City Meetings and Updates Week of March 16

• City Meetings: 
  • Finance Committee 3/16
  • Plan Commission 3/16
  • Common Council Discussion on Sustainability Initiatives
  • Transportation Commission
• Spring Yard Waste and Brush Collection Dates Available
• Madison Saw Drop in Violent Crime in 2025
• Reminder: Olbrich Botanical Gardens Planning Workshops 3/16 (In-Person) and 3/19 (Virtual)
• Events & Announcements

City Meetings

Finance Committee

The Finance Committee meeting will take place on Monday, March 16, at 4:30 p.m. in virtual format. Agenda items include a resolution adding funds to the contract for the Starkweather Creek Watershed Study. Staff shared that the level of detail going into this watershed model, combined with the fact that the Starweather watershed is the largest in the City, means that there’s more work yet to be done than they realized when writing the current contract. 

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

Plan Commission

The Plan Commission meeting will take place on Monday, March 16, at 5:30 p.m. in virtual format. Agenda items include development-related requests (none in District 3).

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

Common Council – Discussion of Sustainability Initiatives

The Common Council discussion will take place on Tuesday, March 17, at 6:00 p.m. in Room 201 of the City-County Building. This discussion will cover City of Madison sustainability initiatives in nine parts organized by topic:

1. Intro Slides_March2026_2.pdf
2. Efficiency Navigator_March2026.pdf,
3. Food Scraps Council Presentation.pdf
4. AirQuality_March2026_2.pdf,
5. Renewable Energy and Efficiency_March 2026.pdf,
6. Building Energy Savings Program_March 2026.pdf,
7. Decarb Fleet_20260317.pdf,
8. Mad Forestry Planting Update.pdf,
9. 2025 Sustainability Plan_Implementation Report.pdf

Meeting info:

• Meeting Details
• Meeting Agenda
• Watch Online

Transportation Commission

The Transportation Commission meeting will take place on Wednesday, March 18, at 5:00p.m. in virtual format. Agenda items include the annual review of Madison's Transportation Improvement Program, or TIP, by City Engineering. (This item may look familiar because the Transportation Commission planned to have this item at their March 4th meeting, but this got referred because of other lengthy topics at that first meeting.) 

The TIP shows each of City Engineering's street reconstruction, resurfacing, sidewalk repair, bridge repair, and ped/bike path projects over the next five years. Here's the staff presentation with a ton of good information.

Here are items in the proposed 2027-2032 TIP that are located in District 3:

• 2027: resurfacing of North Star Drive between Cottage Grove Road and Mclean Drive
• 2028: epoxy coating and bridge repair to the Cottage Grove Road bridge over the Interstate
• 2030: reconstruction of Felland Road between Comercial Ave/Co Hwy TT and Bridle Way; also, a potential new pedestrian/bike bridge over Stoughton Road just south of Hwy 30, in coordination with work related to WisDOT's North Stoughton Road project

Meeting info:

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

Spring Yard Waste and Brush Collection Dates Available

This will be highly-anticipated news given that there was so little time last fall between the end of the leaves falling and the Thanksgiving weekend snowstorm, resulting in many remaining leaf piles in neighborhoods:

• Spring Yard Waste Collection Set-Out Date Schedule for 2026 Now Available: The 2026 set-out date schedule for the Streets Division's springtime yard waste collection is now available on the yard waste website. When do I put out yard waste for pickup? Go to our yard waste website. Enter your address into the form. [posted March 2, 2026] 
• 2026 Brush Collection Schedule is Now Available: The 2026 set-out date schedule for the Streets Division's brush schedule pickup is now available on the brush collection website. Learn the Set-Out Dates for Your Neighborhood.... [posted March 10, 2026] 

Reminder: Olbrich Botanical Gardens Planning Workshops Tuesday (In-Person) and Thursday (Virtual) 

Image credit: Olbrich Botanical Gardens

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.

REMINDER: 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). 

Note: They've added another virtual workshop opportunity on Thursday, March 19th from 6-7pm - here's the link to that one. 

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 for the March 17th events.

Here’s the project website with much more information. 

Here’s a link to an online survey!

Madison Saw Drop in Violent Crime in 2025

Here are some excerpts from MPD’s recent news release on the drop in violent crime we saw in Madison 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 identify crime trends and direct resources more effectively," said Madison Police Chief John Patterson.

This approach has cleared the way for meaningful partnerships with public health departments, community organizations, mental health professionals and the Madison Metropolitan School District.”

