Northeast Area Plan Open House, Referendum on Alder terms, Funding for youth programming, Dane Core 2.0 ending soon, brush collection

Hello everyone, 

 

Today's update includes information about the following: 

• Northeast Area Plan Open House
• Referendum on Alder terms
• Grant opportunity for youth programming 
• Brush collection 
• Dane Core 2.0 

 

Northeast Area Plan Open House

Don't miss this opportunity to engage in the planning for the future of the Northeast area. 

The City of Madison’s Planning Division is hosting an Open House for its Northeast Area Plan. The Open House is part of ongoing community outreach efforts to engage with residents about land use, housing, transit, streets, bike, paths, and other community facilities in the region. The event, happening Wednesday, March 29th from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. at Madison College, Truax Main Building, 1701 Wright Street, Room D1630 is an opportunity to bring residents and staff from different agencies together to discuss next steps. The Open House follows the Northeast Area Plan’s kickoff meetings in which City staff met with area residents to address questions, concerns, and other feedback. 

What topics will be covered?
The following topics will be covered at the meeting. Each department will give a brief presentation on their topic to be followed by roundtable discussions. 

• Library – Imagination Center at Reindahl Park
• Community Development – Temporary and Permanent Shelters
• Parks – Neighborhood Park Development Planning & Sycamore Master Plan
• Metro Transit – Bus Rapid Transit and Route Restructure
• Engineering – Flood Inundation Studies
• Planning – Northeast Area Plan and Airport Part 150 Noise Mitigation Study
• Clerk’s Office – Polling Places and Elections
• Water Utility – Well 15 PFAs Treatment

Stay informed about the plan by subscribing to updates.

Purpose-built shelter update

City’s Community Development Division will be available to give an update on the project schedule for permanent and temporary shelter developments. Future engagement opportunities will be announced soon, you may follow project updates also at the City’s Engineering Bartillon Shelter website.

 

 

Imagination Center at Reindahl Park

Latest Update

March 21, 2023
The Imagination Center project team will be one of several City projects featured at the Northeast Area Plan Open House. Please join us on Wednesday, March 29th from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. at Madison College, Truax Main Building, 1701 Wright Street, Room D1630 to provide feedback on the Imagination Center Design.

 

Project Overview

Madison Public Library is planning a new library and community facility at Reindahl Park. The proposed “Imagination Center at Reindahl Park” will not be an ordinary library. It will be a transformational space designed and directed by the northeast Madison community. The Imagination Center at Reindahl Park will be a place for the community to gather and learn. It will be a safe place for social interaction, civic engagement, and cultural expression. The center will focus on holistic health and expanding economic opportunities for library visitors.  Please visit the Imagination Center at Reindahl Park Scoping Study PDF  and Imagination Center at Reindahl Park for additional information.

 

Referendum on Staggered Two-year Alder Terms on Spring 2023 Ballot

The 2023 Spring Election will take place on Tuesday, April 4. With three weeks left until the General Election, several offices and referenda will be on the ballot, including but not limited to the race for Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice, Madison Alder Districts, and the vote for Madison Mayor. Voters will also see six referendum questions, including the City of Madison Municipal referendum, where Madison voters will be asked to weigh in on whether to stagger alder terms.

The City of Madison referendum on this year's Spring ballot focuses on changes to the order of alder terms and asks the following:

"Shall the Charter Ordinances of the City of Madison be amended to establish staggered two-year terms for members of the Common Council beginning in 2025, with the 2025 Spring Election including one-year terms for alders in even-numbered Districts and subsequent elections the term for all alders shall be two years?"

Currently, alder terms last two years with elections for all districts happening every other year, in odd-numbered years.

If voters vote yes on the municipal referendum to stagger alder terms, alders in even-numbered districts (2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20) would be up for election in even-numbered years and alders in odd-numbered districts (1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19) would be up for election in odd-numbered years.
If the referendum passes, the 2025 Spring Election shall include one-year terms for alders in even-numbered districts. In subsequent elections, the term for all alders shall be two years.

2025: even-numbered districts, 1 year term, odd-numbered, 2 years
2026: even-numbered districts, 2 years
2027: odd-numbered districts, 2 years

Any changes to the size or terms of the Council must be made by binding referendum. Being a binding referendum, if the majority of voters vote yes on this year’s municipal referendum, this change will take effect in the 2025 Spring Election.

Voting Information

Register to vote

• March 15th deadline to register to vote by mail or online
• Register to vote at Clerk’s Office by 5pm on March 31
• Register to vote on Election Day at your polling location

Find your polling location

• To find your polling location, please visit: www.cityofmadison.com/clerk/where-do-i-vote/
  • Bring your ID and proof of address.
  • To find out what is on your ballot, please visit: www.myvote.wi.gov/en-us/Whats-On-My-Ballot 
• To learn more, please visit: www.myvote.wi.gov/en-us/ 

About the Madison Common Council

The Common Council’s mission is to represent the residents of Madison by promoting the safety, health, and general well-being of the community, by incorporating the following city core values: Equity, Civic Engagement, Well-Being, Shared Prosperity, and Stewardship. For additional information about the Madison Common Council, please visit: www.cityofmadison.com/council.

 

Funding Opportunity – 2023 Summer Youth Violence Prevention

The City of Madison’s Community Development Division (CDD), is seeking proposals from organizations to support violence prevention-focused summer programming for 2023. In conjunction with a public health approach, the City continues to seek models that can strengthen our approach to public safety and violence prevention for youth and young adults.

Background

COVID-19 has deprived youth of many traditional outlets for inter-personal contacts and social interactions, including those that come through employment. Social isolation has exacerbated mental health concerns such as anxiety and depression. The City recognized that reduced employment opportunities have particularly affected low-income youth and youth of color who, even under normal circumstances, often lack access to available jobs.

