James Madison Park Committee given 2.5 months to decide.

The boys and I (I'm sorry, but its hard not to notice when there are 8 guys - counting the staff - and me sitting at a table.) finally met! That's right! The James Madison Park Committee finally met! For one hour. We got some background information, decided we needed more, elected a chair (David Wallner) and vice chair (Phil Hees), got a late breaking memo from the Mayor and adjourned. We decided to meet every two weeks. The next meeting will be a tour of the buildings and then we'll hear from everyone who already took a position on what should happen to the buildings in the last year in a half to two years. (Parks Commission, the owners of Lincoln School, Tenney Lapham Neighborhood, Capitol Neighborhoods, Madison Historic Trust, etc)

The most ironic part of the meeting, of course, came in the form of the letter from the Mayor. After dinking around forming and appointing the committee since November 2006, a whole lot of blogging (1, 2, 3), budget fights in the fall of 2006 (1, 2) and 2007 (1, 2, 3), projects that were supposed to be funded with the sales proceeds (zoning code re-write) finding other funding sources, delayed repairs to the park and the houses, kicking out a small business (the Collins house bed and breakfast), arguments over funding the affordable housing trust fund, community discussions that have been going on much longer (since at least February 2006), staff members leaving city employment (Warren Kinney) and a false start (2). . . the Mayor gives us a memo dated May 28, 2008 that has this little gem in it.

I would like the process to be smooth, seamless and inclusive. Forwarding recommendations to me in time for the submittal of my 2009 Capital Budget to the Council would accomplish that. The budget is introduced around Labor Day, but my decisions need to be made earlier. Your recommendation will be valuable and it would be best if I could get them by around August 15th.

You gotta be effen kidding me. He stalls for FOUR years (I first suggested selling the properties when I was council president in 2004-2005 for the 2005 budget) and then gives the committee 2.5 months. The 2.5 months when many of the students who heavily use the park are gone and more permanent residents are busy taking advantage of the summer weather and taking vacations. All the while saying he wants the process to be inclusive. To add insult to injury, he picks August 15th, when a large portion of the neighborhood moves, which means the people who will live here in the fall are not going to be included in the discussion.

This oughta be fun. How much you want to bet, he knows what he's putting in the budget and doesn't care what our recommendations are or what the people who use the park think?

Read more!

Community Forum on Homelessness

Want to learn more about homelessness here in our community - the facts, straight from people who work the homeless and the homeless themselves. The Dane County Coalition to Fight Homelessness and End Poverty will be hosting a Community Forum on Homelessness on Thursday, June 5th at First United Methodist Church (203 Wisconsin Ave.). The event will be from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. and light snacks will be provided. If you'd like to learn more about the extent of homelessness in our community, the challenges faced by families who are homeless and discuss what is and can be done to decrease homelessness please try to attend. We'd appreciate it if you could register so we know how many materials to print and food to bring, please call Madison-area Urban Ministry, 256-0906 to register, or email Linda@emum.org. The event is free and open to the public. A more detailed agenda is as follows:

Presentations:
History of Homelessness in Dane County - Ralph Middlecamp, St. Vincent de Paul
Affordable Housing and Single Men - Steve Schooler, Porchlight Inc.
Homeless Families - Rachel Krinsky, Interfaith Hospitality Network
Plan to End Homelessness (written by the Homeless Services Consortium, a group of about 40 groups that work with the homeless) - Gayle Ihlenfeld, YWCA
Proposal for Services to Address Brittingham Park Issues - Operation Welcome Home

Panel Discussion:
Lynn Green, Dane County Human Services
Joel Plant, Mayor's Office
Captain Mary Schauf, Madison Police Department
Pat Mooney, formerly of Madison School District
Nichelle Nichols, Community Action Coalition
Dean Loumos, Housing Initiatives
Joe Lindstrom, Homeless Services Consortium Legislative Committee

In addition to groups listed above, the event is also sponsored by: Tenant Advocacy Group, Affordable Housing Action Alliance, Tenant Resource Center, Communities United
Read more!

Metro: Changes Accepted, Money Needed

I was unable to attend the Transit and Parking Commission last night. However, here's an update based on an email from someone who was there:

The Transit and Parking Commission approved the recommended changes, as revised, with the exception of Route 13.

The TPC voted (5 yeas, one abstain) to approve "option 2, Campus Short Turn" and to continue seeking revenues from other sources (Town, County, State). If revenues are not forthcoming, then they will ask the Board of Estimates to use the Contingent Reserve.

Various parties reported that significant progress has been made on the Town and County fronts, with each moving toward providing 1/3 of $26,000 shortfall. The word from the City has not been as promising.

The entire Commission deserves praise recognizing how important this route is to the entire community and especially many people who are struggling and depend upon quality public transportation to survive and try to pull themselves up.

Please let them know they did the right thing, encourage County officials to keep moving in the right direction and let the Mayor and the Common Council know that this is important.

Well, that's good news on route 13. However, I agree with the writers assessment, it doesn't look good on the City end of things. That route is going to need continued advocacy.
Read more!

Last Chance! Madison Metro Route Changes Tonight!

Stolen from an email from elsewhere, but important information! Meeting is tonight!

A public hearing on proposed route and schedule changes was held April 15, 2008. The original proposals have been modified, based on feedback received at the Public Hearing and budgetary limitations due to the continuing climb in the price of fuel.

A special meeting of the Transit and Parking Commission has been scheduled to make a decision on the service changes on May 27, 2008, 5 PM at the Main Library, Room 202 (Front Lecture Rm.)

Check out the website
http://www.cityofmadison.com/metro/PublicHearing/RevisedRecommendationsforFa
ll.html
On the that page you will see something that says "print flyer" in PDF form.
It is a great document that updates you on all the routes.

If you want to comment but can't make the meeting, you will also see at the bottom of the website page "To comment on the revised service changes, call (608) 266-4466, e-mail mymetrobus@cityofmadison.com or click on Metro's online feedback form below."

Read more!

Shoreland Zoning Hearing Tonight

With all the talk of "saving our lakes" how can something like this be a serious proposal? Thanks to John Hendrick and Ron Kalil for passing along this information:

Ron Kalil's message below describes an effort to repeal part of the county shoreland zoning ordinance and loosen the regulations on new houses on small lots near lakes and streams. The only public hearing before this passes the county board is Tuesday.

John Hendrick

-----Original Message-----
From: Ronald Kalil

Sent: Fri, 23 May 2008 2:59 pm
Subject: Ordinance Amendment 2

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

In January of 2007, the Dane County Board of Adjustment made a decision that affirmed the County's shoreland zoning regulations concerning construction on lots in shoreland regions of the County. The Board declared that all lots in the shoreland region, regardless of when they were recorded, must meet the area, width, density and coverage requirements specified in the County's shoreland zoning chapter, Chapter 11. Older substandard lots (lots that do not meet the current zoning requirements for a building site) that were recorded before the current zoning regulations were adopted no longer would be "grandfathered" as building sites. Instead, a variance granted by the Board would be required to build on such lots.

The decision by the Board was adopted by Dane County Zoning and has been in effect since January of 2007. The decision was not intended to nor has it stopped the construction of houses on substandard lots in shoreland regions of the County. Instead it has provided an opportunity for a case by case review by the Board of Adjustment of proposed construction on such lots.

Review by the Board of Adjustment of construction on substandard shoreland lots may be eliminated if Ordinance Amendment 2 (attached) is adopted by the County Board. The Amendment strikes the current area, width, density and coverage standards specified in Chapter 11 and substitutes instead a uniform coverage requirement for all shoreland lots and specific area and width requirements for newly created and substandard lots. The standards in the Amendment for newly created lots in the shoreland region conform to current zoning regulations. However, the specifications for substandard lots are new and would allow construction to automatically take place on lots that are small in size (10,000 sq.ft., 65 ft. wide) if not served by a sewer or even smaller in size (7,500 sq.ft., 50 ft. wide) if served by one (Please see attached Amendment for details.). To put the effect of Ordinance Amendment 2, if approved, into perspective, the small undeveloped lot (Lot 7) on Arboretum Lane that was proposed as a building site by GCK Investments would almost automatically qualify as a building site if Ordinance Amendment 2 is adopted.

As is the County's practice, Ordinance Amendment 2 has been assigned to two subcommittees of the County Board and to the Lakes and Watershed Commission for review, a public hearing and a vote. The votes made by these Committees and the Commission then will be presented to the County Board when Ordinance Amendment 2 is introduced for discussion and a vote by the Board.

This coming Tuesday, May 27, the Zoning and Land Regulation (Z&LR) Committee will hold a public hearing on Ordinance Amendment 2 when it meets at 7:30pm in Rm 201 City County Building. The agenda for the Z&LR Committee meeting is attached. As you can see, Ordinance Amendment 2 is near the end of the meeting's agenda and probably will not be heard until approximately 8:30pm. If possible, please plan to attend the Z&LR Committee meeting and be recorded on paper or speak in opposition to Ordinance Amendment 2, which if passed by the County Board will be step backward for water quality in the County.

Sincerely,
Ron Kalil
On Behalf of the Officers and Members of the Board of the Arboretum Neighborhood Association.

Read more!

Short Week! Yay!

It's Tuesday already!

Tuesday, May 27, 2008
11:00 AM EMERGING NEIGHBORHOODS FUND COMMITTEE ROOM 108 CCB

• Lots of good projects, not enough money.
  

4:30 PM DOWNTOWN HOTEL FEASIBILITY STUDY COMMITTEE 1 JOHN NOLEN DR, HALL OF FAME

• There's already a draft RFP? Isn't this only their second meeting? Sorry, no links on the agenda.
  

4:30 PM PRESIDENT'S WORK GROUP ON IMPROVEMENTS TO BUDGET PROCESS ROOM 525 CCB

• Can we get in done in two meetings? I doubt it. But at least we're finally doing something after talking about it for years.
  

4:30 PM WATER UTILITY BOARD 119 E. OLIN AVE

• City Water Conservation Plan . . . er, I mean Groundwater Sustainability Plan
• Measuring Water Consumption of City Departments
• Using Parks for siting wells for the Water Utility?
  

5:00 PM PEDESTRIAN/BICYCLE/MOTOR VEHICLE COMMISSION ROOM LL-110 MMB

• Ped/Bike Annual Public Hearing
• Captial Budget improvements ranking
  

5:00 PM TRANSIT AND PARKING COMMISSION 201 W MIFFLIN STREET - ROOM 202, FRONT LECTURE ROOM

• Final vote on bus route changes? With new and improved information.
  

Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Lots of meetings, but not much of great interest. A few things of minor interest.

• 8:00 AM EARLY CHILDHOOD CARE AND EDUCATION BOARD ROOM LL-120 MMB
• 12:15 PM DCC SUB-COMMITTEE ON MALL SPECIAL ASSESSMENTS ROOM 108 CCB
• No links so its hard to know if there are items of interest.
  
• 5:00 PM BROADBAND TELECOMMUNICATIONS REGULATORY BOARD ROOM 103A CCB
• 5:30 PM FRANCES PLAZA PUBLIC ART SELECTION COMMITTEE ROOM LL-110 MMB
• Just getting started.
  
• 6:30 PM ROYSTER CLARK NEIGHBORHOOD PLANNING TEAM 204 COTTAGE GROVE RD, PINNEY BRANCH LIBRARY
• Another meeting with no links to materials so its hard to know if there are items of interest.
  

