.

Ann Arbor, Mich., is ranked third with 70.2 percent, and Madison's nearest neighbor on the list is Chicago, ranked at 32nd. ( List of most-wired cities )

"This reflects the high education level and the desire of Madisonians to use whatever knowledge materials might be available," said Mayor Sue Bauman.

This challenges city hall to offer more services online to save you paperwork, but it costs taxpayers money. Madison residents are already paying water bills and parking tickets online -- 3,000 times a month.

"You think about the time it would take our treasurer's office to open 3,000 envelopes and process those payments manually ... right now, our department goes to the p.c. in the afternoon and with a few clicks, they download the transaction file," said Don Ramig of Madison's Information Services.

The city also broadcasts public meetings online.

"It just shouts for do more, have more," Bauman said. "Maybe it would help some of our downtown parking problems if people aren't coming downtown to pay their bills."

Local businesses will squeeze more out of this opportunity, too. The Willy Street Co-op is one of many reaching out to potential co-op members online.

"We're already intending to improve our Web site, but knowing that Madison is so wired will motivate that even more," said Dan Frost of the Willy Street Co-op.

The rate of growth is, maybe, more surprising than the rate of use.

In 1996, the study said less than 20 percent of Madison logged on. One year later, in 1997, it was nearly 49 percent.

The city also plans to add online bike registration by the end of summer, followed by online access to police accident reports, which Bauman says is one of her priorities.

About Media Audit

The Media Audit, a syndicated media ratings service based in Houston, currently covering 85 markets, provides both quantitative and qualitative data for media Web sites as well as for traditional media. In addition to comprehensive audience profiles, TMA provides trend data on market penetration and market share.

You can read the full report online at TheMediaAudit.com.