Updates & Week of Nov. 11 Meetings of Interest for District 2

District 2 Updates and Meetings of Interest

Sunday, Nov. 10 Madison Marathon

The Madison Marathon and Half-Marathon begin at 7:00am on Sunday, Nov. 10, starting and ending near the top of State Street at Capitol Square. Maps for the full marathon can be found here and the half-marathon here. Links to city maps with expected street closure times and Metro detours can be found here.

Expect street and/or lane closures in the morning outbound on Gorham St, across the E. Johnson Street bridge over the Yahara River and on Fordem Ave. On the inbound portion of the routes in the mid-morning and into the afternoon, runners will be taking Sherman Avenue from the northside, turning into Tenney Park to get under E. Johnson, and taking the bike boulevard route up E. Mifflin to the outer loop on S. Webster and Dayton and then State St. to Capital Square.

Update on Salvation Army Redevelopment Proposal

The Salvation Army redevelopment proposal's request for a demolition permit and various conditional uses will be considered by Plan Commission at their Monday, Nov. 11, 5:30pm meeting. The meeting will be in Room 153 of the Madison Municipal Building. Public testimony will be welcome for those who register before the agenda item begins (limited to 3 minutes for each speaker), city staff will present a report on the proposal, and commissioners will ask questions and discuss the item.

 

The proposal's application materials, the security plan, the operations plan, staff reports, neighborhood input, etc., are housed here. TLNA's materials on the proposal can be found here. Note that as a member of Plan Commission, I am obliged to consider all input, public testimony, and discussion with other commissioners. By law, Plan Commissioners do not make decisions based on whether or not they like or dislike a particular proposal; they instead consider objective standards of approval when making decisions. Admittedly, there is some subjectively in these standards, but commissioners strive to be objective.

 

I have received a large number of communications from District 2 residents and property owners who are opposed to the redevelopment and generally opposed to the Salvation Army's current operation being at 630 E. Washington. Those who oppose the shelter expansion and addition of housing options tend to live or own property nearest to the Salvation Army while those who support the proposal tend to live further from the site. Given that all communications to/from alders are subject to open records laws, I forwarded all constituent communications on the proposal to my fellow Plan Commissioners.

 

The City's Community Development Block Grant Committee approved the proposal's application for $500,000 of the city's affordable housing funds at their Nov. 7 meeting. The usage of those funds is then likely to be considered by the Finance Committee on Nov. 25 with Common Council consideration on Dec. 3. On Nov. 11, the County Board of Supervisors is expected to consider a capital budget amendment to provide $1.3M to the Salvation Army's redevelopment.

 

 

Get Winter and Snow Email Alerts from the City

Be sure to signup for email alerts that will keep you informed about Snow Emergency declarations, sidewalk clearing updates, winter parking rules, etc. Visit the City's Winter website. There is also information about how to wisely use salt on your sidewalks and driveway in order to reduce environmental damage to soil and our lakes, as well as links to fun wintertime outdoor activities in Madison.

Nov. 19: Tenney-Lapham Transportation and Safety Meeting

The TLNA Transportation and Safety Committee is inviting neighbors to attend two meetings to document concerns with and solutions for traffic safety in our neighborhood. The first meeting will be held 19 November at 7:00 pm in the the Lyric meeting room (top floor, 1010 E Wash). The agenda for the meeting will be: 

Define the purpose of the committee:  Improve multi-modal safety in the neighborhood
Solicit traffic safety concerns
Solicit solutions for improving safety.
Goal:  brainstorm and establish list of traffic issues and optional solutions

There will be second meeting 9 December at 7:00 pm in the Festival Foods community room. At that meeting we will review the list of traffic issues and solutions and prioritize them as a neighborhood. The results will be reported to the TLNA Council meeting on 12 December and a request for support from the council will be made at that time. In January, TLNA will take the Traffic Calming Plan to City Traffic Engineering to start the work of implementing the items on the list.

 

Note that Traffic Engineering already has a long list of traffic and traffic calming requests that I have relayed to them from District 2 neighbors. However, I am trying to funnel most of those requests through TLNA because I find it difficult and inefficient for me to take a piecemeal approach to the dozens of requests I receive on these subjects. The TLNA meetings described above constitute a public process to help determine which requests are most feasible and which are most desirable given the city's budget situation and limited staff time.

