City Meetings and Updates Week of September 21

posted 
  • City Meetings:
    • Common Council 9/22
    • Council President's Workgroup on Madison Police Department Use of Deadly Force, De-escalation, and Body-Worn Cameras Policies and Procedures 9/25
  • Ribbon Cutting for Eastside's New Reindahl Imagination Center 9/25
  • Consider Leaving Your Leaves This Fall
  • WI Stormwater Awareness Week is Sept 19-27
  • Events & Announcements

City Meetings

Common Council

The Common Council meeting will take place on Tuesday, September 22, at 6:30 p.m. in hybrid format. Agenda items include:

  • Item 3: an honoring resolution recognizing October 1-8 as Week Without Driving in Madison. 
  • Item 4: an honoring resolution recognizing September 15-October 15 as Hispanic Heritage Month in Madison
  • Item 5: Performance and Activity Update from Destination Madison's CEO, Ellie Westman Chin. Here's Ellie's slide deck, which shows that the 9.65 million visitors to Madison in 2025 spent $1.6 billion in our local economy that year and the 19,532 tourism jobs in Dane County. That spending represents $4.5 million per day in 2025.
  • Map of Milwaukee Street which lighlights the portion between Fair Oaks Avenue and West Corporate Drive
    Image credit: City Engineering
    Milwaukee Street Reconstruction project between Starkweather Creek and West Corporate Drive, planned to begin next year.

    Item 9: a resolution approving the plans for the 2027 Milwaukee Street reconstruction project. The project area covers Milwaukee Street between West Corporate drive and Starkweather Creek, which is east of District 3 but is a travel route used by many District 3 residents. Here's a link to the plans showing the new design, and here's a link with more design details about each intersection included in the project. 

  • Item 11: a resolution approving the Mayor's appointment of Gregory McClain as the new Madison Civil Rights Director, succeeding outgoing Director Norm Davis. 
  • Item 51: a resolution directing the Chief of Police to prepare a report addressing the implementation status of 321 recommendations made by various policing and body camera reports, to be submitted within 90 days, and to continue reporting on their status twice yearly in the future.
  • Item 52: the Chief of Police's 2nd Quarter 2026 Annual Report by MPD Chief John Patterson. The report provides updated crime statistics and, beginning on page 15, all updates to Standard Operating Procedures that took place in the 2nd quarter. 
  • Item 63: a resolution adopting the City of Madison Pedestrian Plan. Here's the City Traffic Engineering staff presentation to the Transportation Commission last week. Some interesting numbers from the report (PDF page 9):
    • 98% of Madison residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park
    • 65% of streets in Madison have sidewalks on both sides
    • 88 miles of new sidewalks are recommended along arterial and collector streets in this plan
    • 12% of crossings in Madison are “high-stress"
    • 180 miles of crossing gaps identified and prioritized in this plan
    • 22% is the share of traffic fatalities and serious injuries involving people walking (between 2017 and 2023)
    • 85% of street blocks are within a 10-minute walk of transit
    • “Across the nation, pedestrian fatalities are rising, and pedestrian fatalities make up a disproportionately high percentage of all traffic fatalities. In Madison, between 2017 and 2023, pedestrians were involved in only 2 percent of all crashes but accounted for 22 percent of fatal and serious injury crashes."
  • Item 64: a resolution adopting the City of Madison Safe Routes to School Strategic Plan. Here's the City Traffic Engineering staff presentation to the Transportation Commission last week. From the Plan document: “Safe Routes to School (SRTS) is an international movement that uses programs and infrastructure to encourage children to walk and bike to and from school. SRTS programs seek to improve safety conditions near schools and encourage more active travel when it is safe to do so. […] SRTS programs focus on improving the safety of and increasing the numbers of students that walk, bike, or take the bus to school. […] The Madison SRTS Plan was collaboratively created by City staff and program partners and implementors such as MMSD and the Wisconsin Bike Fed, with feedback and contributions from students and families from throughout the city. The planning process included documenting current policies, programs, and initiatives and identifying future efforts that would help the SRTS program better meet its vision and goals. This plan will guide the Madison SRTS program over the next 10 years".
  • Item 65: a resolution designating City of Madison polling locations for the November 2026 General Election. The polling places for wards in District 3 will be the same as those used in the August Primary. Here's a map showing the ward boundaries and numbers for neighborhoods in District 3 (outlined by the purple boundary line). 
    • Wards 8 and 123 (eastern half of the North Star neighborhood plus areas north of I-94 like Woods Farm and Jannah Village) Door Creek Church, 6602 Dominion Dr
    • Ward 9 (western half of the North Star neighborhood): Oak Park Place, 718 Jupiter Dr
    • Ward 10 (Heritage Heights neighborhood): Messiah Lutheran Church, 5202 Cottage Grove Rd
    • Ward 11 (Rolling Meadows neighborhood): New Beginnings Church, 602 Acewood Blvd
    • Ward 12 (Hiestand Park neighborhood): Kennedy Elementary School, 221 Meadowlark Dr
    • Ward 13 (Burke Heights and Mayfair Park neighborhoods): Hy-Vee, 3801 E Washington Ave

