D10, Masking & Week of September 26, 2022 Meetings & Events

D10-Local:

Update: PROPOSED LIQUOR STORE AT 4633 VERONA RD

The link to the recording of the neighborhood meeting can be found here and the ALRC meeting can be accessed here.  At the ALRC the vote was unanimous (7-0) to recommend to Council to deny the liquor license because of the Health, Safety & Welfare of the community.  This decision came from having a high-density area with liquor licenses and the need for other types of businesses that center on families and children.  The item will be before Council on October 11, for more information about the steps of this process please review my Sep 18 blog entry.  

Sep 24 – Parking Garages & Lots – Credit Card Outages

Heading downtown or to the Farmer’s Market tomorrow?  Credit card outages in City parking garages and lots: The Parking Division anticipates intermittent credit card processing outages due to network maintenance beginning at 7am on Saturday, September 24. This maintenance will temporarily disable the use of credit and debit cards at nearly all City-owned parking garages and lots. We expect credit and debit card services to resume later in the morning. More information here.

What is Masking?

From Rebecca Hoyt - Disability Rights and Services Specialist - Department of Civil Rights

“Imagine pretending to be someone that you are not.  Being constantly aware of and curating what you say, how you say it, your behavior, and how you move in order to “pass.”  This physically, emotionally, and mentally exhausting practice is called masking.  For many neurodivergent people, masking is a way to avoid discrimination and a survival tool for navigating a neurotypical world.  Masking is when a neurodivergent person tries to act neurotypical as a means of self-preservation.  Sometimes ableism is so engrained in social interactions, neurodivergent people mask it without even being aware of it.  Is this me or am I trying to fit in/get by?

Employees often mask neurodiversity and other disabilities in order to avoid real or perceived consequences of being “outed” at work.  Learning about masking is an opportunity to look at our social and professional interactions and examine how we can be more inclusive and flexible.  Are there “norms” we uphold that prevent people from being who they truly are?  Who benefits from these social and professional norms?  Are there opportunities for us to create a greater sense of belonging where our friends and colleagues feel more comfortable being their whole and authentic selves?

More about masking:

LGBTQ and ALL - What is Masking and Why Do Neurodivergent People Do It?

Essy Knof - Autistics mask to survive systemic ableism—at the cost of their self-worth”

Indigenous People’s Day 2022 Tribute:

Adams Outdoor Advertising is seeking art from native students for a week-long digital display in honor of indigenous nations in Wisconsin. These designs will appear at different times throughout the day and week on digital billboards in the Madison area (Sun Prairie, DeForest, Waunakee). Each design will feature an image of the artwork, the artist’s name, and the title of the artwork. Submissions are due by October 1. Questions? Contact Evan Schultz at 608-271-7900 or eschultz@adamsoutdoor.com.

What to submit?

• Photo or JPEG file of the artwork
• Artist’s full name and tribal affiliation
• Title of artwork, if applicable
• Open to all artistic mediums (may be cropped to fit billboard)

Where to submit it?

• Evan Schultz, eschultz@adamsoutdoor.com
• Abbey Chitwood, achitwood@adamsoutdoor.com

Meeting and Event Highlights for the Week of September 26, 2022

Meetings

• The Common Council does not meet the week of September 26, but many other City committees do, including the Alcohol License Review Committee, Finance Committee, Transportation Commission and Plan Commission. To see the full list of City meetings scheduled for the week, please consult the City meeting schedule.
• Town of Madison final public information meeting: The City of Madison will hold a Final Public Information Meeting for the Town of Madison Attachment on October 20, 2022, at 6pm. This public meeting will be conducted virtually and prior registration is required. Join us to meet City of Madison staff and learn about the Town of Madison attachment

Events:

• Food scraps recycling: Food scraps recycling for 2022 has been extended to October 25 at two farmer's market drop-off sites:
  • Market Site 1: South Madison Farmer's Market (1602 S. Park Street, Labor Temple)
    • Hours: 2:00pm to 6:00pm.
    • Dates open: Only Tuesday markets
  • Market Site 2: Eastside Farmer's Market (202 S. Ingersoll Street, McPike Park)
    • Hours: 4:00pm to 7:00pm
    • Dates open: Only Tuesday evenings

• Fair Housing Training: The Fair Housing Center of Greater Madison is offering a free online fair housing training seminar for owners and managers of rental properties, or staff operating residential programs, in Madison on Thursday, September 29, 8:30am – 10am and on Wednesday, November 9, 6pm-7:30pm. The seminar will include information about the protected classes and prohibited practices delineated by local, state and federal fair housing laws, as well as emerging issues such as sexual harassment and hate incidents in housing situations. To register for this free online seminar, visit https://tinyurl.com/MadisonFairHousing or call 608-257-0853.
• Complete Green Streets public presentation: Join City of Madison staff and project consultants at 7pm on Tuesday, September 27, 2022, for a virtual public presentation to share the draft Complete Green Streets framework, including priorities and decision-making elements that will shape how the City plans to design streets moving forward.  More information and a link to register for the Zoom meeting is online.
• MFD virtual recruitment open house events: For the first time ever, the Madison Fire Department (MFD) will host a series of virtual recruitment open houses aimed at introducing new audiences to the idea of becoming a career firefighter/EMT.
  • The first virtual open house takes place Monday, September 26, 6pm-8pm. Register here to participate.
  • On Tuesday, October 4, 6pm-8pm, the MFD will host a virtual recruitment open house for women. This event is designed to connect women interested in fire/EMS with other women currently serving at the MFD, and to share job-related information that is especially relevant to women. Register here to participate.

Announcements:

• Business District Support Program: The Business District Support Program website is now live and is accepting applications on a first come, first served basis. This program will provide grant funds to eligible local organizations that can activate or reactivate business districts by promoting small businesses and other economic growth activities such as programs, assistance, and events such as markets or festivals. In addition, this grant can be for existing business associations or new groups interested in exploring or starting a new business district.

• Dane CORE 2.0: Dane County and the City of Madison were notified this week that their requests for additional emergency rental assistance funds have been approved. That means more federal funds will soon be available to continue the Dane CORE 2.0 program. The Dane CORE 2.0 application portal, which temporarily closed on September 15, will re-open at 12:00 am CST on Wednesday, October 5, for persons interested in submitting new applications and additional funding requests (AFR’s). Applications received prior to the September 15 pause will continue to be processed without interruption, and eligible claims will be paid. It is not necessary to resubmit those applications when the portal re-opens. Anyone wishing to review the status of an application that has already been submitted to see if there are any open tasks and that all information is up to date should log into Neighborly.

Please note that the program changes described in our previous message will go into effect for any applications submitted after the portal re-opens. These changes are designed to reserve funds for those households facing the greatest economic hardships. They include the following:

• Program benefits will be available only to those with household incomes at or below 50% of the County Median Income. (Previously, the income threshold was 80% of County Median Income).
• The program will provide assistance only for past-due (unpaid) rents.
• Only arrears accrued since July 1, 2021 will be eligible.
• Assistance will not be available for forward/future rent payments unless paired with security deposit assistance.

• General election is November 8: The general election is coming up on November 8, and voters can view a sample ballot for their address on the MyVote Wisconsin website.  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. A number of offices are also 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..

• Streets Division update: Residents get three curbside collection opportunities in the fall - Yard waste and leaves can be placed on the terrace, which is the grassy space between the sidewalk and the curb. If no terrace is available, it can be placed at the road edge or in the driveway apron. Click here for more information.
• Absentee ballots are 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.