City-County Building
Common Council

10/23-10/29 Updates

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City meetings continue to be mostly virtual with details listed in City Meetings of Interest below. Common Council meetings are hybrid so the public can attend in person or via Zoom. Stay in touch with your neighbors through either Capitol Neighborhoods, Inc.     or Campus Area Neighborhood Assoc    .***There are two sections to this week's update:

  • Downtown Updates
  • City Updates 

Downtown Updates

Brayton Lot

Per my last blog, myself and Alders Govindarajan (D8), Field (D3), and Figueroa Cole (D10) introduced an amendment to the height map to allow for addition height and by extension stories. It is our hope that the change would give the city the chance to review a variety of proposals including those that maximize the availability of housing units and affordability. For more info, please read my previous blog. There are several opportunities for folx to weigh in on the change prior to the Council makes a decision:

  • Nov. 6th, 6:30p - Neighborhood Meeting
    • Location: St. John's Lutheran Church, a hybrid option will be available
  • Nov. 13th, 5:30p - Plan Commission 
  • Nov. 21st, 6:30p - Common Council 

Houseless Issues on State St

I have received several emails with concerns about homeless people on State Street recently. I want to share here that these issues are not lost on me and I am actively seeking solutions with service providers and first responders.

One thing that I hope we can all agree on is that homelessness is a complex issue that should be handled with care and compassion. Let us center that the issue in question is PEOPLE that do not have housing. About one in ten of people experiencing homelessness are veterans (United States Interagency Council on Homelessness). Nearly one in two are people living with a disability  (USICH). And like many issues, homelessness impact Black and Brown people at higher rates than their White counterparts. All this to say, I think we can easily desensitize ourselves and even find it annoying to see people without homes on State St or anywhere else in the city. But let's center our solutions in love for other people. 

If you have any thoughts or concerns, feel free to reach out to me. I welcome your opinions on the matter. 
 

City of Madison Updates

It is Sudden Cardiac Arrest Awareness Month! Use the opportunity to take advantage of the Madison Fire Department’s FREE hands-only CPR/AED classes! In this class, Madison Fire Department paramedics and EMTs teach the basics of hands-only CPR, how to use an AED, and explain why it is important for bystanders to perform CPR until first responders arrive. Dane County is a leader in the nation for sudden cardiac arrest survival, and its thanks in part to people stepping in to help someone in need of CPR! MFD has two classes coming up at Fire Station 1 (316 W. Dayton Street):

Update your Neighborhood Association profile on our City website! If your organization has been formally recognized, it will be listed with a descriptive profile that neighbors, businesses, community based organizations, and educational institutions use to find out about your group. Please look for your group on the City website, review the profile, and update only the information that needs to be changed here. If you have any questions, please send an email to Neighborhoods@cityofmadison.com

City of Madison Sustainability Survey: What is your vision for a green, climate-friendly, and resilient Madison? Where do you see opportunities for improvement? What are your top priorities? The City of Madison wants to hear your thoughts on the draft Sustainability Plan’s eight themes and supporting goals. This plan will help the City advance sustainability through its policies, programs, and projects. By taking this quick survey, you are helping ensure the draft themes and goals are in line with the community’s vision for a sustainable City of Madison. Ten lucky winners will receive a $20 gift card to The Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream! Let’s work together to create a sustainable City for both existing and future Madisonians! Take survey here: www.cityofmadison.com/sustainability

Meetings

  • Finance Committee: The Finance Committee meeting will take place on Monday, October 23, in hybrid format at 4:30 PM. Agenda items include 2024 Executive Operating Budget deliberations, amending ordinances to reflect meet and confer agreements with the City’s employee associations, and authorizing the Mayor and City Clerk to amend the 2023 Capital Budget and execute Amendment No. 1 to the existing Purchase of Services contract between the City of Madison and Sasaki for consultant services for the Lake Monona Waterfront.
  • Transportation Commission: The Transportation Commission meeting will take place on Wednesday, October 25, in virtual format at 5:00 PM. Agenda items include the quarterly traffic safety report, North/South Bus Rapid Transit and its public involvement plan, and the Bikeways 2024 project.
  • Police Civilian Oversight Board: The Police Civilian Oversight Board meeting will take place on Thursday, October 26, in Room 206 of the Madison Municipal Building at 5:00 PM. Agenda items include the Independent Monitor report, the Executive Subcommittee report, and outreach to community organizations.
  • In-Person BRT Meeting - Mineral Point Rd. Sidewalk Widening, Tuesday, October 24:  Learn more about the sidewalk widening plan on Mineral Point Rd. due to implementation of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT). The meeting will discuss the current BRT project, as well as a separate 2024 BRT project that seeks to improve bicycle and pedestrian facilities along Mineral Point Rd. Effects on terrace trees and sidewalks will be discussed. Location: Wisconsin Neighborhood Center at Vel Phillips Memorial High School.
  • Upcoming Metro Transit Meetings: Learn more about Metro’s proposed second BRT line to run from the north side of Madison through the downtown area, to Madison’s Southside neighborhoods and ending in Fitchburg.

