D6 Items of Interest Week of October 21, 2024

In-Person Absentee Voting Begins, Tuesday, October 22:  Check the In-Person Absentee Voting website for locations and hours. The last day to vote absentee in person will be Sunday, November 3. If you haven’t already voted and want to see what is on your ballot, check My Vote Wisconsin . In addition to the Presidential, US Senate, State Assembly, State Senate, County Executive, city and school district referenda, there is also a statewide Constitutional amendment.

The statewide Constitutional amendment asks: “Eligibility to vote. Shall section 1 of article III of the constitution, which deals with suffrage, be amended to provide that only a United States citizen age 18 or older who resides in an election district may vote in an election for national, state, or local office or at a statewide or local referendum?"

What does a “Yes” or a “No” vote mean for the state question?

• A “yes” vote - supports the changes to the constitution. A “yes” vote indicates support for changing our state constitution to remove the guarantee that “every” U.S. citizen has the right to vote in favor of language that limits the right to vote to “only” U.S. citizens and opens the door to further limits to the right to vote.
• A “no” vote - opposes the changes to the constitution. A “no” vote indicates support for keeping the guarantee in our state constitution that “every” U.S. citizen has the right to vote.

If you want more info about the city referendum and 2025 budget, please check out my October 17 2025 Budget Explainer zoom presentation. I break down the current situation regarding the $22M structural deficit, explain how we got here, and what the City has done so far. I provide details about the Mayor’s two proposals for the 2025 Budget, which include the Executive Budget with a Referendum and an Alternate Budget without a Referendum and list the potential cuts we face. I will send out a separate post with the meeting link, pdf of the power point and highlights from my comments.

Another recent source of info about the referendum is a conversation between former Alder Eve Galanter who hosts the City’s District Reports and Finance Director Dave Schmiedicke https://www.cityofmadison.com/mayor/news/district-reports-city-funding-referendum

Last week, the independent Wisconsin Policy Forum issued their review of Madison’s 2025 budget Wis Policy Forum 2025 Budget Brief . From their summary: If successful, the referendum would not solve all the city’s challenges but would bring a measure of fiscal stability to the city budget. If it fails, the problems would be greater still, with the city cutting some services, dipping into its reserves, and leaning heavily on an undrafted and untested new infrastructure special charge. As always, we take no position on the referendum or city budget as a whole. Yet as members of the Common Council and the voters themselves consider these questions, we hope this brief offers insights that will help them to make these difficult decisions for themselves.

Boards, Commissions, and Committee Meetings

• Plan Commission: The Plan Commission meeting will take place on Monday, October 21, at 5:30 p.m. in virtual format. Agenda items include development related requests in Districts 2, 9, 12, 13, and 17.

  Items 9-11 are to be referred to November 4 Plan Commission, pending a review by UDC on Wednesday 10/23 UDC Staff Report legistar 84250. Development proposal in D12 at E Wash and N 7th St: demolition of an auto repair business, mixed-use building, single-family residence, and two (2) two-family residences, rezoning to TSS, and conditional use permit for 2430-2450 E Washington Avenue and 10-16 N Seventh Street (District 12): Consideration of a conditional use in the [Proposed] Traditional Shopping Street (TSS) District and Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Overlay District for dwelling units in a mixed-use building with 61-100 units; consideration of a conditional use in the TSS District and TOD Overlay for a mixed-use building with less than 50% of non-residential ground-floor frontage facing the primary street, including all frontage at a street corner; and consideration of a conditional use in the TSS District and TOD Overlay for a building exceeding four stories and 60 feet of height, all to allow construction of a mixed-use building containing 260 square feet of commercial space and 76 apartments.

  Upcoming Matters – November 18, 2024- Legistar ID 85636, 85637 & 85653 - 306 S Brearly Street - Demolition Permit, Conditional Use(s) and Certified Survey Map Referral - Demolish multi-tenant commercial building to construct six-story mixed-use building with 1,500 square feet of commercial space and 120 apartments on one lot 306 S Brearly Project Plans

  • Meeting Details
  • Meeting Agenda
  • Register for Public Comment
  • Watch Online

• Committee on Aging: The Committee on Aging meeting will take place on Wednesday, October 23, at 2:30 p.m. in virtual format. Agenda items include approving the allocation of City funds that are budgeted and designated to support older adult programming among a group of agencies selected through a Request for Proposals process conducted by the Community Development Division.

