City Meetings and Updates Week of May 4
posted- City Meetings: Common Council 5/5
- Spring Yard Waste Collection Ends Soon
- Reminder About Heritage Sanctuary Garlic Mustard Pull 5/9
- 2026 Property Tax Assessments Posted, Open Book Period Dates
- Events & Announcements
City Meetings: Common Council
The Common Council meeting will take place on Tuesday, May 5, at 6:30 p.m. in hybrid format. Agenda items include:
- Items 12 and 54: A resolution rezoning property, and a resolution dividing the 0.35-acre lot, at 822 Pulley Drive in Burke Heights, District 3, to facilitate the construction of a new home. I wrote in more detail about the proposal in this section of last weekend's blog post. Neighbors wrote and testified to the Plan Commission their opposition to smaller lots and closer-together homes in this part of their neighborhood. Public comments are attached to the Legistar item. The Plan Commission voted unanimously to recommend approval based on the lot division, proposed zoning, and a new home here being consistent with the Northeast Area Plan and meeting City ordinances and housing policy goals. This Planning staff memo has much more detail.
- Item 28: A resolution creating the Director of Public Works position, retitling the head of the Streets Division as the Streets Division Manager, and other related ordinance updates (I'm a cosponsor). This restructure will improve oversight and management of the Public Works agencies: Engineering, Fleet, Parks, Streets, and Water Utility. The Mayor is appointing current Streets Superintendent Charlie Romines into the Director of Public Works position.
- Item 63: Introduction for referral only, a resolution adopting the Southeast Area Plan (link to draft) and related amendment to the Comprehensive Plan (I'm a cosponsor). Please see this recent blog post for more information about plan recommendations and topic-focused feedback opportunities at City committees in the coming weeks.
Meeting info:
Spring Yard Waste Collection Ends Soon
Spring Yard Waste Collection Ending Soon: Don't miss out on your yard waste pickup chance. Yard waste is plant material raked or pulled from your lawn or garden, including:
- Leaves, weeds, grass clippings, and garden trimmings
- Twigs less than 18 inches long
- Pumpkins, black walnuts, crab apples, vines, corn stalks, pine cones, seed pods, etc.
Get the date when you should put out yard waste for pickup on the Streets Division's website.
Reminder About Heritage Sanctuary Garlic Mustard Pull Next Saturday
Reminder! Garlic mustard is an aggressive invasive species threatening woodlands and native plants including the outstanding spring trillium bloom in Madison's Heritage Sanctuary. To conserve this annual “wildflower carpet," please consider joining a garlic mustard pull on Saturday May 9 from 9 am to 11 am. A Madison Parks staff person will lead this off-trail project. Meet at 8:50 am by the sanctuary sign at the south entrance (625 Meadowlark Drive).
- When: Saturday, May 9th from 9am-11am
- Where: Heritage Sanctuary, 625 Meadowlark Drive
To volunteer, sign up on the Madison Parks website (here) or email Beth at elsbethrich@gmail.com.
2026 Property Tax Assessments, Open Book Period Dates
Residents should expect a postcard in the mail with 2026 property tax assessments soon. That information is also available now on the City Assessor's website.
Per a news release from the City Assessor: “Locally assessed real estate increased 6.1% for 2026. Commercial assessments increased 8.3% and residential assessments increased 4.8%. Steady growth and continued development contributed to the increase." Madison's total tax base value is $51,800,472,900. The average value of a residential single-family home in Madison increased to $500,300 which is a 3.9% increase from 2025. The 2026 Property Tax Base report from the Office of the Assessor contains much more information.
As per state statute, there will be an "open book" period for property owners to discuss their assessments with Assessor's Office staff prior to completion of the assessment roll. If any details are incorrect, the Assessor's Office will correct the error and adjust your assessment. During this period, staff can also explain the methods and information they use to assess your property.
The 2026 Open Book Period will be from May 4 – 8 with an additional week offered to file appeals from May 11 – 15. To correct an assessment record, please contact the Assessor's Office at:
- Email: openbook@cityofmadison.com
- Call: 608-266-4531
If your property details are correct but you disagree with the assessed value of your property, you need to file an objection with the Board of Assessors by 4:30pm on May 15, 2026. If you have general questions, please contact the Assessor's Office at assessor@cityofmadison.com or (608) 266-4531.
Events & Announcements
- Snowy Winter Leads to Twice as Many Sidewalk Clearing Complaints: Several impactful snowstorms during the 2025-2026 winter season led to an increase in the number of sidewalk shoveling complaints received and citations issued. [posted April 30, 2026]
- MPD releases Annual Report: MADISON, Wis. — The Madison Police Department is pleased to present its 2025 Annual Report. The report highlights our commitment to community outreach while providing high-quality police services. In 2025, the Madison Police Department invested in… [posted April 29, 2026]
- Madison Fire Seeks Community Input During Hiring Process: The Madison Fire Department is hiring the next class of Firefighter/EMT recruits, and community involvement is an important part of the process! Sign up to be a part of our Combined Oral Board interview panels. [posted April 27, 2026]
- Southwest and Southeast Area Plan Final Review Processes Begin May 5!: Final review and approval processes will begin next week for the Southwest and Southeast Area Plans. Drafts can be accessed here: Southwest Area Plan and Southeast Area Plan.
- Open House - Odana Hills Golf Course and Park, Wednesday, May 6 - 6:00pm - 8:00pm and Thursday, May 7 - 11:00am - 1:00pm: The City of Madison Parks Division is excited for the new partnership with Michael and Jocelyn Keiser and the Madison Parks Foundation. Through the Keisers' philanthropic vision and generous donation, we have an opportunity to reimagine, redesign and reconstruct Odana Hills Golf Course.
- Free Homebuyer Education Class (in person), Saturday, May 9: 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 a Madison area location to be determined on Saturday, May 9, 8:30 am – 3:30 pm! Lunch will be provided. Our first-time home buying workshops cover the following…
- Let's Get Growing, Saturday, May 9: Join the Dane County Cancer Coalition for Let's Get Growing, supporting cancer prevention and care programs.
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.
