Alder Wehelie is excited to announce that she is bringing back the monthly virtual Lunch and Learns! Please join her on Thursday, June 20, as she hosts City Clerk Maribeth Witzel-Behl and Municipal Clerk 1 Camille O’Connell, who will present on elections and voting.

This Lunch and Learn will serve as an effective way to inform and engage residents about city services over the lunch hour. Attendees will also be able to participate in a question-and-answer session with the speakers following the presentation.

To participate in the virtual Lunch and Learn on Thursday, June 20, from 12:00 to 1:00 pm, please register in advance at the following link: www.cityofmadison.com/lunchandlearnd7.

Depending on the number of questions, there may be limited time for a Q&A session at the end of the presentation. The goal is to hear from everyone at least once if they wish. To hear from as many as time allows, we request that attendees limit their questions to one minute.

Attendees can also submit their questions in advance to Lorissa Banuelos, Community Engagement Strategist, by email at lbanuelos@cityofmadison.com. Please include the “Lunch and Learn question” in the subject line.

For more information, contact Alder Nasra Wehelie by email at district7@cityofmadison.com or by phone at (608) 571-4919.

You can also contact the Office of the Common Council by email at Council@cityofmadison.com or by phone at (608) 266-4071. 

EVENT FLYER

Free event.

Thursday, May 30, 2024, 6 pm – 9 pm

Madison Police Department Training Center: 5702 Femrite Dr

Register at: https://www.cityofmadison.com/police/safety/commTrainings/crase.cfm

Police respond as fast as they can to an active shooters incident. But numbers tell the story:

• Median police response time to an active shooter: 3 minutes
• Percentage of active shooter calls that are over before police even arrive: 66%
• Majority of active shooters strike between 8am-4pm
• 61 active shooter incidents took place in the US in 2021, a 52.5% increase from 2020

YOU can make the difference in your safety and the safety of others in that first three (3) minutes. Learn the principles of what to do if an active shooter incident happens and increase your chance of survival by knowing:

Avoid
Deny
Defend

Also referred to as “Run, Hide, Fight”.

Officers will present active shooter case studies that highlight strategies victims used and the ultimate outcomes of their choices. These will also help participants understand Avoid, Deny, Defend in deeper detail.

Food Scraps Returns to South Madison Farmers’ Market Today, Recycling Updates, and More!

Hello, Madison Recyclers

Here is a roundup of exciting recycling related updates:

Food Scraps Recycling Returns TODAY to South Madison Farmers’ Market!

Our second farmers’ market food scraps drop off gets underway this afternoon (May 21) at the South Side Farmers’ Market.  It is located right at the corner of South Park Street and West Wingra Drive.  It’s actual address is 1602 South Park Street.

This site is open from 2:00pm to 6:00pm on Tuesday evenings, just like last year.

There is plenty of free parking available, so if you have some acceptable scraps ready for composting we would love to see you on the south side.  And you can stop by the farmer’s booth who accepts the scraps for composting and say hello to him as well.

Details are available at www.cityofmadison.com/FoodScraps.

The market location at the Eastside Farmer’s Market has collected over 1,000 pounds of food scraps already – and it took five weeks last year to reach this number, and this year we did it in three.  Participation numbers have been higher, too.  We’re off to our best year yet for sure.

And, yes, we do have a third site coming this year.  Details on this third site are pending, so stay tuned.

Recycling Mistakes Website Refresh…And Cart Inspections?

The common recycling mistakes website was recently revamped.  We don’t have a brand new website quite yet (we’re working on it) but hopefully you will find this recycling mistakes page and the extra details here a bit more enlightening.

And besides finding that charming frowny face image, you will see a reference to some curbside recycling cart checks coming soon.

Yes, Streets will have some of our staff working ahead of the recycling truck collectors looking for problem materials in recycling carts.

Now, recycling operators have been checking for problems in carts for years and that won’t change.  However, within the next couple weeks, you might see Streets Division lifting the lid on recycling carts, peeking inside, and then walking to the next cart and doing the same.  So it might look a little different than what you have seen in the past even though it’s an old practice. 

We’re looking for the five most common problems we’ve noticed in recycling carts that should not be in there.  They’re listed on the mistakes page in more detail, but I’ll list them for you here:

• Bad bags
  • Most recyclables should not be bagged. If you absolutely must bag your recyclables, then the only acceptable option is a clear plastic bag.  If you are using black bags or gray bags, these bags are being discarded as trash at the sorting facility.
• Clothes & other textiles
  • Never put clothes, bedding, curtains, or other material like this into the recycling cart.
• Styrofoam
  • Never put styrofoam in the recycling cart.
• Tanglers
  • Loose plastic bags, plastic film, plastic wrap, hoses, ropes, and similar tangly items do not belong in the recycling cart.
• Wood / lumber
  • Never place wood or lumber into the recycling cart.