  2. 85308 Discussion and Recommendations on Older Adult Services Funding for 2025

  3. 85469 Approving the allocation of City funds that are budgeted and designated to support older adult programming among a group of agencies selected through a Request for Proposals process conducted by the Community Development Division, for use beginning in 2025 (Citywide).

The Community Development Division is currently involved in a Request for Proposals process for Older Adult Services. This RFP is the first one issued since 2016, which is longer than the usual 5 year cycle, due to COVID disruptions. CDD staff have proposed recommendations for how to allocate the nearly $840,000 in available funds among competing applicants. The recommendations have elicited a strong response from one of our partner agencies, NewBridge and an outcry from their supporters.  Public comments are in both links. Alders have been receiving a lot of emails.

The issues around this funding process are independent of the 2025 budget and unrelated to the referendum that seeks to address state levy limits. Rather, they relate to the use of funds already in CDD’s base operating budget and expected to remain there in 2025 and beyond.

Racial equity analyses undertaken in 2021 and, again in 2023 with the help of a consultant (Equity by Design), revealed that many older adults in Madison, particularly those identifying as Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) and members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer+ community, were largely unaware of the programs, activities and resources offered with City support – both those provided at the Madison Senior Center and those offered by community partners supported by City funding. Transportation challenges was a second often-cited barrier to services.

These conclusions do not diminish the value of efforts made by currently funded agencies, or at the Madison Senior Center. But they suggest the city should do more to try to reach a more diverse segment of Madison’s older adult population. Toward that end, CDD resolved to use this funding process to provide resources to a broader network of community partners, including those that center and are better positioned to serve BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities. Staff is recommending adding new agencies and reducing funding for NewBridge, the largest recipient of funds. Unless the Council amends the amount of funding for the older adult services program through the 2025 budget process, NewBridge is facing a cut of $277K.

                 Meeting Details

• Meeting Agenda
  • Register for Public Comment
  • Watch Online
• Housing Strategy Committee: The Housing Strategy Committee meeting will take place on Thursday, October 24, at 5:00 p.m. Agenda items include approving housing recommendations that serve to strengthen efforts to expand rental, homeowner and student developments.
  • Meeting Details
  • Meeting Agenda
  • Register for Public Comment
  • Watch Online

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.

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

Public Information Meetings (PIMs)

• Warner Park and Cherokee Marsh Watershed Study, Monday, October 21: We will present the completed, drainage model of existing flooding conditions. We invite residents to provide feedback on the results, ask questions, and hear about our next steps.  The information presented will only share existing flood risk maps. There are not any proposed solutions to share at this time.
• Sauk Creek Greenway, Tuesday, October 22: Staff will provide some initial ideas on the West Area Plan's East-West multi-use path connection. Preliminary review of concepts show construction of a path would not align enough with the stormwater improvements to be built together and path plans are not being developed further at this time.
• John Nolen Drive, Wednesday, October 23: The next public information meeting is schedule for 6:30 p.m., Oct. 23, 2024, via Zoom. Registration prior is required.

