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Common Council

Week of May 4th

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Dear District 16 Residents,

This month, I had the privilege of being sworn in for another term on the Common Council. I am extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to serve as the Alder for District 16, and I look forward to continuing to do so. This year, I will be serving on the Finance Committee, Transportation Commission and Equal Opportunities Commission.

I would like to welcome our two new alders, Ellen Zhang (District 8) and Noah Lieberman (District 14). I also want to congratulate Alders Sabrina Madison (District 17) and Carmella Glenn (District 18) on being elected Common Council President and Vice President.

Earlier this month, I joined the 1000 Friends of Wisconsin's Transportation Academy to discuss the impacts that the re-design of South Stoughton Road will have on all users and how we can improve pedestrian safety.

Sean at the 1000 Friends of Wisconsin Transportation Acadmey, talking about the re-design of US 51 South

I would like to extend my gratitude to the Elvehjem Neighborhood Association for inviting me to speak at your annual meeting. I had a wonderful time recapping what we have been able to accomplish together over the last year and look ahead to what's next. It was great to see so many familiar faces and meet new neighbors as well.

Ive loved seeing so many of you out and about, if there are community events happening you think I should be aware of please feel free to let me know. As always, please don't hesitate to reach out. I'm eager to hear from you!

-Sean 

Budget Engagement Sessions

Budget season is once again upon us. The city will be hosting several public engagement sessions on the budget process. These serve as an important way for Alders and city officials to hear directly from the public on what they would like to see in the city budget for 2027.

Justice & Public Safety
Departments: City Attorney, Department of Civil Rights, Fire, Municipal Court, Office of Independent Police Monitor, Police,  Public Health. 
When: June 2nd 6:00-8:00pm 
Where: Central Library  

City Facilities & Services
Departments: City Assessor, City Clerk, Employee Assistance Program, Engineering, Fleet, Human Resources, Information Technology, Public Library, Monona Terrace,  Parks, Streets & Urban Forestry, Water Utility 
When: June 11th 6:00-8:00pm
Where: Memorial Highschool

Planning & Transportation
Departments: Building Inspection, Community Development Authority, Community Development Division, Economic Development Division, Metro, Planning, Parking, Traffic Engineering  
When: June 24th 6:00-8:00pm 
Where: Warner Park Community Recreation Center

District 16 Park Development Plan Meetings

The City of Madison Parks Department will be hosting a series of virtual public input sessions for the Southeast Park Development Plan process. The meetings will include an overview of the planning effort's goals, a review of the neighborhood parks included, and an opportunity for area residents and park visitors to share their thoughts on future park improvements. The engagement sessions in District 16 will happen on: 

Tuesday May 12th, 6:30-8:30pm: Session 1 Evening Open House: 

Thursday May 28th, 11:30-1:00pm: Session 2 Noon Open House

Please make sure you RSVP ahead of time! 

Elvehjem Neighborhood Water Pipe Repair Project

The City of Madison Water Utility will be repairing water pipes in the Elvehjem Neighborhood. The following streets will be affected: Woodvale Dr/Ferris Ave (from Acewood Ave to Eldorado Ln), Marg St, Meredith Ave/Timothy Ave (from Acewood Ave to Eldorado Ln). There will be NO assessment or residential fee associated with this project.

Elvehjem Waterpipe Construction Map

This project was recently approved by the board of public works, and will be coming before the council for approval. The project is expected to begin in June and run through October. There will be minor street construction, roads will be open with some through traffic restrictions.  There will be several small excavations that will be fenced and well-marked. You can learn more about the project and follow along on the project web page here. 

MMSD Building for the Future 

The Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD) invites families, students, staff and community members to join us for upcoming “Building for the Future" engagement sessions.

This important, multi-year effort will guide how we plan for future enrollment, review attendance areas and ensure our schools align with Madison's continued growth. Your voice is a critical part of this process. To learn more and best prepare for the session, please visit our website(external).

The "Building for the Future" plan will allow MMSD to: 

  1. Assess current school attendance areas and MMSD's district boundary.
  2. Establish attendance areas where development is occurring in areas near land owned by MMSD.
  3. Evaluate current programs and options.
  4. Understand what our families value for their child's educational experience.

Boundary vs. Attendance Area

A boundary refers to a district's overall boundary, whereas the territory served by a given school is the attendance area.

Examples include:

  • Boundary - MMSD vs. Middleton Cross Plains
  • Attendance Area - East High School attendance area

No decisions have been made. We are in the input phase and want to hear directly from you. To do so there will be a series of upcoming Community meetings starting Monday may 4th. You can find a full list of events on the webpage here. 