Crews will also be on the look out for other problematic items that obviously do not belong in the recycling cart that they stumble across.

When our operators find one of these problem items in a recycling the cart, our crew member will leave behind card on the cart lid informing the resident of the mistake.

If the cart at your home is carded, you just have to remove the problem items and give the Streets Division a call and we will come back as soon as we can to empty the corrected recycling cart.  Easy peasy.  We’re trying to make this a learning opportunity more than anything else.

Ultimately, we just want this contamination out of the recycling where it does not belong.

 

Recycle Better Course Returns in July!

Speaking of recycling better, back on Friday, May 17 Sustain Dane in partnership with the City of Madison will put this year’s first Recycle Better course.  What?  You missed it?  Hey, no problem!

There is another opportunity coming in July where it will be held online in the evening where it may be more convenient for your work schedule so you can become a Certified Recycling Steward and help teach your communities how to recycle better.

Details and sign up about the course can be found on the Sustain Dane website.

Free Recycling Resources

The City’s recycling information has always been free.

If you want the latest copy of the Recyclopedia, head over to your public library location to pick one up or contact the Streets Division to have one mailed to you.

We have fridge magnets we can send you.  We also have 8” x 11” stickers that can go onto the lid of the recycling cart if your cart doesn’t already have instructions about recycling already placed there.

 

2025 Recyclopedia? Website Feedback?

What?! 2025 already!! Believe me, I know.  But, I do have to think ahead.  It takes a long time to pull together the Recyclopedia booklet after all.

In planning ahead, are there topics or items, or other things you would like to see in the Recyclopedia that haven’t been covered before that you’ve been needing?

There is a website redesign for Streets underway, too. At the end of it, many of our resources should be easier to find, and the days of a very thick Recyclopedia may be behind us. 

If you have ideas about what you’d like to see in a 2025 Recyclopedia, or things you wish were just a little bit easier on the website, let me know.

And, yes, already know about how much of a pain it is to enter your address into the forms we have for your collection schedules. That is the first thing we want to fix, too. Fingers crossed we’re able to address that issue.

In conclusion…

There’s always plenty going on here at Streets, so there will be plenty more updates yet to come. And if you have any questions, please let us know.  Thank you all for your time and attention.

Please join us Thursday, May 16th for this month’s Westside Community Connections! This event will feature David Schmiedicke, Director of Finance who will give an overview on the general fund structural deficit, and the general parameters of the options we have available to us to address it. He will also provide information on where our City tax dollars go/value for our tax dollars, and cost of services. There will also be small group discussions and a notecard Q&A session. This event will be held in person at Vel Phillips Memorial High School in the Wisconsin Center room.

Registration is not required but strongly encouraged. Those who register will receive updates and information leading up to the event. Register HERE!

Westside Community Connections Flyer_English
Conexiones Comunitarias del Lado Oeste Volantes _Español

The Office of the Common Council is holding multiple budget engagement events in Madison that will give residents an opportunity to learn more about the state of the budget as well as share with their alders what is important to them. These discussions will be deliberative and facilitated. If you cannot join us on Thursday, May 16, you have three more opportunities to participate. See list of events below:

Southside/Near Westside Budget Engagement Event:
Wednesday, May 29, 5:30 p.m. (in person)
Goodman South Library, 2222 S Park St, Madison, WI, Meeting rm 115

Central (Downtown/Campus/Isthmus) Budget Engagement Event:
Thursday, May 30, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. (hybrid)
Madison Municipal Building, 215 Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Madison, WI, Conf Rm MMB 215

Northside Budget Engagement Event:
Wednesday, June 5, 6 p.m. (in person)
Black Hawk Middle School, 1402 Wyoming Way, Madison, WI

All events are listed on the Common Council webpage. For more information visit: www.cityofmadison.com/council or contact the Office of the Common Council by email at council@cityofmadison.com or by phone at (608) 266-4071. To learn more about the 2025 City budget outlook, please visit www.cityofmadison.com/finance/budget/2025/outlook.

Vaccinate Against Measles  On April 26, 2024, Public Health Madison Dane County reported one confirmed case of measles in Dane County. This person was infected during domestic travel, not in Dane County. Measles is a very contagious virus that spreads easily and rapidly through coughing and sneezing. If you are unvaccinated, simply being in the same room with someone who has measles is enough to get infected. Learn more here.