Thursday, May 29, 2008
4:30 PM COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY SPECIAL MEETING ROOM LL-130 MMB

• Lake Point Condo project - how much money could we lose?
• Allied Drive Construction Manager RFP
  

4:30 PM MADISON PUBLIC LIBRARY BOARD 201 W. MIFFLIN ST, ROOM 202

• Pretty vague agenda. Is this code for the downtown library? Or is it really just basic planning?
  

5:30 PM JAMES MADISON PARK PROPERTY PLANNING COMMITTEE ROOM LL-110 MMB

• Really, seriously. It's going to meet for the very first time! A year and a half later.
  

Friday, May 30, 2008
There's an IZ meeting, just like every Friday at 8 am. This week we may be hearing from the Realtors, Smart Growth Madison and Veridian what they think should happen with the IZ Ordinance. If they accept our invitation and are willing to share their thoughts . . . No agenda yet.
Read more!

City Budget: Not Good News

Here's some news you don't really want to hear. But, its the reason I pushed so hard for us to get quarterly reports from the comptroller. This is only one part of the information, and by itself, doesn't look so good. Without the rest of the budget to too look at, its hard to know exactly what it means. Being off by $1M in a approximately $200M budget is scary, but you have to keep it in perspective and see what else is going on. Anyways, here's a portion of an email with the bad news:

We've examined the General Fund revenues that have posted through the first quarter of 2008, and made some projections about what we might experience through the year. (Some of this information may have been reviewed with Alders at the May 6, 2008 budget overview meeting.) These are very preliminary, of course, given that it is still early in the year.

Currently, there are two significant revenue categories of note:

1) Building Permit Revenues: These are way down, with revenues of just over $800K posted through the first quarter. Total posted receipts comprise only 17% of the total anticipated for the year. At a minimum, we'd like to see this at 20%, or 25%. The number of residential construction permits issued in the first quarter of '08 is 51, versus 89 issued during the same period of 2007.

So, the softening continues, and our projections suggest revenues ranging from $2.8M to $3.5M for the year, as compared with $4.69M budgeted. If we use a mid-point of $3.2M, this suggests a revenue shortfall for the year of $1.5M for this category.

2) Investment Income: For the first quarter of 2008, yields are at 4.12%, as compared to the 2007 YTD yield of 4.94%, and interest rates continue to trend downward. Assuming yields are off by 20% in 2008 as compared to 2007, then this would suggest a revenue shortfall somewhere in the neighborhood of $500,000 to $1M. We've split the difference and are projecting a shortfall of $750K.

For other revenue categories, we don't have enough meaningful data at this point to suggest projections that differ from the budget.

[snip]

We'll present a mid-year report to the Board of Estimates and the Council in late July or early August, at which time we will have more and better information and updated projections.

So, there you have it! I feel really uncomfortable waiting til July or August to do anything about this. It seems the responsible thing to do would be to get the complete information now and address this situation now if it needs to be done.
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A day off.

I should say something timely, defend Eli Judge or advise that Verveer should create an ordinance instead of just pulling some of the licenses from a few districts . . . but I have something else on my mind. I have a board meeting tonight and work has been a challenge, but yesterday, I took the day off and went plant shopping with my mom. Here's the results!


Thanks to Morningwood Farms Nursery, the farmer's market, and another nursery and many years of trial and error . . . I was able to turn this . . .



into this . . .







And I finished this . . .




But I'm far from finished. Hopefully the plants all weather the transition. And it was nice to meet all the pedestrian commuters yesterday who had so many kind words about my work. However, there's so much more to do! I'm just glad my lot isn't more than 3,000 square feet! Now, sadly, back to work! And so much of it!

Read more!

Common Council Recap

A three hour meeting took care of a 839 page packet of information for the meeting . . . not too bad. Here's the gory details . . . .

We kicked off the meeting with a minute of silence for the people killed in the med-flight crash. We suspended a bunch of rules like we do in the beginning of each meeting and then honored the Memorial High School forensics team - complete with a performance from one of the students. And then we passed a secret. We had some questions about a project on the northside in Cherokee Marsh which passed.

#11 - Amending the demolition ordinance to address demolition by fire.
Next, we did another "do over". Should the fire department be able to burn houses to demolish them and provide training for firefighters? I think we all think yes, but how the public is notified and when they do it was of concern. Alder Gruber came back with a "compromise" that we voted on. I love it when we have a "compromise" that one side of an argument comes up with. The "compromise" was that the fire department would be the only ones to do demolition by fire and limit it to three times a year. And then they removed the restriction prohibited them from burning on days where the DNR had issued Air Quality Warning or Watch for particulate matter.

I moved to keep the language prohibiting burns on days when there were Air Quality Warnings or Watches. The fire chief was out of the room and couldn't answer questions, so there was a motion to table. Believe it or not, we had to have a roll call vote on this.

Those those voting "NO" to table so we could ask the fire chief questions were: Schumacher, Brandon, Clausius, Compton, Plam and Rummel.

Those voting "AYE" were: Sanborn, Skidmore, Solomon, Verveer, Webber, Bruer, Clear, Cnare, Gruber, Judge, Kerr, Konkel, Pham-Remmele, Rhodes-Conway.

While we waited we moved on to:
Alder Pham-Remmele wanted to make a statement about our "secret" we passed earlier. Her point being that someone shouldn't be honored for helping Southeast Asians if they only work with one population - the Hmong as there are 55 other groups included as Southeast Asians.

Then, we reconsidered item 162 - which is Alder Kerr's appeal of the hotel on Monroe Street. We set the public hearing for the June 3rd council meeting.

Then we made the following staff appointments:
#18 - New Parks Department Superintendent - Kevin Briski and
#19 - New City Treasurer - Dave Gawenda.

Both passed with no problems. Kevin Briski made the rounds introducing himself to staff prior to the meeting. Alder Judge remarked that since he had no parks, they wouldn't be working together much and others had their lists of things ready that needed attention. Kevin Briski will be starting on June 2 and Dave Gawenda remarked that he was looking forward to moving on to "bigger things ahead". Interesting that City Treasurer is considered a move up from County Treasurer. Welcome to both of them!

#11 - Amending the demolition ordinance to address demolition by fire.
Then we went back to the demolition by fire issue and took it off the table. The fire chief was back in the room and we learned that last year there were 18 days that the DNR issued warnings or watches for particulate matter. However that was based on only 65 microns and the standard is now 35 microns and so they are expecting that will double the number of days that watches and warnings are issued. We also heard testimony that they would stop a burn exercise if there were conditions that put the firefighters at risk (high winds, etc.) even tho they said they couldn't stop a burn exercise because of a watch or warning. I think that the health and safety of the public and the air they breathe is equally important to protecting the safety of the staff.

However, only Verveer, Webber, and Rummel voted "AYE" with me to keep the language that would prohibit them from adding particulates to the air on days when watches and warnings were issued.

Those voting against for staff training over clean air and public health were: Sanborn, Schumacher, Skidmore, Solomon, Brandon, Bruer, Clausius, Clear, Cnare, Compton, Gruber, Judge, Kerr, Palm, Pham-Remmele and Rhodes-Conway.

The final vote on the ordinance, that limits training to three days per year, which doesn't address the concerns that I and others had was 14 - 6.

Those voting "NO" were: Sanborn, Compton, Judge, Konkel, Pham-Remmele and Rummel.

Those voting "AYE" were: Schumacher, Skidmore, Solomon, Verveer, Webber, Brandon, Bruer, Clausius, Clear, Cnare, Gruber, Kerr, Palm, Rhodes-Conway.

At some point during this discussion, Alder Pham-Remmele was talking and was cut off. Alder Brandon approached the Mayor and the Mayor announced that our "AV Club President" wanted to inform us that if we talk too loudly into the microphones they automatically shut off.

Also of interest, the fire chief took the moment to remind us that if they had a $6.5M state of the art training facility, they wouldn't need to do the training exercises on buildings being demolished.

#44 - Noise outside the 7 am - 7 pm restrictions for construction on E. Washington Ave.
Bottom line here is that there will be no pile driving and the public is notified of the noise if they are within 300 feet of the street and they will be notified next spring when the work begins. This item passed unanimously on a voice vote.

# 87 - Moving $8,000 from the Far West Library to buy a copier.
We then moved on to our other "Do Over" of the evening, where there was a long, and I think unnecessarily drawn out. I have to admit, I think I tuned out as some folks were talking. After a particularly long comment by Alder Palm, the Mayor once again called on Alder Palm, er, I mean Alder Brandon - who used the opportunity to scold us yet again. This time it was his "Politician" speech, which I think the gist of it was that if we don't show up to meetings where items are discussed we lose the right to have an opinion on those issues and are being bad elected officials if we don't participate at the committee level. Alder Pham-Remmele responded with explaining that you can't be in two places at once and she was at a meeting for a committee she sits on (CDBG) when this issue was discussed at the Library Board and that was why she wasn't there to participate - a situation many of us are often faced with.

The staff person (sorry I didn't catch his name) from the library gets extra brownie points for working "The Natural Step" into his comments on why we were buying this copier.

After all of that, this item passed unanimously on a voice vote.

#89 - Cherokee Marsh plat
Kumbaya. Lots of technical talk . . . but it passed unanimously on a voice vote.

#98 - Changing the Snow Emergency Rules
Hopefully we will never have to use this, but, now if there is more than 3 inches of snow (from policy) before November 15th or after March 15th - they can still call a snow emergency. And the whole city will have to alternate side park - except streets with one side of parking and a long list of other exceptions. It passed unanimously on a voice vote.

#101 - Will there be jobs for Allied Drive residents in the public works portion of the project?
I'm not sure which item contained this information, but, there will be 3 Construction Craft Laborer Apprentice jobs for people in the Allied Drive area in the public works bid that we approved. This item just moved the budget money around to allow it to happen and it passed unanimously on a voice vote.

#104 - Report on gender, race and people with disabilities appointments to City committees
This was referred as there were still errors in the numbers.

#105 - Report on gender, race and people with disabilities and hiring for top management positions
This report showed that women represent 47% of the labor market but are only 34% of the top managers across the City. We fall short in 5 of the 6 categories of top management positions as follows:

• Police - 33%
  
• Fire - 11%
• Management and Professionals - 37%
• Agency Heads - 21%
• Metro Management and Professionals - 24%
  

The study also showed that there is a 6% wage gap, which needs to be studied further.

The study confirms what I've been saying and will require follow up to work on the recommendations in the report, but things have started to change internally with the recruitment and certification process and it will take some budget and policy changes to continue to make progress. Thanks to the staff and committee that worked on this! The report was unanimously accepted/approved/received or whatever, on a voice vote.

#106 - CDA Workplan
We finally got the budget and workplan on the same agenda and got an update on the 2008 plan that was due before we did this year's budget (last May or June) but we didn't get it so last year in the budget we had to ask for it. We got it at the end of January/beginning of February but referred it to consider it with the budget. So, there were many changes and they have to get the 2009 plan ready in the next few months.

My major issue with the report is that it has a list of projects, but doesn't really state our broader goals of what we are trying to accomplish.

Updates and questions include:

• Allied Drive got the tax credits and they are moving forward.
• The American Exhange Bank Redevelopment District has been removed from the plan.
• The CDA will consider the request by WARF to waive part of the $600,000 fee for the $180M bonding for Wisconsin Institute for Discovery/Morgridge Institute for Research, but they are likely to not waive the fee if I read the vibe correctly.
• Lakepoint. Lots of questions, not alot of firm answers. We're stuck in a bad situation and they are trying their best to make sure we don't lose more money. Clearly, they are not going to want to try to get any money out of the council! However, if I read the numbers correctly, with my back of the envelope calculation, its not looking good. I look forward to a fuller analysis.
• Our public housing reserves are building back up. They have $600,000 where they should have $1M.
• The Truax plan was adopted
• And, they didn't offer much when it comes to the Truman Olson Army ROTC Facility. While it was clear to me that they want it to be economic development and not a facility to serve the homeless, no one would say it.
  

