District 12 Update

Madison Public Market

The Madison Public Market is moving along and picking up steam. The Foundation hosted a successful "Taste of the Market" event and is planning for more.

Vendors have now been selected for the MarketReady program – designed to support a diverse group of people to be able to create, produce, and market their goods (hopefully at the public market). https://marketreadymadison.org/

The city continues to negotiate with the current property owner for our needs at the site. This negotiation is complex, including the Public Market needs, parking and then the private development concepts.

You can stay up to date with all of this at madisonpublicmarket.org.

2018 City of Madison Budget

The 2018 City of Madison Capital and Operating Budget are entering the home stretch. Many have already reviewed the budget and emailed either the entire council or myself. We all appreciate the feedback as the budget demonstrate the priorities of our community.

If you are interested in the budget and the process, please see the revised City of Madison budget webpage.

Oscar Mayer Strategic Assessment Committee

The council has approved the new Oscar Mayer Strategic Assessment Committee and members will begin to meet shortly. I've received some questions about the committee and wanted to provide everyone with some of the responses:

• Committee meetings will be open to the public and you will have an opportunity to speak.
• The committee will be hosting listening sessions, both to gather general feedback and as we develop our concept plans.
• There has been no decision on the status of the Little League fields, as with the entire site. I understand that this is an important issue to many and it is on the list of the many things we are looking to resolve.

City of Madison Governance Taskforce

The City of Madison is creating a special task force on city governance to examine the structure and powers of the Common Council and its committees and the structure and powers of the Mayor's office.

"This is a great opportunity for residents and elected officials to work together and have an impact on the future structure of Madison's governance," said Mayor Soglin. "It is my hope that we have a great cross-section of applicants so the final product is equitable and representative of the entire City."

There are seven (7) resident appointments are available to be filled; three (3) appointed by the Mayor, three (3) appointed by the Council President and a chair (1) to be appointed jointly by the Mayor and Council President. Four alders will also be appointed to the task force (two by the Mayor and two by the Council President).

The Task Force will examine and report on several issues as they relate to our current form of city governance and examine models for reform (for more information on what the task force will review click here to read the resolution). It is anticipated that the task force will convene in January 2018.

"The city's continuing growth and increasing diversity requires us to take a look at what kind of governmental structure will strengthen our local democracy and make sure it serves all Madison residents", said Council President Marsha Rummel.

City of Madison residents are encouraged to apply for the task force by completing an application (MS Word) and emailing it to Mayor's Office. Then electronically submit your Statement of Interests form.

Once you have submitted your completed application it will be reviewed and considered by Council President Rummel and Mayor Soglin.

Deadline to apply to the task force is Friday, November 3, 2017.

Winter Salt Application Voluntary Certification Program

Increasing road salt use is adding up to a growing environmental problem in our area. Just one teaspoon of salt pollutes five gallons of water, and once salt is in our waterways, it does not break down. Chloride, one of the two chemicals that make up salt, is toxic to small aquatic life. It has infiltrated our lakes, streams, marshes, and even a handful of municipal drinking water wells.

Road salt is a valuable tool to combat icy conditions, but it must be used responsibly. That's why the City of Madison is launching the state's first Winter Salt Certification Program, aimed at teaching winter maintenance professionals how to use the least amount of de-icing material necessary to keep our parking lots, roads, sidewalks and driveways safe. The program is open to all of Dane County.

About half of all the road salt used in Madison is spread on parking lots, driveways and sidewalks. Many parking lots and sidewalks receive 10 to 20 times the amount of salt needed to fully melt the ice. That means up to 90% of the salt put down is simply wasted and washes away.

The new Winter Salt Certification Program is a voluntary education and recognition program that will empower consumers to request well-trained snow removal companies. The program will begin as a pilot this fall with four 5-hour training and exam sessions. The sessions will cover recommended salt application rates, how to calculate the amount of salt needed based on weather conditions, and technological advancements like brining.

The Winter Salt Certification Program will initially offer only individual certifications for winter maintenance professionals. In 2018, it will also begin offering three tiers of company certification:
• Bronze 30% of field staff certified – No salt reporting
• Silver 60% of field staff certified + Reporting
• Gold 90% of field staff certified + Reporting

The City of Madison has been actively working to reduce salt for many years. Only 30% of our streets are salted (major roads and bus routes), and equipment is calibrated to apply salt at the DOT recommended rate. The City will focus on further reducing its own salt use by having all city staff who apply salt become certified by next winter and by only hiring certified contractors.

For more information on the impact of road salt and upcoming training dates, visit the Winter Salt Certification Program page.

Take the Madison 100% Renewable Energy survey today!

Madison residents have many exciting and innovative ideas about how our city will be sustainably powered in the future – and there's still time to weigh in on how Madison can achieve 100% renewable energy and net zero carbon emissions.

Now through November 17, 2017, Madison 100% renewable Energy Study is collecting public comment at the http://www.madison100renewableenergy.com/Madsion 100% Renewable webpage.

Online comments will be combined with ideas generated by attendees at the initiative's kick-off meeting held on September 27. About 100 people attended that meeting at Madison Central Library and gave suggestions about ways to reduce energy, discussed technologies for renewable energy, such as solar thermal, wind, biomass, and considered transportation options and community partnerships. A recording of the meeting and presentation slides are available on the Study's webpage under "Presentations".

Madison 100% Renewable Energy Study will analyze public feedback and present possible strategies for additional public review and comment in the coming months. Stay tuned for further information and opportunities to participate.

WASHINGTON MANOR PARK PLAYGROUND MEETING

The City of Madison Parks Division will hold a workshop to discuss playground improvements to Washington Manor Park in the Eken Park neighborhood. This is the first of two public meetings for the project.

At this meeting, City staff will present the playground design process and seek input from area residents.

• Wednesday, November 29 at 6:30 pm
• Bashford United Methodist Church - 329 North Street

You are invited to attend this meeting to provide comments or input on the proposed project. If you have questions or comments but are unable to attend the meeting, please contact Mike Sturm at (608) 267?4921 or at msturm@cityofmadison.com.