For instance, are new E. Washington turn arrows a higher priority than a permanent 3-way stop sign at Elizabeth/Baldwin or speed humps on a block of Dayton or another stop sign near Lapham School or left turn arrows on E. Wash or blinking pedestrian lights on E. Gorham or further reducing car traffic on the bike blvd? I don't know the answer to that, so am hoping that you will engage with TLNA and assist me in figuring out which should be pursued and in what order. If you live outside of Tenney-Lapham, I'd be glad to help your area udertake a similar exercise - contact me!

Another consideration is that I am trying to keep an eye out for equity concerns in this arena. Relatively well-to-do and engaged neighborhoods seem to get the vast majority of attention that Traffic Engineering and other city departments have to lend while poorer neighborhoods get much less. Departments are exploring methods for prioritizing requests by alders and residents so that the squeaky wheel doesn't always get the grease. I also look forward to employing future strategies related to equity.

Update on Planning for US 151 (E. Wilson to Blount) Reconstruction

At a Nov. 4 Public Involvement Meeting, city staff presented the plans for two upcoming projects along US 151 that are scheduled to be constructed concurrently in 2022:

 

Intersection Project:

Reconstruction of the John Nolen Drive, S. Blair St., East Wilson St, and Williamson St. intersection.

 

Pavement Replacement Project:

Replacement of the existing pavement, curb and gutter, plus utility replacement as needed and curb ramps along S. Blair St. and along E. Washington from S. Blair St. to Blount St.

 

You can find the presentation slides here where you can also sign up for email updates concerning road construction. Note that the depicted car, bike, and pedestrian detours for the 2022 reconstruction project are tentative.

 

Those who attended the public meeting expressed concerns about the consequences of Blair Street being limited to only one southbound lane (northbound closed) and the ability of S. Blount Street to handle the traffic detoured from northbound Blair. Other concerns related to the design and detour preferences favoring cars rather than ped/bike traffic, particularly at the so-called hairball intersection of Capitol City Trail/Willy/John Nolen/Wilson/Blair. As noted, the detours and project details are still evolving. I'll keep you posted about future opportunties for public input.

 

Yard Waste Collection Update

The Streets Division will be collecting leaves and yard waste on Saturday, Nov. 9, and again on Sunday, Nov. 10, but in District 2 only in the areas east of the Yahara River. Yard waste collection crews will be working from 6:00am to 5:00pm both days. The current round of yardwaste collection is complete in the remainder of District 2 west of the Yahara.

While the Streets Division anticipates continuing leaf and yard waste collection beyond this weekend, the approaching winter season means collection may not last for much longer as crews will be needed for snow and ice duties. Check the pick-up schedule map for more info.

What Happens if Your Yard Waste Is Not Collected This Weekend?

The Streets Division intends to continue yard waste collection beyond this weekend. However, residents who are not likely to have their leaves and yard waste collected this weekend are encouraged to use the drop-off sites rather than placing the material to the curb. The Streets Division drop-off sites are open seven days week 8:30am until 4:30pm and until 8:00pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays. These hours will remain in effect until Sunday, December 8.

 

Street Sweepers to Operate Around the Clock this Weekend

Streets Division street sweepers will be working continuously from 7:00am on Saturday, Nov. 9, until approximately 5pm on Sunday, Nov. 10, or until temperatures become too cold to for sweepers to operate. This street sweeping blitz will collect as much material from the road as we can during what is likely to be the final opportunity for street sweeping this year.

This is around-the-clock effort to collect as much debris and leaves from the roads as possible, and thereby preventing leaf tea and other runoff from entering our waterways. Street sweepers require water to operate. This means they need warm enough temperatures so they do not freeze.

Since sweepers will be working around the clock this weekend, all roadway users should be on the lookout for these slow-moving vehicles. If you encounter a sweeper, please remember to give them the space they need to perform their work safely and do not cut them off. 

For more information about street sweeping operations, contact the Streets Division office that services your home. Residents east of South Park St. should call 608-246-4532 and residents west of South Park St. should call 608-266-4681. Questions can be emailed at streets@cityofmadison.com.

