Meetings and Updates Week of Oct 28

• City meetings:
  • Finance Committee 10/28 includes 2025 Operating Budget amendments
  • Common Council 10/29 has many interesting agenda items
• Great Early Voting Turnout, Eastside Early Voting Locations
• Reminder: East District Coffee With A Cop 10/29
• Events & Announcements

City 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.

Finance Committee (2025 Operating Budget Amendments)

The Finance Committee meeting will take place on Monday, October 28, at 4:30 p.m. in virtual format. Agenda items include deliberations on the 2025 Executive Operating Budget and 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 (see Item 56 in the Common Council agenda list below for more information about older adult services funding).

Notably, there are only two proposed amendments to the 2025 Operating Budget submitted by Finance Committee alders on Monday’s agenda. One is a small technical adjustment from the Finance Division staff and the other is an amendment exploring a pilot program in Parks to explore recovering some funds by charging for parking at some high-traffic parks. Here’s a file with both proposed Finance Committee amendments in Legistar. I suspect most alders are waiting on more substantive budget amendments until after we know the result of the City operating funds referendum on the November 5th ballot because the outcome of the referendum determines which version of the Operating Budget proposal we take up on November 12th. The version of the Mayor's budget proposal with new revenue from the referendum passing maintains most City services (with the exception of cuts to the Office of the Independent Monitor), while the version of the budget proposal without revenue from a referendum cuts $5.6 of staff and services, begins a new "special charge", and uses General Fund reserves to balance the operating budget starting in 2025.

Former Madison Alder Eve Galanter recently interviewed Finance Director Dave Schmiedicke about the 2025 City budget referendum. The 27-minute interview was recorded and is very informative, definitely worth watching if you’re interested. Here’s the link on YouTube.

Finance Committee meeting info:

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

Common Council

The Common Council meeting will take place on Tuesday, October 29, at 6:30 p.m. in hybrid format.

There are a lot of interesting and important items on this Council agenda, hence this long list:

• Items 1 and 2: Honoring resolutions declaring Nov 20 to be Transgender Day of Remembrance and recognizing November as Homelessness Awareness Month
• Item 4: A staff presentation from the Streets Division: everything from Winter to Waste
• Item 8: An appeal of the Plan Commission’s decision to deny demolition permits for two houses on the near west side by Edgewood College
• Item 9: A public hearing for a new Class B liquor and beer license in District 3 for Dream Lanes at 13 Atlas Ct. This license is related to a sale of the existing business. I’ve heard no concerns about this application after the applicant’s public meeting at the Dream Lanes property on Oct 1st nor from the ALRC hearing on Oct 16th where ALRC recommended approval.
• Item 24: A change in licensed premises request for a Class B Combination liquor & beer license in District 3 for Metro Market ta 6010 Cottage Grove Road. This request is to relocate pick-up parking spaces and I’ve heard no concerns from the public nor from the Oct 16th ALRC meeting where they recommended approval.
• Item 44: A resolution authorizing an amendment to a lease agreement in District 3 between the City and the Salvation Army for the temporary family shelter at 4502 Milwaukee Street (former Karmenta rehab facility; I’m the sponsor). I shared background about this item in my post of weekly updates for the week of Octo 7th. This item would amend the lease agreement to extend the end date by two more years due to fundraising challenges for the permanent family shelter, to April 2028, and specify a list of maintenance items that are the Salvation Army’s responsibility. I haven’t heard any concerns about this item from the public nor from the CDBG Committee at their Oct 10th meeting.
• Item 48: A resolution authorizing an agreement with Dane County for the provision of access by employees to Metro Transit fixed route and ADA paratransit services, with reimbursement by Dane County to the transit utility for rides taken by Dane County employees for three years (I’m a cosponsor).
• Item 49: A resolution authorizing a contract with REDI Transports, LLC for ongoing emergency detention transport services (I’m a cosponsor). This is the City’s program to hire behavioral health providers to drive patients to Winnebago Mental Health Institute instead of having MPD officers do this. It’s a more humane approach for patients who are in crisis and need mental health care, and it lets MPD officers focus on their duties in Madison.
• Item 51: A resolution mending the Police Department’s 2024 Operating Budget; and authorizing a FY2024 USDOJ Office of Community Policing Services (COPS Office) Community Policing Development Microgrant for $136,398, and to utilize these funds to evaluate to Department’s stratified policing business model for community engagement and proactive crime reduction; and authorizing a sole source contract for services from Santos & Santos, Ph.D, Inc. to evaluate the Department's stratified policing business model (I’m a cosponsor).
• Item 53: A resolution authorizing a competitively selected service contract for a one-year term with four annual renewal options, for a total of five years, with The Psychology Center SC for MPD employee mental health and wellness services (I’m a cosponsor).
• Item 54: A resolution authorizing the Parks Division to submit a grant of up to $20 million from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for the Madison LakeWay Project and authorizing the Mayor and City Clerk to enter into a Statutory Partnership Agreement with Madison LakeWay Partners Inc (I’m a cosponsor). There is no local match requirement for this grant.
• Item 55: A resolution authorizing a five-year service contract for up to $60,000 annually with Domestic Abuse Intervention Services, Inc (DAIS) for the Law Enforcement Advocate Partnership Program (I’m a cosponsor). This is an important program where officers who respond to domestic violence-related incidents can refer victims to DAIS, who can then securely contact with those individuals to inform them of services and resources available.
• Item 56: A resolution approving the allocation of funds for older adult programming among a group of agencies selected through a Request for Proposals in the Community Development Division. Staff is recommending a reallocation of funds to build a multicultural coalition of existing and new organizations offering older adult services in Madison. That means the organization who previously received the large majority of funding, NewBridge, would get a smaller allocation (though still the largest allocation of funds). Alders have been getting a lot of emails from NewBridge staff, volunteers, and program attendees asking for more funding. Here's the detailed Older Adult Services Funding Recommendations report for those who are interested. The Finance Committee will take an advisory vote on Monday before Council considers this item on Tuesday. I’ve heard from constituents on both sides of this one, from those who support the reallocation and who oppose the reallocation.
• Item 58: Amending the Fire Department’s 2024 Operating Budget to accept $530,384 of grant funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for the Regional Catastrophic Preparedness Grant Program (I’m a cosponsor).