The Data From MPD

• Shots Fired and Homicides: Last year, officers responded to 117 reports of gunshots being fired in our community. This is a 10.7-percent decrease compared to 2024. The number of shots fired incidents is also down more than 24 percent from the three-year average. MPD investigated five homicides in 2025 compared to seven in 2024. Officers have recovered 323 casings during these incidents from this past year, which is a 22.9-percent decrease compared to 2024.
• Burglaries: There were 406 burglaries in Madison last year, down more than 16 percent compared to the previous year. Burglaries are also down more than 42 percent compared to the three-year average.
• Robberies: Last year, 106 robbery cases were reported. This is a 2-percent decrease from those reported in 2024. Robberies remain down more than 14 percent compared to the three-year average.
• Stolen Autos: As a community, there were 284 vehicles reported stolen in 2025. These incidents were down nearly 24 percent compared to 2024. There was a 50-percent decrease in stolen autos compared to the three-year average. The City of Madison is currently seeing a spike in stolen auto cases in 2026. The majority of these incidents are occurring on the east and north sides of the city.
• Theft from Autos: There were 570 theft from auto incidents in 2025, down more than 23 percent from 2024. This is also a 19.3-percent decrease compared to the three-year average. The Madison Police Department encourages everyone in our community to remove valuables from their vehicle, lock their vehicles and when possible park in a garage or well-lit area.
• Opiate/Opioid Overdoses: Officers responded to 187 known opiate or opioid overdoses in 2025. This is down more than 16 percent compared to 2024 and nearly 28 percent compared to the three-year average. There were 19 suspected opiate or opioid overdose deaths in 2025, down nearly 39 percent compared to 2024. These figures only include opiate or opioid deaths with police involvement and clear evidence of an overdose. The Madison Police Department actively seeks opportunities to divert and deflect individuals from the justice system.
• Community Partnerships: The Madison Police Department believes this downward trend is the result of tighter collaboration with prevention partners. Officers connect monthly with one of those partners – Public Health Madison and Dane County's Violence Prevent Unit. "Community safety requires trust, collaboration and shared responsibility. Our partnership with Madison Police centers on supporting the people most impacted by violence," said Aurielle Smith, Director of Community Initiatives at Public Health Madison & Dane County. "This happens not just through response, but also through prevention, mediation, and connection to housing, employment and behavioral health resources. Together, we are investing in long-term safety and stability.”

Events & Announcements 

• Building a Greener Madison: Common Council Holds Discussion on the City's Sustainability Plan: The Madison Common Council will hold a discussion on City sustainability initiatives on Tuesday, March 17, 2026, from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM in Room 201 of the City-County Building. [posted March 13, 2026] 
• Street Closures for St. Patrick’s Day Parade: Multiple streets around the Capitol Square will be closed on Sunday, March 15th for the annual St. Patrick's Day Parade. Plan for extra time when traveling in the area. Beginning at 11:00am, the Capitol square and surrounding streets will close… [posted March 12, 2026] 
• New Central Drop-off Site at 1504 Quann-Olin Parkway Opens on April 11, 2026: The new centrally located drop-off site for the Streets Division will open on April 11, 2026.The address of the new location is 1504 Quann-Olin Parkway. [posted March 11, 2026] 
• Absentee Ballots Are in the Mail: The City of Madison Clerk's Office has begun mailing absentee ballots for the April 7, 2026, election. [posted March 10, 2026] 
• Rachel Darken Named Fleet Service Superintendent: Mayor Rhodes-Conway has appointed Rachel Darken as the City of Madison’s new Fleet Service Superintendent within the Public Works Department. [posted March 10, 2026] 
• Charlie Romines Named Public Works Director: Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway is pleased to announce the appointment of Charlie Romines to the position of Public Works Director. [posted March 10, 2026] 
• CARES Teams Acquire Long-Awaited Response Vehicles to Better Support People in Crisis: CARES will now respond to non-violent behavioral health emergencies in specialized Ford Transit vans outfitted to allow personalized care. [posted March 10, 2026] 
• MSCR & Madison Parks Hiring Fair, Wednesday, March 18: Madison Parks and MSCR are hiring seasonal staff in aquatics, maintenance, conservation and more! Attend a Hiring Fair at Parks Lakeside Offices and apply and interview onsite! Make this a summer to remember! 
• Learn & Ride: Junction Road Park & Ride, Thursday, March 19: Join Metro Transit staff to learn how to ride the bus, navigate routes and stops, and feel confident getting where you need to go with Metro!
• Bird & Nature Adventures | Starkweather Creek Area, Saturday, March 21: Equinox Walk ~ Join Noah Edelstein with Friends of Starkweather Creek for a free fun educational family friendly walk along easy paths to the beautiful Starkweather Creek greenway.

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.