Meeting and Event Highlights for the Week of January 12, 2026

Updates and Notices

Important Policy Item: Data Center Moratorium

The Common Council will be considering File 91135, which would establish a temporary moratorium on the consideration and issuance of zoning certificates for data centers and telecommunications centers larger than 10,000 square feet. This temporary pause would give the city time to study the impacts these facilities have on our community.

Why this matters: Data centers are large facilities that house computer servers and require significant amounts of electricity and water for cooling. While they can bring economic development, they also have substantial impacts on:

• Energy infrastructure: Data centers consume enormous amounts of electricity, which can strain our power grid and potentially conflict with our climate goals
• Water resources: These facilities often require substantial water for cooling systems
• Community character: Large industrial facilities can impact surrounding neighborhoods and land use patterns

This moratorium reflects the principle that when major infrastructure decisions are being made, community voice must be centered in the process. The temporary pause allows for proper study and community input before permanent policies are established. This is exactly the kind of careful, democratic decision-making that protects residents' interests.

The Plan Commission reviewed this item on January 12, and it will come before the full Common Council on January 13. If you have concerns or thoughts about this policy, please consider registering for public comment at the Common Council meeting or contacting your alder.

Metro Transit Service: Riders can stay informed by signing up for Metro Rider Alerts. Watch for canceled trips in Metro’s bus tracker or on third-party apps like Google Maps and Transit. Also, feel free to contact our customer service staff with any questions.

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, January 13, at 6:30 p.m. in hybrid format. Key agenda items include File 91135, creating a temporary moratorium on the issuance of zoning certificates for data centers and telecommunications centers of more than 10,000 square feet of floor area. This moratorium would pause new data center development while the city studies the impacts of these facilities on our energy grid, water resources, and surrounding communities. This is an important policy conversation about how we balance economic development with environmental sustainability and community needs.

Meeting Details

Meeting Agenda

Register for Public Comment

Watch Online

• Board of Park Commissioners: The Board of Park Commissioners meeting will take place on Wednesday, January 14, at 6:30 p.m. at 330 E. Lakeside St. Agenda items include election of board president and vice president, park development plans for Woods Farm Park and Canter Park (which may be relevant as District 18 continues to expand), and informational updates on Warner Park projects including the Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance noise study and Madison Mallards 2026 season neighborhood impact plan.

Meeting Details

Meeting Agenda

Announcements and News Releases

• 2026 Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Humanitarian Award Honorees: Dane County Executive Melissa Agard and City of Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway proudly announced this year’s recipients of the City-County Humanitarian Awards honoring Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. [posted January 8, 2026]
• Lake Street Closure for Crane Removal: From Monday, January 12 to Friday, January 16, N Lake Street will close between University Avenue and State Street by Mortenson Construction to dismantle a tower crane. [posted January 8, 2026]
• IM Report - Dec 17, 2025: During the December 17, 2025 meeting of the Police Civilian Oversight Board, Interim Independent Monitor, Meeka Glass provided an update to the board but was unable to share detailed information due to a technical issue. This report contains… [posted January 7, 2026]
• 2025 Housing Tracker Year in Review: New homes surpass annual average, focus on affordability: The City of Madison’s Housing Tracker shows steady progress toward the goal of adding 15,000 new homes of all types by 2030, with its latest update providing preliminary year-end totals for 2025. [posted January 7, 2026]

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

• Girls' Mentorship Group, Tuesday, January 13: Join Keena Atkinson of R'oujie Wellness on Tuesday evenings at Warner Park Community Recreation Center! This free series is designed for females aged 11 to 18. Pre-registration is requested but not required.
• Neighborhood Grant Program Workshop, Wednesday, January 14: The Planning Division will host the Neighborhood Grant Program again in 2026. If you have a project idea and want to ask questions or are simply interested in learning more about the program, please join us for this workshop! This will be a hybrid meeting.
• Bird & Nature Adventures | Starkweather Creek Area, Saturday, January 17: Otter Go Sledding Party ~  Join Naturalist Paul Noeldner and Friends of Starkweather Creek for a free family friendly sledding party and nature walk or go sledding on your own to embrace the joy of winter!  Some sleds will be provided, please bring a sled if you have one.
• Candlelight Snowshoe Walk, Saturday, January 17: Join Madison Parks, Friends of Urban Nature, Wild Warner and the Friends of Cherokee Marsh(link is external) in this free, family-friendly event at Warner Park. See the park by candlelight and warm up by the fire.
• Bird & Nature Adventures | Warner Park, Sunday, January 18: Enjoying Winter's Art ~ Join Wild Warner Naturalist Kathlean Wolf for a free guided walk or take a walk on your own to enjoy contrasts in the landscape, fallen leaves exposing the shapes of trees, dried summer plants creating snow-capped sculptures and ice and frost forming fantastic scenes.

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