D6 Items of Interest Week of November 25, 2024

Highlights of Tuesday’s Common Council meeting: A resolution honoring the 100th anniversary of East Side News, for introduction and referral to the December 10 CC meeting is MNA’s own Cailey Jamison’s appointment to the Transportation Commission, appointments by the Mayor and Council leadership of new Police Civilian Oversight Board/PCOB committee members, approval of East Madison Bikeways project at E Wash and the Yahara River, the report on the Body-Worn Camera Experiment from Police Chief Shon Barnes, funding four affordable housing projects including at 7th and E Wash, and the Certified Survey Map for 306 S Brearly (the demolition and conditional use were approved last week at Plan Commission, see link for project plans and the disposition letter that includes conditions).

Under new business for introduction and referral (no discussion) is a resolution to censure Alder Charles Myadze for conduct unbecoming of an alder. If the censure resolution passes, Alder Myadze will not be removed from office, but the resolution encourages Alder Myadze “to consider the impact of his continued presence on the Common Council to ongoing City priorities and processes”.  The item will be on the December 10 Common Council agenda.

Also for introduction and referral, is a budget amendment to remove the paid parking pilot from the 2025 adopted Parks Division budget. Unfortunately, media reports about the paid parking pilot have left the impression that the proposal is a citywide plan to require paid parking in all parks which is not accurate and has, not surprisingly, created alarm among city residents. As I stated in last week’s blog: The goal of the budget amendment was NOT to start making residents who are utilizing our wonderful parks system pay for parking on daily basis throughout the entire system. I’m committed to Madison parks remaining gathering places that are free and accessible to the entire community.

If the amendment does not get rescinded, the Parks Division will develop implementation concepts to present to the Board of Park Commissioners (BPC) in early 2025 and seek their guidance for a more specific plan. The Parks Division would complete a more detailed implementation plan, equity analysis, and public engagement throughout the first quarter of 2025. The pilot would likely begin in mid-summer 2025 and go through the end of the year. The Parks Division would evaluate the program in early 2026 and present recommendations to BPC based on the evaluation.

The exact design of the pilot, including identification of potential parking lots, events, and parking rates, would be developed with input from BPC. The Parks Division anticipates it can meet the revenue target through a combination of permit parking, commuter parking, and event-based parking.

After the pilot program is completed, there will be a review and any further action would be brought to the Board of Park Commissioners for consideration and require approval from the Council.

Parks Division blog on parking in parks

If the amendment does get rescinded, I will pursue a policy review of the commuter use of Parks Division parking lots to look for revenue-generating opportunities where we know people are using free parking at city parks, but not always for park purposes.

The item will be on the December 10 Common Council agenda.

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 26, at 6:30 p.m. in virtual format. Agenda items include appointments to the Police Civilian Oversight Board.
  • 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

• Trash & Recycling Collection Schedule for the 2024 Thanksgiving Holiday: There will be no Streets Division collections performed on both Thursday, November 28, 2024, and Friday, November 29, 2024, in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday. [posted November 22, 2024]
• Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard and Doty Street Closures – Concrete Restoration: Starting Tuesday, November 19, R.G Huston will continue concrete pavement restoration within the Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard and Doty Street intersection. [posted November 18, 2024]
• Promise kept: City of Madison secures lease for Maurer’s Market on S. Park St.: The City of Madison and Maurer’s Market have signed and executed a lease agreement that will ensure people living in South Madison will still have access to a full-service grocery store in the area for years to come. [posted November 18, 2024]

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

• Holiday Fantasy in Lights Monday, November 25 through Sunday, December 1: lighted holiday themed displays set in beautiful Olin Park. Drive through anytime Dusk until Dawn to enjoy this magical light show for free, brought to you by The Electric Group.
• Public Health Offices Closed, Thursday, November 28 through Friday, November 29: Our offices are closed for the Thanksgiving holiday.
• Green Friday - Cleanup at Garner Park Friday, November 29: Green Friday at Garner Park in Madison is a family-friendly alternative to Black Friday shopping! Just show up and be ready to lend a hand! Gloves and supplies will be provided.

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