Common Council

UPDATED BUDGET INFO MEETING LINKS - Week of Oct 10: Coffee with a cop, US 51 public meeting, Erlanger Award, and mroe

This is the first time I've ever updated a blog post so I'm not sure what's going to happen, but if you're getting this email, it's because the budget meeting links were wrong in my original post and I've updated them. There are some upcoming City budget public information meetings on Oct 13th and 24th, and when I posted this on Saturday, I had the wrong links. I've deleted the old info and put the new info at the top of the post:
 

Virtual community sessions on the 2023 budget: The city's budget for 2023 will be debated and adopted by the Common Council in November. In addition to public comment opportunities at Finance Committee and Council meetings over the next six weeks, there will be two virtual community sessions on the budget. City Finance staff will provide background information on the city's capital and operating budget process, including highlights of the 2023 executive budget.  This is a great opportunity for residents to learn more about our city's budget.  Electronic copies of budget information can be found at www.cityofmadison.com/finance/budget/2023. Virtual community sessions on the 2023 budget will be held on Thursday, October 13, and Monday, October 24.  Both meetings will start at 5:30 PM and end at 7:00 PM. 

• Join the October 13 virtual community session
• Live stream the October 13 virtual community session
• Join the October 24 virtual community session
• Live stream the October 24 virtual community session

[EVERYTHING BELOW HERE IS UNCHANGED SINCE SATURDAY THE 8TH]

The October "Coffee with a Cop" session is on Tuesday, some highlights of what the City's doing on climate, the Jeffrey Erlanger Civility Award is open for nominations, and many other City meetings, events, and annoucements.

• "Coffee with a Cop" - Tuesday Oct 11th
• US 51 North Public Information Meeting Thursday Oct 13th
• Jeffrey Clay Erlanger Civility in Public Discourse Award nominations open
• Climate Action Spotlight - 15 Ways Madison is Leading on Climate
• City Meetings: Common Council, Board of Parks, Public Safety Review Committee, Urban Design Commission, and more
• Events: Madison Senior Center Health & Resource Fair, City Budget Public Information sessions, Fire Truck parade, Foundation for Black Women's Wellness input session, Wisconsin Book Festival
• Announcements: Brush Collection over & leaf collection starting, accessible ballot information from the City Clerk, DaneCORE rental assistance program, and some Vision Zero traffic safety information  

Coffee With a Cop - Tuesday Oct 11th from 10am-Noon

From our Neighborhood Officer Alexa Graham:

We will have our monthly 'Coffee with a Cop', that incorporates an in person option at The Madison Police East District Station (809 S Thompson Dr., Madison Wisconsin). There is also an alternative option to participate via a Zoom meeting link. Coffee will be provided for those who attend the in person. 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, October 11th, 2022 from 10:00am-12:00pm. Please feel free to stop in or join the Zoom meeting at any time you are able. I am excited to speak with everyone, both virtually and in person. Parking is available in the front lot of EPD. Please do not pass the traffic barriers 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.

For the Zoom link, please see the post on the MPD East website.

US 51 Public Information Meeting - Thurs Oct 13th 4-7pm

This is very early in the process and the point is to gather data and feedback, consider some design alternatives, and start environmental impact studies. There are no construction dates yet, and there probably won't be any until at least the end of the decade. WisDOT is starting with a blank slate, but past processes have included the possibility of turning the 51/151 intersection (Stoughton Road and East Wash) into a grade separated intersection, excavating 51 to pass underneath East Wash. 

WisDOT invites you to a public involvement meeting (PIM) introducing the US 51 (Stoughton Road) North environmental study. The meeting will be held in an open-house format and will include a recorded presentation and exhibits. It will also provide an opportunity to speak with study team members who can answer questions, provide information, and explain the study process. Additional information will be posted on the Public involvement North Study page as the study progresses.

Thursday, October 13th, 2022, 4 –7 p.m.
WisDOT Southwest Region Office
(Rock/Dane/Columbia Conference Rooms)
2101 Wright Street
Madison, WI 53704

https://wisconsindot.gov/Pages/projects/by-region/sw/us51-corridor/northpi.aspx

Jeffrey Clay Erlanger Award Nominations Open

The City of Madison invites you to submit nominations for its annual Jeffrey Clay Erlanger Civility in Public Discourse Award. This award honors Jeffrey Clay Erlanger, who was an individual of integrity, passion, intelligence and civility. Jeff understood that thoughtful and caring people could have very different views on how to best address our community's many complex issues and problems. Jeff, who died on June 10, 2007, spent a significant part of his life committed to public service, focusing on constructive advocacy and civil debate, fairness, openness and effective representation. He embraced the similarities that unite us. Find more information about the award and the nomination process here. Read the news release here.

I knew Jeff just a very little bit, and you may remember him when he introduced Mr. Rogers for his induction into the TV Hall of Fame, and this award is in my opinion one of the most important that we make in Madison.

Past winners:

Climate Action Spotlight – 15 Ways Madison is Leading on Climate

From the Mayor:

Climate action is currently receiving even more attention than usual, in part due to recent passage of both the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) that will provide unprecedented federal support for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, advancing environmental justice and improving resilience to the impacts of climate change.

