City-County Building
Common Council

Week of March 9th

posted 

Dear District 16 Neighbors,

I hope that you are enjoying the beautiful weather today! It’s been wonderful to see so many of you out and about in the neighborhood, enjoying our parks and shared spaces. 

Earth Day is coming up, and that means that the Parks Department will once again be hosting their Earth Day Challenge! Caring for our natural spaces is a shared responsibility and it's important we leave them stronger, healthier, and cleaner for the next generation. 

As the weather warms and more people are traveling, I implore you to drive safely as you go about your days. Speeding and reckless driving is one of the most common concerns that I hear from our neighbors. Just like caring for our parks is a shared responsibility, so is caring for the safety of everyone who uses our roads. If you have concerns about speeding or witness reckless driving in our neighborhoods, I encourage you to visit the Traffic Enforcement website or call the Speeder's Hotline at 608-266-4822 to report your concerns. 

As always, please don't hesitate to reach out if you have questions or concerns. I am eager to hear from you!

-Sean

 

Office Hours 

Ald. O'Brien Office Hours

Office hours are a great way to connect with me one-on-one or in a small 

group. Whether you want to learn more about a specific city issue, have a problem you’re looking for help with, or just want to get to know me, I’d love for you to stop by! 

March 11th 3:30-5:30pm
📍Meadowlands Community Room
6834 Milwaukee St, Madison, WI 53718 

March 28th 9:00-11:00am
📍Twisted Grounds Coffee
6067 Gemini Dr, Madison, WI 53718 

April 9th 4:00-6:00pm
📍Ed Locke Public Library
5920 Milwaukee St, McFarland, WI 53558

If you have questions or want to share anything with me ahead of time, please email district16@cityofmadison.com. Hope to see you soon!

Spring Yard Waste Collection

The city of Madison Streets and Urban Forestry Division will be collecting yard waste for Spring 2026 and have published their set out dates! 

Look up your Set Out Date

As a reminder, yard waste is different from brush. Yard waste is defined as plant material raked or pulled from your lawn or garden, including:

  • Leaves, weeds, grass clippings, and garden trimmings

  • Twigs less than 18 inches long

  • Pumpkins, black walnuts, crab apples, vines, corn stalks, pinecones, seed pods, etc.

Do not mix yard waste piles and brush piles together. Crews will not collect mixed up piles. Brush is a separate collection.

Place the leaves and yard waste at the street edge or on the terrace.  Do not place yard waste into the street. Keep the material at least four feet from obstructions where possible. Obstructions like street signs, utility poles, mailboxes, trees, and parked cars interfere with collection. If you choose to bag your yard waste, please choose compostable paper leaf and lawn bags. Keep them open so crews can see what is inside. 

If you choose to use other bags, that is acceptable. You will also need to keep them open. Keep in mind crews may need to rip or slice open plastic bags to get your yard waste out. They will need to leave the split bags behind at the curb.


Olbrich Gardens Public Information Meeting #2

Thank you to everyone who joined us for our first public workshop in January as part of our effort to gather community input on the comprehensive master planning process.

Olbrich’s next in-person public workshops will be held at the Gardens on Tuesday, March 17, at either noon or 6 p.m. (identical sessions - pick the time that works best for your schedule!). This workshop will consist of a short presentation from the design team on the initial proposed design scenarios, followed by small group Q&A and feedback sessions. Participants are welcome to bring children - there will be a kids' area with coloring sheets and light snacks will be provided. Registration is appreciated but not required.

In addition, a live virtual meeting held on Zoom has been scheduled for Thursday, March 19, at 6 p.m. CT for those who wish to engage with the design process from afar. This virtual workshop will include a presentation to share the design scenarios along with some time for public feedback.  

You are also welcome to review the materials that were presented by the design team at the first public meeting, as well as share your thoughts via an online survey, by visiting Olbrich's website anytime at olbrich.org/future.

 

Coffee with a Cop:

Officers working in the Madison Police Department's East District hope to connect with community members over coffee on Tuesday, March 10th at Pinney Branch Library. The event gives community members a chance to speak directly to officers and MPD leadership.

There is no cost to attend and anyone, including those who do not live in the East District, are invited to attend. Here are the details for the upcoming event.

 

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 of interest include: 
    • Item #2 – Proclaiming April 26, 2026 as World Migratory Bird Day 2026 in the City of Madison. (I am a sponsor) 
    • Item #14 - Calling for a Public Health Comprehensive Needs Assessment for Use of Opioid Settlement Funds 
    • Item #38 - Declaring the City of Madison’s intention to exercise its police powers establishing the Milwaukee Street & Sprecher Road Traffic Signal Assessment District. (I am a sponsor) 
    • Item #76 - Indicating a Willingness for the City of Madison to Annex the April Hills Neighborhood from the Town of Blooming Grove upon Receipt of an Otherwise Valid Petition for the Annexation of the Territory. (I am a sponsor) 
    • Item #86 - Amending the City’s 2026 adopted budget to appropriate $70,000 from the general fund contingent reserve to fund the Water Utility, Stormwater Utility, and Sewer Utility portions of MadCAP for the remainder of 2026. (I am a sponsor) 
    • Item #109 - Authorizing the Mayor and the City Clerk to execute Amendment No. 1 to the existing Purchase of Services contract between the City of Madison and MSA Professional Services, Inc. for engineering services for the Starkweather Creek Watershed Study. (District 3, District 12, District 15, District 16, District 17, District 18) For introduction only. 
    • 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 of intrest include: 
    • Item #5 - Approving plans, specifications, and schedule of assessments for the installation of traffic signals at Milwaukee Street & Sprecher Road. (3rd &16th Alder District)
    • Item #13 - Authorizing the Mayor and the City Clerk to execute Amendment No. 1 to the existing Purchase of Services contract between the City of Madison and MSA Professional Services, Inc. for engineering services for the Starkweather Creek Watershed Study. (District 3, District 12, District 15, District 16, District 17, District 18)

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

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

Portrait of Alder Sean O'Brien

Alder Sean O'Brien

District 16
Contact Alder O'Brien