City Meetings and Updates Week of April 6

• City of Madison
  • Board of Health 4/7
  • Board of Public Works 4/8
• Remember to Vote in Tuesday's Spring Election!
• Extra Madison Police Department Patrols to Continue in April
• Hiring Opportunities with Madison Parks and Fire Department
• Events & Announcements

City Meetings

Board of Health

The Board of Health meeting will take place on Tuesday, April 7th at 5:30p.m. in virtual format. Agenda items include a resolution to distribute funding to 2026 Violence Prevention grants. Here is the staff presentation for this round of Violence Prevention funding recommendations. This grant funding is important to District 3 because several of the organizations recommended for funding propose to provide services and programming at the Harmony Apartments in the North Grandview area of District 3. Here's a link to the scores, program descriptions, and proposed funding amounts. 

These four organizations proposing to provide programming at Harmony Apartments under this grant, with description information from the Public Health scoring document:

• Dane County Library's Mobile Literacy Engagement Project – this is the Library Dream Bus that I first recruited to visit Harmony back in early 2023. They are proposed for funding to “engage youth in neighborhoods visited by the Dream bus in Literacy and Library Activities."
• Operation Fresh Start's Outreach and Engagement program – this is a year-long, community-centered outreach initiative connecting residents Harmony (and a few other properties) to OFS's nine wraparound programs in education, employment, and supportive services.
• Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership's Building Industry Group Skilled Trades Employment Program (BIG STEP), which will provide individualized career guidance residents of Harmony (and a few other properties) with the goal of connecting people to skilled trades careers. C3 services include outreach and orientation at residents' community centers to introduce the apprenticeship pathway, hands-on skill-building activities, testing required for entry into apprenticeships, application assistance, resume workshops, interview practice, and job coaching.
• Sondercove Foundation's Safe Neighborhood Wellness Initiative, which is a resident-guided, peer-led mental health program serving Harmony (and a few other properties) and is led by Certified Peer Specialists and Parent Peer Specialists, SAFE provides Community Care Circles, one-on-one peer support, and monthly neighborhood wellness activities shaped directly by resident input.

Here's the full list of proposals recommended for funding under Public Health's Violence Prevention grants. 

Meeting info:

• Meeting Details
• Meeting Agenda
• Register for Public Comment
• Watch Online

Board of Public Works

Image credit: City Engineering

The Board of Public Works meeting will take place on Wednesday, April 8 at 4:30 p.m. in virtual format. Agenda items include item 31: a resolution awarding the contract for the street reconstruction project at MacArthur Rd, Larson Ct, MacArthur Ct, and Sycamore Ave here in District 3. Contracts like this are awarded according to the City of Madison's Best Value Contracting Ordinance (MGO 33.07). This resolution proposes to award the contract to Parisi Construction LLC, the lowest bidder. Their bid was nearly $1.4 million below City Engineering's estimate for the project cost, which is good news for the City and for special assessment payers. Here's a document comparing the bids for those who are interested. Construction work will take place this year. 

• Meeting Details
• Meeting Agenda
• Register for Public Comment
• Watch Online 

Remember to Vote in Tuesday's Spring Election!

Image credit: City of Madison

The Spring Election will take place on April 7, 2026. All polling places in Wisconsin are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Visit https://myvote.wi.gov/en-us/ to check your registration, find your polling location, and learn about your ballot. 

Note: Voters who live in Wards 8 and 123, those who used to vote at Steamfitters Local 601, will vote at Door Creek Church at 6602 Dominion Drive in the Spring 2026 elections. Steamfitters Local 601 notified the City that they are no longer able to host a polling place. 

I highly recommend reviewing the Candidates' Answers packet prepared by the League of Women Voters of Dane County.

Extra Madison Police Department Patrols to Continue in April

In April of 2026, the Madison Police Department, in partnership with the Dane County Sheriff's Office, will continue conducting extra patrols that will focus on enforcing Wisconsin's alcohol, speed, seatbelt, and Bicycle and pedestrian laws. These additional enforcement efforts are made possible through overtime traffic grants provided by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. 

The mission is to enhance public safety and prevent needless tragedies by discouraging people from making dangerous decisions and engaging in unsafe behavior while driving. MPD will continue to work with the Dane County Sheriff's Officer to enforce speed, seatbelt and alcohol laws. 

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 is asking for your help in making our roads safer.  Please, put your cell phone down, buckle up, slow down, drive sober, and watch out for and yield to pedestrians and bicyclists. 

Hiring Opportunities with Madison Parks and Fire Department

Two City agencies recently shared information about hiring cycles that are open now:

• Madison Parks and the Madison School & Community Recreation (MSCR, a department of the School District) are hiring seasonal staff in aquatics, maintenance, conservation and more. The minimum age is 15 years old and the starting pay between $16-20+ per hour. They are hosting a Job Fair on Thursday, April 9 from 4-7pm at the Madison Parks Lakeside Offices (330 E. Lakeside St). Here's a page with more information.
• Madison Fire Department announced they are now accepting applications for the current Firefighter and Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) hiring process that occurs once every two years. MFD is accepting applications until May 26, 2026. More information is available on this webpage. Questions can be sent to JoinMFD@cityofmadison.com or (608) 513-3446.

