Common Council

• In-person absentee voting for the Spring Election continues through Sunday April 2 in multiple locations across the city, including in many Madison Public Library locations. See all in-person absentee voting spots on the City Of Madison Clerk's website. Near District 2, you can vote at Madison Central Library 10am-4pm on Saturday and 2pm-4pm Sunday. Note that you can also dropoff your completed absentee ballots at the absentee voting sites during the hours that they are open.

• 2023 Spring Election Sample Ballots Available - Sample ballots are available for viewing by address on the MyVote Wisconsin website.

• Acceptable Proof of Residence Documents - when Registering to Vote on Election Day

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

• 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.

• Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) East Side Construction Update - Public Information Meeting, Thursday, April 6 - 6:00 pm. Also, a Public Information Meeting for downtown BRT construction is being organized for April 20 (more details forthcoming).

• Metro Updating All Routes! - Starting June 11

• From the Parks Division: Updates and Events - Earth Day Challenge on April 22, Madison Parks Annual Report, Disc Golf Volunteer Days, and more.

• From MFD: Sign Up for Free Hands-Only CPR & AED Training - includes a course at Fire Station #1 downtown on April 26.

• Streets Division Drop-off Sites Hours Expand Starting April 3, 2023 - Olin Avenue site also opens on April 3, 2023

• Enroll Today in the Award-Winning Master Recycler Course - The course by Sustain Dane and the City of Madison begins April 6, 2023

• From Fleet Services: Women's History Month Profile: Fleet Pioneers

• From the Mayor:

  • Investing in South Madison
  • Mayor's Remarks at 2023 MadiSUN Kickoff Event at Mt. Zion Church

• City Forestry crews will soon be pruning trees throughout District 2. According to City Forestry, this year's objective is to prune every small tree within the area (trees that have been planted within the last 10 years). Information regarding the pruning operations can be found here. 

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).

Note that since I am not running for re-election on April 4, a new District 2 Alder will be seated on April 18, but I plan to give input to the ALRC in writing prior to their April 19 meeting.

Proposal for 428-444 State Street Referred to a Future UDC Meeting