District 12 Tidbits

2017 City Capital and Operating Budget

The city is begining discussion and decision making on the 2017 Capital and Operating budget. You can follow the status and receive more information about the budget online at: http://www.cityofmadison.com/budget/

The city budget is the ulitmate priorty process. The budget guides city staff and elected officials on what we will accomplish in the year. For a project, program or concept to be consided in 2018, a corresponding funding sources must be in the budget.

If you are interested in any aspect of city activity or the tax rate, I encourage you to review the budget, email the council and speak at a Council budget meeting.

Red Letter News Name and Signage Change

Red Letter News has applied for and received city staff administrative approval to change their signage to reflect their new name "Lovers Playground".

Staff can approve changes to signage if it is consistent with the adopted plan for the building. Staff have determined the new sign meets these criteria.

3318 & 3322 East Washington Avenue

The property owner of 3318 & 3322 East Washington Avenue has made a request for permission to subdivide the properties (creating a new lot in the back along Ridgeway)

The early information is online in Legistar. 

More information, including meeting dates and maps, will be listed. I have already contacted the Carpenter-Ridgeway Neighborhood Association to determine any follow-up necessary.

Final Round of Brush Collection Begins Monday, September 25

The Streets Division will begin the final guaranteed round of brush collection on Monday, September 25.

Starting on Monday, September 25, crews will begin collecting brush from residents who live within the Monday refuse collection district.

After each street within the Monday refuse collection district has been serviced for the last guaranteed collection for 2017, crews will then move onto the area of the city within the Tuesday refuse collection district.  Upon completion of the Tuesday district, crews will then proceed to the Wednesday district and then onto the Thursday and Friday refuse districts.

Once all of the streets within the Friday refuse collection district have been serviced for the final round, guaranteed brush collection will end for 2017.  Brush set out after crews have completed the final round for a district may not be collected.  If weather conditions and equipment availability allow, the Streets Division may be able to staff crews to collect brush after the final official round is completed, however it is not guaranteed to occur.

To learn estimates on when crews are expected in your neighborhood check the collection are maps on the brush section of our website www.cityofmadison.com/streets.  The collection area maps are updated daily during collection periods.   Residents could also call the brush collection hotline at 608-267-2088 for curbside collection time estimates that are updated weekly, or call the Streets Division office that services your neighborhood.  Residents that live east of South Park Street, and that includes the isthmus, should call the east side Streets Division at 608-246-4532. 

Madison residents and taxpayers can also bring their brush to either of the brush drop-off sites.  Brush loads brought to the drop-off site may not exceed what will fit into the back of a standard pick-up or small trailer.  Loads that are too large will be denied use of the drop-off site and directed to use the brush processing center.  The sites are located at 1501 W. Badger Rd. on the southwest side and 4141 Nakoosa Trail on the east side.  The sites will be open seven days a week from 8:30am to 4:30pm and until 8:00pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays. 

Please note that the drop-off services will return to 4602 Sycamore Ave. at 8:30am on Tuesday, October 17. The Nakoosa Trail drop-off site on will permanently close at 4:30pm on Monday, October 16.

Also note that brush contractors may not use the drop-off sites. If a resident hires someone to remove brush from their parcel, they must make arrangements with the person they hired to haul the material away.  Contractors, as well as residents and other city taxpayers with large volumes of brush, can bring brush they cut from a City of Madison parcel to the brush processing center at 121 E. Olin Ave to be chipped for a per-ton fee. Additional information about the brush processing center can be found on the Streets Division website or by contacting the center at 608-266-4911.

For more information about brush collection, the drop-off sites, and the brush processing center, please visit our website, www.cityofmadison.com/streets.

Rigid Plastic Recycling Suspended

The rigid plastic recycling drop-off program has been suspended.  Rigid plastic material, such as five-gallon buckets and children's toys, if they cannot be reused, resold, or donated, should be placed into the refuse to be sent to the landfill.  The dumpsters for rigid plastic recycling at the Streets Division drop-off sites have been removed, and there is no timetable for them to return.

Suspending the rigid plastic recycling program is the only change to the City of Madison recycling program at this time. 

Pellitteri Waste Systems, which is the company that provided rigid plastics recycling for Madison at the drop-off sites, informed the Streets Division that they could no longer accept that material for recycling. This is due to an import ban on certain types of plastic scrap enacted by the government of China.  While many recyclables are kept here in the United States to be transformed into new products, others need to be shipped overseas.  Without the ability to export rigid plastic materials to China, and without another market available at this time, the rigid plastic program must be suspended.

If another market, either domestic or international, becomes available for the mixed rigid plastic material previously accepted at the drop-off sites the program will return.   

Residents are reminded that the landfill is the last option for rigid plastic material.  Useable items like children's toys and lawn furniture could be donated to many local organizations or listed for sale or for free at www.madisonstuffexchange.com.  Residents can also utilize their social media networks to see if their rigid plastic items could have another life in the home of a friend, neighbor, or contact.

Additional information regarding this change can be found on the Streets Division website.

The Historic Preservation Plan Kick Off Meeting

Tuesday September 26, 2017 6:00-7:30 PM

Goodman Community Center, 149 Waubesa Street

Please join us to create Madison's first plan to identify, celebrate and preserve the places that represent our collective community at the Historic Preservation Plan kick off meeting. 

The City of Madison is excited to expand its preservation program, but we need your help!

Visit our website www.cityofmadison.com/historicpreservationplan more more information.