Meeting and Event Highlights for the Week of November 18, 2024 Public Information Meetings

Public Information Meetings

• In-Person Open House: Southwest Area Plan kickoff event - Tuesday, November 19, 2024: Join Planning, Engineering, Transportation, Parks, and others at an open house on Tuesday, November 19, 2024, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Akira Toki Middle School, 5606 Russett Road. There will be a brief presentation at the start. Feel free to drop in and stay for a few minutes or the entire time.  Learn about the Southwest Area Plan and other upcoming projects in the Southwest Area.

  Upcoming events/meetings

• Economic Development Committee: The Economic Development Committee meeting will take place on Wednesday, November 20, 2024, at 5:00 p.m. in virtual format. Agenda items include an update on the Economic Development Plan, a presentation of the Economic Development Division Report from 2021-2023, and a discussion regarding means testing financial assistance programs.
  • Meeting Details
  • Meeting Agenda
  • Register for Public Comment
  • Watch Online
• Empowering Small Businesses: District 7 Lunch and Learn featuring the Office of Business Resources, Thursday, November 21: Please join me as I hosts staff from the Office of Business Resources! Learn more about small business opportunities, how to apply for city programs, TIF, TBE certification, and more! This virtual event is free and open to all Madison residents. . You can join the virtual meeting using your computer, smartphone, or tablet or listen in via telephone. You will receive login information after registering at  www.cityofmadison.com/LunchandLearnD7.

• District 11 Book Club with Stu Levitan, Wednesday, December 11: For our next District 11 Book Club on December 11th, Stu Levitan will give an illustrated talk on Madison in the 1970s, adapted from his forthcoming book, Madison: The Illustrated Sesquicentennial History, Volume 2, 1932 to 1979.Announcements.

  Announcements

  Information About a Pilot Program for Event and Commuter Parking Charges at Some City Parks

• You may have seen news recently that the 2025 City Budget authorizes a pilot program for Madison Parks to explore charging fees to park at some City parks. The idea came from Madison Parks’ 5% cut scenarios during the preparation of the 2025 Operating Budget as a potential strategy to address part of the structural deficit. This pilot program is not intended to charge Madison residents for their use of our public parks, but rather to explore charging fees for special events like home-field Badger games or for limited, designated parking spaces for commuters. Here is how Madison Parks describes the scope of the pilot program:
• "Initial ideas for the pilot program suggest charging to park a vehicle during home Badger football games, in the north lot of Vilas Park, while continuing to provide the south lot as free three-hour parking.  Other concepts include fee-based parking for a limited number of reserved commuter parking stalls during peak hours in popular lots such as Garner, Olin or Burr Jones. This concept allows park visitors plenty of free parking to visit a park throughout the day. It is unlikely that all of these concepts will be a part of the experiment in 2025, but these and other ideas will be considered by the Board of Park Commissioners.  As the pilot program takes shape, we welcome and encourage community feedback."

• Any proposal to implement this pilot program will be reviewed by the Board of Park Commissioners, which will include an opportunity for residents to provide comments and input. I will watch for this on the Board’s agendas and will share more information in future weekly blog posts.

  Greater Madison MPO Secures $1 Million to Enhance Roadway Safety Across Dane County: The Greater Madison Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) has been awarded $1 million in federal funding through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) program, part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, to enhance safety for drivers, bicyclists, and pedestrians throughout Dane County.