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One Team - Many Seasons: Understanding the Complexity of Madison Streets Services

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Every season brings a different challenge for Madison's Streets Division.

Residents often see one service at a time: garbage day, leaf collection, snow plowing, street sweeping, or brush pickup. What is less visible is that these services are performed by the same workforce, rotating throughout the year to meet changing seasonal needs.

Madison operates with a fixed workforce of approximately 175 budgeted Streets employees. On any given day, about 20 employees may be unavailable because of vacation, sick leave, family leave, training, or other absences. That means the actual available workforce is often closer to 155 employees.

Yet the work never stops.

A Fixed Workforce Serving a Growing City

Madison continues to grow, but the Streets Division still operates with a relatively fixed workforce.

Rather than maintaining separate crews for every seasonal task, employees rotate between assignments throughout the year.

This approach provides flexibility and allows the City to deliver dozens of services using one dedicated team.

It also means that weather events, employee absences, and seasonal demands can quickly affect schedules.

This informatics attempts to capture the complexity of the work at hand.

One Team, Many Responsibilities

  • 155 Staff Out of 175 fixed budgeted staff

    About 20 employees may be unavailable because of vacation, sick leave, family leave, training, or other absences.

    These services continue regardless of weather, season, or emergencies.

  • 34 Staff Routine collection services

    Garbage collection

    Recycling collection

    Large item pickup

     

  • 30 Staff Other essential functions

    Drop-off sites, Urban forestry operations, Transfer stations

    Right-of-way & Cart maintenance, Graffiti removal

    Parks work-sharing assignments

The Challenge of Seasonal Work

  • Workforce

    As the seasons change, employees rotate to where they are needed most.

    The same employees perform many of these jobs throughout the year.

  • Spring

    Spring brings yard waste collection, brush pickup, stump work, and street sweeping.

  • Summer

    Summer focuses on mowing, street repairs, tree work, and brush collection.

  • Fall

    Is the City's largest seasonal operation: leaf collection.

  • Winter

    Shifts large portions of the workforce to snow and ice operations.

Why Leaf Collection Is So Complicated

Leaf collection may appear simple from the curb, but it is one of the most complicated operations the Streets Division performs.

During October, approximately 70 employees are assigned to leaf collection. In November, that number grows to approximately 86 employees.

At the same time, the City must continue:

  • Garbage collection
  • Recycling collection
  • Large item pickup
  • Transfer station operations
  • Street sweeping
  • Tree work
  • Emergency response
  • Equipment maintenance

In November alone, staffing demands can include:

  • 86 employees collecting leaves
  • 15 employees street sweeping
  • 5 employees performing street repairs
  • 34 employees collecting garbage, recycling, and large items
  • More than 30 employees supporting other essential services

These demands can exceed the number of employees available on a given day.

When Winter Arrives Early

Leaf collection becomes even more difficult because it occurs during Wisconsin's most unpredictable weather season.

Early snowstorms often arrive before all leaves have fallen.

When winter storms occur, employees assigned to leaf collection must immediately transition to snow and ice operations. Streets must prioritize:

  • Keeping roads open
  • Treating icy conditions
  • Clearing snow routes
  • Responding to emergencies

Leaf routes may be delayed, interrupted, or adjusted because public safety becomes the highest priority.

This is why leaf collection schedules sometimes change after major weather events.

How Residents Can Help

Residents can play an important role in reducing pressure on fall collection operations.

Compost Leaves at Home

Leaves can be composted in backyard bins or used as mulch around gardens and trees.

Mulch Leaves with a Lawn Mower

Shredded leaves return nutrients to lawns and reduce the volume that must be collected.

Use Leaves in Garden Beds

Leaves provide insulation and organic material for gardens and landscaping.

Bring Leaves to Drop-Off Sites

Residents can transport leaves directly to Streets Division drop-off sites during the fall season.

Reduce Yard Waste

Leaving grass clippings on lawns and composting organic materials helps reduce collection demands.

One Team. Many Tasks. One Goal.

Behind every garbage cart, leaf pile, snowstorm, and swept street is the same dedicated workforce.

The Streets Division adjusts continuously throughout the year to meet changing seasonal needs, respond to weather events, and maintain essential services for residents.

The work changes with the seasons, but the goal remains the same:

Keeping Madison clean, safe, and moving forward every day of the year.

Streets Stats
StreetsnSeasons
Image credit: Thanks to Bryan Johnson & Charlie Romines for providing the data and the time to answer all my questions.

It is my sincere hope that this blog helps put into perspective the complexity of the services provided by the Streets Division. Putting this blog together was a fun learning experience, but no easy task, and it would not have been possible without the many conversations I had with a couple of seasoned Streets veterans who patiently answered my countless questions.

Please join me in extending an enormous thank you for their knowledge, guidance, and support.

The Streets & Urban Forestry website is an excellent source of information about services, schedules, and seasonal operations. I encourage everyone to subscribe to their updates and stay informed throughout the year.

Gracias for reading and sharing! Yannette

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Portrait of Alder Yannette Figueroa Cole

Alder Yannette Figueroa Cole

District 10
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