So, many folks might be wondering what the City of Madison is up to on climate. I'm happy to share that we're taking action across the board and making big strides in reaching our goal of 100% renewable energy and net zero carbon emissions for City operations by 2030 and community-wide by 2050. Here's a roundup of just some of our climate-focused work.

Click here to read the list of 15 highlights.

City Meetings

• The Common Council will meet in hybrid format at 6:30pm on Tuesday, October 11.
  • Meeting details
  • Meeting agenda
  • Watch online
• Many other committees meet the week of October 10, including the Landmarks Commission, Urban Design Commission, Board of Public Works, Public Safety Review Committee, Equal Opportunities Commission, and more. To see the full list of City meetings scheduled for the week, please consult the City meeting schedule.

Events

• Madison Senior Center Health & Resource Fair: The Madison Senior Center's annual Health & Resource Fair is on Tuesday, October 11, 9am-11:30am, at the Senior Center, 330 W. Mifflin Street. Learn more about the event here, or call 608-266-6581 or email seniorcenter@cityofmadison.com for more information.
• Community Talk Back Series: Join the Foundation for Black Women's Wellness (FFBWW) at noon on October 11 for their Community Powered Policy Session to share your thoughts on the most pressing issues affecting Black women, children, and families. Your feedback will directly shape the policy recommendations included in their "Policy Blueprint for Black Women's Health: Black Women Deserve," which will be published as a resource and roadmap for policymakers and decision-makers across the nation. All community members are invited to attend the various sessions. Register here for the upcoming session or future sessions.
• 20th Annual Wisconsin Book Festival: The schedule for the 20th Anniversary Fall Celebration of the Wisconsin Book Festival has been released! Visit wisconsinbookfestival.org to see the full lineup for the 4-day celebration taking place October 13-16 and start saving the date for your favorites. Catch international best-selling author Andy Weir for Project Hail Mary, activist and advocate Brenda Myers Powell for Leaving Breezy Street, Reese's Book Club author Thrity Umrigar for Honor and many more!
• Fire truck parade: Please join the Madison Fire Department (MFD) on Sunday, October 9, at 1pm, for the annual Fire Truck Parade. For 2022, MFD has partnered with Downtown Madison to enhance the event with a fire safety scavenger hunt, fire-themed story walk, and deals and specials at downtown stores and restaurants.
• Walk-tober is back: For the third consecutive year, the City of Madison is promoting staying active this fall with a special month-long event, Walk-tober. This series of planned activities and events hopes to motivate the public to get out and walk during the month of October. The Walk-tober website provides weekly scheduled activities, walk suggestions, contests and a few collaborations (reading lists, nature walks and the "Walk or Wheel" challenge) with stakeholders around the city. You may also want to read about the 26th annual National Walk & Roll to School Day on October 12.

Announcements

• Brush collection is over for 2022: Madison residents should not place brush at the curb for pickup at this time. Opportunities to set out brush for curbside pickup are over until the spring of 2023. The Streets Division drop-off sites will accept brush from Madison residents. In order to use the sites, you will need to provide proof of residency. Residents are restricted to one trip daily, and the maximum amount of material that can be dropped in the one trip is equivalent to what would fit into the back of standard pickup truck bed or on a 5' x 8' trailer. Oversized loads will be denied use of the drop-off sites. Read more here.
• Accessibility to the ballot: The City of Madison Clerk's Office works to make sure that every eligible voter is able to cast a ballot and have that ballot counted. Making sure all voters know their options for casting a ballot is one way they try to reach that goal. Learn more about the several tools that Clerk's Office staff and election officials use to make sure voting is accessible in the City of Madison.
• Dane CORE 2.0 application portal: As of October 5, the Dane CORE 2.0 application portal has reopened. For anyone who submitted an application prior to September 15, your application is still being processed and there is no need to submit a new application. To view the status of your application, or to check for open tasks (meaning you may be missing documentation in your file), please log into Neighborly and review your submitted application. For new applications, including Additional Funding Requests, there are new program eligibility requirements. The new program requirements include:
  • Program benefits will be available only to those with household incomes at or below 50% of the County Median Income, which are the following limits: Household Size of 1 $40,400, Household Size of 2 $46,150, Household Size of 3 $51,900, Household Size of 4 $57,650, Household Size of 5 $62,300, see website for more.
  • The program will provide assistance only for past-due (unpaid) rents.
  • Only arrears accrued since July 1, 2021, will be eligible.
  • Limited assistance will remain available for forward/future rent payments, and only if paired with security deposit assistance.

To learn about program eligibility and to apply for Dane CORE 2.0, please visit www.danecore.org.

• Vision Zero: The final Vision Zero speed reduction for 2022 will occur on a portion of Segoe Road beginning on October 10. This area was selected due to the busy use for multi-modal street traffic, its proximity to a school and park, as well as lots of residents, restaurants and a large shopping area. The section of Segoe Road that will see the speed reduced to 25mph is from University Avenue to Odana Road, approximately 2.2 miles.

Nationally, a statistical analysis to the first quarter of 2022 shows that traffic fatalities are up 7% compared to 2021, which was already a high year for traffic fatalities. In contrast to the national trend, Madison crash data shows the total number of traffic crashes are down 5% for the first half of 2022, compared to the first half of 2021. Even more astounding is that fatalities and serious injury crashes are down 29% in the first half of 2022 compared to the first half of 2021. These promising statistics tell us that the citywide Vision Zero project improvements are making a difference!