CARES, Passenger Rail, this week and upcoming meetings and events

posted December 10, 2022 - 12:52pm

Hola!

A few things to unpack today, first, parking rules are in effect until Monday, lots of excitement around passenger rail transit, the CARES report is out, and will share a glimpse of this week with you. Let’s get started!!

Declared Snow Emergency

posted December 10, 2022 10:00 AM Click here for up-to-date information

The City of Madison snow emergency parking rules will be in effect starting the evening of December 10, 2022.

Alternate side parking will be in effect throughout the entire City of Madison this evening, including the Snow Emergency Zone.

Passenger Rail Transit

Two meetings were held for the Amtrak Project Kickoff meeting this week. We had a large number of attendees at the virtual and in-person meetings. For the upcoming February meeting, the public will have the opportunity to participate in Question & Answer sessions. In the meantime – you may submit comments or questions to amtrak@cityofmadison.com. Additionally, we will prepare a list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) and will post it on the website soon. You can view the website here. A video recording of the Dec 7 Virtual Meeting can be found here.

CARES Report

“Madison’s Community Alternative Response Emergency Services (CARES) program is a mobile crisis response program. CARES teams, consisting of a community paramedic and a crisis worker, respond to non-violent behavioral health emergencies such as suicidal thoughts, depression, anxiety, agitation, and others. CARES teams also respond to “check welfare” calls (when a concerned individual calls 911 to have an agency check on another person).” See the full report here

The data is clear; as the capacity for the program increases, the response & resources are maximized. The need for CARES is evident, and we must continue to prioritize the implementation and funding of this service. For the presentation, click here

A Glimpse of the Week of December 4th:

This week got even more challenging than the entire time served as your alder. At this time last year, I took time off and missed one of the office’s year-end closing activities. At the end of each year, we are required to do a physical count of our inventory. For the most part, I work from home, but for this exercise, I had to be in person. The counts took 4 days to complete; my main task was to enter each inventory tag content into the ERP system.

My week started with going through the Council Agenda on Sunday. I have finally developed a system to get through every item while at the same time reducing the time it takes me to complete the review. It is not unheard of to spend 2 to 5 hours reviewing and researching topics in the agenda. Sunday, it only took me a little over 2 hours to go over it. One of the reasons for the shorter time can be attributed to making time to either go to committee meetings or watching recordings of committee meetings that had taken up many of the topics on their agendas.

Monday started with meeting a constituent for coffee before heading to the office, which is located on the east side of town. During the drive home, I listened to the TPPB meeting presentations on Transportation Demand Management (TDM) and part of the Transit Orientated Development (“TOD”) Overlay District. I had to resume watching the TPPB recording later because I had to be at the CCHIC at 5:30 and had just a few minutes before the meeting to review that agenda. I missed the CMN Neighborhood Association meeting!!

For the past 4 weeks, I have been working on an issue that involves multiple city agencies, MMSD, community organizations, and members of the district. We had a scheduled follow-up meeting for Wednesday, but I learned Tuesday morning that MMSD was unavailable but offered to meet with the community on Tuesday.

Tuesday, I headed back to the office and, around 3:30, headed out to the MMSD’s 4 o’clock meeting. I was so grateful to be at the table with MMSD to address the issues presented. Superintendent Dr. Carlton D. Jenkin stopped by on his way to another engagement and even gave me a good 20 minutes of his time to further discussed the task at hand. The meeting with the community members was a bit over 90 minutes long. I had to be at a Finance meeting at 6, followed by City Council at 6:30. I got home after 11 PM, and Jesse was already sleeping.

Wednesday, I overslept but quickly recovered to head to the office to continue the inventory count process. I had to be at the community meeting scheduled for 4 PM and back in my neck of the woods. I arrived at 4:02; traffic was not cooperative at all. This meeting had representatives of the school board, MPD, Public health, non-profit orgs and community members. Once again, extremely grateful to share the table in partnership with multiple agencies. We ended the meeting, and I plugged into the CARES update meeting, followed by the Passenger Rail meeting. I missed the Meadowood Neighborhood Association meeting!!

Thursday was the last day for the inventory counts. As I entered one tag after the other, I listened to the Violence Prevention Coalition meeting. We ended the inventory counts process around 4:30. I headed home and arrived around 5:15; Jesse was disappointed I didn’t come home carrying dinner. But I didn’t have time; home was only a stop before a meeting at 6:00 PM. This meeting was a great way to end the day. Met with a group of Cub Scouts and parents interested in learning about city government, parks, ordinances, and the budget. The kids were curious about each of these topics and formulated very insightful questions.

One question from a parent was, “what is the process for becoming an alder?” After the week I had, it was easy to answer. This week reinforces my views regarding paying fair wages to people willing to do the job.