The plan passed unanimously on a voice vote.

#107 - CDA Budget Template
Yes, the CDA does not pay for Mark Olinger's time. Or any staff time spent working on the Villager Mall. Allied Drive staff time is being charged to the TIF. It's not clear where some of the other items are in the various line items, but we're making progress. At least we have the outline of an operating budget for the CDA redevelopment activities. (We've always had one on the Housing Operations side of things.) This passed unanimously on a voice vote.

With that, we adjourned to the Great Dane. Those partaking were: Gruber, Webber, Rhodes-Conway, Rummel, Judge, Verveer, Clear, Bruer, Schumacher and eventually . . . Palm. Also joining us was an Amy Westra and, of course, the lovely Rosemary Lee. (Hey Mike - nice talking to you!) Next time, Alder Judge will finally be legal drinking age.
Read more!

Tonight's Council Meeting

Here's what's of interest . . . at least to me . . .

#11 - Amending the demolition ordinance to address demolition by fire.
#18 - New Parks Department Superintendent - Kevin Briski
#19 - New City Treasurer - Dave Gawenda
#27 - Adding more money, alot more, for shiny new software
#44 - Noise outside the 7 am - 7 pm restrictions for construction on E. Washington Ave.
#98 - Changing the Snow Emergency Rules
#101 - Will there be jobs for Allied Drive residents in the public works portion of the project?
#104 - Report on gender, race and people with disabilities appointments to City committees
#105 - Report on gender, race and people with disabilities and hiring for top management positions
#106 - CDA Workplan
#107 - CDA Budget Template (finally, 4th time is a charm to get them on the same agenda!)
#108 - Lobbying Report

Read more!

May 19 Week Ahead, Kinda

I spent too much time this weekend fixing my yard, and so I don't have so many things done. Including this post being a little lame. So, before you can see the week ahead, you'll have to see what I did this weekend.

Some of you will remember that they did a little construction last year, and left my front terrace a mess, without even dirt! We waited until after the house move and things were settled down (hopefully they are done digging on my street!) and then this weekend we turned this


Into this:


And this:


Into this:


And this:

Into this:

But clearly, I am not done.


And I'm not going to rest until all the Snow on the Mountain is gone! And thanks to Rob for all his help.

Ok - so here's what I think is interesting in the week ahead! Links and why these meetings are important are work in progress and should be in by noon today.

Monday, May 19, 2008
4:00 PM TAX INCREMENTAL FINANCING POLICY AD HOC COMMITTEE ROOM LL-120 MMB

• Well, we're nearing completion . . . and then we will HOPE that it matches with the economic development strategy. Heh, hope.
  

5:00 PM PLAN COMMISSION ROOM 201 CCB

• The Natural Step, Meriter project on Southwest side, Pinkus McBride project, Stoughton Road and more.
  

6:00 PM ZONING CODE REWRITE COMMUNITY MEETING 201 STATE STREET - WISCONSIN STUDIO

• My only comment here is who is the bonehead who scheduled this at the same time as a plan commission meeting that has two downtown projects on it?
  

Tuesday, May 20, 2008
4:30 PM COMMON COUNCIL ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITTEE ROOM 103A CCB
5:00 PM CENTRAL LIBRARY DISPOSAL SURPLUS PROPERTY CRITERIA AND SELECTION COMMITTEE 201 W. MIFFLIN ST, ROOM 204

• This agenda isn't available on line due to technical difficulties - or more likely, human error blamed on technical difficulties. I'm still trying to figure out how the downtown library is "surplus property" - what, we don't need it any more?
  

6:30 PM COMMON COUNCIL ROOM 201 CCB

Wednesday, May 21, 2008
10:30 AM EMPLOYMENT SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE ALLIED TASK FORCE ROOM LL-110 MMB
4:30 PM URBAN DESIGN COMMISSION ROOM LL-110 MMB
5:30 PM BLUE RIBBON COMMITTEE ON CLEAN ELECTIONS ROOM 403 CCB
6:00 PM ZONING CODE REWRITE COMMUNITY MEETING 1625 NORTHPORT DRIVE - COMMUNITY ROOMS 1,2,3
6:30 PM ZONING CODE REWRITE COMMUNITY MEETING 510 CHARMANY DRIVE - CONFERENCE ROOM 50 A-D

Thursday, May 22, 2008
5:00 PM ALLIED AREA TASK FORCE 4619 JENEWEIN ROAD

• Where are those jobs promised the neighborhood?
  

Friday, May 23, 2008
There will be another IZ meeting, same time, same place. But no Hickory. And no agenda yet.

And, as usual, you need to look at the changes to the schedule during the week as many meetings pop up that are not on the weekly schedule on Monday morning.

Read more!

Misinformation

There is so much about the Mark Staskal situation that makes me want to scream. The amount of misinformation that increased the fear factor in the community was staggering. And it has been awful to not be able to correct some of the information. Jason Standish's decision not to take on this client was probably a very difficult one, but I think I might have made the same decision given the horrible situation that he has been placed in due to wrong information out there in the media.

I spent a large part of my week trying to get good information to my neighborhood. At this point, its too late, but I thought people might be interested in seeing more information about this state program under which Staskal was placed here.

Wisconsin Conditional Release Process

• When a person is found Not Guilty by Reason of Mental Disease or Defect, the court has two options:

1. Order the person to be placed directly on Conditional Release in the community (CR), or
2. Order the person to Institutional Placement – if on Institutional placement the person can petition the court for release into the community on CR every six months

• In either case, when the court deems the person safe to be placed in the community on CR, the court orders the Department of Health and Family Services (DHFS), in concert with its contracted providers, to prepare a CR plan. Community placement cannot occur until the court approves the plan
• CR plans address two key elements and comprehensively address these elements, these elements are
  

1. Public safety, and
2. The person’s treatment needs
   

• It is also important to note that it is a Conditional Release, which means there are conditions to which the person must adhere and failure to do so, or any evidence of an increase in risk, will result in the person being returned to an Institution
• Last year, 410 people were served by the program throughout the State of Wisconsin, out of this total, 6% were returned to Institutional placement due to safety concerns resulting from violations of their conditions or an increase in symptoms. Only 1% (4 persons) of this number committed new crimes, and all were non-violent crimes. These data are typical of the success of the program
• A variety of options in regard to protection of public safety are available and are put into place dependent on the specific factors involved in a particular case, these options include:
  

1. Type of placement/living situation including an option of placement in a supervised living situation with 24/7 monitoring
2. Escorted community outings with monitoring of all activities outside of the home
3. Options for various forms of electronic monitoring
4. Limitations on where the person is allowed to go
5. Regular monitoring of mental status and other risk factors
6. Specific conditions related to taking medications and participating in treatment
7. Other options and conditions as deemed appropriate
   

• In regard to the person’s treatment needs, an individualized comprehensive treatment plan is put into place to address necessary elements to maintain the person’s stability
• Supervision of all aspects of the plan is provided by both an assigned case manager and a probation and parole agent via a contract with the Department of Corrections. The agent, case manager, and DHFS CR specialist work as a core team in providing the required supervision
• The Wisconsin CR program has an outstanding record and has been recognized nationally as a leader in providing CR services
  

If you didn't know the above, you might think that this guy would just be out wandering around in the community unsupervised and with no services. This has been a difficult process and something I will not soon forget. I really do think that with some thoughtful consideration and good information for the community about safety plans that are in place and also honored Mark's right to privacy and some information for the public about schizophrenia, this guy could have been successfully placed in our community at this location. And I think that Mark Staskal, the group home and the community were all done a huge disservice in this process. The media, the right to privacy laws, the public's fear of mental illness and lots of misinformation made this situation very difficult for everyone involved. In the end, I think that the circumstances made it too difficult for him to be placed here. And while some might be rejoicing that this person will not be in our community, I remain convinced that there are so many things wrong with the way this whole thing happened.
Read more!

Mark Staskal and the Most Frustrating Neighborhood Meeting Ever

Here's an interesting dilemma. A mentally ill person who killed his sister 23 years ago has been ordered by a court to be released to a neighborhood I represent and its right between two parks and a school. Understandably, the public is upset. Especially those with kids in the school and those in the immediate area. They demand answers to questions, that legally I can't provide. What do you do?

I guess I'm going to try to hold the most frustrating neighborhood meeting ever. And the logistics of this is are a little nightmarish. I'm not sure I have enough money left in my budget to properly notice everyone affected, so it'd be great if the state or school or Mayor's Office would send the notices. Even if we get people there, I'm not sure what we can tell them. Since some of us were briefed, but signed confidentiality statements, we have information, but we can't release it without risking civil laws suits and criminal prosecution with penalties of up to $25,000 and 9 months in jail, or both.

So, I'm trying to figure out what usefulness we can have in such a meeting. So far, I think we could have the state generally describe their program. We can have the police generally describe what types of plans they put in place when they are notified by the court someone is going to be released in the area that is of concern. We can have the school describe what plans they have in place. Some in the neighborhood feel that we have an unfair share of group homes and we can bring maps that show that information. Beyond that, I'm not sure what else we can do. And I'm quite certain that many people will walk away from the meeting extremely frustrated because they do not get the answers to many of their questions. But, we can have a meeting. And be frustrated. I hope the public can understand the position we are in due to the state laws and the courts and understand that we are doing our best to get them the information that we can.
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Media, Ethics, Public Right to Know, Right to Privacy and the Law.

Two things have happened recently in the media that has my "public right to know" side of me conflicted with my "individual right to privacy" and seem ethically improper if not illegal. First, the Isthmus posted the pictures and birth dates of people who were "banned" from various businesses in the W. Washington area and depending upon how you read it and what you read, made it appear that they were banned from an entire area. Second, the Wisconsin State Journal obtained a copy of a confidential treatment plan for a mental health patient and posted it on line.

With the Isthmus situation, I understand that this information was a public record and available, but it doesn't mean they had to publish it "as is". I argued with the staff there that they should not post that information. My concerns were as follows:

• Because they posted the picture and the birth date, it makes it easy to steal the identity of these people. I won't share how, but that information makes it possible for someone to get the social security number of the person in some circumstances.
  
• These folks have not had their due process. An individual business owner decided to ban these folks and the police department put them on a list. They have not been through a court process or been determined guilty by a court of law. They have not had a right to defend themselves.
• I have, once again, confidential information that at least one of them is on track to getting their lives together and is working hard to get their family back. Posting these pictures could have a variety of effects on that person and their hard work.
• How long are these pictures going to be posted? Do they ever get taken down?
• And finally, do the police ever remove people from that list? How could you appeal your name being on that list. If someone could get their name off the list, will the Isthmus remove their photos, names and birth dates from that post? Especially if there was information posted in error?
  

The Isthmus decided to go forward and post the pictures and birth dates anyways. While they may have had a right to do it, ethically, I think they should have weighed the pros and cons and at least removed the birth dates.