Amtrak from Madison To Milwaukee

Hiawatha West Corridor
Image credit: Amtrack

Amtrak recently hosted a public information meeting to discuss the future of passenger rail from Madison to Milwaukee. They have expressed the need to have a rail line from Madison to Milwaukee sooner than later, starting with minimal service and ramping up across multiple phases. The current timeline hopes to have rail start by 2030; however, this is dependent on many factors that are out of the control of the city.

If you would like to watch the public information meeting, you can do so here. The discussion of financing the project begins at minute forty-five and the discussion of the timeline begins at minute fifty.

This is a project that I am extremely supportive of. It is well past time that Madison has a passenger rail connection to Milwaukee and beyond. I look forward to helping our Transportation Department however I can to make this project a reality. But our state leaders need to hear from residents. Please be sure to reach out to your legislators and ask them to support bringing passenger rail to Madison. 

Updates and Notices

Boards, Commissions, and Committee Meetings

Note: This is not a complete list of meetings for this upcoming week. All meetings and their details can be found at the Meeting Schedule page.

  • Common Council: The Common Council meeting will take place on Tuesday, May 5, at 6:30 p.m. in hybrid format. Agenda items of interest include:
    • Item #27 - Approving roadway geometry for Regent Street (Randall Ave.to Park St.). This is being re-refered to the transportation commission for a resoloution in the different recommendation from Board of Public Works and Transportation Commissions due to the ordinance change that occured recently. 
    • Item #42 - Allowing MPD to accept an eight month Gun Violence Prevention Grant from the newly formed State Office of Violence Prevention. ( I am a sponsor)
    • Item #64 - FOR INTRODUCTION ONLY: The first introduction of the Southeast Area Plan Recommendations. This begins the final review of the Southeast Area Plan recommendations. From here it will go to a series of boards and committees for final approval and then back to the Common Council for final adoption. ( I am a sponsor) 
  • Board of Public Works: The Board of Public Works meeting will take place on Wednesday, May 6, at 4:30 p.m. in virtual format. Agenda items include authorizing engineering services for the Wingra Proper Watershed Study.

If you would like more information about becoming a member of a City board, commission, or committee, please visit the page linked here.

  • MPD Community Conversation - Central District, Monday, May 4: Meet the officers serving the downtown area of Madison during this town hall discussion. Central District Captain Kipp Hartman and Madison Police Chief John Patterson will be available to answer questions and address community concerns about public safety.
  • West Towne Pond Improvements, Tuesday, May 5: The project consists of improvements to the existing West Towne Detention Basin on Madison's west side.  The primary goal of these improvements is to increase the stormwater storage capacity of the detention pond, thereby reducing future peak stormwater flood elevations in the area. Registration is required.

Announcements and News Releases

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.

Events

  • Wright Design Series - When a Barn Isn't Really a Barn: Design Through Discovery, Tuesday, May 5: Paula Verboomen will explore how curiosity, deep listening, and iteration reveals clients' true needs. With this understanding, and a holistic approach to design, architectural solutions are a natural extension of the client and offer delight in unexpected ways. Her presentation will focus on a range of projects spanning her career, bringing to life her client-centric and collaborative approach.
  • FOOT Madison Irish Set Dance, Wednesday, May 6: Looks like we'll have a little more time to enjoy the wonderful dance floor in historic Normal Hall (the building we've incorrectly been calling the Olin Park Pavilion). Madison's Parks Division has delayed its renovations projects for a while, so we now can have a spring FOOT-Loose Dance Series.
  • Open House - Odana Hills Golf Course and Park, Wednesday, May 6 - 6:00pm - 8:00pm and Thursday, May 7 - 11:00am - 1:00pm: The City of Madison Parks Division is excited for the 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, redesign and reconstruct Odana Hills Golf Course.
  • Free Homebuyer Education Class (in person), Saturday, May 9: Take the first step to owning a home and join us in this Home Buyer Education Workshop. This FREE Homebuyer Education workshop takes place in-person at a Madison area location to be determined on Saturday, May 9, 8:30 am – 3:30 pm! Lunch will be provided. Our first-time home buying workshops cover the following… 
  • Let's Get Growing, Saturday, May 9: Join the Dane County Cancer Coalition for Let's Get Growing, supporting cancer prevention and care programs.
  • Bird & Nature Adventures | Owen, Saturday, May 9: World Migratory Bird Day for Kids ~ Join Rebecca Gilman for a Kid-friendly Bird and Nature Walk as we look for migratory birds and learn about ways to help them during migration.  
  • Bird & Nature Adventures | Turville Point, Sunday, May 10: Month of Maying ~ Birds do it, bees do it, even educated fleas do it, let's do it, let's fall in love!  Join Naturalist Kathlean Wolf for a free fun family friendly outing to enjoy Spring birds, bugs, flowers, and the burst of life occurring around you.

Additional upcoming events can also be found on the City events calendar.

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Portrait of Alder Sean O'Brien

Alder Sean O'Brien

District 16
Contact Alder O'Brien