Council Meeting 4/19 Summary & Beverly Rd Notice

April 19, 2022, marked one year from our first Council meeting!  This has been a one-of-a-kind experience, filled with a lot of challenges and constraints but also with a lot of opportunities to work towards solutions centered on those most marginalized in our community.  Slowly but steadily, we are moving from talking about diversity, equity (not to be confused with equality), and inclusion into acting on the principles these words represent.  We all reap the benefits when we help those who need us the most.  

To mark the occasion, we were presented with a long agenda, which contained multiple controversial issues.  The meeting ran until past 4 AM, right on time for me to start my day job! Here are the highlights:

Election of Common Council President & Vice President

Alder Furman was elected to serve as President and Alder Currie as the Vice President for the second year of this term.  President Furman is committed to providing critical support to the Council's office whose job is to support the entire council membership; community engagement; improve training, interactions, and collaboration among alders.  Vice-President Currie highlighted the importance of recognizing our individual strengths; "a plethora of experiences, strengths, and perspectives that must be leveraged".

Congratulations to both and much gratitude for stepping up to handle additional responsibilities. 

70715 Hammersley Re-surfacing project: Approving Plans, Specifications, And Schedule of Assessments For Hammersley Road Resurfacing Assessment District - 2022

Status:  City Council pass the project

Subscribe to the project page to be notified of upcoming updates

What's next: Project up for Bids

Thanks to all of you that participated in this discussion and much gratitude to Aaron Canton and the rest of the staff for their hard work and attention to detail on this project.

70344 Creating Section 4.097 of the Madison General Ordinances to Create a Resource Recovery Special Charge

Status: Passed by majority vote

What's next: This vote was to create the ordinance, the next step is adopting the policy.  A draft of the policy can be found here.

Thanks for your emails and feedback on this matter.  Please feel free to review the interview with Director Schmiedicke where he provides information about the fee.

68625 Implementing Body-Worn Camera Pilot Program

The amended resolution was updated to require a plan on how the pilot will proceed and it is contingent on approval of funds during the City's 2023 budget negotiations taking place in November.

Status:  Passed by a Majority Vote

What's next:  MPD to develop a pilot program and policy to be presented for review by the office of the City Attorney to verify substantial compliance with the recommendations listed in the final report of the Body-Worn Camera Feasibility Review Committee and for the Common Council to vote to recognize said compliance.

Thanks for your engagement, stay tuned for updates.

70626 Approving roadway geometry for the reconstruction of Lake Mendota Dr. from Baker Ave. to the City of Madison limits

Status: Passed by majority vote

Rob Phillips was honored for his contributions to the city as City Engineer and Public Works Team Leader.  In his acceptance speech, he shared his appreciation for his staff and the values and ingenuity they bring to every project.  His pride for his team was palpable. 

Those values were present in this project too and once again I must thank the staff for their efforts and for staying so late with us at this meeting to cover questions about Lake Mendota's geometry.  Wishing Mr. Phillips, a happy retirement!

For me personally, this was the highlight of the night, link to the meeting video!  Alder Bennett shared her experiences and provided perspective on the importance of equity and inclusion, see marker 6:50:45.  Please also watch Alder Martin bringing her own vulnerability to the Council floor as well as reminding us of the importance of safety.  Alder Martin showed the courage to raise the voices of marginalized communities by sharing her perspective as a Ho-Chunk person and she invite us all to seek opportunities to engage and learn about her culture, see marker 6:54:30.  

The more we lift marginalized people's voices and their experiences, the faster the wheel of change will transform our communities.

That is the end of the meeting update.  In addition to the meeting, please see this notice for upcoming work scheduled for Beverly Rd.

Beverly Road Notice