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City Referendum Passes plus This Week's Updates

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Hi Everyone,

I’m grateful voters in Madison passed the city referendum by a wide 14-point margin. District 13 residents were even more supportive, voting in favor of the referendum by a 2 to 1 margin.

While the yes vote allows us to move forward without deep cuts in services, it’s important to note that we will still be operating under a structural deficit. The additional revenue afforded by the referendum’s passage buys us time to negotiate a better deal with the state legislature, particularly as the impact of fairer maps are felt in subsequent elections.

Madison is the fastest growing city in the state, and we generate millions in state revenue through income and sales taxes. Yet, we get back just 18 cents on the dollar. The shared revenue formula is not favorable for our city, and services we provide to state entities within our boundaries are not fairly remunerated. A regional transit authority and a local sales tax would help our rapidly growing city pay for services, as would adjusting the levy limit formula to allow for inflation.

The election of Donald Trump to another term as our nation’s president has many worried and anxious. From a policy standpoint, it’s not clear what this will mean for Madison, but it’s likely we will not have access to the same level of federal support that we received from the Biden administration. This may make it more challenging to finance needed improvements as our city continues to grow.

At any rate, we will need to continue to look out for each other, supporting one another and building community as we commit ourselves to preserving our democracy and moving our city forward.

Here are this week’s updates:

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, November 12, at 5:30 p.m. in hybrid format. Agenda items include adopting the additional property tax levy, as well as budget deliberations. 
  • Common Council: The Common Council meeting will take place on Wednesday, November 13, at 5:30 p.m. in hybrid format, if needed. This meeting, if needed, would be used for budget deliberations.
  • Common Council: The Common Council meeting will take place on Thursday, November 14, at 5:30 p.m. in hybrid format, if needed. This meeting, if needed, would be used for budget deliberations.

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

  • Final Guaranteed Yard Waste Collection Round Begins Next Week: For some neighborhoods of Madison, the final guaranteed leaf collection of the fall begins next week.These neighborhoods have a set out day for leaves and yard waste of Sunday, November 10, 2024.Other neighborhoods have later final guaranteed set… [posted November 8, 2024]

Events

  • OIM Opening Investigative Process, Monday, November 11: The Office of the Independent Monitor will be providing details on the opening of its investigative process. The Office is also announcing the start of a data project in collaboration with UCLA. After remarks, Independent Monitor Robin Copley and Data Analyst Greg Gelembiuk will be taking questions from the media. 
  • Parks Alive Fall | Allied Park, Monday, November 11: Parks Alive builds stronger neighborhoods and connects neighbors to their parks through fun, family-friendly activities, music and free food. Events are held in parks across the city and throughout the summer. Connect with your neighbors and engage with your community at a Parks Alive event near you! 
  • Parks Alive Fall | Warner Park, Wednesday, November 13: Parks Alive builds stronger neighborhoods and connects neighbors to their parks through fun, family-friendly activities, music and free food. Events are held in parks across the city and throughout the fall. Connect with your neighbors and engage with your community at a Parks Alive event near you! 
  • LGBTQ 50+ Intergenerational Autumn Dinner, Thursday, November 14: A fun fall gathering of like-minded adults to mingle, enjoy a meal, listen to music, and maybe even do some dancing. Blush is a local all-girl band out of Madison. Their music is grungy alternative-rock, and they will play some originals and some covers everyone is sure to know.  A $20 donation for the meal is appreciated but not required. Registration required, call 608-255-8582. Open to all ages of queer folks and their allies. 
  • Bird & Nature Adventures | Starkweather Creek Area, Saturday, November 16: Fall Tree Walk ~ Join Naturalist Tree Expert Sean Gere for a fun and informal free family friendly guided walk or take a healthy nature hike on your own any day in Necember on easy walk and bike paths along Starkweather Creek. Enjoy the outdoors and learn about trees when leaves have fallen and you can see the branching structures and bark more easily.   

For the full list of upcoming events, please visit the City events calendar. 

That's all for now.

Take good care and stay safe,

Tag

 

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District 13 - Alder Evers

Alder Tag Evers

Alder Tag Evers

District 13
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