2022-10-21 Neighborhood News & Updates

Walk-tober

Are you ready for the challenge and get a prize? Walk to work, walk to the store, walk to pick up food, walk before school or just walk for fun. Walk-tober 2022 features walking routes each week to encourage you to get out and enjoy the season.  We also have a Walk-tober Challenge to encourage you to keep walking all month, with fun prizes for everyone who completes it.

Streets Division Updates:

• Fall leaf collection is underway!  Learn when to put out your leaves for pickup at www.cityofmadison.com/YardWaste
• Food scraps recycling at the farmer’s markets ends on October 25, 2022.  Learn more about this program and other ways to manage food waste at www.cityofmadison.com/FoodScraps
• Plan on taking brush or maybe leaves to a drop-off site? The hours and locations are different this year.  Before loading your vehicle, be sure the site you plan on using is open.  Get the hours and locations at www.cityofmadison.com/DropOffSites
• Can you believe it already snowed a little in Madison!  The Streets Division is ready for winter.  Are you?  Get all your winter information from parking rules to outdoor recreation opportunities at www.cityofmadison.com/Winter
• On October 21, 2022 the Streets Division will unveil the names of the electric compactors used at the Sycamore location.  The compactor names and vote totals will be available on the 21^st on the compactor webpage.

General Election is November 8, 2022

Voters can view a sample ballot for their address and find out where and how to vote on the MyVote Wisconsin website.

A number of offices are up for election:

• Governor/Lieutenant Governor
• Attorney General
• Secretary of State
• State Treasurer
• U.S. Senator
• U.S. Congressional Representative – District 2
• State Senator – District 27
  • Voters who reside in District 27 will see this office on their ballot
• Representative to State Assembly – Districts 46, 47, 48, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80
  • Voters who reside in each district will see that district’s race on their ballot
• Dane County Sheriff
• Dane County Clerk of Circuit Court

All Dane County voters will see three referendum questions on their ballots. Voters who reside in the Sun Prairie, Waunakee, Middleton/Cross Plains, or Verona Area School Districts will also see school district referendum questions on their ballot.

Absentee Ballots in the Mail

Voters are encouraged to ensure their absentee ballot certificate envelope is sealed and complete before returning it to the City Clerk’s Office. A complete absentee certificate envelope will include: Voter signature, Witness signature, and Witness address.

IN-PERSON ABSENTEE VOTING STARTS TUESDAY, OCTOBER 25, IN MADISON

In-person absentee voting will begin Tuesday, Oct. 25, at several locations throughout the City of Madison.

What will you need to bring with you if you’re voting absentee in person?

• An acceptable photo ID for voting in Wisconsin.
• If you need to register for the first time or update your registration because of a move or name change, you will need to bring a proof of residence document with you, too.

Because we have dozens of ballot styles citywide, we use the ExpressVote accessible ballot-marking device for in-person absentee voting.

Voters who have requested an absentee ballot by mail can return their completed absentee ballot to an in-person absentee voting location during the location’s voting hours.

At the end of the voting shift for the day, your absentee ballot will be brought to the Clerk’s Office in a courier bag with a tamper-evident seal.  The unique serial number on the tamper-evident seal is documented on a chain-of-custody form, as is the number of absentee envelopes sealed in the courier bag.

Voting will take place at the locations listed below.

*No voter registration on Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 5 – 6, per state law.

Welcome Town of Madison residents to the City of Madison!

A week from Monday, the City of Madison will start providing services to approximately 5,000 additional residents, 2,407 housing units and 835 parcels. All City agencies are getting ready for final attachment, which will occur on October 31. For more information visit www.cityofmadison.com/townofmadison

Events

• Halloween on State Street: The City of Madison will once again be working to make State Street and downtown Madison a safe and enjoyable space for celebrating Halloween. Events that will be occurring, include:
  • Wednesday, October 26
    • Downtown Madison Family Halloween State Street and Capitol Square trick-or-treating for young children and their families from 3:00 – 6:00 PM sponsored by Madison’s Central Business Improvement District.
    • Hayrides around the Capitol Square from 3:00 – 6:00 PM sponsored by Madison Parks.
    • Movies with Madison Parks showing Hocus Pocus from 6:00 – 8:00 PM near the top of State Street.
    • See Halloween Activities for more information.
  • Saturday, October 29
    • Wisconsin Union Directorate Film Committee’s viewing of the Rocky Horror Picture Show at 10:00 PM in Shannon Hall.
    • Claudio Simonetti’s Goblin Performing Suspiria at the Orpheum Theater starting at 8:00 PM.
    • Other opportunities for spooky fun all around Dane County can be found here.
  • Monday, October 31: No planned events

