City Meetings and Updates Week of March 9

• City Meetings:
  • Common Council 3/10
  • Board of Public Works 3/10
  • Board of Park Commissioners 3/11
• East District Coffee with a Cop with Officers and Leadership 3/10
• Next Olbrich Botanical Gardens Planning Meeting 3/17
• Events & Announcements

City Meetings

Common Council

The Common Council meeting will take place on Tuesday, March 10, at 6:30 p.m. in hybrid format. Agenda items include:

• Item 2: An honoring resolution proclaiming April 26, 2026 as World Migratory Bird Day 2026 in the City of Madison.
• Item 14: A resolution calling for a Public Health Comprehensive Needs Assessment for use of Opioid Settlement Funds. I’m a cosponsor and have been working with Alders Sabrina Madison and Julia Matthews on this issue. This resolution is on the agenda for introduction and adoption in the same night. The resolution asks for an alternative, data-driven way to determine how Dane County uses its Opioid Settlement Funds - rather than the previous process which recommended funding for a proposal that raised significant concerns and harmed public trust. Note: the Opioid Settlement Subcommittee of the Dane County Health and Human Needs Committee meets on Monday night and has an opportunity then to take the action requested by this resolution. If they do so, the sponsors of this resolution may choose not to introduce it at Tuesday's Council meeting. Fingers crossed. 
• Item 35: A resolution approving plans for public improvements (utilities, infrastructure) as part of the Reiland Grove subdivision at 6004 Commercial Ave in District 3. 
• Item 38: A resolution declaring the City of Madison’s intention to exercise its police powers establishing the Milwaukee Street & Sprecher Road Traffic Signal Assessment District. 

• Item 76: A resolution indicating the City of Madison’s willingness to annex the Southeast side April Hills subdivision of Blooming Grove, which is scheduled to attach to Madison with other nearby parts of Blooming Grove in 2027 (I'm a cosponsor). The residents of April Hills gave notice of their intent to circulate a petition to annex into McFarland instead, triggering a Wisconsin Department of Administration review of which municipalities are best suited to extend urban services and how best to draw a continuous municipal boundary shape. This thorough staff memo from Planning Director Meagan Tuttle provides more background and detail. 

  

  Image credit: Madison Economic Development Division

• Item 83: A resolution adding $4.0 million in TID 44-supported GO borrowing and authorizing the execution of a Purchase & Sale Agreement for the City to acquire property for the purposes of land banking in the unfinished Royster Oaks neighborhood on the East Side, located just west of District 3 along Cottage Grove Road.
• Item 86: A resolution amending the 2026 City Operating Budget to appropriate $70k from reserve to fund the Water, Stormwater, and Sewer Utility portions of the MadCAP program for the remainder of 2026. This is because last year the Wisconsin public Service Commission decided not to allow the City to continue funding the MadCAP program from municipal bill revenues. MadCAP provides eligible households with a monthly credit of up to $300 on the Municipal Services Bill. Find more information about MadCAP here and see if you qualify.

Meeting info:

• Meeting Details
• Meeting Agenda
• Register for Public Comment
• Watch Online

Board of Public Works

The Board of Public Works meeting will take place on Wednesday, March 11, at 4:30 p.m. in virtual format. Agenda items include two items in District 3: ‘

• Item 5: A public hearing on a resolution establishing a special assessment district for the traffic signals coming to Milwaukee Street and Sprecher Road bordering District 3. Per the resolution, the purpose of the assessment district “is to install, operate and maintain traffic signal improvements at the intersection of Milwaukee Street & Sprecher Road”. These long-awaited traffic signals will be installed in late summer 2026.  

Image credit: City Engineering

• Items 15 and 16: are resolutions approving plans and specifications for public improvements to take place as part of Phase 1 of the Reiland Grove subdivision in District 3, along with the planned stormwater improvements serving the area. The planned improvements include city streets, alleys, sidewalks, utilities, and a new mixed-use path. It looks like about 60 homes are included in phase 1, which is on the western end of the overall Reiland Grove subdivision.

Meeting info:

• Meeting Details
• Meeting Agenda
• Register for Public Comment
• Watch Online

Board of Park Commissioners

The Board of Park Commissioners meeting will take place on Wednesday, March 11 at 6:30 p.m. in virtual format. Agenda items include:

• Item 11: A resolution commemorating the 56th anniversary of Earth Day on April 22, 2026, to proclaim April 25, 2026, as Earth Day Challenge Day, and to encourage citizen participation in the clean-up events at City of Madison Parks. Here’s the Madison Parks webpage with more information and a volunteer registration link. 

  

  Image credit: Madison Parks
• Item 18: A resolution affirming the acquisition of new parkland located at 514 Pinney Street for the future Royster Park in the Royster-Oaks neighborhood east of District 3. Note: this ¾-acre parcel is included in the group of property acquisitions included in Legistar #92015, which is on Tuesday’s Council agenda. 
• Item 22: An informational presentation from Parks staff regarding potential improvements at Odana Hills Golf Course and Park. This represents an exciting new partnership between Madison family Michael and Jocelyn Keiser and the Madison Parks Foundation, supporting a project to reimagine, redesign, and reconstruct Odana Hills Golf Course. Here’s the Madison Parks press release announcing the news. And here’s a Parks staff memo.

Meeting info:

• Meeting Details
• Meeting Agenda
• Register for Public Comment
• Watch Online

East District Coffee with a Cop with Officers and Leadership on Tuesday

From East District MPD: 

“Officers working in the Madison Police Department's East District hope to connect with community members over coffee on Tuesday.

