Meetings and Updates Week of January 1st

Meetings and Updates Week of January 1st

• Reminder about the Winter Information Webpage
• Large Item Pick-Up Now Free for Resource Recovery Charge Ratepayers
• Update on Illegal Dumping in Hiestand Park
• Mayor, Common Council, MPD Joint Statement on Recent Acts of Vandalism and New Hate Crimes Task Force
• Events & Announcements

Reminder about the Winter Information Webpage

The City of Madison has a hub for all things winter from how to use salt correctly to winter recreation opportunities to free sand locations to snowplowing update email signups.  All of that is available at www.cityofmadison.com/Winter

Large Item Pick-Up Now Free for Resource Recovery Charge Ratepayers

Starting December 27, 2023 and continuing through all of 2024, Madison residents who pay the Resource Recovery Special Charge on their Municipal Services bill will not be charged for items that require a fee when they make their required large item work orders. Large item work orders are required to arrange curbside collection of these items. Households that pay the Resource Recovery Special Charge will not be charged a recycling fee when they complete their work orders for the select items that have a fee.

Update on Illegal Dumping in Hiestand Park

Just before the holidays, East Police Department officers let me know that recently-dumped trash at Hiestand Park was traced back to an area business whose employee disposed of their garbage illegally at the Park instead of taking it to a landfill. This act of illegal dumping was caught on camera. The owner of the restaurant was issued a citation and apologizes profusely. 

If you see someone dumping illegally (in parks, on the terrace of public or private property, etc.), the best way to share that information with MPD is by getting license plate numbers or photos/video of the incident. That information should be sent to MPD through the nonemergency line or online Self-Report feature on the website. If you didn’t notice the act of illegal dumping but see refuse you suspect was illegally dumped, you can report that via the City’s Report A Problem webpage (select the “Refuse Collection” option). 

Mayor, Common Council, Madison Police Department Joint Statement on Recent Acts of Vandalism and New Hate Crimes Task Force

In response to an increase in reported incidents of bias-motivated calls for service here in our City, the Madison Police Department will create a 90-day Hate Crimes Task Force beginning January 1, 2024, followed by a rigorous evaluation period. The Hate Crimes Task Force is being created to proactively address bias-motivated threats, harassment, and violence throughout the city of Madison.

Events & Announcements 

• Jeffrey Clay Erlanger Civility in Public Discourse Award Winner is Dr. Fabu Carter: Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway announced that Dr. Fabu Carter is the recipient of the 2023 Jeffrey Clay Erlanger Civility in Public Discourse Award. 
• How to Have Your Christmas Tree Collected: The Streets Division provides two rounds of curbside collection for Christmas trees. Crews collect trees only.  Wreaths, boughs, and other evergreen decorations go into the trash. The first round will begin on January 2, 2024.
• Madison Parks 2024 Calendar: Buy a 2024 Madison Parks Calendar for just $10, including tax. You can buy calendars online, or from the Olbrich Botanical Gardens gift shop, Parks Lakeside Office, and Warner Park Community Recreation Center. 
• 2024 Neighborhood Grant Program: Have you and your neighbors been thinking about making community improvements or strengthening your neighborhood group? The Planning Division will once again offer funding through the Neighborhood Grant Program for Leadership and Capacity Building and Community Enhancement projects. The application deadline is February 12, 2024 at 4:30 p.m. In late December, we will post updated grant materials on our webpage for 2024. In the interim, you can refer to last year’s  guidelines for assistance. Once you are ready to start an application, please contact the Planning Division at  Neighborhoods@cityofmadison.com, and share project ideas with your alderperson. We also invite you to attend an optional orientation meeting: Neighborhood Grant Program Orientation January 11, 2024
  • Virtual, 12:00 p.m. via Zoom. Please sign up to receive an email with information about participating in the meeting.
  • In-Person, 6:00 p.m., Madison Municipal Building, 215 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Room 206.