Updates January 25, 2021

1. Request your absentee ballot for the spring election 

2. Meeting highlights for the week of January 25, 2021

3. UW-Madison MLK Symposium Monday night

4. Free book on racial justice street art

5. Voter ID reminder

6. The recycling truck fire highlights the importance of following recycling rules

7. New COVID-19 data dashboard released

8. City of Madison accepted into Great Lakes cohort of NRDC's food matters initiative

9. Metro service changes hearing 

10. Free COVID-19 testing to continue at Alliant Energy Center

11. Friday is the deadline for the 2021 Community Food Access - competitive grants program

12. Ice rink is open at Heritage Heights Park

13. Showcase your creativity with Madison Makes

14. COVID-19 updates and resources

15. City meetings schedule

Request your absentee ballot for the spring election 

You can file now to request an absentee ballot for the April 6 election, or all 2021 elections. School board, Judicial, Common Council seats are all on the ballot, as well as advisory referenda questions regarding the structure of the Common Council.

Meeting highlights for the week of January 25, 2021

Proposed Body-Worn Camera Recommendations

The Body-Worn Camera Feasibility Review Committee will be continuing its discussion of, and possible action on, recommendations related to body-worn cameras at its meetings on Monday and to finish its work on Tuesday.

Monday

Meeting details
Meeting agenda
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Tuesday

Meeting details
Meeting agenda
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COVID relief funds for eviction prevention and housing assistance

The Community Services Committee will be receiving an update on COVID relief funds at its meeting on Wednesday.

Meeting details

Meeting agenda

Register for public comment

Police Civilian Oversight Board to discuss relationship between itself and other committees

The Police Civilian Oversight Board will discuss its relation to the Public Safety Review Committee (PSRC) and the Police Fire Commission (PFC), along with a number of other items, at its meeting on Thursday.

Meeting details

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City land banking proposal

The Housing Strategy Committee will be taking action on the City's land banking proposal at its meeting on Thursday.

Meeting details

Meeting agenda

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Task Force on Municipal Golf Final Report at Golf Subcommittee

The Task Force on Municipal Golf's Final Report is on the agenda for this Thursday's Golf Subcommittee meeting. 

Meeting details

Meeting agenda

Register for public comment

UW-Madison MLK Symposium Monday night

UW-Madison Division of Diversity, Equity, & Educational Achievement and UW-Madison Student Affairs are hosting an MLK Symposium on Monday, January 25, at 6 pm.

Free book on racial justice street art

See the Channel 3000 story to learn about the book, and go to the American Family Insurance Institute for Corporate and Social Impact webpage to access the form for ordering a copy.

Voter ID reminder 

As you prepare for the 2021 elections, the City of Madison Clerk's Office wants to remind you what types of photo ID you can use for voting in Wisconsin. 

The recycling truck fire highlights the importance of following recycling rules

On January 14, 2021, a load of recyclables within a Streets Division collection truck burst into flames. Thankfully, the operator was able to act fast to keep herself safe and unload the burning recyclables into the street to save the vehicle from burning. While the exact cause of this fire is unknown, following recycling rules can help prevent similar events.  

New COVID-19 data dashboard released

Public Health Madison & Dane County has released a new COVID-19 data dashboard that contains more than sixty data elements, including trends in age, race and ethnicity, hospitalizations, and vaccinations, specific to Dane County.

City of Madison accepted into Great Lakes cohort working on reducing food wasteof NRDC's food matters initiative

The City of Madison has been selected as a Great Lakes Cohort participant in the Natural Resources Defense Council (NDRC) Food Matters Regional Initiative. Since 2016, as part of the Food Matters project, NRDC has partnered with cities to achieve meaningful reductions in food waste through policies and programs that reducing the amount of food thrown out and by recycling food scraps.

Metro service changes hearing 

On Wednesday, February 10, at 6pm, Metro Transit and the City of Madison Transportation Commission will hold a virtual public hearing to review and discuss proposed Metro service adjustments proposed for later in the year. Passengers are encouraged to provide feedback on the proposal. Consideration will be given to views and comments expressed at the public hearing as well as to all phone and written comments.

