Weekly Update: The Week of November 17, 2025

Not All Floor Amendments Are Created Equal

Last week, the Common Council adopted Madison's 2026 budget with the lowest tax rate in at least 40 years. That's worth celebrating. The budget process included floor amendments – some that strengthened our commitment to community priorities, and one that attempted to undermine years of community organizing.

Floor amendments are a normal part of the budget process. They allow Alders to respond to constituent concerns, incorporate new information, or make last-minute adjustments when circumstances change. This year, for example, we passed a floor amendment to expand E. coli testing at our beaches – a direct response to public health concerns about water quality and beach closures that cost our community millions in lost economic activity each summer.

That's a floor amendment done right: it addressed a clear community need, enhanced public health protection, and responded to documented concerns about water safety. Public Health Madison & Dane County has been monitoring our beaches and dealing with an increase in closures due to E. coli and blue-green algae. Expanding testing helps protect swimmers and gives families better information about when it's safe to enjoy our lakes.

But not all floor amendments serve the same purpose.

Another floor amendment – one that failed 17-3 – attempted to eliminate the Office of the Independent Monitor's entire $405,299 annual budget and transfer those funds to the police department for body-worn camera implementation.

Here's the difference: The Office of the Independent Monitor wasn't created overnight. It was the result of years of community organizing, town halls, listening sessions, and grassroots advocacy. Hundreds of Madison residents – particularly those most impacted by policing – spent countless hours sharing their experiences, articulating their needs, and demanding accountability. Community coalitions brought diverse voices together. The Common Council held public hearings where residents testified.

That's democracy in action – messy, slow, deliberate, and inclusive.

This floor amendment bypassed all of that. It was introduced Tuesday afternoon without notification to the oversight board, its chair, or the community members who built this office. Major funding shifts of over $400,000 deserve public hearings, community testimony, and full Council deliberation – not last-minute amendments that silence the voices of the communities who spent years building accountability structures.

As Board Chair Maia Pearson noted during the meeting, she hadn't heard from the sponsoring alder about the work of the Police Civilian Oversight Board in the two years since she'd served alongside him on that board. Public comment was overwhelmingly opposed to the amendment, with many speakers noting that it would remove a community resource invaluable to people of color and infringe upon the office's independence.

The contrast matters. When we passed the floor amendment expanding E. coli testing, we were enhancing public health protection in response to a documented community need. When the sponsors attempted to defund the Office of the Independent Monitor, they were trying to erase years of community organizing without consulting that community.

One amendment strengthened our ability to protect public health. The other attempted to silence the voices – especially Black and Brown voices – that built police accountability in Madison. That's why context matters. That's why process matters. That's why not all floor amendments are the same.

I'm grateful the harmful amendment failed. The community voices that built this office still matter.

Local Leadership on Hemp Regulation

While state and federal governments struggle with hemp regulation, local leaders are stepping up to protect public health – particularly young people.

In early November, Madison's Board of Health considered restricting the sales of hemp-derived cannabinoid products to those under 21. At the county level, Dane County has been working on similar age restrictions after the county's Public Protection and Judiciary Committee backed an age restriction proposal.

This matters because the 2018 Farm Bill created a regulatory gap. While it legalized hemp containing no more than 0.3% delta-9 THC, it's possible to extract delta-9 THC or CBD from hemp and process them into other compounds like delta-8 THC, delta-10 THC, THC-V and THCA. These products are often called "legal weed" – and they're currently unregulated in Wisconsin.

Public Health Madison & Dane County reports an uptick in THC-related emergency calls. Between January 2023 and August 2025, there were 167 THC-related calls for people under 21. In some cases, people consuming THC products don't realize what they are or aren't prepared for the effects.

The federal picture is changing too. On November 12, federal legislation passed that will ban nearly all hemp-derived consumer products effective November 2026, making any products containing more than 0.4mg Total THC per container illegal. Local hemp businesses are understandably concerned – this change could affect thousands of businesses and jobs nationwide.

But here's where local government becomes everything: When state and federal governments fail to act responsibly – either by leaving dangerous regulatory gaps or by implementing bans that ignore community economic interests – local government must step up to protect public health while supporting local businesses through transitions.

