Budget, ADU Update, Community Events - D15 Update 11/15/21

2022 Budget Approved 

The Common Council approved the City of Madison 2022 Operating & Capital Budgets on Thursday evening. Largely thanks to federal recovery funds, we were able to balance the budget and invest in a number of priority areas including: homeless services, transit, resident engagement, and expanding the CARES program. The final approved budget will be posted to the city’s budget website soon.

Accessory Dwelling Unit Update

The Plan Commission received information on the proposed zoning changes to update our ADU regulation last week. You can read this brief memorandum from Planning & Zoning Staff and watch this 15-minute video of the presentation to Plan Commission to learn more about the proposal.

The Plan Commission is expected to take up the item along with a public hearing on Monday, November 22, 2021 and their recommendation will be in front of the Common Council on Tuesday, December 7. If you have any questions or comments on this proposal please reach out to to me.

Keep Leaves out of the Street

A Lake Edge neighbor recently shared an important reminder that leaves don’t belong in the street. Putting leaves in the street leads to increased nutrient levels in our lakes and streams and negatively impacts the health of our surface waters. You can find more information on how to properly manage leaves at the city’s page here.

LENA Meeting

Join the Lake Edge Neighborhood Association for Board elections and pizza party planning on Monday at 6:30p. More event details here and a zoom link is here. 

Friends of Starkweather Creek Annual Meeting

Please join Friends of Starkweather Creek for our Annual Meeting on Tuesday to get updated on what Friends of Starkweather Creek has been up to! We will have Allison Madison of Saltwise as our main speaker. She will cover her efforts for cutting down salt use all over the state, and particularly her creative educational efforts here. Along with the Saltwise talk, we will add updates from our restoration efforts, outreach and other happenings from this past year, as well as future events and welcoming new board members, including potentially you!! More details here.

Native Plant Seed Swap

Join Wild Ones for this fun event on Thursday at the Goodman Community Center. More details here. 

Bird & Nature Outing - Starkweather Creek Area

Join Naturalist Paul Noeldner for a free family-friendly Guided Walk or take a healthy nature hike on your own any day in November on an easy walk and bike paths along Starkweather Creek on Saturday. Thanksgiving is a time to be thankful!  What birds do you see that you enjoy and are thankful to have in your world? What do you think the birds are thankful for? Ben Franklin reportedly said Wild Turkeys should be our national bird instead of the Bald Eagle!  Did you know their red white and blue head can change colors like a chameleon? See if you can spot some large 3-toed tracks, a big brown feather, or actual Wild Turkeys hanging out along the creek! More info here. 

In the news

• Public Health Opens Pediatric Vaccination Appointments
• Alternate Side Parking Begins November 15 , 2021
• Put Your Pumpkins in Your Leaf Piles
• 2022 Trash & Recycling Calendars Now Available
• Madison Commons, Media Digest
• City of Madison Complete Meeting Schedule

District 15 Public Works Projects

(You can find a list of all engineering projects in District 15 here.)

• Atwood Avenue
• Dean Ave., East and Allis Ave. Project Update
• Starkweather Drive/Garver Path
• Davies St., Dempsey Rd., Maher Ave. Reconstruction - The public information meeting scheduled for December 2 has been cancelled and will be rescheduled for a later date.
• Starkweather Creek Watershed Flood Study

Save the date

• November 22 - ADU ordinance at Plan Commission
• December 7 - ADU at Common Council

Subscribe to the District 15 blog via the sidebar above to receive email notification when new updates are published. If you have any questions or thoughts you can reach me at district15@cityofmadison.com.