Property Assessments, Traffic Medians, Transit-Oriented Development

Hi Everybody,

Lots of new updates to share:

2022 Property Assessments 

The city assessor has published the valuation of all assessable property in Madison and updated assessments were in the mail as of Friday. Lest the results give you sticker shock, you can read more about the assessment process here and find the new assessed values here. The Wisconsin State Journal ran an extensive article explaining the assessments and Council President, Keith Furman, provided a comprehensive blog post on this topic.

There is often confusion about the difference between an increase in assessed values and an increase in property tax and Alder Furman's post helps explain the difference. Anyone feeling that there is an error in their assessment can find information about the appeals process here. 

Traffic Medians

The Wisconsin State Journal ran an article about paving over medians that has generated a lot of feedback. Several of you have taken the time to email me of your concerns. It's encouraging to hear how strongly many residents support greening our city, values that I share as well. The situation is more complicated, however, than simply choosing between greenscape and concrete. The City's Engineering division has put together an FAQ document that explains in detail the reasons for this change.

Several of you have reached out to me about adopting a median. The Adopt-A-Median program is a program for Madison community members to take care of and maintain existing traffic calming circles and medians across the City. Learn more about the program here. Please note that none of the median planting beds being converted to turf or concrete are available for adoption. The medians being converted are all in high traffic locations that are not allowed for volunteer work due to safety concerns. Most of the medians in question require closing a lane during off peak hours with full traffic control to allow maintenance.

Transit-Oriented Development Zoning

Implementation of Transit-Oriented Development Zoning has been underway over the last year and a draft plan is now being released for public input. This initiative is meant to promote higher-density development in areas of the city that are in close proximity to high-frequency transit routes and is a technique used by many cities to encourage more sustainable growth patterns. You can find background information on this initiative as well as links to upcoming public meetings at the project website here.

Metro Transit Network Redesign

Metro is holding a final public meeting on its network redesign on Thursday, May 19, at 6pm. The meeting will be held in person in Room 215 of the Madison Municipal Building (215 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd.), and it will also be streamed live. People watching from home will be able to submit questions through a button on Mediasite so that they can be answered live during the meeting. Complete meeting details are here.

On Tuesday, May 31, Metro Transit and the Transportation Policy and Planning Board will hold a public hearing at 6 PM to discuss the proposed network redesign expected to go into effect in June of 2023. More details about the meeting are available here. Learn more about overall Redesign efforts by clicking on the project page.

Streets Division Updates

Spring yard waste collection is now over. Do not place yard waste at the curb for pick-up. Curbside yard waste pickup will resume in the fall.

You can take yard waste and other items to one of the Streets Division drop-off sites. Check the website for the hours and locations of the sites.

Brush collection is ongoing. Learn when you should set out brush at your home for pickup here.

If you have questions about the Resource Recovery Special Charge, there is an FAQ page on the Streets Division website explaining it.

Crossing Guard Program

The City of Madison Crossing Guard program is recruiting for the 2022-23 school year. As a Crossing Guard, you will help safeguard students on their way to and from school, morning and afternoon. Are you responsible, dependable, enjoy kids and the outdoors? Then it may be a perfect match! Crossing Guards work part-time, 10-15 hours per week. Starting pay is $18.09/hour (appx. $700+/month) plus regular raises and earned sick leave.  Work is Monday - Friday (NO NIGHTS, WEEKENDS, OR HOLIDAYS AND SUMMER/SCHOOL BREAKS OFF).  This is a great job for the retiree, grandparent, or stay-at-home parent. Beginning in late June/early July, a job description and application will be available at:  http://www.cityofmadison.com/HR/employment/JobOpenings.cfm  (search "hourly" positions for crossing guard link). 

Please be sure to list on your application any experience you have directing/controlling children (including your own children or grandchildren). Interviews will begin mid-August; employment begins approximately Wednesday, August 24, 2022.  For information, contact the City of Madison Crossing Guard Supervisors at 608-266-4703. Vacancies are located throughout the City of Madison, and offer the possibility to work just steps from your front door. Help serve your community by protecting its children!

Announcements

• Madison Parks and the Friends of Goodman Waves are partnering again to offer recreational team swimming and diving through the Goodman Waves Swim and Dive Team this summer at the Goodman Pool, 325 W. Olin Avenue. Scholarships are available. Registration is available here.
• Friends of Madison Arts Commission have developed a program to support utility box installations in city neighborhoods. In developing this program, the Madison Arts Commission seeks to highlight, encourage and promote local artists by giving them exposure in the public realm. Artists are compensated $500 for a license of each image used in the program. This project's funds will be used to pay artists and cover the costs of installing the art on utility boxes. Contributions of any size are welcome, but a $2,500 contribution will fully cover the cost of a box wrap in your neighborhood and a box in a neighborhood where there aren't as many financial resources. Learn more here.
• Covid cases are on the rise! Please get your booster if you have not done it yet. The CDC looks at several metrics to determine these levels, including cases per 100,000 residents, new hospitalizations, and hospital bed capacity recorded over the past seven days. While several metrics are considered, Dane County's case activity is what tipped our county into the medium level. Our case activity has been increasing since late March, with a current 7-day average of 159 cases per day. For more information visit publichealthmdc.com/coronavirus.

Take care and stay safe,

Tag