• 

  Item 60: A resolution awarding $2.77 million in City Affordable Housing Funds and $2.75 million in TID 51 funding, both authorized in the 2024 Capital budget, to finance affordable housing in four development projects in the City (I’m a cosponsor). This includes up to $1.5 million for The Point on Washington Apartments at 3917 Lien Road in District 3, formerly a motel. This project was planned as workforce-level affordable housing (with rents that are affordable for households whose income is around 80% of the area median), initially planned without a public subsidy for affordable housing, and has already renovated for housing. However, the project ran into an unexpected and expensive individual-metering electrical requirement that the WI Public Service Commission declined to waive. Those added costs to individually-meter each room of the former hotel made affordable housing units impossible at the project, so they applied for City affordable housing funds. This resolution approves that fund award. Here is a staff memo about the funding recommendations approved by the CDBG Committee in their Oct 10th meeting. The Point on Washington property is located near a BRT station, a grocery store, many employment opportunities, and the future Imagination Center/library at Reindahl Park. As a reminder, the City uses this map to determine which areas are eligibile for City affordable housing funds. The map favors areas that have good access to resources, economic opportunities, and transit. 

• Item 65: A resolution approving the housing policy recommendations that serve to strengthen efforts to expand affordable rental, homeowner, and student housing in the City. This is the result of a year-long study conducted by the Housing Strategy Committee, on which I serve, to dive into the three topics and set recommendations to provide City departments with a roadmap of priorities. Here is the near-final draft of the report, pending changes by Council.

Common Council meeting info:

• 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.

Great Early Voting Turnout, Eastside Early Voting Locations

Like for elsewhere in the country, Wisconsin election officials are reporting exceptionally strong early voting turnout for the November 5th General Election! Voters can check out their ballot in advance using the What’s On My Ballot feature of the myvote.wi.gov site.