Dane County's approach reflects this balance: age restrictions to protect young people, location requirements to keep products away from schools and youth-serving facilities, and ID requirements for retailers. This is what responsible local leadership looks like.

Your Meetings This Week

Finance Committee

Monday, November 17, 4:30 p.m., virtual

The Finance Committee will consider approving the 2026 Urban Forestry and Resource Recovery special charges.

Meeting Details: https://www.cityofmadison.com/city-hall/committees/finance-committee/2025-11-17

Register for Public Comment: https://www.cityofmadison.com/city-hall/committees/meeting-schedule/register?meeting=66256

Plan Commission

Monday, November 17, 5:30 p.m., virtual

Agenda items include development-related requests in Districts 4, 6, 10, 11, and 15.

Meeting Details: https://www.cityofmadison.com/city-hall/committees/plan-commission/2025-11-17

Register for Public Comment: https://www.cityofmadison.com/city-hall/committees/meeting-schedule/register?meeting=59111

Housing Policy Committee

Tuesday, November 18, 4:30 p.m., virtual

Agenda items include allowing four dwelling units to be permitted throughout the Transit Oriented Development Overlay District and prohibiting car washes, automobile sales and rentals, and standalone surface parking lot facilities as principal land uses within the TOD Overlay District.

Meeting Details: https://www.cityofmadison.com/city-hall/committees/housing-policy-committee/2025-11-18

Register for Public Comment: https://www.cityofmadison.com/city-hall/committees/meeting-schedule/register?meeting=92431

Transportation Commission

Wednesday, November 19, 5:00 p.m., virtual

Agenda items include prohibiting car washes, automobile sales and rentals, and standalone surface parking lot facilities as principal land uses within the TOD Overlay District.

Meeting Details: https://www.cityofmadison.com/city-hall/committees/transportation-commission/2025-11-19

Register for Public Comment: https://www.cityofmadison.com/city-hall/committees/meeting-schedule/register?meeting=64886

Disability Rights Commission

Thursday, November 20, 5:00 p.m., virtual

Agenda items include adopting the updated Americans with Disabilities Act Transition Plan.

Meeting Details: https://www.cityofmadison.com/city-hall/committees/disability-rights-commission/2025-11-20

Register for Public Comment: https://www.cityofmadison.com/city-hall/committees/meeting-schedule/register?meeting=93321

Community Events

Downtown Dialogue: Meet Your Downtown Alders

Tuesday, November 18, 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Madison Senior Center

Join downtown alders for an informal event where you can meet and chat with the representatives who serve you. This event invites residents, business owners, and community members to engage directly with their elected officials. Registration in advance is requested.

Public Information Meeting - Well 12 Reconstruction

Thursday, November 20, 7:00 p.m.

4020 Mineral Point Road

Madison Water Utility will be hosting a public information meeting for the Well 12 Reconstruction Project. All members of the public are welcome to attend. Light refreshments will be provided.

Conservation Workday

Thursday, November 20 (and multiple dates)

Work off-trail alongside expert volunteers from the Friends of Cherokee Marsh, using hand loppers to help cut invasive brush to make room for native wildflowers, grasses, trees, and shrubs.

More information: https://www.cityofmadison.com/parks/events/conservation-workday

What Process Means

This week reminded me why democratic process matters – not as bureaucratic red tape, but as the foundation of responsive governance.

Budgets are moral documents. They reflect what we truly value as a community, beyond our rhetoric and good intentions. Floor amendments can improve budgets when they respond to genuine community needs – like expanding E. coli testing to protect swimmers. But when they attempt to erase years of community organizing without consulting that community, they undermine the trust that makes democratic governance possible.

I'm committed to ensuring that the years of work communities put into building accountability structures aren't erased without those same communities being heard. And I'm committed to making sure local government steps up when larger systems fail – whether that's protecting our beaches with better water quality monitoring, creating responsible hemp regulation when the state won't act, or completing the funding commitments for homeless services that the county has yet to match.

Your voice matters. Show up. Speak up. Hold us accountable.

In service,

Alder Carmella

District 18