Common Council

• Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Central/Downtown Construction Meeting - A Public Information Meeting for downtown-area BRT construction is scheduled for Thursday, April 20 at 6:00 pm. Impacts and construction schedules for the area between University Bay Drove and Blair Street will be discussed. The registration link for this virtual meeting and more information is available here.

• Project Update: Blair Street South - including "Vehicles traveling outbound/eastbound on East Washington Avenue will be merged into the median lane."

• Spring Yard Waste Set-Out Dates Now Available; Collection Begins Week of April 16, 2023 

• Madison Parks Earth Day Challenge, Saturday, April 22, 2023: Join Madison Parks for this year's Earth Day Challenge and volunteer to help clean up your neighborhood park on Saturday, April 22!

• From the Mayor: The Importance of Volunteers in Madison Parks

• Monona Terrace Announces Concerts on the Rooftop Season - Free tickets available

• From Public Health: Our 2022 Annual Report

• City of Madison Honored with Growth Award from the Arbor Day Foundation

• From MPD: CRASE (Civilian Response to Active Shooter Experience)

• Madison Fire, Red Cross to Install Free Smoke Alarms in Area Homes - The "Sound the Alarm" home safety event takes place Saturday, April 15, 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

• From MFD: Meet Firefighter/EMT Antwan Anderson

• Apply to Be the 2023 Naturalist-in-Residence at Madison Public Library

• Library Takeover Event Gives Parents the Opportunity to Network, Share and Connect

• City of Madison Announces 2023-24 Youth Poet Laureate Opportunity - Applications close April 30, 2023

• Metro Updating All Routes! - Starting June 11!

• Madison Metro Recruiting: Madison Metro is recruiting for Metro Transit Ride Guides to be stationed at busy bus stop areas, employment centers, and various community centers to point people in the direction of the most appropriate stop, hand out schedule materials, and teach people how to ride the bus. On-the-job training will be provided during first week of employment.

• Dane CORE 2.0 Rental Assistance Program Applications to Close May 31 - services to renters and landlords that provide legal representation and mediation through the Eviction Diversion and Defense Partnership (EDDP) will continue.

• The second issue of 2023 for Madison's Vision Zero Quarterly Newsletter has arrived! You can also learn more about Vision Zero here.

• Diversity in Construction Career Fair, April 11: WRTP BIG STEP Madison is holding their Diversity in Construction Career Fair on April 11th, 2023 at the Madison Labor Temple, 1602 S. Park St. Present will be over 25 trades and contractors ready to speak to you about careers in construction!

• Law Enforcement Recruitment Fair, Wednesday, April 12: Area agencies are always searching for compassionate people who are considering a career in law enforcement. Officers will be on hand to answer any questions you may have about their profession and community policing.

• The City of Madison, in partnership with the Home Buyers Round Table of Dane County and Consumer Credit Counseling Service, will host their next HUD Approved Homebuyer Education class of 2023 for the month of April! 2023 class schedule is up and you can find it here.

Common Council Spring Election Results

On April 4, City of Madison residents elected seven new alderpeople* and secured additional terms for 12 incumbents, seven of whom faced challengers. Results for District 14 will likely not be confirmed until an anticipated recount is held. New alders will be sworn in the morning of April 18. They will participate in their first Common Council meeting later that day at 6:30 p.m.

In District 2, current District 8 Alder Juliana Bennett won the election. Alder Bennett will be leaving her District 8 seat and taking over the District 2 seat on April 18. Given that I chose not to run for re-election, I will step down on April 18, so next weekend's Alder Update will be my last.

Also on April 4, a majority of voters said yes to the municipal referendum to stagger alder terms. Alders in even-numbered districts (2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20) will be up for election in even-numbered years and alders in odd-numbered districts (1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19) will be up for election in odd-numbered years. The 2025 Spring Election shall include one-year terms for alders in even-numbered districts. In subsequent elections, the term for all alders shall be two years.

From Madison Police Department

During the month of April, the Madison Police Department, in partnership with the Dane County Sheriff's Office, will be conducting extra patrols that will focus on enforcing Wisconsin's alcohol and seatbelt laws.  These additional enforcement efforts are made possible through traffic overtime grants provided by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. 

The goal of these extra patrols is not only to enhance public safety, but to prevent needless tragedies.  Someone is injured or killed in an impaired driving crash every two hours in Wisconsin and thousands of unbuckled passenger vehicle occupants are killed every year in crashes throughout the United States.

The Madison Police Department needs your help to make our roads safer in 2023.  Please put your cell phone down, buckle up, slow down and drive sober.  If you have been drinking, please call a sober friend, a cab or a ride-share service to get you home safely.

April 9 Informational Meeting for Proposed Alcohol License at Frances Street Market

On Sunday, April 9, at 3:00pm, Frances Street Market at 438 N. Frances Street will be hosting an informational meeting for neighbors and others interested in their proposed Class B Beer and Liquor License. Their application is expected to be considered by the Alcohol License Review Committee on April 19.

The applicant, Adrian Holtzman, proposes to add beer and wine sales to their current offerings that includes snacks, sandwiches, non-alcoholic beverages, vapes, and items-to-go. The applicant proposes to sell beer and wine through the evening on Sunday through Wednesday and until later on Thursday through Saturday. I have not yet seen the application, so don't know the exact hours of operation that are being proposed, but the Market currently closes at 11:45pm on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday and closes at 9:0pm other days of the week.

If the ALRC grants the license, guests would be allowed to consume purchased beer and wine in the shop and potentially in their rear yard patio area. Some suggestions from the applicant include limiting alcohol sales to only those who are also purchasing food and only those who are members of a guest club. Details on these items are TBD.

While the I am skeptical of new alcohol-focused outlets downtown, on April 9 I hope to learn more about the applicant's business model, their safety and security plans, and any proposed mitigation efforts if there is the potential for neighbors to be impacted. The Campus Area Neighborhood Association has indicated that they will also attend that meeting. If you have questions, please attend the meeting on April 9 or feel free to email me (district2@cityofmadison.com).

Because Juliana Bennett will be seated as the new District 2 Alder on April 18, I plan to give input to ALRC in writing prior to their April 19 meeting.

Latest Update on the State Street Campus Parking Garage Redevelopment

According to city staff, a public information meeting is expected to be scheduled for this summer where residents and stakeholders will have the opportunity to give further input on the redevelopment of the State Street Campus Parking Garage at 415 N. Lake Street. The meeting date and time has not yet been determined, but is intended to cover the mixed-use building, the redesign of Hawthorne Court, possible interactions with Bus Rapid Transit on University Avenue, and the incorporation of Percent for Arts funds.

The project received Urban Design Commission final approval on March 15, 2023. Eppstein Uhen Architects was awarded a contract to continue the design of the project through construction. The project has entered into the Schematic Design Phase. Drawing progression will continue this spring and summer and the bid set is expected to be complete by the end of the year. Stay informed by visiting the city's project website where you can also sign up to receive email notifications of meetings and project updates.

Given that Alder Bennett will be taking over the District 2 Alder seat on April 18, no doubt she will keep you informed about the date and time of the Public Information Meeting and related matters.