Updates on Absentee Voting and More

Spring Prescribed Fire: This year, the City of Madison Parks Division and Engineering Division will be conducting prescribed burns on areas of existing native vegetation.  Prescribed burns are an important management tool for Wisconsin's native plant communities.

Prescribed burns will be conducted at Reindhal Park Raingarden. If you have not received postcards already the Project Manager will be mailing them out. The Dane County Emergency Management automated phone call system will be used to notify relevant neighbors the mornings of the burning.

These burns will be conducted by certified professionals with a permit from the Madison Fire Department. The burns will only take place under specific weather conditions in order to manage smoke and minimize impacts to neighbors. In addition, the burn professionals will install appropriate road signage on the day of the burn.

For details visit the 2018 Prescribed Burns page: https://www.cityofmadison.com/parks/projects/2018-prescribed-burns-0

Absentee Voting at Streets East: In-Person Absentee Voting and voter registration will be available at the Streets East Garage from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays, Tuesday, March 20, through Friday, March 30.  To view a sample ballot, look up your voter registration or your street address at https://MyVote.wi.gov. If you are voting absentee through the mail, remember that Madison's mail is sorted in Milwaukee, increasing the amount of time it takes to return your ballot to the City Clerk's Office.  Rather than mailing your absentee ballot back to the Clerk's Office, you are welcome to drop it off with the Clerk's Office personnel at Streets East.  Otherwise, be sure to mail your ballot back to the Clerk's Office as soon as possible so it can be counted.

Night Sweeping Started March 11: The Streets Division began the annual spring cleanup street sweeping process on the evening of March 11th.  Operators will be sweeping from 10pm to 6am, and a fresh group of operators will continue sweeping operations from 7am to 3pm.  Crews will be working these hours for up to six weeks.

The streets sweepers can only collect what they have access to, so residents are encouraged to park in their driveways and be sure to abide by parking restrictions to help sweeping operations. Also, residents are encouraged not to place their refuse and recycling carts in gutter line if possible.  When sweepers have to maneuver around obstructions, sections of road are left unswept until crews can rotate back the neighborhood again, which can take a few weeks. For details visit street sweeping operations: www.cityofmadison.com/streets

Free Fair Housing Training for Rental Property Owners and Managers: The Fair Housing Center of Greater Madison is offering a free fair housing training seminar for owners and managers of rental property:

WHEN: Wednesday, April 25, 1:00 - 3:00 p.m.
WHERE: Madison Public Library – Hawthorne Branch, 2707 E. Washington Ave.

While the seminar is free, they ask that attendees register so they will be sure to have enough training materials available. To register, or for more information, call: 608-257-0853.

Citywide Updates
Task Force on the Structure of City Government: In case you miss it the Task Force on the Structure of City Government which was approved by the Council last year has formed and held their first meeting late February. They will be holding public hearings, actively solicit public input, obtain written reports and conduct research. The appointed Task Force members include a resident of District 17.

The Task Force is mainly assigned to examine and make recommendations on elected officials; the structure and powers of the Common Council and its committees and the structure and powers of the Mayor's office. This is necessitated by the increased size and diversity of Madison's population over the past three decades and these changes have resulted in new challenges and opportunities for the City. If you are planning to attend, the City Weekly Meetings Schedule can be accessed here: http://www.cityofmadison.com/clerk/meeting-schedule

Chief's Community Forum Tonight: Tonight our East District will be hosting the Chief of Police's community forum. The chief is expected to share his views on the OIR Consultant's report among other topics. He will also answer questions from attendees. The meeting will take place Door Creek Church, 6602 Dominion Dr. from 7 to 8:30 PM

For questions or concerns please either send me an email (preferred) or give me a call - 608-501-1424