Meeting info:

Council President's Workgroup on Madison Police Department Use of Deadly Force, De-Escalation and Body-Worn Cameras Policies and Procedures

Established by Council President Sabrina Madison's Presidential Order, the Workgroup will study and make recommendations regarding Madison Police Department use of deadly force, de-escalation, and body-worn camera policies and procedures, resulting in a final report and recommendations for legislation. Additionally, the Workgroup is tasked with educating the Council on the current state of MPD policies and procedures, providing the public with a forum for community feedback, and introducing legislation implementing their recommendations in March 2027. My thanks to Council President Sabrina Madison as well as the four other Alders who will serve as its members.

The President's Workgroup meeting will take place on Friday, September 25, at 5:00 p.m. in virtual format. Agenda items include an introductory presentation to the workgroup, including details like the timeline for review and recommendations for each topic.

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

Ribbon Cutting for the Eastside's New Reindahl Imagination Center Friday

Imagination Center at Reindahl Park Ribbon Cutting, Friday, September 25 

Grand Opening Details

All are invited for a weekend of family-friendly events at the Imagination Center at Reindahl Park. Help welcome the first new Madison Public Library in more than 25 years by getting a library card, supporting local businesses, and being in community with friends and neighbors on the northeast side. 

More on the project: 

Consider Leaving Your Leaves This Fall 

Yard sign used by Wild Ones Madison to promote leaving the leaves
Image credit: Local artist Sarah Krajewski, via Wild Ones Madison

A message from Wild Ones Madison, a local group dedicated to bringing native plants into our urban landscapes and promoting native landscapes through education, advocacy and collaborative action.

“It's finally starting to feel like fall! This locally-written article explains the benefits of keeping leaves on your property, and what to do with your leaves instead of piling them by the curb. Read it at https://madison.wildones.org/leaves/ "

Here's a page with home composting resources. 

For those who do prefer to have their leaves picked up by the City, here's the Streets Division webpage with more information, including the three pickup dates for each address.

WI Stormwater Awareness Week is September 19-27

Flyer with programming event details
Image credit: City Engineering

Wisconsin Stormwater Awareness Week is Sept. 19-27, 2026!  WI Stormwater Week is a collaborative effort of organizations throughout the state that work to raise awareness about the sources of stormwater pollution. Governor Tony Evers signed a proclamation establishing September 19 – 27, as the 2026 WI Stormwater Week, the same week as National Stormwater Awareness Week. 

City Engineering will share news and information on their social media and blogs over the course of the week: 

The week-long effort includes free educational webinars for WI residents and homeowners. These webinars provide backyard stormwater pollution prevention practices and regional resources for residents to get involved.  

  • Tuesday, Sept. 22 (6 - 7 PM) - Whose Pond is it Anyway? 
  • Wednesday, Sept. 23 (6 - 6:45 PM) - Only Rain Down the Drain! 
  • Thursday, Sept. 24 (6 - 7 PM) - Infiltration: We're Not Talking Coffee! 

Register for a webinar by visiting the WI Stormwater Webinar website.

Events & Announcements

  • Madison Public Library Celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month 2026: In recognition of Hispanic Heritage Month, September 15-October 15, Madison Public Library will host a series of events highlighting the achievements and contributions of Hispanic and Latino Americans and celebrating Hispanic and Latino American culture. Throughout the rest of the year, upcoming events in Spanish or about Latinx culture and resources in Spanish will also appear here.
  • Aberg Avenue Closure for Railroad Crossing Replacement: Starting at 8:00am on Monday September 28, the City of Madison and The Canadian Pacific Kansas City Railroad Company will be replacing the railroad crossing on Aberg Avenue between Loftsgordon Avenue and Everett Street.  During this… [posted September 18, 2026]
  • Introduction to Bumble Bee Photography and Identification, Monday, September 21: Bumblebees are active well into the fall and this is a great time of year to observe them and the fall-blooming plants like goldenrods and asters that they pollinate.
  • FREE Fall Fun at Aldo Leopold Park with Ballet Folklorico Mexico and more, September 23 and 30 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.: Join the City's Leopold Arbor Hills Neighborhood Resource Team at Aldo Leopold Park for Ballet Folklorico (Mexico's traditional Aztec and Mexican dance), social dance lessons, ultimate frisbee, disc golf, mountain biking, and a light dinner served at 6:30 p.m.
  • Bird & Nature Adventures | Edna Taylor, Saturday, September 26: Join a naturalist for an easy, family-friendly walk from Aldo Leopold Nature Center into beautiful Edna Taylor Conservation Park and enjoy a bit of nature education along the way.

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.

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