Week of June 2nd

Last week, I had the opportunity to tour the IFF plant on Agriculture Drive and learn more about the large investments they are making in manufacturing and production right here in District 16.

Thank you to Chief Carbon for taking the time to meet with me and discuss the services that Fire Station 14 provides to our neighborhoods. It was wonderful to take a tour of the station and meet some of the new recruits. While the ambulance is no longer at the station on Dairy Drive, I am glad to hear that Ladder 14 will be equipped with a paramedic so that we are able to continue providing emergency medical services for the residents served by Station 14. I will keep fighting to ensure that our Fire and EMS teams in Madison have the support they need to keep emergency response times short.

This week, I joined the Elvehjem Neighborhood Association for trivia night at the Great Dane on Cottage Grove Road! I had a blast meeting so many new people and connecting with folks in the neighborhood. Also, our team WON! We are donating the gift card prize to the ENA’s Fourth of July raffle. If you or your neighborhood are planning community events, please feel free to share them with me. I would love to stop by!

Finally, I joined the Madison Public Library’s 150-year celebration at Pinney Branch with Alder Dina Nina Martinez-Rutherford. Our libraries provide so many critical services to our community, and we should be doing all we can to support them.

As always, please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or need anything. I’m eager to hear from you!

-Sean

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Sean O’Brien (he/him)
District 16, Alder

Southeast Area Plan Engagement Opportunities: 

Opportunities to engage with the Southeast Area Plan are ramping up! This plan will shape the future of many of our neighborhoods on the far east side, and community input is critical.

On Monday, June 2nd, the Southeast Area planning team will present their preliminary findings and feedback at the in-person meeting of the Plan Commission. You can find information about the meeting below and are welcome to attend.

On Tuesday, June 3rd, from 9:00am to 12:00pm I’ll be joining leaders from Southeast Madison to talk with small business owners and get their feedback on the Southeast Area plan. 

And on Wednesday, June 4th, the Southeast Area planning team will be set up at Garver Feed Mill and the Cap City Path for donuts, coffee, and conversation during the morning commute at the Bike to Work Week’s “Path to the Future” event. This location will help us see the entire “watershed” for Southeast bike commuters that use the Cap City Path.

Bike Week!

The first week of June is Bike Week, and there are events across the city to celebrate! I’m proud that Madison has continuously received the platinum designation for bike friendliness, but there is always more we can do to make it easier to get around. I’ll be celebrating by taking a bike tour of District 16 and parts of the Southeast Area Plan so I can get a better understanding of the infrastructure and upgrades that are needed on the far east side of Madison. To find a full list of events, visit www.madisonbikes.org!

Budget Engagement Sessions

The first opportunity to engage in the budget process is coming up this week on June 4th from 6:00 to 8:00pm at the Central Library. This session will focus on the city’s public works, with presentations from Finance Director Dave Schmiedicke as well as the Engineering, Parks, and Streets Divisions. The city will be hosting additional budget engagement sessions over the next several weeks. You can find the full list below:

June 4th – Public Works 
-Central Library
- 6:00-8:00pm

June 11th – Administration & Public Facilities
- Warner Park
- 6:00-8:00pm

June 16th – Public Safety 
- Sequoya Library
- 6:00-8:00pm

June 18th – Transportation 
- Pinney Library
- 6:00-8:00pm

June 24th – Community & Economic Development 
- The Urban League Hub
- 6:00-8:00pm

Additionally, as many of you may have heard, the county is facing a budget deficit as federal funding cuts loom. If you want to learn more, County Executive Melissa Agard is hosting a listening session on the County Budget on Wednesday, June 4th at 5:30pm at the Alliant Energy Center.

Boards, Commissions, and Committee Meetings

Note: This is not a complete list of meetings for this upcoming week. All meetings and their details can be found at the Meeting Schedule page.

• Common Council: The Common Council meeting will take place on Tuesday, June 3, at 6:30 p.m. in hybrid format. Agenda Items of Interest include:
  • Item 2: An honoring resolution(link is external) recognizing June as Pride Month.
    • Item 17: An item representing the renewal of the Red Rooster bar’s alcohol license.  The Alcohol License Review Committee voted to recommend that the Common Council deny, or “non-renew”, the alcohol license. The City’s complaint against Red Rooster includes incidents in 2024 with non-licensed bartenders serving alcohol, disturbances with police being called and  operations after hours where had staff involved in homicide by intoxicated use of a motor vehicle.
  • Meeting Details
  • Meeting Agenda
  • Register for Public Comment
  • Watch Online
• Plan Commission: The Plan Commission meeting will take place on Monday, June 2, at 5:00 p.m. in Room 215 of the Madison Municipal Building at 215 Martin Luther King Jr Blvd. Items of Interest include staff updates on the Southwest and Southeast Area Plans.
  • Meeting Details
  • Meeting Agenda
  • Register for Public Comment
  • Watch Online