Mayor’s Message Now that winter is behind us, I would like to take a moment to celebrate and highlight the vital work the Streets and Urban Forestry Division does for all Madisonians. Their work for us really blossoms this time of year! The vehicle operators, arborists, and laborers show great dedication to help make Madison a beautiful and clean city.  Here’s a quick rundown of just some of what they are doing this spring: The ever popular Streets Division drop-off sites expanded their hours on April 1. These expanded hours will stay in effect until December. The Urban Forestry section’s spring planting will put well over 1,000 trees in terraces throughout all of Madison. Brush collection is underway. Click through to check when it’s coming to your neighborhood! And spring yard waste collection will start in your neighborhood soon, too. They’re filling potholes (so please report them if you find them so crews can fill them quickly). Streets Division sweepers have been circling the city since early March to gather up the accumulated debris on the roads to prevent it from entering the stormwater system and flush out to our lakes.  And, of course, many other things like cleaning graffiti from public areas to collecting trash, recycling, and scheduled large items every day. I continue to be impressed by the hard-working people of the Streets & Urban Forestry Division. Day in and day out, their work and commitment provides all of us services we rely on for our homes and our city.

Follow Mayor’s Blog

Engage on the Budget  The City is facing a significant budget shortfall that will impact services. What City services do you value the most? What is your vision for the future of Madison?Join us to discuss the budget, learn more about the services the City provides, and share your thoughts with elected officials. See upcoming meeting dates and details here.

Free Metro Youth Passes Again this Summer Recently Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway and Madison Metropolitan School District Interim Superintendent Lisa Kvistad held a press conference to announce Metro’s fourth annual free summer youth pass program for Madison residents. As part of Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway’s MetroForward initiative, the summer youth pass program provides free rides to students from grades 6 through those just graduating from high school. Distributed in MMSD schools near the end of the school year, passes make it easier for students to get to jobs, athletic camps, the homes of friends, the pool and more. In 2021, there were approximately 38,000 rides taken using the pass, in 2022, there were about 41,00 rides taken. Last summer, more than 138,000 rides were taken on these passes. Complete information is available at mymetrobus.com.

State Street Ped Mall Experiment Begins Once the Pedestrian Mall is opened May 8th, people are encouraged to capture the many made-for-social media sights and sounds using the hashtag #FlockToState and tag musicians performing at the new busking location across from Concrete Park with the hashtag #MadisonIsMusic. A full summer’s worth of programming and performances are being planned for the Pedestrian Mall.  Because of the nature of State Street, with many local businesses not having alley or back door access for deliveries, prevents a full closure to traffic so the Pedestrian Mall, stretching from Gorham Street to Hawthorne Court, will be closed to all non-emergency traffic starting at 3 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. on weekends and holidays, ending at 4 a.m. every day. Traffic will continue to flow normally on all cross streets even when the pedestrian mall is open, including on Gorham and Gilman Street.   Madisonians from across the City participated on a beautiful Spring Day to support our local artists and begin the first steps of our #FlocktoState experiment this summer by painting inviting murals.

Meet Your New Council Leadership The City of Madison Common Council announced the newly election council leadership as   District 10 Alder Yannette Figueroa Cole, who was selected by her peers to serve as the new president, and District 1 Alder John W. Duncan, who was selected as the new vice president. You can learn more about these Alders here.

Property Tax Assessments vs Property Taxes Recently, property tax assessments were mailed to property owners in Madison, so we’re sharing some information about the relationship between assessments, taxes, and the City’s budget. Assessments of a property are based on what similar properties are selling for – so they are heavily influenced by demand. Generally, if the assessed value of a property increases, the taxes for that property do not increase at the same rate or percentage. Assessments are supposed to be revenue neutral, so an increase in assessment does not necessarily correspond to an increase in taxes. Learn more here.

Body-Worn Camera Pilot has Begun  Last summer, the Common Council voted in favor of the 90-day pilot program for officers in Madison’s north district. An independent researcher has been hired to study the program and report his findings to department and city leaders. Learn more here.

3 CARES Teams Serve Our Community CARES 3′ has officially been on duty Monday through Friday, 12:00 PM to 10:00 PM, for a month responding from the old Town of Madison fire station on Fish Hatchery Road. The addition of a third team allows the CARES program to expand its service capacity in response to ongoing demand. Call data from Dane County Public Safety Communications (911) identified the busiest hours of the day for behavioral health emergencies occur between 12:00 PM to 6:00 PM weekdays. With CARES 3 on duty from 12:00 PM to 10:00 PM weekdays, three CARES teams are now available to respond to calls for service during hours of peak demand.  Since the program’s inception on September 1, 2021, CARES has responded to approximately 5000 calls for service. You can learn more about the service expansion here.