Proposed service adjustments include:

• Route 2 – Increase weekday frequency from every 30 minutes to every 15 minutes in both directions between 6 am and 6 pm. (To offset suspension of Route 10 & 27.) 
• Route 10 – Route suspended. (Service added to Routes 2 and 38.) 
• Route 27 – Route suspended. (Service added on Route 2.) 
• Route 38 – Weekday route restored with added mid-day service. During morning and afternoon peaks, buses run every 30 minutes in both directions between University Row/Whitney Way and Pflaum Rd. (via UW Hospital, Wilson/Square & Dennett/Dempsey). During mid-day, buses continue to run every 30 minutes in both directions between the University Row/Whitney Way and Isthmus area (via UW Hospital & Wilson/Square). (To offset suspension of Route 10.) 

Maps of Proposed Changes:

• Route 38 PDF 
• Service Coverage for Proposed Suspension of Routes 10 & 27 PDF 
  • Westside Coverage Subset PDF 
  • Downtown Coverage Subset PDF 
  • Northside/Eastside Coverage Subset PDF 
• Service Removed - Affected North St. Stops PDF 
• Service Removed - Affected Regent Stops PDF 
• Service Removed - Affected Johnson/Gorham Stops PDF 

Free COVID-19 testing to continue at Alliant Energy Center

The free COVID-19 community test site at the Alliant Energy Center (AEC) in Madison will continue until at least March 31, 2021.

Testing site details:

• Testing is done in the New Holland Pavilion at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison. 

• The site is open until at least March 31, 2021.

• The test is free and available to those 5 years and older who may arrive by car, bike, or on foot. No appointment is necessary. Translation is available in Spanish and Hmong.

• No identification is needed and immigration status is not asked.

• Pre-registration is available in English, Spanish and Hmong, and is encouraged in order to get through the site as quickly as possible.

• Free transportation is available for those that need it by calling the Public Health Transportation Line at (608) 243-0420.

• The test is not an antibody test and does not indicate if someone has had COVID-19 in the past.

• Test results are provided via email or phone call within 3-7 business days.

Friday is the deadline for the 2021 Community Food Access - competitive grants program

The City of Madison has created an exciting new Community Food Access-Competitive Grants Program. This replaces the SEED Grants for 2021. Any proposal that improves the local food system and makes food more accessible for City of Madison residents will be considered. 

Applications that focus on COVID-19 food security/access response will be prioritized during the review process.

The deadline for applying is fast approaching! Apply before 5 pm Friday, January 29

If you have any questions about this program please email mfpc@cityofmadison.com

Ice rink is open at Heritage Heights Park

The ice rink is now open at Heritage Heights Park. Big thanks to the ice rink volunteer team lead Ashley Komula for taking a leadership role in getting the ice rink going, and to all of the ice rink volunteers for making this happen!

Showcase your creativity with Madison Makes

Have you taken on a new creative project during this pandemic, or reignited your passion for an existing hobby? Madison Makes is a new virtual event on March 6, which will showcase videos of Madison area people who love to create and want to share it with others.

Learn more and apply.

COVID-19 updates and resources

• Financial Navigators hotline

• Close Contacts Now have Quarantine Options

• COVID-19 vaccine not likely to be available to the public until Spring 2021 or later

• UW-Madison's rapid testing

• WI Dept. of Health Services Cases by Neighborhood (Census Tract)

• Madison COVID-related news and service updates, Español: COVID-19 and Hmoob: COVID-19

• COVID-19 recovery dashboard, a tool to track local indicators in order to better understand how our residents and community are doing throughout the pandemic.

• Public Health Madison and Dane County COVID data and orders

• Dealing with job loss

• Childcare, food, jobs, housing and low-cost internet access 

• Community-aggregated COVID resources

• From the City's Economic Development Division: Business & Non-profit Information Covid-19, including Streatery Program

City meetings schedule

City weekly meeting schedule

The Mayor's meeting schedule

The County weekly meeting schedule