More Traffic Safety plus This Week's Updates

Hi Everyone,

Thanks to all of you who have used Report-A-Problem and the Speeder's Hotline (608-266-4822) to alert MPD to traffic violations in your neighborhood. I've heard from MPD brass that a lot more calls are coming in, which is a good thing. However, I've also been asked to remind folks who do call in to be patient. While each call gets tabulated so as to determine target areas for additional enforcement, it does not mean each call will get an individual response. 

Also, you can always contact me and I will funnel your concerns to Traffic Engineering and MPD, as well as your neighborhood association. This is vitally important. It's going to take a collaborative effort to create a culture around traffic safety and we all can play a part.

Here are this week's updates:

Updates and Notices 

Elections & Voting: Register to vote, vote absentee, and find your polling place. 

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, March 10, at 6:30 p.m. in hybrid format. Agenda items include adding $4 million in TID 44-supported GO borrowing and authorizing the execution of a Purchase & Sale Agreement for the City to acquire property for the purposes of land banking in District 15. 
• Meeting Details 
• Meeting Agenda 
• Register for Public Comment 
• Watch Online 
• Board of Public Works: The Board of Public Works meeting will take place on Wednesday, March 11, at 4:30 p.m. in virtual format. Agenda items include construction management and approvals in Districts 3, 5, 14, 15, 16, and 19. 
• 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 Input Meeting - Orton Park, Monday, March 9: The City of Madison Parks Division is improving the playground at Orton Park and we want your input. At this meeting City staff will present revised playground equipment options from input gathered at the playground workshop. 
• Moorland Rd Shared-Use Path, Wednesday, March 11: The proposed project includes construction of an approximately 0.6-mile-long, shared-use path on the south-side of Moorland Rd from Wayland Dr to Raywood Rd/South Towne Dr with a connection to the Capital City Trail.  
• Public Input Meeting - Heifetz Park, Thursday, March 12: The City of Madison Parks Division is improving the playground at Heifetz Park and we want your input. At this meeting City staff will present revised playground equipment options from input gathered at the playground workshop.  

Announcements and News Releases 

• Women in Construction Profile 2026: Laura Amundson: Looking at a drafting document, you see black lines, perfect measurements, important proportions and a lot of detail for a new project or space. What you don't see is the person doing the drawing, or the journey to become the person in charge of drafting, designing, or even completing the project.  Someone like Engineering's Project Manager and Architect Laura Amundson.  [posted March 6, 2026] 
• Absentee Ballots Arriving Earlier for Dane County Voters: Dane County municipal clerks will have access to absentee ballots more than a week earlier than last year's Spring election. [posted March 6, 2026] 
• Reimagining and Reinvesting in Odana Hills Golf Course: The City of Madison Parks Division is excited to announce a 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… [posted March 6, 2026] 
• Rainy Friday, Urban Flash Flooding Possible Thanks to Frost: The chances of minimal flash flooding are possible because the frost in the ground has not fully thawed yet this season, which means less water can soak into the ground. [posted March 6, 2026] 
• Meet 2026 Women in Construction Week Profile: Liz Callin: While most of typical construction is about to-do lists from planning before and completing a punch list post build, the most important part on City of Madison Principal Transportation Planner Liz Callin's list is living. [posted March 5, 2026] 
• Street Sweeping During the Overnight Hours Begins Sunday, March 8, 2026: Starting on the evening of Sunday, March 8, 2026, the Streets Division will begin overnight sweeping operations in addition to the normal daytime street sweeping work. One shift of operators will be sweeping from 10pm to 6am when the weather allows… [posted March 5, 2026] 
• Madison Fire Announces Firefighter/EMT Recruitment Open Houses: MFD will be accepting applications for Firefighter/EMT soon. In anticipation, the department will host a variety of recruitment open houses to help interested candidates prepare for the process. YOU can be a Madison firefighter/EMT! [posted March 4, 2026] 
• Meet Women in Construction 2026 Profile: Karime Grajales-Patton: Observing for the minimum, may be required for Chapter 27 of the Madison General Ordinances when deciding if a building is safe enough to occupy, but if you've ever met City of Madison Building Inspection Code Enforcement Officer Karime Grajales-Patton, minimum doesn't come to mind—she goes the extra. [posted March 4, 2026] 
• Meet 2026 Women in Construction Week Profile: Shelley Johnson: While Coach Jimmy Dugan in the movie "A Leage of Their Own," had a point, Parks Division Leadworker Shelley Johnson may also add, the "hard" is also rewarding. [posted March 3, 2026] 
• Madison sees drop in violent crime in 2025: The City of Madison experienced a drop in violent and property crimes in 2025.The drop comes as the Madison Police Department continues its focus on community outreach and data-driven patrol strategies. "By using incident-related data, we can… [posted March 2, 2026] 
• Madison Launching the Third Year of the Building Energy Savings Program (BESP): In 2026, owners of commercial buildings over 25,000 square feet are required to benchmark their energy use by June 30. [posted March 2, 2026] 
• Meet 2026 Women in Construction Week Profile: Jamie Nichols: On a sunny winter day, echoes a big grinding sound cutting through sharp winds over desolate brown Yahara Golf Course greens. The root of the hard work is Streets Division Machine Operator Jamie Nichols. [posted March 2, 2026] 
• Pick Up Free Seeds for Your Garden from Eight Madison Public Library Locations Beginning March 2: Madison Public Library’s popular Garden Seed Giveaway begins today on Monday, March 2 at eight library locations. [posted March 2, 2026]  

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 

• Understanding Property Taxes - Connecting D7: Learning Together with Alder Badri Lankella, Monday, March 9: District 7 Alder Badri Lankella will continue his Lunch & Learn series on Monday, March 9th, from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM. Join us on Zoom for an informative hour with Michelle Drea from the Assessor's Office and David Schmiedicke from the Finance Department. They will explain the role of property assessments in determining property taxes. 
• Spring Home Maintenance, Tuesday, March 10: Ready to tackle spring home maintenance like a pro? Our engaging course will empower you to confidently care for your home, inside and out! Learn essential skills, from maximizing your HVAC system efficiency and troubleshooting sump pump woes to prepping your roof and gutters for spring showers and revitalizing your outdoor spaces.  
• Better Together Health Fair, Thursday, March 12: Enjoy a day of connection, health, and community. Snacks and beverages provided. 
• Warner Family Fun Night, Friday, March 13: Join us at WPCRC for Warner Family Fun Night! Families can create art projects, play in the game room or the gym, watch a movie or win some prizes playing bingo!  

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

That's all for now.

Take care and stay safe,

Tag