Join MPD for a Special Home Safety Night!

Would you like to make your home and neighborhood less tempting to thieves? Then join the Madison Police Department for a special Home Safety Night at American Family DreamBank, 821 E. Washington Ave., on Tuesday, November 19th!

Invite your neighbors and join us! You can get more details on this free event and register here.

Unscrambling the Narrative: Does Madison Need More Police Officers?

Social media and traditional media both are full of Madison residents calling for increased funding for our police department. While the perception is that crime is increasing in the city, data shows otherwise, so evaluating the need for increased funding for MPD is complex. In some parts of the city, including around State Street and in areas near some social service providers or gathering areas, e.g.., the top of State Street, the Beacon, and the Salvation Army, many neighbors feel that their safety is compromised regardless of citywide statistics. This is understandable, but other nearby neighbors are relatively unconcerned and feel that some objections are rooted in classism and even the well-documented racist underpinnings that hold Madison back.

 

In an excellent blog post, District 19 Alder Keith Furman unscrambles much of that narrative. I agree with the conclusions in Alder Furman's well-researched post. We shouldn't necessarily hire more cops to address the perception (and sometimes reality) that safety is decreasing in Madison. It would not be wise public policy or a good use of our tax dollars to rush to that judgement and Alder Furman's post details why addressing retention issues at MPD would be a wiser approach. I believe that many of MPD's officers are indeed stressed and overworked, but we need to explore all avenues for decreasing their workloads. Please read his post and let me know what you think. 

 

 

Annual City Budget Process Ends This Week

 

Common Council is scheduled to conclude the annual budgeting process at meetings on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday of this week (see agendas below). Council will be considering the mayor's proposed Capital and Operating budgets, as well as amendments to both approved earlier by the Finance Committee. Additional amendments will also be considered that have been submitted by various alders since the Finance Committee's consideration of earlier amendments.

 

Along with Alder Evers, and cosponsored by 6 other alders, I am sponsoring a Capital Budget amendment that would increase the City's Affordable Housing Fund by $500k to a total of $5.5M for 2020 and beyond. This, along with a change to budget text that recognizes that the city should consider funding affordable housing projects beyond those funded by WHEDA tax credits, should provide some additional capacity and flexibility for the city's addressing of our affordable housing crisis.

 

That amendment and others up for consideration can be found here. As always, you are welcome to attend Common Council meetings, give public testimony, or watch on City Channel.

 

School District Needs Your Input!

 

The Madison Metropolitan School District Board of Education is considering two referenda questions for the community to vote on in 2020 - one for facilities and one for operating expenses. You are invited to complete their Referenda Survey. Follow this link to the Survey:  mmsd.org/referenda-2020-survey  

If you have additional questions or feedback that you would like to provide, please contact:

 

Kelly Ruppel

MMSD Chief Financial Officer
Office: (608) 442-2145
Email: kmruppel@madison.k12.wi.us

 

Nov. 16 Winter Madison Night Market and Lighting Ceremony

 

Kick off the season with a special evening event on Nov. 16 - A Winter Night Market with a special downtown lighting ceremony! Madison's Central Business Improvement District presents the Seasonal Lighting Ceremony as the newest Downtown event.

Together with our business and community partners, our panel of VIP guests including Santa, will plug the lights in and flip the switch - illuminating all of Downtown. THIS EVENT IS FREE! Watch from the street, watch while you shop, be there to see all the magic happen.

At 6:08pm we'll flip the switch and shine! Our seasonal carolers and other VIP guests make this a great party for the whole family. Before the show, visit the MMoCA Art & Gift Fair, the Madison Night Market Winter Market and our downtown retailers.

 

 

Neighborhood Indicators Project Reveals Neighborhoods' Wellness

The Madison Neighborhood Indicators Project (NIP) is a tracking system designed to follow neighborhoods' wellness over time. Data has been collected since 2008 and can be used to identify trends of many types. The NIP aims to support better understanding of the changes within Madison neighborhoods. The use of the indicators along with local knowledge and other informational resources can help all Madison neighborhoods thrive.