The Wisconsin State Journal situation is even more mind boggling to me. Last night they posted the confidential treatment plan for Mark Staskal. I don't know how they obtained a copy. I asked the council staff to find whatever information could be released and was told that the court could not release it because it is confidential. (And that I could get a copy of the court transcript for $140.) So, as far as I can tell, they don't have the legal right to have or release this information. The statement that they released says:

Confidentiality Statement: This document contains confidential information relating to the mental health diagnosis and treatment of a person committed to the Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Service (DHFS) after being found not guilty due to mental disease or defect pursuant to ss 971, Wis. Stats. It is protected pursuant to ss 55.30, Wis Stats., and HFS 92 Wis. Administrative Code. Distribution is limited to those who have statutory access or who are ordered by the court to have access. [Note, I think that is supposed to be 51.30. Specifically I was told the information I have is confidential under 51.30(4). According to an on line search Wis. Stats 55.30 does not exist.]

I'm pretty sure they don't have statutory access to this information. And I as far as I know, the court only ordered the Sheriff and Madison Police to be notified. What is even more confusing to me is that I have felt boxed in because I have confidential information I can't share with the public that might make them feel more at ease. However, I haven't shared that information because I believe in and understand the laws that protect a mental health patients right to privacy and I could be sued as well as be criminally prosecuted and fined up to $25,000 and put in jail up to 9 months.

For the Wisconsin State Journal, the stakes are even higher. Because they can make money off the posting of this information, they have higher penalties. Wis. Stat. 51.30(10) has penalties as follows:

(bm) Whoever intentionally discloses confidential information under this section, knowing that the information is confidential, and discloses the information for pecuniary gain may be fined not more than $100,000 or imprisoned not more than 3 years and 6 months, or both.

If they have found away around these laws, I'm curious what it is. Perhaps they think the person from whom they got the information would be the one to be charged. Either way, if I was the editor that made the decision to post this information, I'd be a little nervous over there this morning. Even if they found a way around this law, where are their ethics?
Read more!

Making a bad situation, worse. And then better.

A compliment for the Wisconsin State Journal, the Mayor's Office and the Police Department. All in one day!

Last night the first version of this article about the release of Mark Staskal to the near east side area that I represent had a very unfortunate quote in it. Working with the Mayor's office, the downtown captain and the WSJ, we got it corrected. My emails to my neighborhood list serve below explains:

As I shared (very little) with the TLNA last week, we have a highly controversial person who has been authorized to be released from Mendota into our neighborhood. The court has made a decision, the DHFS is carrying out the plan. We have very little say in the matter. This is not an ideal situation for our community. However, I was privileged to be in a confidential briefing regarding this matter and have heard much more than will be released to public. This information cannot legally be released because of the patient's right to confidentiality. While I am concerned about this situation, I do feel like the professionals involved have put a reasonable plan in place and have confidence in their abilities to do what they can within their control to keep the community safe.

This state program is a nationally recognized program. In 2007 they only had a 6% return rate for rule violations when people were conditionally released. Only 1% were returned for new offenses and none of them were violent. Obviously, each individual is different and has different needs, but I do feel like that plan put in place for this situation has been well thought out. More information about the state program can be found here:
http://www.dhfs.state.wi.us/mentalhealth/ConditionalRelease/ConditionalReleaseHome.htm
And here:
http://www.dhfs.state.wi.us/mentalhealth/ConditionalRelease/CR2007AnnualReport.pdf

Unfortunately, I am very concerned about the comments that appeared on line this evening at the Wisconsin State Journal here
http://www.madison.com/wsj/mad/breaking_news/286173

"We're as surprised as the community," Madison Central District Police Lt. Joe Balles said. "We're looking to see what measures we have to take here."

Ald. Brenda Konkel, 2nd District, said DHFS gave her and others a confidential briefing last week.

To put this as professionally as I can, Lt. Balles is either misinformed or uninformed. The Mayor's Office and the Madison Police were in the same briefing I was in last week that I told you about when I spoke with the neighborhood association. This wasn't a surprise by any means. Additionally, I have talked to the police department about having a neighborhood meeting about this situation. Unfortunately, since we don't have much information that we can share, we're not sure what we could tell the community that would be useful. As the neighborhood association members know, I also asked their advice about having a neighborhood meeting with the police. We agreed to hold off for now, but remain ready to hold one if we determine it is necessary or helpful.

I write this to assure you that the police department is well aware of this situation and I have been discussing with them what we can do to make sure the community is safe and has the information we can legally provide. And hopefully, the Wisconsin State Journal will make some corrections to the story this evening.

Any questions or concerns, please let me know. I will share what I legally can.
Brenda

And after a few phone calls to the mayor's office, a conversation with the police, and their call to the Wisconsin State Journal, the public now has accurate information as indicated in this email below:

Thanks to the WSJ for replace [sic] Lt Balles quote with this:

Captain Mary Schauf of Madison's Central Police District said she and other department staff attended a detailed briefing last week by DHFS. "We got a lot of information," Schauf said, adding that because of confidentiality, she could not discuss it publicly but more detailed information is being shared with police department staff.

I believe it is a more accurate statement by the police department. Thank you to the WSJ reporters and editors for helping us make sure the public gets accurate information! And thanks to Joel Plant in the Mayor's office and Mary Schauf for helping to straighten this out.
Brenda

I'm grateful that the public got the correct information. This situation is bad enough without an uninformed officer making inaccurate statements. I'm horrified that the wrong information appeared in the first place. It makes me question many of the other statements made by this officer and the police policies when it comes to talking to the press. Who has authorized this guy to say the things that he's saying? It's these types of comments that can cause further unrest in the community and are completely irresponsible. For those of us who watch the media closely and notice these things (and know how to do a simple google search), it appears there is a pattern of making inflammatory statements by this individual and I hope the police department will re-evaluate when and how this individual talks to the press.

Read more!

Gorham Construction starts May 19

Here we go . . . the road is about to be closed!

Here's the bus detour info:

GORHAM ST. DETOUR: Construction
Starts Monday, May 19

Due to construction, westbound Routes 2, 4, 9 & 28 detour from Gorham St. beginning Monday, May 19.

This detour is expected to last through September.

• Complete Info

The most common question I am getting is about parking. Residents can get a free parking sticker so that they can park in the 2 hour zones, but the street sweeping will not be suspended in the surrounding area.
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The Secret Police

Channel 3 editorial board lays it on the line . . . these aren't my words, its the mainstream/more conservative leaning editorial board at Channel 3.

PUBLIC SAFETY – LOSING CONFIDENCE, JEOPARDIZING TRUST

05/11/08

The Brittany Zimmerman murder investigation is profoundly troubling on many levels. Certainly the fact it is the third of a string of recent unsolved murders apparently involving strangers is disconcerting as it should be. Let us never be blaze about murders in our community. But the Zimmerman case has shed further light on a significant trend in the Madison Police Department – secrecy. And this policy of secrecy is causing the public to lose confidence in a police department that is risking its credibility.

Increasingly, the public and the news media serving as the voice of the public, finds the Madison Police department divided into camps – those who think no information at all should be made public, and those who think as little as possible should be made public. The results include questions, rumors, fears, misinformation and the risk of an eventual loss of trust.

What a price.

There are legal, ethical and limited public safety considerations. We understand all of them. But the current position of the Madison Police Department, and by extension the city, is that open records, the public's right to know, and open government are no longer important. We'll have more to say in editorials to come, but suffice to say for now – we disagree.

http://www.channel3000.com/tu/5xLLZrtXI.html

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The May 12th Week Ahead

Here we go again . . . Last week was jam packed, this week is a little lighter. While there are lots of meetings you might be interested in, here's all I have.

Tuesday, May 13, 2008
5:00 PM AFFIRMATIVE ACTION COMMISSION ROOM LL-120 MMB

• Hiring discussion
  

5:00 PM PUBLIC SAFETY REVIEW BOARD ROOM 103A CCB

• Light bulbs in apartments (why this is at PSRB is a mystery - its a silly referral)
  
• Security Cameras
• Another item you have to show up for to get information - this time from the Police Department - the Annual Report for the Drug and Gang Task Force
  

5:00 PM TRANSIT AND PARKING COMMISSION ROOM GR-27 CCB

• Snow - finally going to deal with it?
• Bus Route Changes
• Bus Wraps
  

Wednesday, May 14, 2008
5:00 PM ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION SUBCOMMITTEE ON 3-5 YEAR STRATEGIC ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IMPLEMENTATION PLAN ROOM 101 MMB

• Continued work on salvaging the consultants report.
  

6:30 PM BOARD OF PARK COMMISSIONERS 1625 NORTHPORT DR

• Using parks to site wells?
• New shelter at Tenney Park
• First look at the Capital budget - but only if you show up and get a copy.
  

As always, check back with the actual weekly schedule as more meetings are likely to pop up. I see several committee meetings in Legistar that are not on the Weekly Schedule, so will likely be illegal meetings unless someone fixes it.

• 05/13/2008 Tue 5:00 PM MADISON ARTS COMMISSION
  


• 5/14/2008 Wed 4:00 PM SENIOR CENTER BOARD OF DIRECTORS


• 05/14/2008 Wed 5:10 PM ADA TRANSIT SUBCOMMITTEE TO THE TRANSIT AND PARKING COMM


• 05/15/2008 Thu 5:30 PM BROADBAND TELECOMMUNICATIONS REGULATORY BOARD

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Committee Openings

Here's my best guess at what the current committee openings are . . . I took out a few where you need to already be on another committee to get appointed. There are a few comments below. If the comment is in all caps it means that it is a requirement to get appointed. I'd really encourage anyone who is interested to apply. Don't worry about making too long of a commitment. If you do a good job, you'll only be on the committee for one term, because at some point you'll state a strong opinion, cross the Mayor and he won't reappoint you. So, its more important than ever that people step up and take their shot at making the city a better place to be - and make it a good one! If you're interested, fill out an application and get it to the Mayor's office.

ADA TRANSIT SUBCOM TO THE TRANSIT & PARKING COMM
(AMBULATORY DISAB USER FXD RTE)

AFFIRMATIVE ACTION COMMISSION
(At least 4 vacancies)

BUILDING CODE, FIRE CODE AND LICENSING APPEALS, BOARD OF
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT COMMISSION
(LOW/MODERATE INCOME REP) - previously held by a landlord/property manager??

DOWNTOWN COORDINATING COMMITTEE
(Lets see if we can appoint someone who is actually from Madison this time)

EARLY CHILDHOOD CARE AND EDUCATION BOARD
(SPECIALIST IN CHILD CARE FIELD)
(DAY CARE SERVICE CONSUMER) - likely to be reappointed
(DAY CARE WORKER)

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION
(Positions left by Thomas W. Still & Mark D. Bugher still vacant)

ENVIRONMENT, COMMISSION ON THE

EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES COMMISSION
(5 vacancies and yet the Mayor won't re-appoint Michael Howe)

GARDENS, COMMITTEE ON COMMUNITY

HEALTH BOARD OF FOR MADISON AND DANE COUNTY

HEATING & ELECTRICAL LICENSING COM. (Subcom. of Bldg/Fire Code/License
(LICENSED ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR)

HOUSING COMMITTEE
(2 vacancies)

HUMANITARIAN AWARD COMMITTEE, REV. DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.

MADISON ELECTION ADVISORY COMMITTEE

MONONA TERRACE COMMUNITY AND CONVENTION CENTER BOARD

PARKING COUNCIL FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

PERSONNEL BOARD

POLICE AND FIRE COMMISSION

PUBLIC WORKS, BOARD OF

REVIEW, BOARD OF

SUSTAINABLE DESIGN AND ENERGY COMMITTEE

TRANSIT AND PARKING COMMISSION

URBAN DESIGN COMMISSION
(REGISTERED ARCHITECT)

VENDING OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE

WATER UTILITY BOARD

ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS
Read more!

Water Utility Finalists

The names have been released. Here's the two finalists. The interviews with the oral panel are scheduled for Monday, May 19th.