In the past few years, the City has moved away from a formal/sanctioned event for Halloween, also known as Freakfest, and again there will be no formal event this year. There is also no UW football game or homecoming planned for Halloween weekend this year. To facilitate physical safety, a glass ban has been instituted on State Street for Halloween weekend, and Streateries will be closed at 6:00 p.m.

• Nurses 4 Black Wellbeing: Research participants are needed for an anonymous survey. The goal of the study is to learn more about the ways wellbeing, physical activity and life stress can affect blood pressure. Participants must racially identify as Black, cultural and ethnic diversity welcomed, age 18 or older, read/speak English, living in the greater Madison area. The research survey takes 20-30 minutes to complete. PPE will be provided. The research survey is one walking test (10-feet), one questionnaire on a laptop computer (with or without assistance), one blood pressure check, and one interview question about inner strength. Research participants receive one $25 Target gift card as a thank you for their time. This is a UW-Madison research survey. There is no connection with any community service. Questions? Concerns? Need additional information? Please contact Dr. Linda Oakley, black.wellbeing.study@nursing.wisc.edu,   608-263-5866.
  • Date: Wednesday, October 26, 2022 
  • Hours: Walk-in hours from 3pm to 6pm  
  • Where: Badger Building, 818 W. Badger Road (2 blocks off S. Park Street)
• Virtual community sessions on the 2023 budget: The city’s budget for 2023 will be debated and adopted by the Common Council in November. In addition to public comment opportunities at Finance Committee and Council meetings over the next six weeks, there will be two virtual community sessions on the budget. City Finance staff will provide background information on the city’s capital and operating budget process, including highlights of the 2023 executive budget.  This is a great opportunity for residents to learn more about our city’s budget.  Electronic copies of budget information can be found at https://www.cityofmadison.com/finance/budget/2023
• The first virtual session was recorded on October 13. The second virtual session will cover the same presentation and will take place on Monday, October 24. The meeting will start at 5:30 PM and end at 7:00 PM. 
  • Join the October 24 virtual community session (joining with this link will allow you to participate in live Q&A)
  • Live stream the October 24 virtual community session
• Intervention speaker series: Public Health Madison & Dane County continues to work with community partners to implement their Roadmap to Reducing Violence. To support the Roadmap, they co-hosted their violence prevention and intervention speaker series. Recent topics included:
  • Internet crimes against children
  • Back to school safety

         The next speaker series webinar will be:
         Domestic and Intimate Partner Violence “101”
         Thursday, October 27, 12pm – 1pm
         Register now

Announcements

• City of Madison polling place listing: Several polling locations in the City of Madison have changed since the last election. The City Clerk’s Office encourages voters to confirm their polling place before Election Day (November 8). You can look up your polling place address using the MyVote Wisconsin website or go to www.cityofmadison.com/WhereDoIVote. See a list of polling places here.
• Madison Fire now hiring firefighters/EMTs: For the first time since 2019, the Madison Fire Department is accepting applications for the position of fulltime firefighter/EMT. Becoming a firefighter/EMT is a unique opportunity to make a difference in a person’s life – and a direct impact in our community – every single day. No previous fire or EMS experience is necessary to apply. Learn more about this opportunity here.
• Electric compactors names announced: The Streets Division would like to introduce you to their newly named compactors – Rosie the Rubbisher and Stone Cold Squeeze Often. To learn how the names were picked and see a breakdown of the voting, read the news release.
• Lake water quality improved this summer: Great news! A lot fewer beaches were closed for swimming this summer. Public Health Madison & Dane County (PHMDC) took a total of 430 water samples this summer from 23 beaches, looking for E. Coli bacteria and blue-green algae, which can make people sick. The total number of beach closures for swimming and recreation was 124, down significantly from last summer’s total of 345. There are many factors that contribute to the water quality of our lakes. PHMDC’s microbiologist helped explain the role of weather, pollutants, and clean water corridors in an interview on WORT-FM. Take a listen!