All City of Madison job postings can be found on this City job listing page.

Events & Announcements 

• Virtual Public Meeting to Discuss Draft Pedestrian Plan, Tuesday, April 7: A public information meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, April 7 at 6:00pm to discuss the Draft Pedestrian Plan. The meeting will include an overview of the planning process, key recommendations in the plan, a description of how the public can comment on the plan, and time for questions and answers. 
• West Towne Shared-Use Path – Phase 2b, Thursday, April 9: The proposed project is a key segment for completion of the West Towne Shared-Use Path, which provides a safe, shared-use path facility for the growing west-side of Madison that connects the local area as well as a larger connection to regional paths in the Madison-area. A public information meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m., April 9, 2026. Registration prior is required. 
• Email Phishing Scam Involving Planning and Zoning Applications and Permits : The City of Madison is aware of fraudulent emails circulating locally. [posted April 3, 2026]
• Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (PSCW) Provides Decisions on Madison Water Utility's Rate Case: The Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (PSCW) recently provided a ruling on Madison Water Utility's (MWU) 2025 application to increase water rates (3280-WR-117). Madison Water Utility customarily files a new rate case every two years to… [posted April 2, 2026]
• Ride The Drive 2026: Madison Parks is excited to announce the date and new route for Ride the Drive 2026! With RTD's signature route along John Nolen Drive under reconstruction, we have an exciting new route for this year's event. Three miles and three hubs overflowing… [posted April 2, 2026]
• Applications for next Youth Poet Laureate now open: The Madison Arts Commission and Madison Poet Laureate Steven Espada Dawson are pleased to announce that the fifth annual call for a Madison Youth Poet Laureate is now open. [posted April 1, 2026]
• Madison Fire Now Hiring for Firefighter/EMT Positions: Serve the City of Madison as a firefighter/EMT! Applications are accepted now through May 26, 2026. [posted April 1, 2026]
• Efficiency Navigator Providing Free Improvements for Affordable Apartment Housing: The City of Madison, the City of Fitchburg, and Sustain Dane announced at a news conference this morning that applications are now open for Efficiency Navigator in 2026. [posted March 31, 2026]
• Public Meeting to Discuss Madison Pedestrian Plan: The City of Madison is updating its Pedestrian Plan for the first time in nearly three decades! The new plan will provide policy and programmatic recommendations to improve safety, comfort, and accessibility for people walking in Madison. The City is… [posted March 31, 2026]
• OIPM Annual Report 2025-2026: The Office of the Independent Police Monitor has released the revised annual report for 2025-2026. This report covers the key activities, research findings and initiatives of the office over the last 12 months. Revisions can be found in… [posted March 31, 2026]
• 2026 Brush Collection Season Has Started; Get Your Brush Set-Out Schedule Today: The 2026 brush collection season is underway for some neighborhoods. When you should set out your brush for pickup depends on where you live.  Each neighborhood has different set-out dates. Check your set-out dates before you stack… [posted March 30, 2026]
• Wisconsin Virtual TB Summit, Tuesday, April 7: Join local, state, and national tuberculosis experts as they share their work to understand and improve care for people diagnosed with TB in our community. 
• MSCR & Madison Parks Hiring Fair, Thursday, April 9: Madison Parks and MSCR are hiring seasonal staff in aquatics, maintenance, conservation and more! Attend a Hiring Fair at Parks Lakeside Offices and apply and interview onsite! Make this a summer to remember! 
• Wright Design Series - The Wright Revival: Madison's Rediscovery of Frank Lloyd Wright, Thursday, April 9: This Zoom webinar will be presented by Anna Andrzejewski is the Frank Lloyd Wright Professor of Modern American Architecture at the Department of Art History at University of Wisconsin-Madison.  She teaches courses in the history of American art, architecture and material culture.
• Spring Home Maintenance, Thursday, April 9: Ready to tackle spring home maintenance like a pro? Our engaging course will empower you to confidently care for your home, inside and out! Learn essential skills, from maximizing your HVAC system efficiency and troubleshooting sump pump woes to prepping your roof and gutters for spring showers and revitalizing your outdoor spaces.
• Free Homebuyer Education Class (in person), Saturday, April 11: Take the first step to owning a home and join us in this Home Buyer Education Workshop. This FREE Homebuyer Education workshop takes place in-person at the Southwest Madison Employment Center, 1233 McKenna Blvd, Madison, WI 53719 on Saturday, April 11, 8:30 am – 3:30 pm! Lunch will be provided.
• Bird & Nature Adventures | Owen, Saturday, April 11: Pasture to Prairie History Walk ~ Join retired Madison Parks Conservation Manager Si Widstrand and Naturalist Eva Roos for a free guided nature walk to see farm fields and pastures that have been restored to native prairies and learn about their human and ecological history.  

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