* Tom Heikkinen of Silver Spring, MD. He currently serves as Chief of Plant Operations at the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission, a post he has held since 2004. He has held various other posts at this organization since 1993. He holds bachelor's and master's degrees in Engineering from the Univ. of Maryland at College Park.

* Syed Rizvi of Davis, CA. He most recently served as Division Manager of Utilities Services for the City of Sacramento, CA. His prior experience includes work for the North Marin Water District in Novato, CA and Utilities Chief for the King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He holds an Engineering degree from Chicago Technical College and an MBA from Golden Gate University.

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No. More. Coal.

Coal, what is is good for?

NO MORE COAL!
Alliant Energy's latest environmental report predicts a shameful 40% increase in global warming pollution. Why? Because the company wants to build two new coal plants, one in southern Wisconsin in Cassville, and one in Iowa.
Please join us Thursday, May 15 at 12:15pm outside the Alliant Energy Annual Meeting to let them know that Wisconsinites demand action on global warming and cleaner, safer energy solutions for Wisconsin. We'll be handing shareholders information on what a bad investment coal is, displaying our No More Coal Banners, and making our voices heard.

Thursday, May 15 at 12:15pm
Alliant Energy Expo Center
John Nolen Drive and Rimrock Road, Madison
Rain or shine.

Students and Bikers:

Meet at Memorial Union at 11:45 to join the bike parade to the rally!

Ratepayer Meeting: 1:00, inside Allant Energy Center

Following the Rally, join us inside for a ratepayers meeting, with special guests: Thomas Sanzillo, economics and energy expert with TR Rose and Associates and Charlie Higley of the Citizens Utility Board.

We can stop these plants, just like 63 others that have been stopped for good across the country.
Coal is simply:

* A bad investment for the economy
* A bad investment for the environment
* A bad investment for Wisconsin

Coal is a bad investment in today’s shaky economy. The rising costs of construction materials, the rising cost of coal and the costs of future global warming regulations are causing the price of coal plants to sky-rocket. All of these inflated prices will be passed along to YOU and other Wisconsin energy users. Alliant will ship our money to other states to buy the coal and bring its pollution home to us, poisoning our air and water while spewing global warming pollution for decades to come.
If the money Alliant is planning to spend on new coal were instead invested in renewable energy and energy efficient technologies, we could generate our energy much more cleanly and efficiently while generating family-supporting jobs right here in Wisconsin.

Working together, we can bring Wisconsin a cleaner, greener, safer energy future.
For more information contact:
Jennifer Feyerherm, (608) 257-4994 or jennifer.feyerherm@sierraclub.org
Ryan Schryver, (608) 251-7020 ext. 25 or mailto:rschryver@cleanwisconsin.org

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Historic Preservation is Green!

This looks interesting . . .

CAPITOL NEIGHBORHOODS INC.
MADISON TRUST FOR HISTORIC PRESERVATION
For Immediate Release


EVENT FOCUSES ON GREEN BUILDING AND HISTORIC PRESERVATION
Free program set for May 22

MADISON, May 10, 2004 – As interest in green building grows, historic
preservationists have drawn attention to the value of keeping old buildings in
use. The role of green building practices in historic preservation will be the
focus of a public presentation at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 22.

The program will take place at Gates of Heaven, a historic synagogue building
and Madison Landmark at 302 E. Gorham St. in James Madison Park. It is a joint
presentation of Capitol Neighborhoods Inc. (CNI) and the Madison Trust for
Historic Preservation.

The event is free and open to the public; donations will be accepted. More
information is available by calling 334-8051.

Guests will be Phil Barlow and Sam Breidenbach. Barlow, a historic restoration
specialist with Paul Davis Restoration, will look at historic preservation and
LEED, the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Building Rating
System™. Breidenbach is president of TDS Custom Construction which has been
recognized for historic preservation work and has received Green Built Home
certification for several projects.

“The greenest building is the one that is already built, so preservation and
sustainability are not incompatible,” said Ledell Zellers, president of CNI.
“Our program with the Madison Trust will share the basics and, I think, open
some eyes.”

James Westring, president of the Madison Trust, said, “Green building practices
are not necessarily more expensive or more time-consuming than conventional
building practices.”

CNI is made up of the First Settlement, Bassett, Mifflin West, Mansion Hill,
State/Langdon, and James Madison Park districts. It covers an area marked by
Blair Street on the East, Lake Monona on the South, Park, Regent and Proudfit
Streets on the west, and Lake Mendota on the north. More information about CNI
is on the Web at capitolneighborhoods.org

The Madison Trust is a non-profit organization that helps preserve the
architectural and historical heritage of the greater Madison area through
advocacy and education. The Madison Trust Web site is at www.madisontrust.org

- end -

. . . . . . . . . . .

CONTACT: Michael Bridgeman, program committee, 334-8051 or mkbridgeman@tds.net

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What? What is the CDA doing?

Why does WARF - the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery - want the CDA to give them $300,000 for their $180M bond project? And what is CDA going to do with those Lake Point Condos? And why don't they want to do what the federal government prefers which is to use Truman Olson for homeless programs? And why isn't it CDAs (the "Master Developer") problem if the Allied Drive project doesn't hire Allied Drive residents to do the work there? What? What? What?

First, let me say, going to a CDA meeting is infinitely frustrating. The agency that touted it openness during the Allied Drive process, is, at times, anything but. There is rarely enough materials for the public, the rooms are often crowded and difficult to hear in, and the information isn't available electronically linked on their agendas and even if it was linked, they often hold their meetings in rooms without wireless access. Oh, and when they go into closed session, Alders are not allowed to stay. Often Alders Kerr or Bruer give me their copies of materials after the discussion is over, and I appreciate that, but its no way to run a public meeting.

I have two huge sources of frustration in this regard to lack of information from their meeting last night.

WARF/WISCONSIN INSTITUTE FOR DISCOVERY
The first was this item that appeared on their agenda with no linked materials:

7a Consideration of a request from the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation for the CDA to waive a portion of the required bond closing fee for the redevelopment project in the 1200 and 1300 blocks of University Avenue.

It was a little unclear what George Austin, the former Secretary of the CDA, was asking the CDA to do. Apparently, their project, for which the CDA is providing/hosting a $180M bond, with $50M from the state and a gift of $50M (and maybe another $50M it was hard to tell) is asking the CDA to give WARF, a "non-profit", $300,000. Essentially, I think he was trying to say that the $600,000 fee that the CDA charges (1/3 of 1% of $180M) should be donated to WARF so that they could buy more science equipment for the Center because they're a non-profit and it would help their mission and it would be "exciting" for the City to be a part of this project. What's more interesting is the WARF has other options and could get bonding elsewhere, but the CDA offers double tax exempt bonds, saving WARF even more money.

If the CDA grants this request, it means they will have less money to do the things they need to do on Allied Drive, Lake Point, Villager, Truax, Truman Olson and who knows what else and ultimately, will come with their hands out to the City, and it's taxpayers - and we will likely fork it over. Do you think the CDA has the ability to just give away this money at this time? They wisely referred this to a later date for more thought.

LAKE POINT
The second issue was the Lake Point project. It's hard for me to share information with you because they didn't have copies of what they were talking about for the public, or the Mayor's office. It makes it very hard to follow the discussion when you can't see the spreadsheets they are referring to.

This is what appeared on their agenda with no linked materials:
5 DISCUSSION/ACTION REGARDING THE LAKE POINT CONDOMINIUM PROJECT

As I understand it, with a back of the envelope calculation and not enough facts available to the folks who were doing the calculations - if they take over the condo project the best case scenario they

• Would have $18,000 in holding costs per month
• Could make $664,000 if they sold everything immediately (yeah, right, in this condo market?)
• Have 37 months before they end up "upside down" (they love that phrase)

That's the best case scenario. But, there was all kinds of ifs. Concerns ranged from not knowing how many hidden costs there might be in liens and apparently there was $300,000 that might not be in the calculations. And, they're not certain the condos are priced at the right price.

If you ask me, they made a huge mistake when they didn't choose the Wisconsin Partnership for Housing Development to do this project. And now they have to clean up their mistake. I wonder how much this is going to cost us - um, I mean the CDA.

My frustration with the next two items was that even tho they were supposed to discuss these two items - they didn't.

TRUMAN OLSON
This one brings up a different frustration. No staff showed up, so they didn't talk about it. If I was a member of the public who showed up to hear what they had to say - and there was at least one person there - I would be mad that I wasted my time. Interestingly enough, the one thing they did say was that they were "on track" and determined to make this site "economic development". i.e. not transitional housing for the homeless.

MERGER
This item appeared on the agenda, with no links to any information:

8a Discussion regarding the Community Development Authority / Dane County Housing Authority (DCHA) Merger

The public was quickly informed that this was not going to be a discussion. They reported there was a meeting with the Mayor and there will be another one. Public not invited. Despite this warning, a few CDA member, and one Andy Heidt, managed to get in a few words. CDA members really wanted to know in what universe this was a good idea and what the thinking is. Apparently, the meeting that was had was just an identification of the possible issues that they should eventually discuss. And it was clear, they didn't want to get into that discussion now.

And here's one more gem from the meeting.

ALLIED DRIVE
There is growing concern that the City's promise to the residents of Allied Drive that they would get jobs out of the development that is happening in their neighborhood will not be honored. When chair Levitan asked about this, the response, through gritted teeth, from our Planning and Community and Economic Development Director and CDA Secretary Mark Olinger was:

Our job is to build the building. On budget. On time.

And then he quickly reminded them of the fast approaching deadlines and requirements that they have to meet to keep the tax credits they were awarded. Alder Kerr quickly asked for clarification and the explanation is that its the City's problem and she should talk to Larry Nelson about the public works (demolition and streets) part of the project.
Read more!

Water Main Flushing Schedule

District 2 folks, see bolded info below:

Water Main Flushing plans beginning Friday, May 9 (all flushing is daytime unless otherwise noted)

Schedule map: http://www.cityofmadison.com/water/Documents/udf_schedule_citymap_links.pdf

North (Area 13) -- Between Iowa Dr and Wheeler Rd from Northview Dr to Sherman Ave THEN North of Wheeler and West of the Yahara River (Comanche Way, Menomonie Ln, etc.)

North (Area 15W) -- Between Pierstorff St and the Airport THEN between International Ln and Packers Ave from Government Rd to S. end Pankratz St

East (Area 25) -- Between Buckeye Red and Fredericksburg Ln from Hwy 90 to Sprecher Rd

West (Area 28) -- Heartland Trl, Deming Way, Fourier Dr, Excelsior Dr, and John Q Hammonds Dr, THEN between Deming Way and Bear Claw Way from Old Sauk Rd to Blackhawk Rd (TEMPORARILY ON STANDBY)

Downtown (Area 24E) -- Between E. Washington Ave and Sherman Ave from Brearly St to Thornton Ave

Downtown (Area 24W): NIGHTS -- Between John Nolen Dr and Gorham St from Butler St to Bassett St

Read more!

Well 12 Shut Down: The Details

Here's the details of the problems with Well 12:

Low chlorine prompts shutdown of Unit Well 12; leads to discovery of
fluoride pump failure

Unit Well 12 was taken out of service this morning due to a low chlorine
level observed at the well. Water Utility staff repaired the
chlorinator, then drained and refilled the 150,000-gallon reservoir.
During the repairs, staff observed that fluoride usage during the
preceding 24-hour period was higher than normal. About 25 gallons of
fluoride had been used compared to the normal 6-7 gallons per 24-hour
period. A malfunctioning anti-siphon valve on the fluoride feed system
is believed to be responsible for the high fluoride usage.

