July Office Hours, Body Cameras, News and Recap from Last Few Weeks, and Highlights for the Week of July 12th

The Alicia Ashman Library is back open, and I will be hosting office hours there on July 14th from 4:30pm to 6pm. I will also be connected via Zoom so you visit in-person or virtually. 

To connect virtually, please use the registration links below to get the Zoom link. When you register, you'll also get an e-mail reminder on the day of Office Hours. You can register in advance or the day of.

Note: I have set it up so I can only meet one person at a time. If I'm meeting with someone else, there will be a small waiting period.

• OFFICE HOURS: WEDNESDAY, 7/14/2021 @ 4:30 PM - 6:00 PM : REGISTER For Virtual access

If you have a question, concern, or topic of interest that you would like to discuss, but the times above don't work for you, you can e-mail me.

Body Worn Cameras

The council voted on Tuesday to accept the Final Report and Model Policy from the Body-Worn Camera Feasibility Review Committee. I appreciate the work of the committee that created the report and voted to accept the report, but do not support further action. As I've noted in the past, I am incredibly concerned with the costs to implement and maintain the cameras and have not seen enough evidence that they make a difference. The City continues to face severe budget shortfalls which make our budget choices difficult. My colleague, Alder Currie (District 16), posted her thoughts earlier this week on Body Worn Cameras (and the situation at Reindahl Park). I appreciate and strongly agree with her post and suggest checking it out.

Meeting and Event Highlights for the Week of July 12, 2021

For a list of City meetings for the week of July 12th, please consult the City Meeting Schedule online here

Events, activities, seminars, etc.

• Downtown Madison businesses are excited to share the return of Maxwell Street Days to State Street.  This year's event, now in its 44th year, expands from three days to four, July 15 – July 18.  Click here for hours and a list of the 60+ participating businesses.
• The Madison Senior Center welcomes guests back to the building on July 13, 2021, at reduced capacity.  Read more here.
• Upcoming, public-facing COVID-19 mobile vaccine clinics, as organized by Public Health Madison & Dane County:
  • Friday, July 9: Cambridge Concerts in the Park, 4pm-8 pm
  • Monday, July 12: Jason Glenn Hair Salon, 12pm-7 pm
  • Monday, July 12: Mercado Marimar, 11 am-1 pm
  • Thursday, July 15: Lussier Community Center, 2pm-4 pm

Vaccination appointments and walk-ins are also available at multiple public health clinic locations. Please see the Public Health website for details.  You can find details and see a map of all upcoming public clinics on the Public Health website.  Public Health Madison & Dane County's COVID-19 Data Snapshot is released every Thursday. You can read their weekly blog post for a summary of the week's data. For a weekly summary of talking points around COVID-19 in Dane County, please check out Public Health's hot topics document in their Google Drive.

Announcements, press releases, press conferences, etc.

• A new set of data (2020 Edition) has been added to the City of Madison's Neighborhood Indicators Project (NIP)--a tracking system with trend data going back to 2008. NIP was designed by the City of Madison in partnership with the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Applied Population Lab. Interested in learning more about NIP data and the NIP website? The City of Madison Planning Division offers free workshops to local organizations. Please contact Urvashi Martin at umartin@cityofmadison.com for more details.
• The City of Madison is rapidly restoring in-person access to City services, while maintaining increased access online and via phone.  To learn more, read this update on opening of City service desks.
  • MORE:
    • Madison residents can once again purchase recycling fee stickers and make other in-person transactions at the Streets Division offices.  Read more here.
    • City of Madison Transportation office have reopen. Read more here.
    • Madison Water Utility has restored limited in-person services at the Water Utility Administrative Offices, located at 119 E. Olin Avenue. Read more here.
• The City of Madison is excited to announce the launch of the Carts in Parks Vending Pilot Program this summer into fall! This program will provide daily food cart vending in 20 parks around Madison, support community-driven micro vending markets, reduce the barriers to vending in city parks, provide greater food access, and enhance our community gathering spaces.  Read more here.
• The food scraps recycling program at the Streets Division drop-off sites will end on July 17, 2021.  After that date, residents who had been using the food scraps program should instead place the food scraps into the trash, or find alternative composting options, such as available private services or composting appropriate scraps in backyard bins.  Read more here.
• Madison Water Utility recently released its annual water quality report.  Learn more and read the report in English or in Spanish.
• The City of Madison's recyclables collected by the Streets Division contain 12.8% trash. In other words, 12.8% of what is placed into our recycling carts should not be there and should instead go to the landfill.  Read more Recycling Contamination Update and learn what you and your family can do to recycle more and recycle right.
• For the first time, the City of Madison Engineering Division will tend to bees this summer with new beehives near Nesbitt Road and Maple Grove Drive.  Learn more here.
• If you missed the opportunity to attend the Public Information Session about Madison's Community Alternative Response Emergency Services (C.A.R.E.S.) initiative, the session was recorded for you to view at your leisure.  Follow up questions or concerns may directed to Deputy Mayor Reuben Sanon at rsanon@cityofmadison.com. 
• This summer, The Bubbler at Madison Public Library is launching a new artist-in-residence program called the Bubbler Artist Cohort. Six diverse teaching artists will work together to create community connections and creative opportunities around a single theme. As part of a larger initiative by Madison Public Library called YOU(th) Belong, the Cohort plans to collaborate over the course of six months to explore the spectrum of "Belonging" with youth (8 - 18 years old).  Learn more here.
• If you are interested in learning more about the investments Madison will be making with the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 funds you can watch a recording of a recent meeting and view a presentation by the Finance Department. 
• If you missed the June 30th meeting on the Spring Harbor Watershed, you can watch the recording and view the presentation. More details here.

Save the Date

• On Wednesday, July 21, Metro staff will hold a virtual public meeting at 6 p.m. to introduce and discuss ideas for improving how fares are collected on Metro buses.  Metro is looking at replacing its current system of magnetic stripe card passes with smart tap cards, mobile phone payments, online account payments and fare purchase kiosks located at transfer points and bus rapid transit stations.  Complete information here.  Register to receive Zoom link.
• The Odana Area Plan was introduced at Tuesday's Common Council meeting and is now beginning the official review and approval process.  Introduction is the process where the Common Council determines which boards, commissions and committees will review and provide advisory recommendations on the draft plan before it returns to Council for final action.  The anticipated approval schedule is below, however dates are subject to change.
  • Economic Development Committee:  July 21 @ 5:00 pm  
  • Board of Park Commissioners:  August 11 @ 6:30 pm
  • Transportation Policy and Planning Board:  August 16 @ 5:00 pm
  • Plan Commission:  August 23 @ 5:30 pm
  • Common Council:  August 31 @ 6:30 pm
• After a year of virtual events, the Madison Night Market is returning, and this year the event moves ONTO State Street!  Vendors showcase handmade products, local art, artisan gifts, prepackaged foods and fresh produce. The event includes live music, special visiting food carts and pop-up restaurant experiences. The Market will run from 4pm – 9pm on August 19, September 16, October 22, and December 16.  Learn more here.

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

-Keith F