City-County Building
Common Council

Meeting and Event Highlights for the Week of April 20, 2026

posted 
  • Reefer Madness by Eric Schlosser book cover placed on the front page of the Wisconsin State Journal newspaper with the headline "Research on hemp could impact research.

    "Reefer Madness": 4/20 District 11 Book Club at the Sequoya Library (7:00–8:30 PM) Join fellow community members in this discussion of Part 1 of Reefer Madness: Sex, Drugs, and Cheap Labor in the American Black Market by Eric Schlosser (2003). Although written years before the wave of state level legalization, the book remains relevant for its examination of the underground cannabis economy. If you're interested in criminal justice, economics, or the future of legalizing the sale of cannabis, you will want to attend the District 11 Book Club discussion on April 20th at the Sequoya library from 7-8:30 pm.

  • Celebrate Earth Day in Your Local Park: Accept the Earth Day Challenge by joining your neighbors and friends in this year's Earth Day Challenge! Volunteer to help clean up your local park on Saturday, April 25!

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 21, at 12:00 p.m. in hybrid format. Agenda items include honoring the service of outgoing alders, swearing in newly elected and returning alders, and the election of the Common Council President and Vice President.

  • Common Council: The Common Council meeting will take place on Tuesday, April 21, at 6:30 p.m. in hybrid format. 

    Intersection of Whitney Way and Odana Road
    Safety improvements coming to Whitney Way and Odana Road

    Agenda items include Item 19. 92355 safety improvements at the intersection of S. Whitney Way and Odana Road (District 11), Item 21. 92512 Assessing Benefits for Resurfacing 2025 (District 11), Item 22. 92513 Accepting sanitary sewer improvements at Madison Yards (District 11), Item 33. 92535 Awarding Public Works Contract No. 9740, Unit Well 12 (District 11), and Item 36. 92567 Conditional approval for a one-lot Certified Survey Map and construction of a five-story, 42-unit multi-family dwelling at 5044 Sheboygan Avenue. (District 11)

  • Board of Public Works: The Board of Public Works meeting will take place on Wednesday, April 22, at 4:30 p.m. in virtual format. Agenda items include approving the roadway geometry for Regent Street, as well as approving public works projects in District 14 and District 16. 

If you would like more information about becoming a member of a City board, commission, or committee, please visit the page linked here.

Public Information Meetings (PIMs)

  • Public Input Meeting - Cypress Spray Park, Monday, April 20: The City of Madison Parks is holding the first public input meeting for the Cypress Spray Park Re-Design! The meeting will be held at Centro, 2403 Cypress Way on April 20, 2026, at 5:30pm. Kids are encouraged to attend with an adult; we want to hear what they think sounds fun!
  • Virtual Open House | District 15 Parks, Thursday, April 23 (This event occurs on multiple dates): Madison Parks is holding a series of virtual public input sessions for the Southeast Park Development Plan process coinciding with the City Planning Division's Southeast Area Plan.
  • Draft Pedestrian Plan Available for Public Comment: The City of Madison is updating its Pedestrian Plan for the first time in nearly 30 years! The Draft Pedestrian Plan is now available for public review and comment. The plan provides recommendations to make Madison an even better place to walk by focusing on the safety, comfort, convenience, and enjoyment of people walking and rolling in the city. You can learn more about the Draft Pedestrian Plan, including reviewing background materials, on the Pedestrian Plan site, which includes a link to the full draft plan where you can provide input and comments.  Comments from the public will be accepted until noon on April 27
  • Seeking Public Input: Reimagining Odana Hills Golf Course, Virtual meeting on Thursday, April 30, 2026: 6:00 - 8:00 pm. The City of Madison Parks Division is excited for the new partnership with Michael and Jocelyn Keiser and the Madison Parks Foundation. Through the Keisers' philanthropic vision and generous donation, we have an opportunity to reimagine, redesign and reconstruct Odana Hills Golf Course. The baseline course improvements will address tee boxes, green complexes and surrounds, along with some potential for routing adjustments.  In addition to the golf course improvement project, the City is planning to leverage the private donation and take advantage of the temporary closure of the property in a way that allows for public infrastructure improvements to both Odana Hills Golf Course and Odana Hills East Park.  Attend the virtual Public Information Meeting #1 on Thursday, April 30, 2026 at 6pm. Advanced registration required. 

Announcements and News Releases

  • Public Health Offices Close Early on Tuesday: Public Health Offices will be closed on Tuesday, April 21, from 11:45am - 4:30pm for an event.
  • Watch Out for Scammers, Storm Cleanup, and More Severe Weather: The recent severe storms in Madison caused considerable damage to many homes and vehicles this week. [posted April 16, 2026]
  • Draft AAA Bike Network Plan: The City of Madison is updating its All Ages and Abilities Bike Network Plan. The plan will provide a long-term vision for development of a network of paths and low-stress on-street bikeways for biking and micromobility. [posted April 16, 2026]
  • Mural Naming Contest: The Madison Senior Center is excited to ask the community to help name their new mural! [posted April 13, 2026]
  • Reporting Tree Damage: With this severe weather this past week, it is a good time to remind everyone how to report issues with trees along the road. If there is a tree emergency – like if a tree falls and blocks the road – call 911 or at least call 608-255-2345. Dane County Dispatchers will get to our on-call arborists to respond to the emergency. If there is some other less severe situation, then you can certainly use the report-a-problem to let us know of other concerns. 
  • Report a Pothole. You can use the report a problem website to indicate where potholes are in your neighborhood, and the Streets Division will come around, usually within the week, to patch those pesky potholes.

Please visit the City news webpage to find additional news and announcements and to subscribe to receive notification of news releases as they are posted.

Events

Additional upcoming events can also be found on the City events calendar.

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Portrait of Alder Bill Tishler

Alder Bill Tishler

District 11
Contact Alder Tishler