My Response to Paul Fanlund...plus this week's updates

Greeting friends and neighbors.

Last week, the Cap Times published my response to Paul Fanlund, the paper's publisher. This is the second time I've written an Op Ed countering Fanlund's views. Others have also taken Fanlund to task, including Dr. Justice Castaneda, Executive Director of Common Wealth Development, whose piece was published in the Isthmus this past week. 

Public debate on housing policy is a good thing. After all, it's the topic of national discussion in books like Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson's bestseller, Abundance. My hope is Fanlund would broaden his engagement, inviting local housing experts like Dr. Castaneda and UW professor Kurt Paulsen to intelligently discuss the issues as opposed to launching broadsides. If you have questions or concerns about the city's housing strategy, please reach out to me at district13@cityofmadison.com. 

Here are this week's updates:

The City of Madison will be closed for the Independence Day holiday on Friday, July 4. All emergency services will be available; please call 911 in the event of an emergency. 

• Emergency Water Issue: Call Madison Water Utility at 608-266-4665, 24/7. 

• Sanitary Sewer Back-up: Call 608-266-4430. An emergency crew will respond to your call. 

• Report a Problem: Report non-emergencies that can wait until the next City working day. 

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, July 1, at 6:30 p.m. in hybrid format. Agenda items include modifying the Police Civilian Oversight Board appointment process. 

• Meeting Details 

• Meeting Agenda 

• Register for Public Comment 

• Watch Online 

• Police and Fire Commission: The Police and Fire Commission meeting will take place on Tuesday, July 1, at 5:00 p.m. in virtual format. Agenda items include a discussion of the Police Chief hiring process. 

• Meeting Details 

• Meeting Agenda 

• Watch Online 

• Board of Public Works: The Board of Public Works meeting will take place on Wednesday, July 2, at 4:30 p.m. in virtual format. Agenda items include authorizing an agreement with MSA Professional Services for engineering services for the Starkweather Creek and Olbrich Gardens Watershed Study. 

• Meeting Details 

• Meeting Agenda 

• Register for Public Comment 

• Watch Online 

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 Information Meeting: Housing Forward Proposals, Wednesday, July 2: Three new proposals being introduced by the mayor and several members of the Common Council aim to make it easier to build the types of smaller homes that we used to build across Madison and already see in many of the City’s more established neighborhoods. 

Announcements and News Releases 

• City of Madison to Raise Disability Pride Flag in Honor of Disability Pride Month: Madison, Wi: The City of Madison is proud to host a Disability Pride Flag Raising Ceremony to commemorate the 35th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The ceremony and news conference will take place on Tuesday, July… [posted June 27, 2025] 

• Madison Updates its ADA Transition Plan : Over the past year, the Department of Civil Rights and many other City of Madison agencies have worked to identify barriers to access in all city programs, facilities and the public right of way as they worked on revitalizing Madison’s American with… [posted June 26, 2025] 

• Madison Sister City Delegation to Visit Obihiro, Japan : The trip was organized by the Madison-Obihiro Sister Cities Inc. board to work for peace and better understanding of all cultures. [posted June 26, 2025] 

• The Sustain Dane - City of Madison Recycle Better Course Begins on July 2: The Streets Division is once again working with Sustain Dane to offer the online Recycle Better classes. The class is in the evening of July 2, 2025. This is the last opportunity to take the course this year. By taking the Recycle Better class,… [posted June 26, 2025] 

• Metro Transit Now Accepting Credit Cards: Riders are now able to pay their adult rate bus fares with both physical contactless Mastercard or Visa credit cards as well as mobile wallets like Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, and Google Pay. [posted June 25, 2025] 

• 2025 Recyclopedia Booklets Now Available: Printed copies of the 2025 Recyclopedia are now available. You can pick up a copy at your local Madison Public Library location and the Streets Division offices. Copies can be mailed to you by contacting the Streets Division office that services your…[posted June 24, 2025] 

• Phase 2 of Highland Avenue Project Begins Monday: Beginning at 5:00 am on Monday, June 30, the Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) will begin Stage 2 of its Highland Avenue project.  Southbound Highland Avenue will close at the VA Hospital driveway, and the westbound on-ramp from…[posted June 24, 2025] 

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 

• Parks Alive at Galaxy Park, Monday, June 30: Parks Alive is back this year with more of what you love! Visit your local park and share fun, family-friendly activities while building connections with neighbors and creating memories with friends. As always, there will be free food, music and the occasional movie. Come out, get active and enjoy your local green space this summer.  

• Movie in the Park | Dog Man, Monday, June 30: Grab a blanket or a lawn chair and join us for a free movie in the park! Movie: Dog Man(link is external) (2025) PG 1h 29m. Showtime: 6:30pm. This movie showing is part of the Parks Alive program. Parks Alive is 5 - 7pm.  

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

That's all for now.

Take care and stay safe,

Tag