As a reminder, here are times and East Side locations for early voting in Madison between now and November 3rd:

• Pinney Library: 516 Cottage Grove Rd
  11 a.m. – 7 p.m. weekdays, October 22 - November 1
  10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Saturdays, October 26 & November 2
• Hawthorne Library: 2707 E Washington Ave
  11 a.m. – 7 p.m. weekdays, October 22 - November 1
  10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Saturdays, October 26 & November 2
• Madison College Truax Campus: 1701 Wright St
  11 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. weekdays, October 28 - November 1
• East Madison Community Center: 8 Straubel Court
  11 a.m. – 4 p.m. weekdays, October 22 - November 1
• Global Market & Food Hall: 2161 Zeier Rd
  11 a.m. – 7 p.m. weekdays, October 22 - November 1
  10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Saturdays, October 26 & November 2
  10 a.m. – 1 p.m. Sundays, October 27 & November 3
• Hmong Institute: 4402 Femrite Dr
  11 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. Tuesdays, October 22 & 29
  11 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. Thursdays, October 24 & 31
  10 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. Fridays, October 25 & November 1
• Olbrich Gardens: 3330 Atwood Ave
  10:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. weekdays, October 22 - November 1
• SS Morris AME Church: 3511 Milwaukee St
  10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Sundays, October 27 & November 3

Reminder: East District Coffee With A Cop Oct 29th

From East District MPD:

“As promised on my September blotter- Coffee With a Cop will be held on the evening of Tuesday the 29th!  Unfortunately, my prediction about "sweater weather" wasn't quite on the mark...

Tuesday, October 29, 6:00PM to 7:30PM

Madison Public Library- Pinney Branch (516 Cottage Grove Rd)

While we have discussed several potential topics, I'd like to keep it simple and use the time to go over the East District's crime reduction efforts and progress for the past year.  Some of you who were at the September event at the Hawthorne Library branch will have seen some of this information already.

I can also speak more informally about any other goings-on in the District, as well as any concerns that people might have going into Election Day.”

Events & Announcements

• Public Test of Election Equipment Saturday: The public is invited to observe the City of Madison public test of election equipment this Saturday. The City of Madison deliberately schedules the public test on the weekend to make it accessible for the community. “Interested in learning how our… [posted October 25, 2024]
• Road Closure for Continuation of E Wilson Street Paving: Starting at
• RaISE Program Guarantees Job Interviews for Participants: The Referrals and Interviews for Sustainable Employment (RaISE) program provides an opportunity to obtain employment, regardless of a job seekers’ background, gender, race, or ethnicity, overcoming barriers some communities face. [posted October 24, 2024]
• OIM Press Conference: Madison, 10/24/2024.The Office of the Independent Monitor will be hosting a press conference tomorrow. Following the release of a complaint intake form on our website today, this will be an opportunity to discuss the contents of the form and next… [posted October 24, 2024]
• Common Election Misconceptions: The City of Madison Clerk’s Office would like to provide voters with facts regarding common misconceptions about the voting process. Myth: Your voter ID needs to show your current address. Fact:  The address on your Voter ID does not matter. When… [posted October 24, 2024]
• Urban Forestry Planting 855 Trees in Fall 2024: Urban Forestry’s fall planting season began on Monday, October 21, 2024.Our crews will be planting 855 trees from 25 different species along City of Madison streets this fall. The variety of species was selected by the City’s trained arborists to… [posted October 23, 2024]
• Mail It Back Monday – Make Sure Your Absentee Counts: The Madison City Clerk’s Office has issued absentee ballots to 39,213 voters for the November 5 General Election. Over 17,000 of those absentees have yet to be returned to the City Clerk’s Office. If you plan to return your absentee ballot through… [posted October 21, 2024]
• Rental Rehabilitation Loan Program helps housing get needed updates: With one of the lowest rental vacancy rates in the country, not only does the city need to see more new units built, but existing units also need to be cared for to make sure they are available for years to come. [posted October 21, 2024]
• Hayride Around the Capitol | Movie at the Top of State, Wednesday, October 30: We've partnered with Madison's Central BID for the Downtown Madison Family Halloween to bring you back-to-back events! Take a haywagon ride around the Capitol Square (3-6pm) and see the movie Hotel Transylvania (6-7:30pm), at the Top of State Street (between Ian’s Pizza & Veterans Museum).

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