City-County Building
Common Council

Week of Sept. 15th

posted 

Dear District 16 Residents,

As summer winds down, I am incredibly grateful to everyone who has reached out to me to share their thoughts on what’s happening across District 16 and the city. I hope the back-to-school season has been exciting and rewarding for all of our students, families, and educators.

Firetruck Ride

This past week, I joined the City of Madison Fire Department at Fire Station 14 for lunch to learn more about the work they do to keep our communities safe. I was also fortunate enough to be able to join a call for service with the team. Aside from it being something I’ve always dreamed of doing since I was a kid, I got to see firsthand their dedication to protecting all of our neighbors. I want to extend my gratitude to Lt. Nate and the rest of the team.

I also had the privilege of being part of the East and North side alders meet-and-greet earlier this month. It was fantastic to see folks from so many aldermanic districts come out to join us. Thank you to everyone from District 16 who was able to make it! From the landfill and the Southeast Area Plan to the redesign of South Stoughton Road, there are a lot of exciting and important projects in the pipeline. Stay tuned for more updates!

East & North Side Alders Meet and Greet

As always, please don’t hesitate to reach out at district16@cityofmadison.com and follow along on our official District 16 Facebook page. I’m eager to hear from you!

-Sean


Yard Waste Pick Up

Brush pickup has ended for the year and yard waste pickup will begin in October.

As a reminder, brush includes woody tree limbs and branches from trees, bushes, and shrubs. The pieces should measure between 18 inches and 8 feet in length and be no thicker than 8 inches in diameter. If you missed the final opportunity for curbside brush pickup, you can take your brush to a designated Streets Division drop-off site. Please make sure to check the hours and drop off restrictions before you go.

Yard waste includes plant material such as leaves, weeds, twigs, and grass clippings. Yard waste and leaves must be placed on the terrace or on the grass by the curb. Yard waste should be at least 4 feet away from obstructions such as fire hydrants, trees, cars, mailboxes, and utility poles. You can find more information about yard waste pickup here.


John Nolen Drive Reconstruction 

The John Nolen Drive reconstruction project will begin in early October. This will have significant impacts on the commutes of those who work downtown or regularly use John Nolan Drive.

The city will be hosting a public information meeting on September 22nd at 6:30pm – if you’d like to attend, please make sure to register beforehand. This pre-construction meeting will offer the public a chance to ask questions of the city, Wisconsin DOT, and the awarded contractor. Materials from the presentation, as well as a recording of the meeting itself, will be posted to the project page after the meeting is held.

Capital Budget

The Mayor released the Executive Capital Budget for 2026 and the Capital Improvement Plan (CIP), which looks at the next six years. The Capital Budget pays for infrastructure and construction projects for the city and is paid for mainly through general obligation borrowing.

This year's proposal is $285.2 million, which is $73 million less than requested by the City Agencies. The proposal went to the finance committee for several budget hearings. If you missed the hearings and would like to watch them, full recordings are available on Madison City Channel.

September 8th  Finance Committee Budget Hearing

September 9th Finance Committee Budget Hearing

The Mayor will be releasing the Executive Operating Budget later this fall, and there will be many more opportunities to engage in the budget process. You can find the full schedule for the 2026 operating budget, agency requests, and other important information here. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me directly if you’d like to share your thoughts, hopes, or concerns.

Meeting and Event Highlights for the Week of September 15, 2025

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, September 16, at 6:30 p.m. in virtual format. Agenda Items of Interest include:

  • Item #2 – Recognizing September as Hispanic Heritage Month.
  • Item #8 – Approval of the appointment of Lydia McComas for confirmation of a five-year term as City Clerk.
  • Item #9 -  Approval of the appointment of Jamie M. Acton for confirmation of a five-year term as Transit General Manager.
  • Item #35 - Extending the contract between the City of Madison and MACH Onehealth, Inc. dba Madison Street Medicine to provide those services and extend currently allocated funding through April 2026
  • Items #46-48 – a slate of proposals to simplify the permitting process and other technical changes to allow for the building of more affordable housing (for introduction only)
  • Plan Commission: The Plan Commission meeting will take place on Monday, September 15, at 5:30 p.m. in virtual format. Agenda items include development-related requests in Districts 2, 12, 18, and 20.
  • Board of Public Works: The Board of Public Works meeting will take place on Wednesday, September 17, at 4:30 p.m. in virtual format. Agenda items include construction management in Districts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, and 17.

If you would like more information about becoming a member of a City board, commission, or committee, please visit the page linked here.

Announcements and News Releases

  • Intersection Closure — Bedford Street/W Dayton Street and Marion Street/W Dayton Street: Starting Monday, September 15th, City of Madison Traffic Engineering will close the intersections of W. Dayton Street/Bedford Street and W. Dayton Street/Marion Street to complete an asphalt art traffic calming project within these intersections… [posted September 11, 2025]
  • Project Update: Capital City Trail Storm Sewer Replacement: Contractors are postponing the start of the Capital City Trail Storm Sewer project and path closure in an effort to limit path closures as additional planning for path clearing and signing are being developed. Work is now anticipated to begin on… [posted September 10, 2025]
  • Asphalt Art to Improve Safety on Dayton Street: The intersections of W Dayton Street/N Bedford Street, W Dayton Street/Marion Street, and W Dayton Street/N Frances Street are about to receive an artistic makeover as part of a City of Madison project to assess the ability of asphalt art to improve… [posted September 10, 2025]
  • Madison Unveils Latest Efforts to Create More Housing : The City of Madison is continuing its efforts to create more housing with another round of initiatives. Today, Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway, members of the Common Council, and community groups including… [posted September 9, 2025]
  • Capital City Trail Storm Sewer Replacement Project: Storm sewer work will begin Monday, September 8th closing the Capital City Trail Path, from S Blount Street to Brearly Street. Bicyclists and Pedestrians will be detoured to E Main Street for the duration of the project. Temporary removal of parking… [posted September 8, 2025]
  • Octavia Ikard named next Madison Youth Poet Laureate: Madison Poet Laureate Steven Espada Dawson and the Madison Arts Commission are inviting the public to the opening reception and poetry reading for the City of Madison’s new Youth Poet Laureate, Octavia Ikard. [posted September 8, 2025]
  • City of Madison Celebrates the Recommissioning of Well 15, New PFAS Treatment Facility: Madison Water Utility’s drinking water well that was contaminated by PFAS is put back into service – Well 15 on Madison’s northeast side. [posted September 8, 2025]
  • Fall Leaves and Yard Waste Collection Begins in October 2025: The fall yard waste and leaves collection of 2025 begins in October. You will receive three guaranteed curbside set-out opportunities for leaf and yard waste pickup this fall. The exact dates when you should set out your leaves will depend on… [posted September 8, 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

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

 

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District 16 - Alder O'Brien

Alder Sean O'Brien

Alder Sean O'Brien

District 16
Contact Alder O'Brien