Budget, Public Information Meetings, Events and Announcements

Hello neighbors,

In case you missed it, the 2023 Operating Budget has been released. This is in addition to the Capital Budget, which was released earlier. You are invited to review all budget information at https://www.cityofmadison.com/finance/budget/2023

In addition to public comment opportunities at Finance Committee and Council meetings over the next six weeks, there will be an upcoming virtual community session on the budget on Monday, October 24 at 5:30 PM. You can also review a recording of the community session that was held on October 13 at your leisure.

Upcoming Public Information Meetings:

• Thursday, October 20, 6pm – S. Owen Drive reconstruction (2023). Please register in advance for this online meeting.
• Monday, October 24, 6pm – Near West Watershed study. Please register in advance for this online meeting.
• Wednesday, November 9, 6:30pm – Board of Parks Commissioners consideration of changing Forest Hill Cemetery from a “dog friendly” park to a “dog free” park. Location to be announced. Please submit comments on this topic directly to PACommission@CityOfMadison.com by November 4.

Events:

• Friday, October 14, 4:30-8pm – Madison Night Market teams up with the Wisconsin Science Festival!
• Saturday, October 15, 10am – Friends of Hoyt Park work day. Meet in the parking lot to help collect native seeds. Come back to spread the seeds on November 19!
• Wednesday, October 19, 12-1pm - The Importance of Youth Engagement and Connection in Violence Prevention Efforts. Join this conversation with leaders in local community-based youth organizations as they discuss their work. Please register for this webinar in advance.
• Friday, October 21, 1:30-2:30pm- R. Richard (Dick) Wagner Park Dedication. R. Richard Wagner Park (formerly Kerr-McGee Triangle Park), 728 Jenifer St. The community is invited to join U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin, Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway, Alder Michael Verveer and friends as we honor the legacy of Dick Wagner in a park dedication ceremony.
• Monday, October 24, 5:30pm – Unity in the Community Yes We Vote rally for public education funding. Meet at the State Street steps of the Capitol. This is a rally to educate, celebrate, and align communities towards action in support of Wisconsin’s schools.  
• Thursday, October 27, 12-1pm - Domestic and Intimate Partner Violence "101". This session will teach participants at all levels the prevalence of domestic and intimate partner violence, how to recognize signs of intimate partner violence, how to support friends and loved ones experiencing this type of violence, and the variety of services Domestic Abuse Intervention Services (DAIS) has to offer in the community. Please register for this webinar in advance.
• Multiple October dates- Teejop & Beyond: Celebrating Native Nations of the Great Lakes. Join a variety of Native artists, storytellers, and community leaders for a series of programs celebrating Indigenous people in and beyond Teejop through the Madison Public Library.

Announcements

• Leaf collection: Please review when leaf collection is scheduled for your address using the City’s interactive site. Note that ONLY leaves will be collected over the next several weeks - brush collection is over until spring of 2023.
• October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. Get screened if you are eligible!
• The second annual Civics Games editorial and cartoon contest is open to middle and high school students through October 24th.
• The Community Development Division (CDD) offers financial assistance to owners of certain rental properties, through the Rental Rehabilitation Loan Program, to help them upgrade or make needed improvements to their properties. CDD staff are seeking rental property owners to complete a survey to provide information that will help evaluate and improve the existing program. Please respond by October 25th.
• Healthy Communities Fund applications are due November 11. Local organizations and programs that are working to address health and racial equity in our community are invited to apply. 
• The Culinary Ladies Collective fall cookie grab is available now! Proceeds support organizations working for reproductive access.
• 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.
• Volunteers sought for Urban League of Greater Madison’s Reclaim Your Vote campaign. Volunteers are sought for canvassing, phone and text banking, and driving voters to the polls.
• Jeffrey Clay Erlanger Award: The City of Madison invites you to submit nominations for its annual Jeffrey Clay Erlanger Civility in Public Discourse Award by October 31.
• ane 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.
  • 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, traffic fatalities are up 7% compared to 2021. 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. Even more astounding is that fatalities and serious injury crashes are down 29% in the first half of 2022. These promising statistics tell us that the citywide Vision Zero project improvements are making a difference!

Be well,

Regina Vidaver