Common Council

Week of Feb 6: In person voting starts Tuesday, Black History Month, Dane County Housing Survey, and more

In-person voting for the spring primary starts on Tuesday, Black History Month at the Madison Library, Coffee with a Cop Feb 21st, Dane County Housing Survey closing soon, and other city meetings, events, and announcements

• Spring Primary: in-person voting starts Tuesday
• Celebrate Black History Month at Madison Public Libraries
• Some disappointing news on Federal funding for Madison Safe Streets
• Save the Date: Coffee with a Cop Feb 21st
• Dane County Community Housing Survey: survey closes Feb 9th
• Other City Meetings, Events, and Announcements
   

Spring Primary Election

In-Person Absentee Voting Starts Tuesday in Madison: In-person absentee voting for the Spring Primary Election will begin Tuesday, Feb. 7, at several locations throughout the City of Madison. In district 3, we'll have three items on our primary ballot: State Supreme Court, Madison Mayor, and District 3 Alder. (In the District 3 Alder race one candidate has withdrawn, however, their name will still be on the ballot.)

The Dane County League of Women Voters has information about the election, links to candidates and their websites, and a set of questions for each candidate for all of the races on our spring primary ballot.

https://www.lwvdanecounty.org/candidates-answers-spring-primary-2023

Celebrate Black History Month at Madison Public Library

February is Black History Month, an annual celebration of the achievements by African Americans and a time to honor the central role of black Americans throughout history and in the present day. For a full list of events, displays and activities, visit the Madison Public Library's Black History Month page.

Traffic Safety federal funding: disappointing news

I'm sorry to report that Madison was not selected as a full awardee in the Federal Government's Safe Streets For All (SS4A) program. We did receive a $267K planning grant, which is much appreciated, but our full $20 million request was not selected in this round. In looking ahead, there will be another round of SS4A grants later in 2023. In discussing this with City staff, the consensus is that Madison is still well-positioned to be funded in this Federal program, and the existing $4M that the City has in our 2023 budget to use as the matching funds for the program should be preserved so we can apply for the program again later this year. Therefore, I'm not going to try to amend the budget to spend this money now. A future Council can decide to revisit this idea should Madison not be funded in the second round of the program. 

I'm very proud of the proposal that Traffic Engineering has put together and I'm hopeful we'll get good news later this year!

Save the date - Coffee with a Cop Feb 21st

From our Neighborhood Officer, Alexa Graham:
 

Hello!  We will have our monthly 'Coffee with a Cop', at the East District Station (809 S Thompson Dr.) in the front community room. Coffee will be provided for those who join us! For this event and future Coffee with a Cop events we will be continuing our efforts of adjusting when we hold our event to allow for more flexibility across the community. My hope is by adjusting the time for our Coffee with a Cop event we can fit more individual's schedules. Our next coffee day is scheduled on Tuesday, February 21st, 2023 from 11:00am-12:00pm. Please feel free to stop in at any time to participate. Parking is available in the front lot of EPD. Please do not pass the fence line or park near the squads. Should the lot run out of parking spaces street parking is available as well as along a side of the EPD driveway. Please do not block the driveway as officers will need to come and go to address calls for service in the community.  As usual, we are excited about this opportunity and ask that you spread the word to anyone who might be interested in this community event.  If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to email me at agraham@cityofmadison.com.

I am excited to share we will have a special guest for this event! Here is a hint: four legs. 

Click here for the Zoom info

Dane County Community Housing Survey

We need your help! Dane County is home to a thriving economy, vibrant communities, abundant natural resources, and residents who enjoy a high quality of life! Yet, we are experiencing an extreme housing shortage, people can't find housing, and thousands of Dane County residents--our neighbors, coworkers, and family members--are struggling to stay in their homes while affording basic necessities. By working together to build on local efforts and assess ongoing challenges, we can take the next steps to expedite the development and preservation of affordable and workforce housing. 

Let's take the next step together! Click Here to take this 10-minute Community Housing Survey to share your thoughts on housing and affordability for our community. All participants will be entered into a raffle to win a $25 gift card. Paper surveys with self-addressed envelopes can be made available by contacting the project team at parry@countyofdane.com. The survey will remain open through Feb. 9.

Meetings

Common Council Meeting: The Common Council will meet in hybrid format, Tuesday, February 7, 2023 at 6:30 PM. Agenda items include recognizing and celebrating February 2023 as Black History Month in the City of Madison and around the United States.

• Meeting details
• Meeting agenda
• Written Comments
• Watch online

Events

• Food: A Cultural Culinary History: Mondays, 1:30 – 3:30 pm, February 13 – May 1, explores the history of how we have produced, cooked and consumed food through the ages. Shows the cultures of the world and the foods that have affected history. 
• Voices of Color: Hosted by Melvin Hinton. On February 16 at 10:00, we welcome Dr. Linda Vakunta, Deputy Mayor.
• Family Fun Night Fun at WPCRC! Friday, February 10, 2023 - 5:30pm to 8:00pm: Make plans for Family Fun Night, held monthly at Warner Park Community Recreation Center.

Announcements

• Metro Transit Celebrates Transit Equity Day : On Saturday, February 4, Metro Transit joined with organizations throughout the country in promoting public transit as both a civil right and a strategy to combat climate change.
• Monona Terrace Call for Sculpture Artist Submissions: The Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center in Madison, WI is soliciting submissions for its 2023 sculpture exhibition.
• Call for Artists: Exhibition Application for Madison Public Library 2023-2024: The Bubbler at Madison Public Library is looking for artists to display their art in Madison's libraries from summer 2023 through summer 2024 through a new selection process that will set exhibitions in all libraries for t
• City's Partnership with Project Home Will Lead to More Home Renovations for Low-to-Moderate Income Families: Having partnered with the City of Madison for years to help low-to-moderate income families affordably rehabilitate their homes, Project Home is excited to lead the way in supporting even more residents make both minor and major home repairs.
• A New Way to Step into the Infrastructure Industry: The City of Madison Engineering Division has a new infrastructure program, Madison Infrastructure Training - Engineering Program, also known as the MI-TE Program.
• From the Mayor: Stay Informed with Madison's NEW Vision Zero Quarterly Newsletter
• News and Events From Madison Parks: Ice Skating Update and Free Events
• Lake Monona Waterfront Design Challenge: Take the Survey: The three design teams have presented their vision for Madison's Lake Monona Waterfront. See the proposals, watch the recorded presentations and take the survey!
• Next John Nolen Drive Public Information Meeting: Feb. 23 - The City of Madison invites the community to the next public information meeting for the upcoming reconstruction for John Nolen Drive.
• The 2023 Neighborhood Grant Program is Open! The guidelines and application are now on the City's webpage! See the News Story for more info. Applications are due Feb. 20 by 4:30 p.m.