I am privileged; I have an employer that allows me to work from home and allows me the flexibility to put in my 40 hours each week while at the same time I can accommodate the Alder’s duties demands. I don’t have to waste time getting ready for work and driving back and forth between home and the office.
I am privileged, my salary covers all my expenses, including medical and retirement options, and I don’t need to pick up a second or third job.
I am privileged; my son is an independent adult, and I don’t have to make school runs or bother with homework, or PTO meetings, soccer games, wrestling matches, etc.
I am privileged; after 26 years, this summer, I was able to pay off my mortgage; I do not have to worry about having a secure home or paying rent or the consequences of missing a payment, or the inherited disadvantages presented to month-to-month leases.

The opportunity to be an Alder, to have people with life experiences represent us, must be made available for all! The current system’s scale is tilted to benefit people like me, with the privilege of work flexibility, well-paid job with benefits, grown and out-of-home “kids,” housing security, food at the table, access to transportation, and many other resources.

My hat goes out to my colleagues that get it done despite all the existing hurdles the current system imposes on you. My gratitude goes out to you who put in the hours to get the job done and are willing to challenge the status quo. My sincere thank you goes out to you, who shows appreciation for my time by showing up prepared for the meetings. Your constituents thank you for, in addition to all the demands and challenges the job brings, you make the time to answer their calls, emails, and meeting requests. Your time merits full compensation! I appreciate you, but this week experiencing the loss of working from-home flexibility only increased my support for you and your dedication.

I hope that this glimpse of a single week into my world clarifies what it takes to be an engaged and committed alder. Thank you to the community that sees it and also appreciates it. GRACIAS!!

Meeting and Event Highlights for the Week of December 12, 2022

Meetings

Police and Fire Commission: The Police and Fire Commission meets virtually on Monday, December 12 at 5:30 PM. Items on the agenda include the introduction of Robin Copley, the Independent Police Monitor, and status updates regarding hiring/recruitment from MFD and MPD.

Humanitarian Award Commission, Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, JR.: The Humanitarian Award Commission meets virtually on Monday, December 12 at 6:00. An item on the agenda is finalizing and selecting the winners of the 2023 MLK Humanitarian Award Winners.

Common Council Executive Committee: The Common Council Executive Committee meets virtually on Tuesday, December 13 at 5:30 PM. An item of the agenda is authorizing a binding referendum question on the 2023 Spring Election ballot related to staggering terms for alders beginning with the 2025 Spring Election.

Public Safety Review Committee: The Public Safety Review Committee meets virtually on Wednesday, December 14 at 5:00 PM. Items on the agenda include a quarterly update from Chief Barnes, the Madison Fire Department/CAREs unit update, and a report from the Madison Police Department including information on recent gun violence and an update on strategic planning.

Education Committee: The Education Committee meets virtually on Wednesday, December 14 at 5:30 PM. Items on the agenda include an update on the MMSD Budget Amendment and continued discussion about the Driver’s Ed program, and a discussion regarding feedback following communication of Education Committee priorities to MMSD, City and County elected bodies.

Events

· East Badger Mill Creek Watershed Study

· Bird & Nature Adventures | Starkweather Creek Area 12/17/2022

· Bird & Nature Adventures | Warner Park 12/18/2022

· 2023 Resurfacing Projects

· Public Input Meeting: Fraust | Harvey Schmidt | Heifetz Parks

Announcements

· Truth and Reconciliation Working Group: City of Madison’s Equal Opportunities Commission is looking for individuals or stakeholders that serve Madison’s Black community to volunteer for an Implementation Group to conduct a Truth and Reconciliation Process for the City of Madison. The responsibilities and duties of Working Group members are further detailed in the invitation. Inquires may be sent to eoc@cityofmadison.com or district6@cityofmadison.com.

· Streets Division Drop-off Sites Now on Winter Hours

· Mayor Rhodes-Conway on the Unanimous Passage of Metro Network Redesign and Transportation Demand Management

· Tips for Safe Use of Your Electric Bikes, Scooters, and Skateboards

· Common Council to Vote on Key Affordable Housing Initiatives

· $1,750,000 in Grants Allocated to 21 Non-Profits Delivering Employment Services

· The application for a BYFY (By Youth For Youth) grant is open

· $4 Million Awarded to Nonprofits to Support Homeownership

· Have a Voice in City Government

· Tips for Safe Use of Your Electric Bikes, Scooters, and Skateboards

· Membership and leadership changes at the Police Civilian Oversight Board

· All Madison Streets to be Plowed; Snow Emergency Parking Rules in Effect Starting Evening of December 10, 2022

· Snowfall is a Good Reminder to Make Sure Your Home is Winter Ready!