North/South BRT Planning

  • South Side Wednesday, November 1 5:30pm – 7:30pm Urban League (2222 S. Park Street)
  • North Side Thursday, November 2 5:30pm – 7:30pm Warner Park Community Center (1625 Northport Dr.)
  • Fitchburg Thursday, November 9 5:30pm – 7:30pm Fitchburg Council Chambers (City Hall, 5520 Lacy Rd.)
  • Virtual meeting Wednesday, November 8 6:30pm – 7:30pm Register and receive meeting link at madisonbrt.com

Announcements

Streets Division Updates

  • Leaf Collection is Ongoing: Get the dates when you should set out your leaves for pickup at www.cityofmadison.com/yardwaste
  • Large Item Pickup: Large item collection rules changed a few years ago and now you need a work order to get on the crew’s pickup schedule. Learn more about the process at www.cityofmadison.com/LargeItem
  • Brush Collection is Over: Do not set out brush for pickup. If you have brush that needs collection, you need to take it to a drop-off site instead.
  • Food Scraps Schedule Change: The South Madison farmer’s market food scrap drop-off changed its schedule. More details about this schedule change can be found on our food scraps website.
  • Recycle Right: Be sure you’re putting the right things in your recycling cart. Get the rules at www.cityofmadison.com/recycling. One quick tip for Halloween – candy wrappers belong in the trash, not your recycling carts.

Events

  • Yoga Core, Tuesday, October 24: Want to build your strength and increase body awareness? Yoga Core is great way to do it! This class incorporates a wide variety of seated, standing, balancing, and mat-based yoga poses focusing on strength, stability, and mobility. Core-based practices can help enhance balance and stability and prevent falls and injuries as we age. All levels are welcome!

Tuesdays & Fridays, October 6 through December 15, 2023. * No Class: October 10, 20, 27 and November 7 and 24.

  • East Side Farmers' Market, Tuesday, October 24: The Eastside Farmers' Market is Madison Wisconsin’s finest weekday farmers' market. Our goal is to bring the freshest Wisconsin grown food direct to the heart of the East side. Our vendor members are agricultural producers and food artisans who make value added products from Wisconsin's agricultural bounty.
  • Wright Design Series: A Look at the Black Aesthetic in Redeveloping Madison’s Southside, Tuesday, October 24: Heralded as a rising thought leader in design justice, Rafeeq Asad is an artist, designer, and mentor. He has broad experience designing inspiring cultural spaces for communities ranging from libraries and educational facilities to complex multi-use facilities to science and technology centered project typologies. Asad is deeply passionate about uplifting the community and inspiring youth about architecture and the built environment. In 2019, he worked in partnership with other minority architects in Wisconsin to establish the state’s first National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA) Chapter and currently serves as President.
  • Dane County Farmers' Market - Wednesday Market, Wednesday, October 25: The Wednesday Dane County Farmers’ Market is located on the 200 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, in between the Madison Municipal Building and the City County Building. While more intimate than the Saturday Market, you will still find many of your favorite Dane County Farmers’ Market members, as well as a full array of fruits and vegetables, eggs, cheeses, honey, maple syrup, bakery items, cut flowers, plants, and many specialty items.
  • Near West Watershed Study, Wednesday, October 25: The City of Madison completing a watershed study in the Near West watershed (as shown below). The City of Madison contracted with an engineering consulting firm to complete the study. The watershed study will identify causes of existing flooding and then look at potential solutions to try to reduce flooding. The study will use computer models to assist with the evaluations. A public information meeting has been scheduled for the Near West Watershed for 6:30 p.m., Oct. 25, 2023, via Zoom. Registration prior is required. Oct. 25, 2023 Public Information Meeting Registration
  • Bird & Nature Adventures | Edna Taylor, Saturday, October 28: Join a naturalist for an easy family-friendly walk from Aldo Leopold Nature Center into beautiful Edna Taylor Conservation Park and enjoy a bit of nature education along the way. Walks through the Edna Taylor Conservation Park are held on the 4th Saturday, 10-11:30am of each month and begin at the Aldo Leopold Nature Center, 330 Femrite Drive. Meet outside at the Children's Shack. Co-sponsored by Madison Parks, Madison Audubon Society , and Aldo Leopold Nature Center . No registration is required. No pets are allowed.

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District 2 - Alder Bennett

Alder Juliana Bennet

Alder Juliana Bennett

District 2
Contact Alder Bennett

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