Unit Well 12 operated for 45 minutes this morning before it was taken
out of service. While out of service, the fluoride overfeed was
determined. It is believed that most if not all of the high fluoride
water was discharged into the sanitary sewer when the un-chlorinated
water was drained from the reservoir. As a precaution, water samples
were collected at six distribution system locations upon discovery of
the potential for high fluoride in the water distribution system. All
samples tested at or below 2.0 mg/L fluoride, with the majority testing
between 1.0 - 1.3 mg/L. Samples were collected at public buildings
including schools, libraries, a fire station, seasonal well, and
convenient store.

The fluoride feed pump and anti-siphon valve have been replaced, the
chlorinator repaired, and the well was placed back into service around
4:30 p.m. Water Utility staff continue to monitor the chlorine and
fluoride levels at the well to confirm that they are within range and
that the pumps and chemical feed systems are operating correctly.

Unit Well 12 is located on the near west side and generally serves the
area between Whitney Way and Lake Wingra, south of Regent Street and
north of Raymond Road.

Chlorine is added to the water to kill bacteria and disinfect viruses
that may be present in the groundwater. The target chlorine level for
water leaving the well is 0.3 mg/L. Madison Water Utility standard
operating procedures require that a well be taken out of service when
the chlorine level at the well drops below 0.15 mg/L.

Fluoride is added to drinking water to promote dental health. The
target level is 1.1 mg/L.

Please contact the Water Utility at 266-4665 if you have any questions
or concerns.

Read more!

New Plan to Manage our Dane County Shoreland

We all love our lakes. Here's some new plans to protect them and some public meetings to learn more and give input.

Public Listening Sessions to Provide Input for the
Draft Dane County Shoreland and Riparian Management Plan

Three opportunities are available for citizens to learn about and provide input to the newly drafted plan for Dane County Shoreland and Riparian Management. This plan attempts to create a flexible, yet rigorous, set of recommendations to better protect Dane County’s surface waters from near-shore impacts. The plan’s proposals are based on the principle that any management strategy must take into account the diverse characteristics, constraints and opportunities of the equally diverse waters in Dane County. One size does not fit all. It builds on the sound science and research of the Phase I Waterbody Classification Report, which classifies Dane County Waters into Urban, Developing and Rural categories, based on their physical characteristics and planned level of development.

The plan is designed to complement other ongoing county and regional programs operating on the site and watershed scales, such as agricultural nutrient, erosion control, urban stormwater and wastewater management programs. It fills in a critical gap by specifically addressing impacts to sensitive areas immediately adjacent to county surface waters. Dane County’s programs to minimize impacts from shoreland development or redevelopment have not kept pace with the county’s other efforts to control watershed-wide runoff or wastewater. This plan also intends to bring Dane County’s shoreland management program up to the same standard as current county urban erosion control, stormwater and agricultural soil and water conservation programs.

To learn about this draft plan and to provide input, attend any of the following public listening sessions held by the Dane County Lakes and Watershed Commission:

Thurs, May 15 - Sun Prairie Community Room, 300 East Main St, Sun Prairie, 7:00-8:30 p.m.

Wed, May 28 - Warner Park Community Center, 2930 Sherman Ave, Madison, 7:00-8:30 p.m.

Thurs, May 29 - Verona Public Library, 500 Silent St, Verona, 7:00-8:30 p.m.

For more detailed information on the draft plan or project, visit the following website:

http://www.danewaters.com/management/water_body_classification.aspx

or contact: Brian Standing, Senior Planner, (608) 267-4115, standing@co.dane.wi.us

Read more!

Zoning Code Re-write . . . Yawn

It sounds boring, so why should you care? Well, because if all goes well many projects will not require special approvals before plan commission or the Common Council. That means there won't be a public input process. So what gets written into the code has to be done correctly and with care, because it will be what guides these developments. So, here's your chance to get in the game early. The first set of Community Meetings are coming up:

Zoning Code Rewrite
Community Meetings
May 19, May 21, 2008

The City of Madison and its consultants will hold three community meetings as part of the ongoing Zoning Code Rewrite project. We invite you to pass on this information to other groups, individuals and organizations. Listed below are the meeting dates, times, and locations as well as a meeting agenda. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact Rick Roll, project manager, by phone at 267-8732 or by e-mail at rroll@cityofmadison.com.

Community Meetings

May 19, 2008
Community Meeting – 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Overture Center for the Arts
Wisconsin Studio
201 State Street
Madison

May 21, 2008
Community Meeting – 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Warner Park Community Recreation Center
Community Rooms 1, 2, 3
1625 Northport Drive
Madison

May 21, 2008
Community Meeting – 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
MGE Innovation Center
Conference Room 50 A-D
University Research Park
510 Charmany Drive
Madison

Meeting Agenda

1. Check-in and Open House View map displays
2. Welcome and Introductions
3. Project Introduction – PowerPoint presentation introducing the project and preliminary findings
4. General Questions and Discussion of Process and Schedule
5. Small Group Break-Outs – Issue identification – issues associated with the current Zoning Code and related City regulations
6. Reconvene and Report Back
7. Next Steps
· Future Meetings
· How to Stay Involved
· For Further Information
8. Adjournment

Read more!

Common Council Recap: May 6, 2008

The Council meeting went until 8:00 last night and did, indeed, include a couple surprises.

First, we approved the honoring resolution for Hickory Hurie for his 30 years of service to the City. Tho, several city committees (CDBG, Housing Affordability Subcommittee and Inclusionary Zoning Oversight Committee) were interested in refusing his resignation. Between Dorothy Conniff and Hickory Hurie retiring, the city is losing quite a bit of experience in the Community Development Unit for the City. Hickory takes many, many years of experience with him and will be greatly missed. And the entire city owes him a huge debt of gratitude for making the City of Madison so much better than it would have been without him.

Second, we approved the honoring Helen Dietzler for her 11 years of work in the Clerk's Office. Apparently, she thought she was there for another matter. The resolution is quite amazing in that is quantifies the number of pounds of elections equipment she has moved over the years. Another big loss of experience, but she staying with the City and will be in the CDBG office.

We also declared it National Youth Week in Madison and named a piece of City property the Jessica Bullen Orchard and Quiet Garden for a woman who was hit by a car while riding her bicycle.

By this point, it was already 7:00 and we moved on to the rest of the agenda.

The council approved the McGrath Project on Broom which nearly everyone agreed was out character in mass and scale with the rest of the neighborhood. While the project looked nice, a significant chunk of the neighborhood had remaining concerns with the project. The council still approved it, despite the PUD criteria. I voted "no" along with Alder Rummel.

Next, we once again referred a bartenders license back to ALRC to consider the City attorney's information about what we need to find to deny a bartenders license.

Next was the police union contract. I separated to ask several questions. Things I learned as a result of those questions are as follows:

• We approved the police spending an additional $28,772 beyond what was approved in the budget for the people who were hired in the "accelerated" class to start at a higher pay scale than other new officers. They said that they would pay for this out of salary savings in other areas. Quite interesting given how much discussion the Clerk's Office position discussion later in the agenda.
• There is a committee that is looking at different scheduling for the police department, including moving to 4 10-hour shifts. That committee will review the yet-to-be-seen study that the council approved. Apparently there are some problems getting the report from the consultant - it was supposed to be here last November. Once the committee makes some recommendations, there will be a Memorandum of Understanding entered into.
  
• They are returning to a competitive hiring process for the Neighborhood Officers. These officers will be hired for a 4 year period of time.
  
• Police are paid 15 minutes of overtime for every shift that they work for "briefing". This overtime can be taken as pay or time off. They say it only costs us $200,000 each year, but that doesn't include the time taken.
• Apparently, these union contracts are the Mayor's contracts and staff doesn't feel that the council has a role to play in determining what goes into the contracts. Really? Apparently, we're just a rubber stamp and should stay out of it and when it comes to budget time, just approve whatever the staff negotiates. I'm wondering what the taxpayers think about that?
  

We referred the $10,000 for the financial education for Allied Drive back to the Emerging Neighborhood Committee. This funding did not follow the procedure we proscribed in the budget process. It might be a good project, but we did agree on a process that this funding did not go through.

The other items changing the budget and approving contracts for Allied Drive work were all referred to the next council meeting.

The CDA Budget Template was referred so it could come back with the twice-referred CDA workplan. This was the third time we make the motion that the two items were supposed to come back and be considered together.

The Police Overtime Report was approved given the questions answered during the police union contract.

And then . . . we spent quite a bit of time approving the staff for the clerk's office. The bombshell of the evening was when Alder Brandon made a motion to make the clerk's office funding not only be taken from the Economic Development and Community Development directors salaries and salary savings, but also that it would be contingent upon a study merging the Council Office Staff with the Clerk's Office. Apparently, about half the council didn't know this was coming. While I was given the courtesy of a head's up by Pro Tem Clear, I guess many others were not.

We struggled with this concept, heated words were said, some felt blackmailed, some felt blindsided and nearly everyone just wanted to get the clerk's office the work that they needed. We took several votes and hopefully I got these right.

• The first was to table the discussion. I was in favor to table to get to other items to let other staff go home while we wrangled with our own internal issues. The motion to table failed 15 - 5. Aye: Rummel, Sanborn, Solomon, Verveer, Webber, Brandon, Bruer, Kerr, Palm, Rhodes-Conway, Pham-Remmele, Clausius, Cnare, Compton, Judge. No: Schumacher, Skidmore, Clear, Gruber, Konkel
• We voted to take out the language saying that we believed there would be efficiencies in merging the two offices. That failed 9 - 11. Aye: Rummel, Schumacher, Skidmore, Verveer, Brandon, Clear, Cnare, Konkel, Palm. No: Sanborn, Solomon, Webber, Bruer, Clausius, Compton, Gruber, Judge, Kerr, Pham-Remmele and Rhodes-Conway
• We next voted, after Alder Solomon had been recognized to speak, to end debate. That motion failed because it needed 14 votes, but only got 13. Aye: Sanborn, Skidmore, Solomon, Verveer, Webber, Bruer, Clausius, Compton, Cnare, Gruber, Judge, Kerr, Pham-Remmele. No: Rummel, Schumacher, Brandon, Clear, Konkel, Palm, Rhodes-Conway.
• Next, we voted on the motion to take the money from the Planning Department and delay the hiring of the Economic Development Unit Director and the Community Development Unit Director. This motion had the language in there about us finding efficiencies with the merger of the Clerk's Office and Common Council Office and requiring us to study it and make a proposal for the 2009 budget. That motion failed 8 - 12. Aye: Sanborn, Schumacher, Skidmore, Brandon, Clear, Konkel, Palm, Pham-Remmele. No: Rummel, Solomon, Verveer, Webber, Bruer, Clausius, Cnare, Compton, Gruber, Judge, Kerr, Rhodes-Conway. And the Brandon-Konkel curse remains in full effect - but we got more than 2 or 3 votes. When this motion failed, Council President Bruer said he would find a way to address the concerns raised with Council Office staff and looking for efficiencies.
• Then, we finally voted on the underlying motion, which would take the funding from the contingent reserve to give the clerk's office the MUCH NEEDED help that they need. This finally passed 18 -2. Sanborn and Brandon voting no.
  