Madison Reaches Solar Milestone The City of Madison is proud to announce that it has reached the significant milestone of 2 megawatts of installed and commissioned solar on its buildings and facilities.  This accomplishment creates momentum toward adding more solar installations across the community. It took 13 years for us to reach our first megawatt, and now we have reached our second megawatt in just five years. See the celebratory press event here.

Food Scraps Program Returns to Eastside Market Food scraps recycling drop-off has returned to the Eastside Farmers’ Market. Individuals may drop-off certain allowable food scraps to a designated drop-off booth for free. Learn more details here.

Madison a Tree City for 35 Years Madison’s first year recognized by the Arbor Day Foundation as a Tree City USA was 1989. We have received the award again this year, making it our 35th year being Tree City USA, and it is the 19th year we have received the Growth Award. Learn more about the award, or see what we do every day to support our trees.

Hello, Madison Recyclers

If you have signed up to receive news releases from the City, you already have this good news in your inbox, but just in case you haven’t done that…

Food scraps recycling is back for 2024! 

The first of three sites will open on Tuesday, April 30, 2024.

This location will be the Eastside Farmers’ Market at 202 S. Ingersoll St within McPike Park.  It will be open from 4:00pm to 7:00pm.  

Food scraps drop-off will be free at this location every Tuesday evening starting on April 30 with the last day of this year being October 29, 2024.

And yes, I did say there will be three market sites this year. 

The other two locations will open up later this year and we will announce them when it gets closer to their opening time.  Stay tuned.

More details about food scraps recycling can be found at www.cityofmadison.com/FoodScraps. 

Thank you, as always, for your time and attention.

Bryan Johnson

Recycling Coordinator

Thank you for joining members of the Madison Common Council for the April session of Westside of Community Connections. Alder John W. Duncan, Alder Nasra Wehelie, and Alder Barbara Harrington-McKinney hosted Tom Lynch, Director of Transportation and Shanae Meacham, Outreach Specialist for Metro Transit, who talked about the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system, including the cost of BRT, a timeline for when BRT will be in operation, and an update on vehicle and stop accessibility. You can find the powerpoint slides here:

If you missed last Thursday’s Westside Community Connections, you can watch the recorded session on the City of Madison Media Channel at the following link: https://media.cityofmadison.com/Mediasite/Showcase/madison-city-channel/Presentation/4d17667b9e7c4bf9995bfa7e7aedef5d1d. Please share this session with your networks and those impacted by the developing Bus Rapid Transit system.  

We very much appreciated all your questions during the Q&A portion of the session. If you have additional questions, feel free to send them to your respective alder who will forward your questions to the correct staff member. Please also feel free to email Metro Transit directly by email Mymetrobus@cityofmadison.com or by phone (608) 266-4466. 

The next Westside Community Connections will take place on Thursday, May 16th, 6:00-8:00 p.m. This session will be different in format and will be held in-person at Vel Phillips Memorial High School, 201 S Gammon Rd, Madison, WI 53717. Featured guest include David Schmiedicke, Director of Finance who will present on the 2025 City of Madison budget outlook and the general fund structural deficit. More information on registration for the May 16th Westside Community Connections event will be sent out shortly.

Have questions? Please contact:

• District 7:  Alder Nasra Wehelie by email district7@cityofmadison.com or by phone (608) 571-4919
• Residents can also contact the Common Council Office, by email, council@cityofmadison.com or by phone (608) 266-4071.

The 2024 property assessments are now available on the City website at cityofmadison.com/assessor. Assessment notices were mailed on Friday to all property owners and should have arrived yesterday Monday 4/22. If you have not received the card in the mail, please check online.

Open Book:

As per state statute, a period for “examination of the assessment roll” – what is referred to as “open book” – is provided. This period of time is an opportunity to discuss or dispute your property value and provide reason for changes.

The open book period began today Monday, April 22 and close Friday, April 26 at 4:30 p.m. From the assessor’s page click on “open book and assessment appeals” for important dates and instructions owners must initiate contact with the appraiser for their property in one of two ways:

• Email: openbook@cityofmadison.com
• Call: (608) 266-4531

After talking with the Assessor’s Office, owners who still feel the assessed value of their property is incorrect may file a formal objection. The deadline for filing an objection form (or providing notice of intent) is Friday, May 3 at 4:30 p.m.