In 2022, the City committed a portion of federal funding it received through the State and Local Recovery Funds component of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to support youth employment and violence prevention initiatives. Funding provided contracted agencies the means to address critical community issues, expand youth employment opportunities, and provide intentional youth violence prevention programming through the summer and into the fall of 2022.

Objective

As part of a broader strategy to mitigate conditions that contribute to youth violence, the City is again investing $420,000 of federal funding it received through the State and Local Recovery Funds component of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) into violence prevention-focused summer programming. Funding will be used to support youth violence prevention strategies approved by the Mayor’s Office for summer 2023.

Target Population

The target population for this funding opportunity is youth and young adults ages 14-26 who previously have been, currently are, or at-risk of being involved with the juvenile justice system.

Application Requirements
Organizations interested in this upcoming opportunity are asked to complete and submit an application to CDD by Monday, April 3, 2023 by 4:30 PM CST. Application materials can be found on the CDD website

Please note, funding will be issued through an application process and interested parties must submit an application to be considered for funding. Awarding of any funds is subject to review and approval by the Mayor’s Office.

Contact:

Yolanda Shelton-Morris

Community Resources Manager

yshelton-morris@cityofmadison.com | 608-266-6563

-or-

Dominic Davis

Community Development Specialist

ddavis2@cityofmadison.com | 608-266-1053

 

Set-Out Dates for Brush Collection Now Available

For certain neighborhoods, the first collection will be the week of April 2, 2023

The Streets Division’s brush collection for 2023 will get underway in April. All residents will have five curbside collection opportunities this year.

When can you set out brush?
You can learn the exact dates when you should set brush out for pickup on the Streets Division’s website, www.cityofmadison.com/brushcollection.

Once on the page, enter your address into the form.

Next, you will see the five Sundays for 2023 when you can set out your brush. Collection of your brush will occur during the work week following the set-out Sunday.

For certain neighborhoods, the first set-out Sunday of 2023 is April 2.

What is “brush”?
Brush is woody material that you have trimmed from your trees, shrubs, and bushes.

Brush must be at least 18 inches in length so it can be safely fed into wood chippers. And brush should be shorter than 8 feet in length.

Brush collection crews will not pick up yard waste piles.

Crews will not collect brush cut by a contractor.

How do you set out brush for collection?
Place your brush at the street edge or on the terrace. Do not let the brush dangle into the street or block the sidewalk.

Pile the material neatly with cut ends all facing the same direction.

Do not mix brush with yard waste.

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.

Why are all the set-out dates on the website Sunday?
During the normal work week that follows the set-out Sunday, crews will be circling through all of the neighborhoods that share that particular set-out date.

By placing brush out on the date given on the website, your material will be out on time and will only sit on the terrace for one week at most.

Drop-off Site Information
The Streets Division drop-off sites will also accept brush.

Drop-off sites are different again this year.

Verify the location and hours for the site you want to use before loading your vehicle at www.cityofmadison.com/DropOffSites.

Additional Information
More information about Streets Division services can be found at www.cityofmadison.com/Streets.

 

Dane CORE 2.0 Rental Assistance Program Applications to Close May 31

Dane County and the City of Madison announced today that the Dane COronavirus REntal program (CORE 2.0), funded by the Federal Emergency Rental Assistance Program through the U.S. Department of Treasury, will permanently stop accepting applications on May 31, 2023 due to low remaining funds. However, services to renters and landlords that provide legal representation and mediation through the Eviction Diversion and Defense Partnership (EDDP) will continue.

Originally launched in 2021, first through the Tenant Resource Center (TRC) and later expanding to include Urban Triage and Community Action Coalition for South Central Wisconsin, the CORE Program distributed over $75 million in direct financial assistance benefits to more than 19,000 renter households. The aim of the program was to support households facing financial hardship caused by the pandemic, and to help those who were facing economic uncertainty remain stably housed.

“Housing challenges, already daunting before the pandemic, became even more so as residents lost income and endured economic burdens. We attempted to use every resource at our disposal to prevent the threat of large-scale housing insecurity and the federal resources through CORE were able to keep many people stably housed,” said County Executive Joe Parisi.

As the program begins to wind down, County and City officials made clear that applications for assistance submitted on or before May 31, 2023 will be processed under the existing program guidelines and benefits will be paid out as long as funds remain. Officials anticipate there will be sufficient funds to respond to eligible applications received by the May 31 deadline, however, they cautioned that submitting an application is not a guarantee that the application will be approved.  In-person assistance with applications will be available through May 31, 2023. A full list of locations offering in-person application assistance is available at www.danecore.org .

“We have been fortunate to have had dedicated community partners committed to this effort and greatly appreciate the support they provided to our residents,” said Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway.  “We look forward to continuing to support renter households, especially through the Eviction Diversion and Defense Partnership operated by the TRC and colleagues.”

The City and County have funded the EDDP as a complementary housing support service to Dane CORE since a revamped version of that program was launched in September 2021, though the EDDP program has received less attention than the larger CORE program. Still, services focused on preventing evictions, including through the mediation of differences between tenants and landlords, have proven to be an effective strategy. These services will remain available to households for whom eviction actions have been filed in court. The TRC coordinates with non-profit legal aid partners to make certain that eligible tenants that have an eviction court date have access to legal representation. TRC also works, where possible, to coordinate legal representation for mediation cases that can be diverted from court hearings. Finally, the EDDP program employs additional housing counselors at TRC to provide resources to tenants and landlords to help them understand their rights and responsibilities.