Data is available for download for 62 Plan Districts and more than 90 Neighborhood Associations, detailing trends in 53 variables organized within seven topics:

People and Place
Housing
Public Safety
Health
Education
Economy
Transportation

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City Meetings of Interest to District 2

Below are some pertinent agenda items from various city committees that are meeting this week.

The city meeting agenda items are open for testimony from the public should you be interested in weighing in. I also appreciate hearing from you on any items on which you have a particular interest or concern so please send me an email or give me a call.

Also, committees and commissions have an opportunity at the beginning of each agenda for Public Comment on items not on the agenda. If you have something you want to share with a committee or commission, you can use the Public Comment time to do so

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Finance Committee: Agenda

4:30pm, Monday, Nov. 11, 2019

Rm 215 Madison Municipal Building

ITEMS TO BE CONSIDERED

 

Agenda Item 5

Extending the provisional appointment of Nan Fey as Director of Planning & Community & Economic Development for up to 30 working days beyond the confirmation of a new DPCED Director, or approximately through February 2020.

 

Agenda Item 9

Authorizing the Mayor and City Clerk to enter into an agreement with Madison Area Technical College (Madison College) for provision of access by Madison College students to Metro Transit fixed route and ADA paratransit services, with reimbursement for student trips during the contract period.

 

Agenda Item 13

Approving $250,000 in federal CDBG funds to provide additional down payment and closing cost assistance to qualified homebuyers as part of the City's "Home Buy the American Dream" (HBAD) Program.

 

CLOSED SESSION

When the Finance Committee considers the following matter, it may go into closed session pursuant to sec. 19.85(1)(e), Wis. Stats., which reads as follows: Deliberating or negotiating the purchasing of public properties, the investing of public funds, or conducting other specified public business, whenever competitive or bargaining reasons require a closed session. If the Finance Committee does go into closed session, notice is hereby given pursuant to sec. 19.85(2), Wis. Stats., that it may reconvene in open session without waiting 12 hours as specified in the statute.

Agenda Item 14

Block 88 Negotiating Team Update

RECONVENE IN OPEN SESSION

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Landmarks Commission: Agenda

5:00pm, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2019

Rm 013 Madison Municipal Building

 

DEMOLITION BY NEGLECT

Agenda Item 1

Appeal of Madison Landmarks Commission finding of Demolition by Neglect of a Designated Madison Landmark in the Mansion Hill Historical District regarding 121 Langdon Street.

 

Agenda Item 2

Landmarks Commission: Demolition By Neglect Report - 121 Langdon Street (Suhr House)

Note concerning Agenda Items #1 and #2: I support staff's Nov. 6, 2019, recommendation that the Landmarks Commission refer the appeal of the Demolition by Neglect finding for 121 Langdon Street back to Common Council where I anticipate that the finding will be upheld. The property owner has not completed the landscaping and drainage related repairs that should have been completed by Nov. 1.

 

REGULAR BUSINESS

Agenda Item 5

Landmarks Commission Historic Preservation Plan Status Report

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Plan Commission: Agenda

5:30pm, Monday, Nov. 11 , 2019

Rm 153 Madison Municipal Building

 

NEW BUSINESS

 

Agenda Item 7

Accepting the white paper titled "Equitable Development in Madison: An assessment of factors contributing to displacement and gentrification"

 

Zoning Map Amendments

Agenda Item 9

Repealing Section 28.022 - 00117 of the Madison General Ordinances adopting the Campus Master Plan for Edgewood College, Edgewood High School and Edgewood Campus School.

Note: All input, reports, etc., on this item can be found here. It is anticipated that Plan Commission will not reopen the public hearing on this item given that nothing substantial has changed since the earlier public hearing on 8/26/2019. In that circumstance, no public testimony will be taken.

 

Conditional Use & Demolition Permits

 

Agenda Item 13

630-648 E Washington Avenue and 12 N Blount Street; 2nd Ald. Dist.: Consideration of a demolition permit to demolish an existing mission house building and auto sales facility; consideration of a conditional use in the Traditional Employment (TE) District for a mission house; consideration of a conditional use in the TE District for community/counseling services; consideration of a parking reduction; and consideration of a conditional use in the TE district for multi-family dwellings, all to allow construction of a five-story building with a mission house, counseling services, health services and a place of worship along E Washington Avenue, and a separate three-story, 44-unit apartment building along E Mifflin Street.