If you have general questions concerning your assessments, please contact the Assessor’s Office at assessor@cityofmadison.com or (608) 266-4531.

Highlights for the Week of April 15, 2024

Boards, Commissions, and Committee Meetings

Note: This is not a complete list of meetings for this upcoming week. All meetings and their details can be found at the  Meeting Schedule page.

• Common Council: The Common Council meeting will take place on Tuesday, April 16, in hybrid format at 6:30 p.m. The in-person portion will take place in Room 215 of the Madison Municipal Building at 215 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. Agenda items include welcoming Lord Mayor Talib Ahmed Bensouda and delegation from Madison Sister City Kanifing, the Gambia, the election of Council President and Vice President, removing owner-occupancy requirements for accessory dwelling units, and a resolution affirming unwavering support for survivors of domestic violence and abuse.
  • Meeting Details
  • Meeting Agenda
  • Register for Public Comment
  • Watch Online
• Board of Public Works: The Board of Public Works meeting will take place on Wednesday, April 17, in virtual format at 4:30 p.m. Agenda items include authorizing the Board of Public Works to advertise and receive bids for 2024 playground improvements, awarding a public works contract for the Warner Park Dog Park Lot Resurfacing project in District 12, and authorizing the Board of Public Works to advertise and receive bids for 20 is Plenty.
  • Meeting Details
  • Meeting Agenda
  • Register for Public Comment
  • Watch Online

Announcements

• New EPA PFAS Regulations: On April 10th, 2024, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized regulations for PFAS in drinking water. [posted April 12, 2024, by Water Utility]
• Mayor Rhodes-Conway Joins Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Youth Action Fund to Activate Young People in Driving Climate Solutions: Madison is one of 101 cities that will receive funding and technical assistance to spur a groundswell of youth-driven climate action. [posted April 10, 2024, by the Mayor’s Office] Help Our Community Understand “Forever Chemicals”: Public Health Madison & Dane County is now accepting applications from local organizations interested in helping connect with people in their community about PFAS (per and polyfluoroalkyl substances) or “forever chemicals”. [posted April 10, 2024, by Public Health Madison & Dane County]
• 2024 Spring Yard Waste Collection Begins Soon: The springtime collection round of yard waste by the Streets Division begins next week.The first set-out date for some neighborhoods is Sunday, April 14, 2024.  The first yard waste set out date for your home may be different. You can get the dates… [posted April 10, 2024, by Public Works and Streets & Recycling]
• Street Closures—Dane County Farmers’ Market on the Square: Several streets will be closed for the Dane County Farmers’ Market each Saturday, beginning with the first market on Saturday, April 13. The following blocks will be closed to motor vehicle traffic each Saturday from approximately 8:00 am to 2:00… [posted April 10, 2024, Traffic Engineering and Transportation]
• Urban Forestry Planting 1,600 Trees in Spring 2024 (corrected):  Urban Forestry’s spring planting season began today, Monday, April 8, 2024.Crews will be planting 1,682 trees from 27 different species along City of Madison streets this spring. The variety of species was selected by the City’s trained arborists to… [posted April 8, 2024, Public Works, Streets & Recycling]
• Three CARES Teams Now in Service During Peak Call Hours: Effective today, ‘CARES 3’ is in service weekdays 12:00-10:00 PM. This means three CARES teams are available during hours of peak demand for CARES response. CARES 3 responds from the old Town of Madison fire station on Fish Hatchery Road.   [posted April 8, 2024, by Fire Department]

Please join me and my colleagues, Alder John W Duncan and Alder Barbara Harrington-McKinney, for our monthly “Westside Community Connections” series. These informational sessions feature a different city agency each month and are designed to keep residents up-to-date on important news and developments affecting the Westside community. 

Tom Lynch, Director of Transportation, and Shanae Meacham, Outreach Specialist of Metro Transit, will lead this month’s meeting. To participate in the virtual Westside Community Connections session on Thursday, April 18, 2024, at 6:00 PM, please register in advance at the following link: www.cityofmadison.com/westsidecommunityconnections.

There will be limited time for a Q&A session at the end of the presentation. We ask attendees to limit their questions to no more than one minute. Attendees can also submit their questions in advance to Lorissa Banuelos, Community Engagement Strategist, by email at lbanuelos@cityofmadison.com. Please include “Westside Community Connections” in the subject line.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me at district7@cityofmadison.com

Looking forward  to seeing on Thursday.

Best,

Nasra