The event gives community members a chance to speak directly to officers and MPD leadership.

There is no cost to attend and anyone, including those who do not live in the East District, are invited to attend. 

Here are the details for the upcoming event. 

March 10
Pinney Library Branch
9:30-11 a.m.”

Next Olbrich Botanical Gardens Planning Meeting 3/17

Thank you to everyone who joined the first Olbrich Botanical Garden comprehensive planning public workshops in January as part of their effort to gather community input for the ongoing comprehensive master planning process.

The next in-person public workshops will be held at Olbrich on Tuesday, March 17, at both noon or 6 p.m. (identical sessions - pick the time that works best for your schedule). 

This workshop will consist of a short presentation from the design team on the initial proposed design scenarios, followed by small group Q&A and feedback sessions. Participants are welcome to bring children - there will be a kids' area with coloring sheets and light snacks will be provided. 

Registration is appreciated but not required. Here’s the link to register.

Here’s the project website with much more information. 

Here’s a link to an online survey!

Image credit: Olbrich Botanical Gardens

Events and Announcements 

• Women in Construction Profile 2026: Laura Amundson: Looking at a drafting document, you see black lines, perfect measurements, important proportions and a lot of detail for a new project or space. What you don't see is the person doing the drawing, or the journey to become the person in charge of drafting, designing, or even completing the project.  Someone like Engineering's Project Manager and Architect Laura Amundson.  [posted March 6, 2026]
• Absentee Ballots Arriving Earlier for Dane County Voters: Dane County municipal clerks will have access to absentee ballots more than a week earlier than last year's Spring election. [posted March 6, 2026]
• Reimagining and Reinvesting in Odana Hills Golf Course: The City of Madison Parks Division is excited to announce a new partnership with Michael and Jocelyn Keiser and the Madison Parks Foundation. Through the Keisers' philanthropic vision and generous donation, we have an opportunity to reimagine… [posted March 6, 2026]
• Rainy Friday, Urban Flash Flooding Possible Thanks to Frost: The chances of minimal flash flooding are possible because the frost in the ground has not fully thawed yet this season, which means less water can soak into the ground. [posted March 6, 2026]
• Meet 2026 Women in Construction Week Profile: Liz Callin: While most of typical construction is about to-do lists from planning before and completing a punch list post build, the most important part on City of Madison Principal Transportation Planner Liz Callin's list is living. [posted March 5, 2026]
• Street Sweeping During the Overnight Hours Begins Sunday, March 8, 2026: Starting on the evening of Sunday, March 8, 2026, the Streets Division will begin overnight sweeping operations in addition to the normal daytime street sweeping work. One shift of operators will be sweeping from 10pm to 6am when the weather allows… [posted March 5, 2026]
• Madison Fire Announces Firefighter/EMT Recruitment Open Houses: MFD will be accepting applications for Firefighter/EMT soon. In anticipation, the department will host a variety of recruitment open houses to help interested candidates prepare for the process. YOU can be a Madison firefighter/EMT! [posted March 4, 2026]
• Meet Women in Construction 2026 Profile: Karime Grajales-Patton: Observing for the minimum, may be required for Chapter 27 of the Madison General Ordinances when deciding if a building is safe enough to occupy, but if you've ever met City of Madison Building Inspection Code Enforcement Officer Karime Grajales-Patton, minimum doesn't come to mind—she goes the extra. [posted March 4, 2026]
• Meet 2026 Women in Construction Week Profile: Shelley Johnson: While Coach Jimmy Dugan in the movie "A Leage of Their Own," had a point, Parks Division Leadworker Shelley Johnson may also add, the "hard" is also rewarding. [posted March 3, 2026]
• Madison sees drop in violent crime in 2025: The City of Madison experienced a drop in violent and property crimes in 2025.The drop comes as the Madison Police Department continues its focus on community outreach and data-driven patrol strategies. "By using incident-related data, we can… [posted March 2, 2026]
• Madison Launching the Third Year of the Building Energy Savings Program (BESP): In 2026, owners of commercial buildings over 25,000 square feet are required to benchmark their energy use by June 30. [posted March 2, 2026]
• Meet 2026 Women in Construction Week Profile: Jamie Nichols: On a sunny winter day, echoes a big grinding sound cutting through sharp winds over desolate brown Yahara Golf Course greens. The root of the hard work is Streets Division Machine Operator Jamie Nichols. [posted March 2, 2026]
• Pick Up Free Seeds for Your Garden from Eight Madison Public Library Locations Beginning March 2: Madison Public Library’s popular Garden Seed Giveaway begins today on Monday, March 2 at eight library locations. [posted March 2, 2026] 
• Understanding Property Taxes - Connecting D7: Learning Together with Alder Badri Lankella, Monday, March 9: District 7 Alder Badri Lankella will continue his Lunch & Learn series on Monday, March 9th, from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM. Join us on Zoom for an informative hour with Michelle Drea from the Assessor's Office and David Schmiedicke from the Finance Department. They will explain the role of property assessments in determining property taxes.
• Spring Home Maintenance, Tuesday, March 10: Ready to tackle spring home maintenance like a pro? Our engaging course will empower you to confidently care for your home, inside and out! Learn essential skills, from maximizing your HVAC system efficiency and troubleshooting sump pump woes to prepping your roof and gutters for spring showers and revitalizing your outdoor spaces. 
• Better Together Health Fair, Thursday, March 12: Enjoy a day of connection, health, and community. Snacks and beverages provided.Please visit the City news webpage to find additional news and announcements and to subscribe to receive notification of news releases as they are posted.Additional upcoming events can also be found on the City events calendar.