• One might remember, this is the same thing I submitted an amendment for during the budget that failed 10-10 with the Mayor breaking the tie. The vote at the time was AYE: Clear, Gruber, Judge, Kerr, Konkel, Rhodes-Conway, Rummel, Solomon, Verveer, Webber NO: Cnare, Compton, Palm, Pham-Remmele, Sanborn, Schumacher, Skidmore, Brandon, Bruer and Clausius. Upon further reflection and after seeing how the Clerk's Office has been struggling and with the elections coming up - several alders decided that with new information, that the Clerk's Office really does need this position and I appreciate them changing their votes.
  

Finally, we took item 45 off the table and referred it back to the ALRC and moved on to approve the Water Filter for the Pool and the report that addresses concerns about police interviewing tactics highlighted with the "Patty" case.

With that, it was 10:00 and only a few of us went to the Argus. Alders Bruer, Clear, Schumacher, Solomon, Kerr, Konkel, Webber, Gruber, Rummel were joined by Attorney May. We enjoyed the great weather until it started to sprinkle on us and then some of us went inside while other departed for home.

Read more!

The Council Meets Tonight

Who cares? Seriously, these days, even I have hard time caring. The most important thing happening tonight, in my mind, is thanking Hickory Hurie for his 30 years of service to the City. The rest, is alot of administrative functions, things that have essentially already been decided and some tinkering around the edges. Or, maybe not? (Sorry, I'm such a tease!) There's always a surprise or two . . .

Here's what I have of interest:

• 1 - Honoring Hickory Hurie for his 30 years of service to the City.
• 2 - Honoring Helen Dietzler for her 11 years of work in the Clerk's Office - she's moving to another city position.
  
• 5 - McGrath Project on Broom - while many neighbor oppose, the Plan Commission is recommending approval.
• 58 - City attorney tells us what we need to find to deny a bartenders license.
• 59 - Bill White is at it again . . . he loves to file those law suits about inclusionary zoning. Too bad he's so damn nice while he's doing it!
  
• Approving Several Labor agreements (61, 62, 63, 70, 71, 72)
• 74 - Amending Budget for TIF for Allied Drive
• 75 - CDA Budget Template (now where's the report - they were supposed to come back together!)
  
• 76 - Police Overtime Report
  
• 77 - Getting staff for the clerk's office (and delaying the hiring of the Economic Development Director and Community Development Director?)
• 110 - Amending Budget for Water Filter for the Pool
• 112 - Placing on file (tossing in the garbage) the report that addresses concerns about police interviewing tactics highlighted with the "Patty" case.
  

I wonder how long this will take. Which sometimes seems to be the most important question on most of my colleagues mind.
Read more!

James Madison Park Committee (& TIF Committee)

It's going to meet, really, truly. You won't be able to hold your breath until it happens, but here's the latest, after a year and half . . .

The details for the organizational meeting of the James Madison Park Property Planning Committee are below:

Date: May 29, 2008
Time: 5:30 - 6:30 PM
Location: MMB Room LL-110

An agenda and materials will be sent out prior to the meeting. If your availability changes, please notify me at your earliest convenience. If you have any questions, please contact me.

I hope they have a better success rate than the TIF committee - which actually met for an hour and a half yesterday! Jed even showed up! Next meeting, May 19th, which could be one of our last! (Sorry for the reckless use of the exclamation mark - but it is somewhat remarkable!)
Read more!

Parking Lot at Union Corners?

Rumor has it, there could be a used car lot at Union Corners. And that's all it is, a rumor. Alder Rummel forwarded an email to her neighborhood listserves where she went to the source to get to the bottom of the issue. According to Lance McGrath:

It is absolutely, positively 1,000% a rumor – and a pretty outrageous one at that – so outrageous that it makes me laugh a bit! I can guarantee you that is not even on the radar screen.

Well, then, that seems pretty conclusive - its just a rumor.
Read more!

Gorham work begins 5/19; Ingersoll Two-Way Trial

Residents may see a temporary change on N Ingersoll making it two-way between Dayton and Gorham!

E Gorham St reconstruction will start on May 19, and E Gorham St between
N Baldwin St and N Livingston St will be closed to through traffic
during the project. At the request of the neighborhood, City Traffic
Engineering is considering changing N Ingersoll St between Dayton St and
Gorham from one-way street to two-way, to allow more convenient access
to various arterials and destinations for nearby residents.

The change will involve a series of signing, pavement marking, and
traffic signal modifications to allow two-way operation. In order to do
so, one side of street parking on Ingersoll between Dayton and Johnson
(200 block) will have to be removed. We recommend elimination of the
parking on the East side, since the west side of the street offers
slightly more parking spaces. Maintaining parking on the west side is
also consistent with the current layout in the 300 block.

The change is of course a trial during construction, but can stay
permanent if it operates well during the trial period, and the residents
are supportive.

Read more!

The Cinco de Mayo Week Ahead

Here's this week's exercise in trying to be in more than one place at once. These are the meetings I'm interested in, the full schedule can be found here. As usual, there are a few meetings in Legistar that are not on the schedule and therefore, likely not properly noticed.

Monday, May 5, 2008
4:00 PM TAX INCREMENTAL FINANCING POLICY AD HOC COMMITTEE ROOM LL-130 MMB

• We were supposed to have a long meeting to get this over with, however, the chair decided that we will end at 5:30 tonight.
  
• We'll be talking changes to the TIF policy, here's what we've been talking about and the staff's draft of changes to the policy.
  

4:30 PM AD HOC COMMITTEE OF PARK COMMISSION TO STUDY PROBLEM OF ALCOHOL AND RELATED BEHAVIORS IN CITY PARKS ROOM 108 CCB

• There's no links in this agenda, but they are looking at
  
• a report from the police analyzing activities
• Mayor's plan for Brittingham Park and Operation Welcome Home's counter proposal
• Final report?
  

4:45 PM LANDMARKS COMMISSION ROOM LL - 130 MMB

• The last meeting was cancelled, so this is a do-over
• Garver Feed Mill
  

5:30 PM PLAN COMMISSION ROOM 201 CCB

• Garver Feed Mill
• Tweak about demolition by fire
• McGrath project in the Bassett Neighborhood
• Asking for a demolition permit after the demolition
  

Tuesday, May 6, 2008
5:30 PM COMMON COUNCIL - DISCUSSION ROOM 201 CCB (The link for this is, as I write this, an EOC meeting?? - Hopefully that gets fixed soon.)

• This is our briefing on how bad the budget is looking for next year and we get to find out what the snow has done to our budget.
  

6:30 PM COMMON COUNCIL ROOM 201 CCB (I have no idea why they don't link this off the Weekly Meeting Schedule.)

• Will have to wait until tomorrow for details.
  

Wednesday, May 7, 2008
12:00 PM PERSONNEL BOARD ROOM 108 CCB

• It looks innocent enough, but the "training" signifies some good potential in how we make personnel decisions.
  

4:30 PM COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY OPERATIONS SUBCOMMITTEE ROOM 120 MMB

• Truax
  

4:30 PM URBAN DESIGN COMMISSION ROOM LL-110 MMB

• Hilldale
• Allied
• Garver
• Cliff Fisher project on Henry
• Cliff Fisher projects on N Butler/Hancock and moving house to E. Johnson
  

5:00 PM HOUSING COMMITTEE ROOM LL-110 MMB

• Affordable Housing Trust Fund
• Update from CDA on their activities
• Allied
• Truax
• Triangle
• Romnes
  

Thursday, May 8, 2008
12:00 PM HOUSING AFFORDABILITY SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE HOUSING COMMITTEE ROOM LL-120 MMB

• Affordable Housing Trust Fund

4:30 PM COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY 330 W. MIFFLIN ST, SENIOR CENTER, ROOM 2

• Lakepoint Condo Development that is having trouble making payments for the loan we gave them
• Waiving fees for WARF (no links, so no details to share, will need to show up to find out what that is about.)
• Approval of Truax Master Plan
• Discussion on merger of CDA and DCHA (no links, no details, will need to show up to find out what is being proposed)
• Allied
• Truman Olson
• Villager (a couple items, which they will go into closed session for, alders will be asked to leave too!)
  

Likely not properly noticed meets are as follows:

• CDA Subcommittee on Tuesday
• Villager
• Buying Gas Station
  
• Truman Olson
  
• Lakepoint
  
• Economic Development Commission on Wednesday
• 3 - 5 year plan
• City planning activities
  

Hopefully these meetings get properly noticed on time for them still to meet. I wish the clerk had enough staff to check this every week.

And, there are meetings not listed, that will likely pop up this week. So check back with the Weekly Meeting Schedule. One meeting of interest is the Inclusionary Zoning Committee's race to get recommendations to the Mayor by July 1, that meeting will be Friday at 8am - every week.
Read more!

Raid II: Affordable Housing Trust Fund

Not so fast Mr. Mayor.

When the Mayor announced that he was interested in using the Affordable Housing Trust Fund, outside the City of Madison, it was a little hard to know how to respond. In fact, I didn't feel like I had to since I figured that the outrage of the Madison taxpayer would take care of it based on the comments I had heard from across the political spectrum.

This was the second time he tried to raid the fund without regard for the ordinance that the Council has passed. The first time was for Allied Drive. That didn't go so well. (See Amendment 14 which passed.) And it looks like his second attempt isn't going very well either. Those pesky laws!

Here's the City Attorney opinion on the Mayor's latest attempt to raid the fund and to ignore the committees that deal with this fund. It basically says that its unconstitutional to use tax dollars outside the City jurisdiction and for the other funds you have to change the ordinance and state a public purpose - which I personally think will be very difficult to do:

MEMORANDUM
TO: Mayor Dave Cieslewicz
FROM: Michael P. May, City Attorney
Anne Zellhoefer, Assistant City Attorney
RE: Use of Affordable Housing Trust Fund Outside the City of Madison

You asked if moneys held in the City's Affordable Housing Trust Fund (AHTF) could be used outside the municipal boundaries of the City of Madison. As described below, a portion of the Trust Fund moneys may be used to fund housing projects outside of Madison's corporate boundaries, provided the ordinance establishing the Trust Fund is amended to allow such extraterritorial assistance, and provided a sustainable public purpose for such extraterritorial spending can be articulated. There are serious legal questions about such use of any portion of the Trust Fund that was transferred from the General Fund, because of a legal limitation on using tax funds outside the district in which the taxes were raised.

Trust Fund Ordinance
The Affordable Housing Trust Fund was explicitly established for the City of Madison. It was created in December, 2003 (Ordinance # 13476) through the adoption of Section 4.22, Madison General Ordinances, in order to meet the housing needs of low income "households of the City." Projects assisted by the Trust Fund are to be "disbursed throughout the City." These provisions of the ordinance would need to be amended to explicitly permit the City's use of Trust Fund proceeds outside of Madison's boundaries. It should be noted that the City of Madison's code of ordinances would not be applicable to extraterritorial projects unless the recipient of such funds contracted with the City to be bound by them.

Public Purpose
The public purpose doctrine is a well-established constitutional tenet that holds that public funds may be expended only for public purposes. Implicit in this doctrine is that the funds are being used to benefit the citizens of the government expending such funds. Madison's citizens may argue that extraterritorial expenditures of the Trust Fund moneys do not benefit Madison residents and are therefore unconstitutional. In order to counter such arguments, the Common Council should articulate, in its amendment to the Trust Fund ordinance, how an extraterritorial application of Trust Fund moneys benefits Madison's citizens. It is constitutionally sufficient if any public purpose can be conceived which might reasonably be deemed to justify or serve as a basis for the expenditure. A court can conclude that no public purpose exists only if it is clear and palpable that there can be no benefit to the public. Hopper v. City of Madison, 79 Wis. 2d 120,129 (1977). Another case demonstrating the elastic nature of the public purpose doctrine is Libertarian Party of Wisconsin v. State, 199 Wis. 2d 790, 546 NW 2d 524 (1999) (upholding multi-county tax for new Miller Park as meeting public purpose doctrine).

