MLK Day, Christmas Trees, Voting and Winter

Some information on MLK Day, final chance for Christmas Tree pickup, lots of voting information and a reminder about winter updates.

No Refuse, Recycling, or Drop-off Services on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

There will be no refuse or recycling collection on Monday, January 20, 2020 in observance of the Martin Luther King, Jr holiday.  The drop-off sites will also be closed. 

Madison residents who normally have their refuse and recycling collected on Mondays should instead place their carts to the curb for collection by 7:00 a.m. on Tuesday, January 21. 

Refuse and recycling for residents that have a Tuesday collection day will also be collected on January 21. 

Residents must have their scheduled collection carts out and ready for pickup prior to 7:00 a.m.  Carts set out after 7:00 a.m. may not be collected until the next scheduled collection. 

Other Streets Division services such as large item and Christmas tree collection, may be temporarily delayed on January 21 as crews need to be diverted from their regular tasks in order to assist collection of refuse and recycling.

The City of Madison drop-off sites will also be closed on January 20.

The drop-off sites will reopen for winter hours at 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday, January 21, 2020. 

The sites are located at 1501 W. Badger Rd. on the southwest side and 4602 Sycamore Av. on the east side. 

Information about all of the Streets Division's recycling and solid waste services, including additional information on drop-off site hours, is available at our web site www.cityofmadison.com/streets.

MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. DAY Events

There are some great events around the City starting today to observe Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

Final Chance for Christmas Tree Collection

The Streets Division will begin the final round of Christmas tree collection on Tuesday, January 21, 2020. 

Residents who wish to have their trees collected at the curb should have them out and ready for pickup by 7:00am on January 21.

Trees that have been set out at this time and in accordance to the below rules will likely be collected sometime between January 21 and February 7, depending on workload, weather conditions, and crew availability. 

Placing a tree to the curb after 7:00 a.m. January 21 may result in missing the final curbside collection opportunity.  Trees set out late may not be collected until the regular brush collection begins in the spring.

The Rules for Christmas Tree Collection

Failure to follow the below list of rules may result in the tree not being collected.

• Remove all tree stands regardless if they are metal, plastic, or wood.
• Remove all tree decorations such as lights, ornaments, or other metal objects.
• Remove any tree bags, and any other foreign object.

The above listed items may damage the wood chipping equipment used to process collected trees, so they must be removed.

Where to Place Your Tree for Collection

Trees must be placed at the public road edge, and must be accessible by collection crews.

What Happens if It Snows

Residents must remove trees from the snow if they become buried.

Collection crews will not be able to collect ones that are concealed or inaccessible due to snow.

The Streets Division is the primary agency responsible for servicing city streets during snow and ice events.  If conditions require, crews will be diverted from tree collection to assist with maintaining the roads. This may slow down the collection process.

Wreaths, Boughs, Etc.

Wreaths, evergreen rope, garlands, and boughs will not be collected with Christmas trees.

Do not place them at the curb for pickup.

Place these into the refuse container for disposal.  Evergreen decorations like wreaths and so on likely contain wires that can damage the wood chipping equipment, and they may also contain an invasive species.

Drop-off Sites

Madison residents may also bring their Christmas trees to one of the Streets Division drop-off sites. 

The sites are located at 1501 W. Badger Rd. on the southwest side and at 4602 Sycamore Ave. on the east side. 

The drop-off sites are open from 7:30am to 3:00pm Monday to Friday.

Sites will be closed on January 20 in observance of the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday.

Voting

There are multiple upcoming elections and the City Clerk's Office is doing a great job of sharing important information:

Upcoming Election Schedules

Polling Places open at 7:00 am and close at 8:00 pm.

Spring Primary Election – Tuesday, Feb. 18
Spring Election & Presidential Primary – Tuesday, Apr. 7
Fall Primary Election – Tuesday, Aug. 11
Presidential Election – Tuesday, Nov. 3

• Clerk's Office Encourages Voters to Verify their Registration Status

• Voter ID Questions Answered

Early/Absentee voting via mail or in person

Do you know you can vote early (in-person) at multiple locations? More details: In-Person Absentee Voting Hours and Locations

You can also vote by mail. You can request the ability to vote by mail via e-mail or mail. More details: Vote Absentee

Lastly, I wanted to remind people in the Spring Harbor area that voting will no longer take place at Spring Harbor Middle School. The new location is Asbury United Methodist Church, 6101 University Avenue. (More details on the change)

Winter Updates

As a reminder, due to the frequency and timeliness of winter updates (plowing and sidewalk cleaning updates, for example), I will not be forwarding winter weather alerts. The best place to get winter updates is www.cityofmadison.com/winter. You can sign up for e-mail, text messages, Twitter and Facebook updates easily. I highly recommend it!

As always, if there is anything I can do to help, feel free to reach out: district19@cityofmadison.com

-Keith F