Common Council

District news and notes December 1

Hello Friends and Neighbors,

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend, full of family, fellowship and relaxation. Here's a few notes about activities in and around District 19.

Trash Day Monday

If you're in the Friday collection zone, expect your trash (and recycling) pickup on Monday morning. Please have your carts out early (7am), as crews will be doing double-duty.

Sewer Line Warranty

Many folks have questions about this new program for single-family homeowners. I'll try to summarize. You own your sewer lateral (the pipe beteween your house and the main in the street). If something goes wrong with it, you have to pay to fix it. Notihng new there, but what is new (2011) is that the city sewer utility is now prohibited by state law from offering to do the repair work for you and billing you as part of your tax bill. You must use a private contractor.

Since these repairs are rare, but can be costly and very urgent, the city is partnering with a private insurer to offer a warranty program. The program is completely optional, and as with any insurance, it may or may not benefit you.

2014 Budget Approved

The council passed the 2014 city budget in November, and you probably didn't hear much about it because there were very few controversial issues. The city is so hamstrung by state limitations that this is very much a basic services budget with few new initiatives but also only a few cuts.

University Crossing Phase II Opens

The second phase of University Crossing (University at Whitney Way), which includes offices, retail space and apartments is complete. The developer tells me they do not have a timeline for future phases at this time.

Alcohol License for VIP Restaurant

VIP Japanese and Chinese Restaurant is a proposed establishment for 6718 Odana Road. (You may have seen the construction work; the owners have been doing extensive remodeling.)

You may remember that there have been four successive problematic businesses at this location over the last ten years, all of which closed under revocation or threat of revocation. The most recent was Little Manhattan, whose license was revoked just over a year ago after numerous violations and a shooting.

While the new owner and proposed operation seem solid, I registered my opposition to the alcohol license with the ALRC because of the past problems with the location. ALRC did approve the license with several conditions, including prohibiting private parties and a closing time of 10:30 PM. I am hopeful that the cycle of problems at this location can be stopped.

Emerald Ash Borer is Here

We knew it was only a matter of time, and now EAB has been confirmed in Madison trees. The good news, if there is any, is that the city has been planning for this day for years, and has an extensive plan that is already underway. The first stage, over the winter, will be to remove Ash trees that are under power lines or in poor condition, which is about 20% of the Ashes on city terraces. This work has already begun on the north side where EAB was discovered.

You can help! Check your Ash trees (street and in your yard) for signs of EAB. And keep an eye out for the Adpot A Tree program coming soon from the Madison Parks Foundation.

More information on EAB from the Madison Parks Forestry Section is here.

We probably can't stop EAB, but we can slow its progress by working together.

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I welcome your questions and comments about this or any other city issue. Please contact me at district19@cityofmadison.com or 608-695-5709.

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