City Meetings and Updates Week of 9/14

posted 
  • City Meetings:
    • Finance Committee 2027 Capital Budget Agency Briefings 9/14 and 9/15
    • Transportation Commission 9/16
  • Mark Your Calendars: District 3 Office Hours 9/28 and 10/3 in Local Parks
  • Madison's CARES Alternative Response Program Celebrates 5 Years of Service
  • 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 2027 Capital Budget Agency Briefings Monday and Tuesday

The Finance Committee meeting will take place on both Monday, September 14 and Tuesday, September 15th at 4:30 p.m. in virtual format. Agenda items include 2027 Executive Capital Budget briefings. Here are the agencies that will present their portion of the 2027 Capital Budget and five-year Capital Improvement Plan for 2028-2032:

  • Agencies presenting Monday, by category:
    • Administration: Finance, Information Technology, Mayor's Office, Zoo
    • Public Spaces: Madison Public Library and Monona Terrace
    • Planning and Economic Development Department: City Planning
    • Public Safety & Health: Madison Fire and Madison Police
  • Agencies presenting Tuesday, by category:
    • Planning and Economic Development, part 2: Community Development Authority (public housing), Community Development Division, Economic Development Division
    • Transportation: Metro Transit, Parking Division, Traffic Engineering, Transportation Director's Office
    • Public Works: Fleet Services, Madison Parks Division, Streets Division, Water Utility
    • Public Works-Engineering: Bicycle & Ped, Facilities, Major Streets, Other Projects, Sewer utility, Stormwater Utility

I am working on a summary of the 2027 Executive Capital Budget items that I think are of interest and/or relevant to District 3, which I plan to share via the blog in the coming weeks.

Meeting info:

Transportation Commission

The Transportation Commission meeting will take place on Wednesday, September 16, at 5:00 p.m. in virtual format. Agenda items include: 

  • Item 7: Adopting the City of Madison Pedestrian Plan. Some interesting numbers from the report (PDF page 9):
    • 98% of Madison residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park
    • 65% of streets in Madison have sidewalks on both sides
    • 88 miles of new sidewalks are recommended along arterial and collector streets in this plan
    • 12% of crossings in Madison are “high-stress"
    • 180 miles of crossing gaps identified and prioritized in this plan
    • 22% is the share of traffic fatalities and serious injuries involving people walking (between 2017 and 2023)
    • 85% of street blocks are within a 10-minute walk of transit
    • “Across the nation, pedestrian fatalities are rising, and pedestrian fatalities make up a disproportionately high percentage of all traffic fatalities. In Madison, between 2017 and 2023, pedestrians were involved in only 2 percent of all crashes but accounted for 22 percent of fatal and serious injury crashes."
  • Item 8: Adopting the City of Madison Safe Routes to School Strategic Plan. From the Plan document: “Safe Routes to School (SRTS) is an international movement that uses programs and infrastructure to encourage children to walk and bike to and from school. SRTS programs seek to improve safety conditions near schools and encourage more active travel when it is safe to do so. […] SRTS programs focus on improving the safety of and increasing the numbers of students that walk, bike, or take the bus to school. […] The Madison SRTS Plan was collaboratively created by City staff and program partners and implementors such as MMSD and the Wisconsin Bike Fed, with feedback and contributions from students and families from throughout the city. The planning process included documenting current policies, programs, and initiatives and identifying future efforts that would help the SRTS program better meet its vision and goals. This plan will guide the Madison SRTS program over the next 10 years".

Those interested can send Transportation Commission members an email at TransportationCommission@cityofmadison.com. Or, email me (district3@cityofmadison.com) and I'll forward your comments to be added to the record. Meeting info: 

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

Mark Your Calendars: District 3 Office Hours Sept 28 and Oct 3 in Local Parks

District 3 residents, please consider joining me for my upcoming office hours. There will be two opportunities to stop by:

  • Monday, September 28th from 5:15pm-7pm at the North Star Park sun shelter
  • Saturday, October  3rd from 10am-noon at the Kennedy Park shelter

Stop by to discuss local issues, share your vision for the district, or get updates on City business. No appointment necessary!

Hope to see you there! 

Flyer for upcoming district 3 office hours, details in the blog post text
Image credit: Common Council's Office

Madison's CARES Alternative Response Program Celebrates 5 Years of Service

The City of Madison's Community Alternative Response Emergency Services program, popularly known as CARES, turned five years old on September 1, 2026. Developed specifically to address acute behavioral health emergencies that are non-violent in nature, CARES aims to provide timely care that is responsive to a person's specific needs. 

The program celebrates this milestone anniversary as it also approaches 15,000 total calls for services. CARES teams have helped nearly 9,000 people since September 1, 2021. 

CARES aims to connect people with the resources they truly need based on the nature of their behavioral health emergency. The program's commitment to collaborating with community partners, hearing the needs of each patient, and responding with appropriate treatment options has led to less reliance on hospital emergency departments and law enforcement.

CARES response teams consist of one Madison Fire Department community paramedic and one Journey Mental Health crisis worker. These teams possess the standard licenses and certifications for paramedics and crisis workers, but they have also completed additional, specialized training in crisis intervention, suicide prevention and risk assessment, cultural competency, de-escalation, and trauma-informed care.

CARES is Wisconsin's only 911-based alternative behavioral health response program. Its continued success reflects the community's desire for alternative emergency services and the lasting impact that can be achieved through effective partnerships. 

Photo of CARES staff
Image credit: CARES Program, Madison Fire Department

Events & Announcements

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.

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