Updates March 29, 2021

In this update:

• Spring election updates
• Neighborhood updates
• Public safety
• Meeting highlights for this week
• Parks
• Community 
• Events
• COVID-19 
• City meetings schedule

Spring election Updates

Polling locations for the April 6 Election

The polling locations for our district for the April 6 election are as follows. Please note that the location for Ward 10 changed. If you normally vote at Kennedy Elementary, you will be voting at Messiah Lutheran Church for this election. 

Ward 8: Door Creek Church, 6602 Dominion Drive

Ward 9: Steamfitters Local 601 Training Ctr., 6310 Town Center Drive

Ward 10:  Messiah Lutheran Church, 5202 Cottage Grove Road

Ward 11: American Family, 302 N Walbridge Avenue

Ward 12: New Beginnings Alliance Church, 602 Acewood Boulevard

In-person absentee voting available this week

In-person absentee voting is available this week at several locations throughout the City of Madison, including the Pinney Library. 

Registration and photo ID

If you have not already registered at your current address, you can do so at any absentee voting site through Friday, Apr. 2, or at the polls on Election Day. You will need to present a document showing your name at your current address. The acceptable documents most commonly used as proof of address are unexpired Wisconsin driver license or ID cards, utility bills issued within the past 90 days, bank statements, and government documents.

You will need to present photo ID when you go to vote. If you need to obtain a Wisconsin ID to use as your voter ID , call the Dane County Voter ID Coalition hotline at (608) 285-2141 for free assistance.

Secure drop boxes now open

The City of Madison's secure ballot drop boxes are now open for the April 6 Spring Election. The boxes provide a secure way for City of Madison absentee voters to return their ballots to the City Clerk's Office. 

If you requested an absentee ballot for the Apr. 6, 2021, Spring Election, you should see it in your mailbox in the next few days. Follow the instructions included with your absentee ballot to make sure your ballot is counted.

Spring election 2021 accessibility

Accessibility to voting is just one way the City of Madison Clerk's Office achieves its goal of making sure that every eligible voter is able to cast a ballot and have that ballot counted. Clerk's Office staff and election officials use several tools to make sure voting is accessible in the City of Madison:

• Curbside voting is available at each polling place if it is difficult or burdensome for you to access the room where voting takes place. Someone just needs to notify the poll workers or the Clerk's Office that you would like to vote curbside.

• The ExpressVote  is available at every City of Madison polling place and absentee voting site. This ballot-marking machine allows you to mark your ballot using a Braille keypad or a touchscreen with large print and high contrast options. The ExpressVote is compatible with sip-and-puff devices. The ExpressVote also offers Spanish translation.

• You can request a Braille ballot either as an absentee ballot or as a ballot at the polling place. You would need to contact the Clerk's Office ahead of time to allow for printing time. If you want more information about this option, you may contact the Clerk's Office at (608) 266-4601 or voting@cityofmadison.com.

• Learn more.

Voters weigh in on size and structure of the Common Council on April 6 ballot

The April 6, 2021 Spring Election ballot will ask Madison voters four advisory referendum questions about the size of the Madison Common Council, the amount of alderperson pay, the length of alderperson terms, and whether alderpersons should be subject to term limits.

An episode of District Reports also provides an overview by City Attorney John Strange of the non binding referendum questions.

Neighborhood updates

Video now available of last Tuesday's neighborhood meeting on the 6321 Town Center Drive development

Thanks to everyone who attended last week's neighborhood meeting on the development proposal for 6321 Town Center Drive. Please find a video of this meeting here: https://media.cityofmadison.com/Mediasite/Channel/neighborhood_meeting/watch/f533a2ec71bd411b96030fa4a771b9ba1d

Slides from the City's portion of the presentation. 

Please note that the developer intends to submit their Land Use Application to the City on March 31. This means the proposal will be reviewed by the Urban Design Commission on May 26, will be at Plan Commission on June 7, and at Common Council on June 15. 

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 the far west building first, which would have 24 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.

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 

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.

In Parks

As in previous years, trained staff and volunteers with the City's Parks Division and Engineering Division will conduct burns in natural areas and native plantings in greenways, conservation parks, and general parks. Burns are conducted under a permit from the Madison Fire Department, and follow strict safety protocols and weather parameters in order to manage fire intensity and smoke.

The following parks in our area are slated to have prescribed burns:

• Heritage Prairie

• McClellan Park

• Reston Heights Park

A full list of burns planned across the city can be found on Parks' website: https://www.cityofmadison.com/parks/projects/2021-prescribed-burns .

The Dane County Emergency Management automated phone call system will be used to notify nearby neighbors before each burn begins.

On Engineering property

The City of Madison Parks Division and Engineering Division will be conducting prescribed burns on areas of existing native vegetation on Saturn Drive, Venus Way and Rustic Drive. 

