National Recovery Month, Good Neighbor Gathering, Executive Capital Budget Released
postedHi Everyone.
A year and a half into the pandemic, the burdens have been many. The loss of life has been tragic, and the impact on the economy in terms of loss of jobs and income for many residents has been severe.
There are other consequences that get less attention but are no less important and those include the impacts on our mental health and the concomitant rise in addiction to alcohol and other drugs.
For that reason, I helped draft a resolution acknowledging September as National Recovery Month, which will be introduced at tonight's Common Council meeting. In accordance with the resolution, lights on the Madison Municipal Building will turn purple from September 1 to September 7. (Purple is the recovery movement's official color.)
(A special thanks to District 13 resident Annette Czarnecki for helping with the resolution!)
There is no shame in asking for help. If you or someone you know needs help with a mental health issue or addiction, please reach out to Dane County's Emergency Services Unit 24-Hour Mental Health Crisis Line: 608.280.2600.
Madison Good Neighbor Gathering - September 25th
The District 13 Neighborhood Alliance, which I formed upon being first elected as your alder, invites you to a free, safe (masks encouraged), outdoor, alcohol-free, family-friendly event--the 2nd annual Madison Good Neighbor Gathering on Saturday, September 25th from 12noon to 5PM at Brittingham Park!
- Madison's Panchromatic Steel drum band & DJ Andre
- Inflatable slide
- Monroe Street Art Center activities
- MSCR Fit2Go van
- Madison West Poms team, Reggie the Regent,
- Bike parade, food carts, free beverages, and more!
To keep this event free and open to all, the Alliance is seeking donations from local businesses and residents--please visit their website to support it. Contact the Alliance at district13cares@gmail.com to learn more.
District 13 is made up of the Dudgeon-Monroe, Vilas, Greenbush, Bay Creek, Bayview, Triangle, and Monona Bay neighborhoods, and the Alliance works to increase a sense of community and mutual support across all our neighborhoods.
Mayor Releases 2022 Executive Capital Budget and Capital Improvement Plan
The Executive Capital Budget will be introduced at tonight's Common Council meeting. There will be multiple public hearings and opportunities for comment before the budget is adopted in November. The City's full budget process, along with detailed budget information, can be found at www.cityofmadison.com/finance/budget.
Environmental Justice F35 Overlay
On Monday, the Environmental Justice work group, of which I am a member, continued our discussion on a potential overlay zone to limit future residential development in the areas expected to be most heavily impacted by noise with the arrival of the F-35 jets.
Homelessness & Encampments
There are several items related to homelessness and encampments on Tuesday's Common Council agenda. You can find a link to the full agenda as well as links to register to speak, submit comments, and watch the meeting here. As always, if you have opinions or questions you'd like to share with me, you can email me at district13@cityofmadison.com.
Items 18-20 will create new zoning districts and update the Mission Camp accessory use to allow for the creation of legal encampment areas in the city. These zoning changes are needed in order to create a legal camping area in the city as an alternative to the camping that has been occurring in other areas including Reindahl Park.
Item 23 will direct staff to proceed with developing the lot at 3202 Dairy Drive to serve as one such legal encampment. This site would have water, sewer, and electricity and could provide temporary housing for some of those currently camping in city parks.
Redistricting
The work to update alder districts following last year's census continues on Thursday on its accelerated timeline. Staff will have some initial draft maps available to review. District 13 will need to be redrawn to add in additional residents in order to equalize population across districts. You can find a link to the agenda and to register here and a link to maps and other resources that are being used in this process here.
Monroe Street Library Hours to Change on September 7
While Madison Public Library hours are set to expand next week, the Monroe Street branch will continue to be limited to three days per week. However, the days are shifting as the library will now be open on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
Eviction Moratorium Rescinded
On August 26, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Centers for Disease Control exceeded its authority, thereby blocking the temporary moratorium on evictions. Read more here. While this is concerning for many renters, the Tenant Resource Center wants to remind renters and property owners alike that there are still millions of dollars available in assistance funds via the Dane CORE program. They urge you to apply now, even if it is for September's rent. Assistance requests are being processed in real-time, and staff are available to help if you find the online application challenging.
In light of the recent Supreme Court ruling blocking the Centers for Disease Control's moratorium on evictions, the Homeless Services Consortium is hosting two information sessions to give a basic overview of the eviction process in Dane County, tenant rights, and some FAQs:
English session
September 2, 1:00pm
Register in advance for this meeting. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
Spanish session Proceso de Desalojo para Dane County
September 3, 10:00am
Register in advance for this meeting. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
Final Report of the Digital Inclusion Task Force
I serve on the Education Committee and we will be discussing the final report of the Digital Inclusion Task Force at our meeting on Wednesday. I served on this task force and am pleased that we came up with very useful document.
For additional information about meetings scheduled for this week, please consult the City Meeting Schedule online here.
Vision Zero and Speed Limit Reductions
Included as part of the Vision Zero initiative roadway improvements, upcoming speed limit reductions are scheduled for several Madison streets identified as having a high level of injury-causing crashes. The first one to occur, on South Park Street between Regent Street and Badger Road, began yesterday, August 30, and will reduce the speed limit to 25 mph. Read more and see additional streets that will have speed limit reductions later in 2021 here.
Need to Get Tested?
There are many options in Dane County to get tested for COVID-19. Read more here. See a list of testing partners here, and request a test kit be mailed to you here.
Community Alternative Response Emergency Services (CARES)
A new initiative designed to provide alternative emergency response for individuals who are in crisis is set to launch tomorrow. The Madison Fire Department's Community Alternative Response Emergency Services (CARES) team will begin responding to 911 calls effective September 1. Learn more here.
That's all for now. Email me at district13@cityofmadison.com or call me at 608.424.2580 with your questions or concerns.
Take care and stay safe.
Tag
Alder Tag Evers
District 13
Contact Alder Evers