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Week of June 15 Updates - Budget Engagment Sessions

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Freiburg Delegation

I have spent the past week in Freiburg, our sister city in Germany, learning about their city. Freiburg is a beautiful city that is very similar to Madison in many ways. They have a research university, a young and growing population, and of course they love biking. But they also have many of the same problems as Madison: Housing is expensive, in part because of the high quality of life, and they are also dealing with transportation issues, although I'm currently writing this blog post on a high speed train to the airport in Frankfurt, so the specifics are certainly different between our cities. I've toured planned developments and talked with Freiburg city council members, their mayor, deputy mayors, transportation planners, and many others on their laws, regulations, culture, and approaches to these issues. I'm still thinking about exactly how to apply what we've learned, and what the most important changes that we would need to emulate some of Freiburg's successes.

The Madison Freiburg delegation tkaing a tour in the Vauban neighborhood

The Madison Delegation taking a tour of the Vauban neighborhood.

A single stair building in the Vauban neighborhood

A single-stair building in the Vauban neighborhood. Despite being a very dense neighborhood, there is plenty of green space and parks. Many buildings are arranged around shared courtyards with shared or private gardens.

A bicicylist riding past a car that is part of a carshare

A bicyclist rides a bike-share bike in the street, past a car-share car. Carshare is popular in Freiburg and they often have dedicated street spaces.

A conceptualization of a new city neighborhood that is under construction

The street layout and conceptualization of Dietenbach, a new city neighborhood in Freiburg.

Sunset over Freiburg

Sunset over Freiburg.

Shooting on State Street

Saturday morning at around 4:30 AM, there was a targeted shooting on State Street. Officers were nearby and were able to recover the firearm and detain the suspect. Two victims were taken to a hospital. One victim is released and the other is still recovering. Thank you to MPD for quickly reacting and findning the suspect.

Meeting and Event Highlights for the Week of June 15, 2026  

Updates and Notices 

  • Juneteenth Holiday: The City of Madison administrative offices are closed for the Juneteenth holiday, on Friday, June 19. All emergency services will be open; please call 911. 
  • Emergency Water Issue: Call Madison Water Utility at 608-266-4665, 24/7. 
  • Sanitary Sewer Back-up: Call 608-266-4430. An emergency crew will respond to your call. 
  • Report a Problem: Report non-emergencies that can wait until the next City working day. 
  • Beach Water Quality: We monitor water quality at beaches from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Check conditions before going in the water. 

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. 

Finance Committee

The Finance Committee meeting will take place on Monday, June 15, at 4:30 p.m. in virtual format. Agenda items include authorizing an application for a grant to enhance public transportation for seniors and people with disabilities.  

Plan Commission

The Plan Commission meeting will take place on Monday, June 15, at 5:30 p.m. in virtual format. Agenda items include requests related to Tax Incremental Financing Districts in Districts 2, 3, 4, 9, 11, 12, 14, 15, and 19.  

If you would like more information about becoming a member of a City board, commission, or committee, please visit the page linked here. 

 

Public Information Meetings (PIMs) 

 

Announcements and News Releases 

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 

Parks Alive Dates! 

Parks Alive builds stronger neighborhoods and connects neighbors to their parks through fun, family-friendly activities, music and free food. Events are held in parks across the city and throughout the summer. Connect with your neighbors and engage with your community at a Parks Alive event near you! Events start at 5:00 p.m. 

Interested in volunteering for Parks Alive? Volunteers Welcome! Learn more and register online! 

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

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Portrait of Alder Will Ochowicz

Alder Will Ochowicz

District 2
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