Project contacts and more information

Public safety

Traffic enforcement

The Madison Police Department is now posting their traffic enforcements efforts on the Traffic Enforcement and Safety Blotter.

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

CITY MEETINGS OF INTEREST THIS WEEK

Zoning amendment, proposed men's shelter at Common Council

Common Council: Details

6:30 pm, Tuesday, March 30, 2021

As detailed in previously, the city is considering a set of changes to our zoning ordinances that would impact some residential, mixed-use, and commercial zoning districts. These proposed changes may be considered at tomorrow's Common Council meeting. 

It is not clear yet if this item will be voted upon on Tuesday or delayed due to a referral having been requested to a future meeting. Regardless, public comment will be accepted at Tuesday's meeting.

As a cosponsor of these changes, I am supportive, but do appreciate the input received on all sides of these complex changes and issues. For additional information on the changes, you can watch a Community Q & A Session regarding the proposed changes.

• The proposed changes as amended by Plan Commission, staff reports, public comment received via email, and recently proposed amendment are here.

• Explore the city's zoning map, including the ability to see the parcels where the changes are proposed.

Men's shelter on Tuesday's agenda

The proposal to purchase the property located at 2002 Zeier Road for use as a future men's shelter (item 54) will also be on Tuesday's agenda.

Library reopening plan at Thursday's Madison Public Library Board meeting

Madison Public Library Board, Thursday, April 1, 5:30 pm

On Thursday, the Madison Public Library Board will review a Service Expansion Plan that would reopen libraries to in-person browsing and self-pickup holds beginning April 19. You can find more details about the plan here and find details for the board meeting here. 

TRANSPORTATION

Transit choices survey

Metro Transit is working on a complete network redesign to create a new system of bus routes that better serves the needs of Madison area residents and businesses and they need your input

Please fill out the Transit Choices Survey to help them better understand your goals and priorities for the future redesigned transit network. 

For additional information on the Metro Transit Network Redesign project, visit mymetrobus.com/redesign. 

Questions and comments can also be emailed to MetroRedesign@cityofmadison.com.

Parks

Earth Day Challenge - 45 Parks, 650+ volunteers needed

Celebrate Earth Day with your neighbors and friends by volunteering to clean up your local park. Join this community-wide volunteer effort to help make a difference on Saturday, April 24.

All four City of Madison golf courses are open

All four courses are open. Parks will evaluate the weather and course conditions for the subsequent days and post an update on golfmadisonparks.com

Dog Park Cleanup Day is April 3

Do you love your dog park? Volunteers are needed for Dog Park Cleanup Day to assist with picking up trash and scooping up dog poop. Madison Parks will supply trash bags, gloves, scoopers, and buckets. 

Community

Help with your Madison Gas and Electric bill

On March 18, the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin lifted the disconnection moratorium, which means utilities can start disconnecting customers due to nonpayment.

MGE is not disconnecting residential customers at this time.

For information regarding personalized payment arrangements for outstanding balances, visit MGE online. Information is available in three languages: English, Spanish and Hmong. Residential customers can call us weekdays at (608) 252-7144 (English), (608) 252-7120 (Spanish) or (608) 252-7033 (Hmong) between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. to set up their personalized payment arrangement.

Residential customers may be eligible for additional financial support from our partner, Energy Services, Inc. (ESI). Customers can visit http://esiwi.com/ to verify their eligibility, schedule an appointment to speak with an ESI representative and apply for funds online. They also can call ESI at (800) 506-5596.

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.

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.

Events

Madison Public Library and All of Us Research Program at UW-Madison to Present Community Health Event Series

Madison Public Library, the Wisconsin Book Festival and the All of Us Research Program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison are joining forces to present a virtual author event series focused on a range of community health issues.

The series, titled "New Chapters in Community Health: Healthier Communities for All of Us", will include four virtual author events featuring compelling stories and engaging discussion about important health issues. The events, which are free and open to the public, will especially focus on issues impacting those who are often underrepresented in health research, such as Black, Latinx, 65+ and rural communities. 100 free copies of each book will be available for attendees.

COVID-19

Virtual town hall on COVID-19 vaccine from Public Health Madison and Dane County

Public Health Madison & Dane County will be hosting a virtual town hall on COVID-19 vaccines on Thursday, April 8, 2021. Public health experts will address common concerns related to differences among vaccine efficacy and provide an update about the vaccine distribution process in Dane County.

The event is free and everyone is encouraged to attend. The event will be held on Zoom and participants can register here to receive the Zoom link to attend. The event will be limited to 500 people on a first come, first serve basis.

COVID resources

• Project Recovery, cost-free phone counseling for navigating stress 

• 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.