City Meetings and Updates Week of September 7th
posted- City Meetings:
- Common Council 9/8
- Board of Park Commissioners 9/9
- City Services on Holiday Schedules Monday for Labor Day
- Fall Leaf Collection Dates Now Available Online
- North Star Neighborhood Food Cart Night 9/10
- Events & Announcements
City Meetings
Common Council
The Common Council meeting will take place on Tuesday, September 8, at 6:30 p.m. in hybrid format. Agenda items include:
- Item 1: A resolution appointing Devine Nzegwu as alder for District 1 to serve until the Spring 2027 election
- Item 2: An honoring resolution proclaiming 2026 to be National Recovery Month
- Item 59: A resolution amending the 2026 City Operating Budget to create a Willy Street Stabilization Fund to support businesses that were affected by the encampment at Willy and Baldwin. Initially proposed at $300k, the Finance Committee amended it down to $100k in a 4 to 2 vote by removing $200k of contingent reserve funds. The remaining $100k comes from reallocated underspending, and I worry may be used as a precedent for giving City Operating Budget money to businesses in the future when there are impacts from street closures.
- Item 60: A resolution amending the 2026 City Operating Budget to move $28,5000 from the contingent reserve to the Office of the Independent Monitor for additional staffing and service costs. In a heated meeting last Monday, the Finance Committee unanimously voted to recommend placing this item on file, meaning denial. In response to the challenges with the OIM, Council President Sabrina Madison asked City staff in the administrative agencies to prepare a memo summarizing those challenges and shared that memo with alders. You can find that memo here if interested.
Meeting info:
Board of Park Commissioners
The Board of Park Commissioners meeting will take place on Wednesday, September 9, at 6:30 p.m. in virtual format. Agenda items include:
- Item 11: A resolution approving a request from City Engineering to install Outdoor Warning Sirens in North Star Park in District 3 and in nearby Door Creek Park. After major storms, including earlier this year, I've gotten emails from a handful of North Star residents asking the City to work with Dane County Emergency Services to improve siren coverage in this new part of the City. Here is the Madison Parks staff presentation.
- Item 14: A resolution adopting the Southeast Area Park Development Plans. Here is the Madison Parks staff presentation showing the proposed final Park Development Plans. The first five pages are the five District 3 parks in the Southeast Plan area that are getting park development plans for the first time. Those are Heritage Heights Park, Honeysuckle Park, Onyx Park, McGinnis Park, and Portland Park. The plans show various improvements that Parks plans to budget for and add over roughly the next decade, including some equipment replacements, new park amenities, new paths, new managed meadows (prairie plans), etc. Here is the overall project webpage with a bunch more information. The Board of Park Commissioners has the final say over these plans.
Meeting info:
If you would like more information about becoming a member of the City board, commission, or committee, please visit the page linked here.
City Services on Holiday Schedules Monday for Labor Day
The City of Madison Administrative offices are closed for the Labor Day holiday. All emergency services will be open; please call 911.
- Emergency Water Issue: Call Madison Water Utility at 608-266-4665, 24/7.
- Sanitary Sewer Back-up: Call 608-266-4430. An emergency crew will respond to your call.
- Report a Problem: Report non-emergencies that can wait until the next City working day.
No Trash, Recycling, or Other Collections on Labor Day (9/7/26); Drop-off Sites Also Closed: The Streets Division will not perform trash, recycling, brush, or large item collection on Monday, September 7, 2026, in observance of the Labor Day holiday. The drop-off sites and offices will also be closed.
Monday collection day? Put carts out by 6:30am Tuesday (9/8/26).
Fall Leaf Collection Dates Now Available Online
The set out dates for the fall 2026 leaf and yard waste schedule are now available on the Streets Division website.
Each neighborhood has three assigned dates to set out leaves and yard waste. The exact dates when you should set out your leaves will depend on where you live. Collection of leaves and yard waste should occur during the work week following the set-out date provided.
Yard waste crews collect leaves, weeds, pumpkins, and other plant debris you have raked or pulled from your lawn or garden.
Yard waste is not the same as brush. Brush is defined as sticks, branches, and tree limbs. (Learn more about brush collection on the brush website.) Stacks of brush mixed together with piles of yard waste will not be picked up.
We don't know if the December weather will let Streets do an extra pickup round at this time. If the weather lets them, and conditions require an extra pickup round, they will announce it before they start. Streets strongly encourages you to sign up for email updates on their website to stay updated for any changes to their operations.
More information about yard waste collection can be found on the Streets Division's website.
North Star Neighborhood Food Cart Night Thursday
Take a night off cooking and head to North Star Park this Thursday, September 10 for Food Cart Night in the North Star Neighborhood! All are welcome to attend.
Four food vendors are scheduled to be onsite from 5:00-8:00pm:
- Taquitos Marimar
- Eaton BBQ
- Sabor Queretano
Pira Bites
Image credit: North Star Neighborhood Association
Events & Announcements
- Street Closures for IRONMAN Weekend – September 12–13: Several streets in and around downtown Madison will be closed for IRONMAN events on Saturday, September 12, and Sunday, September 13.The IRONMAN 70.3 Wisconsin (half triathlon) will take place on Saturday, and the IRONMAN Wisconsin (full triathlon)… [posted September 4, 2026]
- Gregory McClain Appointed Civil Rights Director: McClain has more than a decade of experience in advancing racial equity, social justice, equal employment, and public health initiatives. [posted September 3, 2026]
- Road Closure for Taste of Madison: Multiple streets will close for the annual Taste of Madison event Labor Day weekend. Plan on extra travel time when traveling in the area. [posted September 3, 2026]
- Madison Fire Places 10th Ambulance Into Service: A tenth Madison Fire Department ambulance is now in service, stationed in downtown Madison. [posted September 3, 2026]
- Common Council Executive Committee Unanimously Recommends Devine Nzegwu as the Interim Alder for District 1: During the Common Council Executive Committee meeting on Tuesday, September 1, the committee unanimously recommended Devine Nzegwu as the interim alder for District 1, to serve until the Spring 2027 election. The Common Council is scheduled to vote…[posted September 2, 2026]
- Smart Trips Challenge Is Here: Try a New Way to Get Around This September: Bike, ride the bus, carpool, walk or roll your way to prizes during the 2026 Smart Trips Challenge! [posted September 1, 2026]
- CARES Celebrates 5 Years Providing Alternative Emergency Services in Madison: Madison's Community Alternative Response Emergency Services program, popularly known as CARES, turns five years old on September 1, 2026.CARES has been warmly embraced by the community and enthusiastically supported by local leaders since its… [posted August 31, 2026]
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.