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

Announcements and News Releases

• Madison police welcomes 71st recruit class: MADISON, Wis. —The Madison Police Department welcomed its 71st academy class this week. There are 35 recruits in this year’s class, including three accelerated academy officers. On Tuesday, they took an oath to serve and protect the people of Madison. [posted May 30, 2025]
• New Testing Sites Added as Public Health Beach Monitoring Season Begins: This week, Public Health Madison & Dane County kicked off its beach monitoring efforts in Dane County. [posted May 30, 2025]
• Madison Celebrates Nature Everywhere Day 2025 : The City of Madison continues its commitment to support the health and well-being of children, families, and the environment through equitable access to nature. [posted May 29, 2025]
• Free Food Scraps Composting Drop-off Returns to South Madison Farmers’ Market on June 3, 2025: Free food scraps recycling drop-off returns to the South Madison Farmers’ Market on Tuesday, June 3, 2025.At the market drop-off site, you can bring us your spent coffee grounds, eggshells, and appropriate vegetable and fruit scraps so they can be… [posted May 29, 2025]
• Christof Spieler Selected as Madison’s Director of Transportation : Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway is pleased to announce the appointment of Christof Spieler as the City of Madison’s new Director of Transportation. [posted May 28, 2025]
• Absentee Ballots Mailed for June 17 Special Election : The City of Madison Clerk’s Office has mailed absentee ballots to voters with requests on file for the June 17 Special Election to fill the District 1 seat on the Dane County Board of Supervisors. [posted May 27, 2025]
• Madison Fire Seeks Community Participation in Firefighter/EMT Interviews: Have a say in who serves you. Join a Community Panel to interview firefighter/EMT candidates! [posted May 27, 2025]

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.

Events

• Madison Bike Week, Monday, June (This Event Occurs On Multiple Days): Bike Week celebrates riding to work, to the grocery store, to a park, to the library—or biking just to feel the warm wind blowing through your hair. Events happen all week long at various locations throughout the city.
• RoundTrip Commuter Station — Bikes, Buses, and Treats!, Tuesday, June 3: Join RoundTrip, the Greater Madison MPO, Metro Transit, City of Madison Traffic Engineering, and Madison BCycle for an afternoon commuter station on the Cap City Trail! This event celebrates car-free mobility with plenty of resources, treats, and giveaways to support your ride.
• Black on the Wisconsin Frontier, 1725 – 1868, Wednesday, June 4: Presented by UW Madison Professor Christy Clark-Pujara. Black people have lived, labored, and raised families in the region that became the Midwest since the 16th century. They called the settlements and towns of Prairie du Chien, Racine, Green Bay, Lancaster, Milwaukee, and Menominee home. Yet their stories remain largely untold. Much of the historiography concerning the experiences of Black Americans has focused on the South, and large Northern and Midwestern cities, yet the full dimensions of the African American and American experience cannot be appreciated without reference to how black people managed their lives in places where they were few. This presentation will explore the histories of Black people in what became the state of Wisconsin, from the French colonial period in the 1720s through the American Civil War.
• 2026 Budget Engagement Meeting - Public Works, Wednesday, June 4: The meeting will feature an update of the 2026 budget process with Finance Director Dave Schmiedicke and presentations from the Engineering, Parks, and Streets divisions. The goal of this public meeting is to provide an opportunity for residents to speak directly with City staff about your ideas, concerns, and priorities for Madison’s future.
• Concerts on the Rooftop: Wheelhouse (Americana/Bluegrass), Thursday, June 5: Enjoy the unparalleled experience of sensational bands and breathtaking views at Concerts on the Rooftop! Dance the night away or just relax with family and friends, A truly unique Madison event. WheelHouse is a nationally touring Americana and bluegrass band hailing from Madison. As a full-time working band, they perform over 220 shows each year and have garnered attention from national labels. Featuring three- and four-part harmonies, fiddle and guitar leads, and driving rhythm of the upright bass, WheelHouse brings an energy and attitude unique to themselves.
• Wear Orange Weekend, Friday, June 6 (This Event Occurs On Multiple Days): Public Health Madison & Dane County is hosting a series of Wear Orange Weekend events raising awareness about the urgent need to end gun violence. Wear Orange Weekend is part of a nationwide campaign supporting Everytown for Gun Safety. It's an organization dedicated to ending gun violence, led by parents, students, survivors, educators, and more.
• Live at The Glen | Pecatonica String Quartet, Friday, June 6: Madison Parks Foundation is proud to present Live at The Glen! Enjoy live music on the patio at The Glen Golf Park. The Pecatonica String Quartet prides themselves on being able to delight audiences with their wide range of style and repertoire. From elegant classical compositions of Bach, Handel and Mozart to rockin’ Led Zepplin, Queen and Journey; you name it, they’ve got it. They play light jazz standards, classic oldies and many fun party hits of today.

Additional upcoming events can also be found on the City events calendar.