Note: Item 13 has generated a significant number of public comments related to the request. Due to the volume of comments, copies of those comments have not been provided to the Plan Commission with their printed materials for this meeting. However, all of the comments received may be found under the "Public Comments" attachment in the legislative file (ID 57108). The Plan Commission is encouraged to review those comments in advance of the meeting.

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Police and Fire Commission: Agenda

5:30pm, Monday, Nov. 11, 2019

Room GR-27, City-County Building

 

POLICE DEPARTMENT

Police Chief recruitment, including discussion regarding the general process, timeline, and outside search firm.

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Common Council: Agenda

5:30pm, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019

Rm 201 City-County Building

Budget Meeting - 2020 Capital & Operating Budgets

NOTE: This meeting may be recessed and reconvened on Wednesday, November 13 at 5:30 p.m. in Room 215, Madison Municipal Building

The Common Council will address the Capital and Operating Budgets on Tuesday, November 12, with public testimony and deliberations.

The Common Council may continue addressing the Capital and/or Operating Budget on Wednesday, November 13 (if needed) and Thursday, November 14 (if needed).

SPEAKING GUIDELINES

If you need an interpreter, translator, materials in alternate formats or other accommodations to access this service, activity or program, please call the phone number below immediately.

Si necesita un intérprete, un traductor, materiales en formatos alternativos u otros arreglos para acceder a este servicio, actividad o programa, comuníquese inmediatamente al número de teléfono que figura a continuación.

Yog tias koj xav tau ib tug neeg txhais lus, ib tug neeg txhais ntawv, cov ntaub ntawv ua lwm yam los sis lwm cov kev pab kom siv tau qhov kev pab, kev ua num los sis kev pab cuam no, thov hu rau tus xov tooj hauv qab no tam sim no.

Please contact the Office of the Common Council at (608) 266-4071.

Speaking Limits:
5 minutes - Capital Budget
5 minutes - Operating Budget

Other item: 3 minutes

 

RECESSED PUBLIC HEARINGS - BEGIN AT 5:45 PM

Agenda Item 2

2020 Executive Capital Budget

Recent Legislative History

10/1/19 COMMON COUNCIL     Refer for Recessed Public Hearing to the COMMON COUNCIL

 

Agenda Item 3

2020 Executive Operating Budget

Recent Legislative History
11/5/19 COMMON COUNCIL    Re-refer for Recessed Public Hearing to the COMMON COUNCIL

 

END OF PUBLIC HEARINGS

BUSINESS PRESENTED BY THE MAYOR

Agenda Item 4
Adopting the 2020 City Budget authorizing a 2019 general property tax levy of $____ for City of Madison purposes, adopting a supplemental increase of $92,674 in the allowable property tax levy for 2019, as authorized under s. 66.0602(3)(f), Wisconsin Statutes, and declaring the City's official intent to issue general obligation and revenue bonds to reimburse for certain expenditures authorized therein.

Legislative History

10/18/19 Assessor's Office    RECOMMEND TO COUNCIL TO ADOPT UNDER SUSPENSION OF RULES 2.04,

2.05, 2.24, & 2.25 - MISC. ITEMS

Agenda Note: A separate vote on the paragraph making an exception to sec 4.17 MGO is required, and requires a 2/3 majority.

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Common Council: Agenda

5:30pm, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2019

Rm 201 City-County Building

 

Budget Meeting - 2020 Capital & Operating Budgets (Only if Needed)

There will be NO PUBLIC TESTIMONY at this meeting if public hearings were closed at the Tuesday, November 12, 2019 meeting.

Please refer to the 11/12/19 Common Council Agenda for items continued to this budget meeting if recessed to reconvene.

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Common Council: Agenda

5:30pm, Thursday, Nov. 14, 2019

Rm 201 City-County Building

 

Budget Meeting - 2020 Capital & Operating Budgets (Only if Needed)

There will be NO PUBLIC TESTIMONY at this meeting if public hearings were closed at the Tuesday, November 12, 2019 meeting.

Please refer to the 11/12/19 Common Council Agenda for items continued to this budget meeting if recessed to reconvene.

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