Announcements and News Releases

• What to Know About Observers: Voters may notice individuals wearing Election Observer badges at in-person absentee voting sites or at the polls. Wisconsin allows anyone to observe the voting process as long as they are not a candidate on the ballot. Political parties, individual… [posted October 17, 2024]
• Electric Truck Naming is Down to the Wire; Truck Name Vote Ends on October 21, 2024 at 4:00pm: The public vote to choose the names for Madison’s and Wisconsin’s first electric trash collection vehicles is about to be unplugged.Make your choice for the names on the Wisconsin Clean Cities website (https://wicleancities.org).  The vote ends… [posted October 17, 2024]
• Doty Street and Wilson Street Paving Closures – Friday (10/18) and Saturday (10/19): Starting Friday, October 18th, R.G Huston’s paving contractor will begin final paving operations for the E Wilson Street and E Doty Street Reconstruction Project. Signing for the detour routes and closed roadways will be present for the… [posted October 16, 2024]
• Election Checks and Balances: Our election processes include checks and balances to ensure election integrity. You may see individuals wearing Election Observer badges when you go vote. Observers play a role in keeping our elections transparent. Anyone can observe our… [posted October 16, 2024]
• Alder Yannette Figueroa Cole Joins the Latino Professionals Association for a Fireside Chat to Boost Civic Engagement in Madison's Latinx Community: In a collaborative effort to boost civic engagement in Madison's Latinx community, the Latino Professionals Associations of Greater Madison and the Office of the Common Council will host a Virtual Fireside Chat with Alder Yannette Figueroa Cole on… [posted October 16, 2024]
• Alder Marsha Rummel of District 6 Invites Residents to District 6: Budget Outlook for 2025: The City of Madison is faced with an unprecedented operating budget gap of $22M due to population growth, the lingering economic disruption from COVID, and state levy limit constraints, which have made it difficult for the City to cover the… [posted October 15, 2024]
• Voter Registration “Closes” Tomorrow: Wednesday, October 16, is the final day to register to vote online or by mail prior to the November 5 General Election. [posted October 15, 2024]
• District 19 Alder John Guequierre Hosts Third Budget Exploration Session: Join Alder John Guequierre of District 19 on Wednesday, October 16, for the third session of the D19 Exploring the 2025 Budget Series. This series invites attendees to explore balancing cuts with maintaining core operations. The third session will… [posted October 14, 2024]
• Absentee Voting Begins Today in Care Facilities: Voters in qualified nursing homes and assisted living facilities will be able to cast their absentee ballots this week. State law requires poll workers to bring absentee voting to absentee requestors in certain nursing homes and care facilities. The… [posted October 14, 2024]
• October 15 is White Cane Safety Day in Madison: Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway and Common Council has proclaimed October 15, as “White Cane Safety Day” in the City of Madison. White Cane Safety Day is a day the Council takes to advocate for and educate about the White Cane Law. Since 1964, the… [posted October 14, 2024]
• Celebrate Native Nations during the Teejop & Beyond Program Series at Madison Public Library this Fall: MADISON, WI -- Teejop & Beyond: Celebrating Native Nations, a program created by Madison Public Library in partnership with Ho-Chunk Gaming Madison, will return to libraries across Madison on Indigenous Peoples’ Day (Monday, October 14). [posted October 14, 2024]

Events

• Virtual Fireside Chat with Yannette Figueroa, Tuesday, October 22: Discover the crucial role of Latinos in local government with Common Council President Yannette Figueroa! Don't miss this opportunity to learn from one of our community's most influential figures. Register now and be part of shaping our local government!
• Warner Family Fun Night - Halloween Special, Friday, October 25: Join us for a special Halloween Family Fun Night! The fun begins with hayrides around Warner Park, 5-6pm, Family Fun Night inside WPCRC, 5-8pm, then a free, outdoor movie starting at 6pm. All kids aged 11 and under must be accompanied by an adult for all activities.
• Bird & Nature Adventures | Edna Taylor, Saturday, October 26: Join a naturalist for an easy family-friendly walk from Aldo Leopold Nature Center into beautiful Edna Taylor Conservation Park and enjoy a bit of nature education along the way. Walk will begin at the Aldo Leopold Nature Center, 330 Femrite Drive. Meet outside at the Children's Shack. Co-sponsored by Madison Parks, Badgerland Bird Alliance, and Aldo Leopold Nature Center . No registration is required. No pets are allowed.
• Seed Collecting at Odana Hills Golf Course, Saturday, October 26: Join us at Odana Hills Golf Course for a seed collection event as we work to expand Madison's natural areas using seeds from our own land! It's a unique opportunity to gather native seeds while enjoying the beauty of the golf course. By collecting seeds from local plants, we're helping preserve our ecosystem and support more natural growth across the city. Plus, it’s a fun way to connect with nature—right in the heart of the course! Whether you’re a golf enthusiast or just love the outdoors, come help us “grow” our green spaces, one seed at a time!
• Inspired by Wright: Tour & Art Making Activity, Sunday, October 27: Tour the Frank Lloyd Wright designed Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center and discover how Wright saw geometric shapes in the world around him.  You’ll learn how Monona Terrace’s unique landscape influenced his choice of geometry, expressed in nearly every aspect of the building. Then, use this newly gained knowledge to create your own Wright-inspired glass piece of art.

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