Common Council

Updates March 16, 2021

Topic areas in this update:

• Neighborhood
• Public Safety
• Meeting highlights
• Transit
• Community
• COVID-19
• City meetings schedule

Neighborhood

Brush collection starts April 5

Learn when to set out your brush for pickup by visiting the Streets Division website, www.cityofmadison.com/brushcollection. By placing brush out on the dates given on the website, your material will be out on time and will only sit on the terrace for one week at most.

Yard waste pickup also starts April 5

Madison residents get two curbside collection opportunities for yard waste in the spring. Learn when to set out your yard waste for pickup by visiting the Streets Division website, www.cityofmadison.com/yardwaste.

Prescribed burns in Grandview Commons

The City of Madison Parks Division and Engineering Division will be conducting prescribed burns on areas of existing native vegetation. Prescribed burns are an important management tool for Wisconsin's native plant communities. Prescribed burns are the intentional use of fire, under specific environmental conditions, to manage and suppress invasive vegetation, and promote native vegetation.

Prescribed burns locations  include:

• Saturn Drive Ponds

• Venus Way Outlot

• Rustic Drive Outlot

Project contacts and more information

Neighborhood meeting for 6321 Town Center Drive development

Tuesday, March 23, 6:30 pm

Register in advance for this meeting:

https://cityofmadison.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJcpc--gqTwuGdcN8m5_eYA9Uo7_kxQTC_QB

The proposal calls for multi-family residences in the currently vacant lot directly across from Madison Fire Station #13, located on the south side of Town Center Dr, along Metro Terrace. If approved, they would construct building #2 in the above graphic first (the far west building), which would have 23 units. Construction of the other two buildings would happen later and timing would be based on market conditions. These are market-rate units with a mix of studio, one and two bedrooms, and the buildings would be three stories. They were originally approved back in 2005, but never constructed.

City Planning and Traffic Engineering will both also be on hand to answer your questions.

ATM planned for Rolling Meadows Shopping Center

US Bank plans to submit an application to the city to install an ATM in the parking lot of the Rolling Meadows Shopping Center, 4706 Cottage Grove Road. They expect to submit the application on March 31. This will require conditional use approval, and would put this at Plan Commission on June 7.

Master Recycler Program

Individuals who sign up to become a Master Recycler will learn the intricacies of our local recycling program. You will learn not only how to be a better recycler at your home, but you will have the tools to go out and teach your family, neighbors, friends, and coworkers how to improve their recycling habits.

Public safety

Roadmap to reducing violence plan released

Plan outlines five goals for Madison & Dane County to reduce violence

Public Health Madison & Dane County released a comprehensive violence prevention plan that provides a roadmap for collective community action. Madison Dane County Violence Prevention: A Roadmap to Reducing Violence is a five-year plan guided by a public health approach to violence prevention and provides five evidence-based goals and accompanying strategies and objectives.

The five goals of the plan include:

• Understanding violence in our community through data

• Supporting community engagement with children, youth, and families

• Fostering strong neighborhoods

• Bolstering and increasing intervention and continuous healing for those affected by violence

• Strengthening community capacity, collaboration, and coordination of violence prevention efforts

Meeting highlights for the week of March 15, 2021

Independent Police Monitor Hiring Process

The Police Civilian Oversight Board will be discussing the process for hiring an Independent Police Monitor at its meeting on Thursday.

Meeting details

Meeting agenda

Register for Public Comment

For additional information about meetings scheduled for this week, please consult the City Meeting Schedule online here.

Transit 

Metro Transit and the City of Madison Transportation Commission held a public hearing to review and discuss service adjustments proposed for later in 2021. The proposal was approved by the commission for implementation in August. The commission also approved the complete list of bus stop changes.

Community

Spring election information

The Spring Election is on Apr. 6, 2021 

Find information and resources here from the City Clerk's Office.

An episode of District Reports has been posted which gives an overview by City Attorney John Strange of the non binding referendum questions that you find on the April 6 ballot.

Safely respond to racist harassment

Hollaback!, in partnership with Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAJC), is offering three free, virtual bystander trainings on how to safely respond to anti-Asian/American harassment when you witness it or when you experience it yourself: Bystander Intervention to Stop Anti-Asian/American and Xenophobic Harassment Training; Bystander Intervention 2.0: Conflict De-Escalation Training; and How to Respond to Harassment for People Experiencing Anti-Asian/American Harassment Training. Learn more about and register for each training.

Online directory of Black-owned businesses

ConnectBlack directory, a free, online directory of 100 Black-owned businesses in Madison has been launched.

Wisconsin Book Festival events online

Check out the Wisconsin Book Festival free events. You can also watch past events online, including the recording of Heather McGhee talking about her book The Sum of Us. 

The River Food Pantry Needs RSVP Volunteers to Deliver Groceries

After launching a free food delivery program, called River Delivers, last fall, The River Food Pantry has experienced unprecedented numbers of grocery delivery requests from local households who are unable to pick food up in person.  

RSVP volunteers seniors and people with disabilities, offering $.56 cents/mile mileage reimbursement and additional liability insurance.

If you are interested in volunteering, contact Mary Schmelzer, RSVP Driver Services Co-Manager, at 608-441-7896 or mschmelzer@rsvpdane.org.

Renter assistance

Are you a Dane County renter in danger of eviction due to COVID-19?  You may be eligible for rental assistance from Dane CORE Emergency Rental Assistance Program. See if you're eligible.

If you need in-person assistance to complete the Dane CORE rental assistance online application, Tenant Resource Center (TRC) staff is available to help. Check the online scheduler to schedule an appointment or call the TRC main line at (608) 257-0006. 

Driver License recovery info clinics

The YWCA is currently offering virtual info clinics for individuals who are experiencing licensing issues in the Dane County area. Appointments can be made on their website or contact Aneesha Mitchell at (608) 395-2188 or amitchell@ywcamadison.org.

Project Recovery is a cost-free resource for COVID-19 stress

Counselors with Project Recovery, Wisconsin's implementation of the FEMA Crisis Counseling Program, are providing cost-free and over-the-phone crisis counseling focused on non-judgmental listening and helping folks navigate their emotions and reactions to stress caused by the COVID-19 public health crisis. Anyone can be connected by dialing 211 or, by contacting Project Recovery .

COVID resources

• Data Dashboard

• Financial Navigators hotline

• Close Contacts Now have Quarantine Options

• 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

City meetings schedule

City weekly meeting schedule

The Mayor's meeting schedule

The County weekly meeting schedule
 

Special Note from Lindsay: Due to a determination by the WI Elections Commission, alders running for reelection in the April 2021 election are advised not to use city resources to communicate with constituents using mass emails and posts. For that reason, emails are not being sent when I post these updates. I typically post an update weekly by Monday night, please check this space for my update each week.