General Fund—Tax Derived Funds
To date, all of the City's money in the Affordable Housing Trust Fund has come from the sale of land, a TIF equity payment, transfers from the General Fund (general property taxes), and interest income. Information from the Comptroller shows that as of May 1, 2008, the balance in the AHTF is $3,968,610. Of this $1,500,000 came from the General Fund ($400,000 in 2003; $500,000 in 2004; $300,000 in 2005 and $300,000 in 2006.)

In order to not run afoul of the constitution, we recommend that the portion of the Trust Fund generated by transfers from the General Fund not be used to assist housing projects outside of the City's boundaries. Wisconsin has long recognized the theory of equality as regards taxation, which holds that a tax must be spent at the governmental level at which it is raised. Buse v. Smith , 74 Wis. 2d 550, 559 (1976). In other words, City of Madison taxes should be levied for purely City of Madison purposes. This constitutional principle is invoked regardless of the well-meaning expenditure proposed by government. As stated in State ex rel. New Richmond v. Davidson, 114 Wis. 563, 575 (1902), even the demands of charity springing from outside the taxing unit are not a legitimate basis for using tax revenues from one taxing unit for another.

While we might be able to find some way to show that such expenditures outside of Madison still do not run afoul of this rule, the better choice (particularly given that a large part of the AHTF is not subject to the rule) would be to use only that portion of the AHTF that did not originate from general property taxes outside the City of Madison.

Read more!

Is it safe to eat fish from our lakes?

Join the Madison Environmental Justice Organization to discuss this topic:

Ever wonder about that "most studied lakes in the world" tag you hear about Madison lakes?
So do we. Come hear about what's known and what's unknown about toxins in Madison lakes.

Ever wonder about just who "uses" the lakes.
Come hear from people who experience the lakes in ways usually not reported.

Environmental justice involves what is usually ignored: first you have to identify it, then you have to do something about it. Come help us do both.

"Environmental justice, fishing and the problem with our lakes"
A Public Forum sponsored by the Madison Environmental Justice Organization

Monday, May 5
7:00 - 8:30 pm
Madison Central Library
201 W. Mifflin St. (1 block from Capitol Square)

Fishing is part of every cultural heritage. Here in Wisconsin ice fishing, trout fishing in streams and fishing from boats on one of the state's 14,000 lakes are common images. Less common to many people is the image of someone fishing from the railroad tracks that cross Monona Bay, along the bike path wall at Monona Terrace, and at the Tenney Park lagoon or Warner Beach.

Yet shoreline fishing in the Madison area is a great, inexpensive pastime for many people, especially people of color and the poor. And the fish--panfish, white bass, catfish, carp--are a welcome and often much-needed fresh food source on many people's plates.

Herein lays a problem.

Due to toxins in the lakes, locally caught fish contain mercury, PCBs, PAHs, lead, pesticides, pharmaceuticals and other poisons. Anyone who eats fish needs to be aware of these concerns and make smart decisions regarding how many and which kinds of fish to eat.

And all of us need to think of "cleaning up the lakes" as addressing the toxins that are in the sediment, water, fish and other aquatic life.

Join us at our Forum as we look at the situation and discuss ideas how to make the lakes cleaner and eating fish an always healthy food choice.

Info: www.mejo.us; 608.240.1485

Read more!

Water Quality Report - It's a coming!

Here's the head's up on the report coming out that the community leaders got:

May 2, 2008

Dear Neighborhood/Community Leader,

Madison Water Utility is releasing its Annual Drinking Water Quality Report to coincide with National Drinking Water Week, which runs from May 4-10. Over the next week, customers throughout the City of Madison will receive the report as an eight-page newsletter in the mail.

The report describes the source of Madison's tap water – a deep groundwater aquifer – and what citizens can do to help protect and maintain the quality and quantity of our drinking water. The report references Operation Clean Sweep for the disposal of household hazardous chemicals and unused medicines. For example, a Med Drop event is currently scheduled for June 7 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 121 E Olin Avenue. The report also provides links to on-line resources for reducing one's use of toxic substances around the house, and better home and garden practices that help to conserve water.

The report also details the chemical contaminants that have been detected in Madison's water. Most of these contaminants are naturally occurring elements that arise from dissolution of the rock that forms the underground aquifer from which the utility draws the water. These chemicals are harmless at levels found, but can cause aesthetic problems. Details are included in the report.

The annual report provides a snapshot of water quality for all of Madison's wells. However, for more detailed information on the specific wells that serve a particular address, visit our website (madisonwater.org) or call the Water Utility (266-4654) to obtain a detailed report.

Water Utility staff is available to attend your neighborhood/community meeting and discuss drinking water quality in more depth. The utility maintains a drinking water listserv to keep citizens up-to-date on recent monitoring results and activities that impact water quality. Anyone can sign-up at,

http://lavos.wiscnet.net/mailman/listinfo/drinkingwaterquality

Sometime during the next week, fill a glass with clear, cold refreshing Madison drinking water and enjoy it while you read our Annual Report. I think you will enjoy the experience. If not, feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns you may have.

Sincerely,
Joseph Grande
Water Quality Manager
Madison Water Utility

Phone: 266-4654
E-mail: jgrande@cityofmadison.com

Here's the other email we got about it - out of compliance re: Radium.

Date: April 25, 2008

Subject: Notice of non-compliance for radium monitoring

Yesterday, I received a courtesy call from Tom Stunkard, our DNR representative, informing me that Madison Water Utility will be receiving a letter of non-compliance for radium monitoring that was required to be conducted in 2000-2003. Even though MWU was directed by DNR to collect a grab sample for all entry points, which the water utility did, the EPA requirement was that a composite sample be collected at each entry point. A grab sample is collected and submitted once while a composite sample involves collecting a sample each quarter of the year and combining the four quarterly samples prior to submitting one combined (composite) sample. This conflict between EPA's monitoring regulation and DNR's guidance impacts over 500 systems state-wide, each of which will receive a letter from the department describing the circumstances that resulted in non-compliance and action that must be taken to correct it. Letters will be mailed next Wednesday (April 30).

Upon receiving the letter, MWU and the other 500+ systems will be instructed on how to come into compliance for radium testing. The utility was already scheduled for radionuclide testing for calendar year 2008 so this change in monitoring requirements should not have any budgetary impact. The requirements will, however, require that we collect a sample from all wells - including the wells we normally shutdown in the winter - during the fourth quarter of 2008 and the first quarter of 2009. We will need to discuss how the utility proceeds with well operations for the latter part of this year and early part of next year to ensure the utility is able to collect entry point samples from the seasonal wells. Coincidentally, as part of UCMR2, MWU is also required by EPA to collect entry point samples from each well in February 2009 - a time of year in which our seasonal wells are normally out of service. Now, we should be able to coordinate well operations to satisfy both the radium and UCMR2 monitoring requirements.

DNR acknowledges it was a "screw-up" on their part; however, EPA finds that each of these systems is out of compliance and will need to public notice this non-compliance. Tom informed me that the consumer confidence report (CCR), also known as the Annual Drinking Water Quality Report, will be sufficient for the public notice. The notice will be included in the 2008 CCR which must be produced and mailed to customers by July 1, 2009.

Feel free to contact me if you have questions. However, understand that I will have more information after I receive the letter from DNR next week.

It almost sounds like two different reports.

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Amplified Sound at Tenney Park May 10th

Saturday May 10th - amplified sound 5 - 9 pm. See note from staff below:

Hello,

On Saturday, May 10, Adam Goodberg and the Excellos Blues Band will have a picnic and concert at Tenney Park. They will have amplified sound from 5pm - 9pm.

Thank you.

Kathryn Padorr
Parks Staff

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Free Mulch

Free Wood Mulch Available:

The Street Division has free wood mulch available at four drop off locations. You can pick up the free mulch at:

East Side

* Sycamore Park (Across the street from our facility at 4602 Sycamore Av.)
* Warner Park (In the softball parking lot just off N. Sherman Av.)

West Side

* Garner Park (On Rosa Rd. just off Mineral Point Rd.)
* Elver Park (In the parking lot just off McKenna Blvd.)

You will need to bring a shovel and containers to load and haul the material.

The Street Division tries to keep these sites stocked with wood mulch. However, we cannot guarantee that mulch will be available at all times. If there is no mulch available, you can check another site or try back on another date.

It is possible to have large amounts of wood mulch loaded into your truck at our processing center at 121 E. Olin Ave. The facility is open M-F from 7:30 a.m. until 2 p.m. Please call 266-4911 prior to coming to the site.
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Historic Tours of Downtown

This is from Erica Fox Gehrig of the Madison Trust for Historic Preservation:

Welcome to a new Tour Season with the Madison Trust for Historic Preservation! Tours last about an hour (except for Bascom Hill, which is 1 ½) go rain or shine, and do not need reservations. Each tour costs $5.00, and is free for members of the Madison Trust. After each tour, participants are invited to enjoy a free beverage or ice cream at participating local businesses. Come out and learn about your city’s history!

Here are the tours available this month – more info at www.madisontrust.org:

Saturday, May 10, State St. 10:00 AM
Saturday, May 10, Mansion Hill East 11:00 AM
Saturday, May 10, Bascom Hill 2:00 PM

Saturday, May 17, State St. 10:00 AM
Saturday, May 17, Mansion Hill West 11:00 AM

Saturday, May 24, State St. 10:00 AM
Saturday, May 24, University Heights 11:00 AM

Saturday, May 31, State St. 10:00 AM

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Water Main Flushing Schedule

Water Main Flushing plans beginning Friday, May 2 (all flushing is daytime unless otherwise noted)

Schedule map: http://www.cityofmadison.com/water/Documents/udf_schedule_citymap_links.pdf

North (Area 13) -- Between Green Ave and Veith Ave from Beilfuss Dr to Pine View Dr THEN between N Sherman Ave and Packers Ave from Gulseth St to Pond St

North (Area 15W) -- TEMPORARILY ON STANDBY

East (Area 25) -- Between Cottage Grove Rd and Thompson Dr (S end) from Droster Rd to Thompson Dr (E portion)

West (Area 28) -- Heartland Trl, Deming Way, Fourier Dr, Excelsior Dr, and John Q Hammonds Dr, THEN between Deming Way and Bear Claw Way from Old Sauk Rd to Blackhawk Rd

Downtown (Area 24E) -- Between Paterson St and the Yahara River from E Johnson St to E Main St, PLUS Norris Ct and Castle Pl (STARTS TUESDAY, MAY 6)

Downtown (Area 24W): NIGHTS -- Gorham St and John Nolen Dr from Blair St to Broom St

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Metro: Some good news!

Rumor has it, the #22 and #17 bus lines will not be changed!

Not quite sure how to link to something to confirm that yet, but congrats to the northside and the great advocates they have in that neighborhood . . . I hope the southside was equally successful!

When I see new information about the bus route changes, I'll post them here.
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Banned on Mifflin

I'm tossing out the rules, and employing the tactics used by other bloggers, am radio blowhards and the WSJ editorial pages, for just this one post. The facts be damned. I'm naming names and showing faces. I'm might even spread a few lies. I'm not even going to try to be a fair and accurate purveyor of information, while claiming that I am fair and balanced enough times until people believe me. I, too, have a fairly well developed belief system, issues that I care about, causes that excite me and I'm going to exploit people to get attention for an issue on my political agenda regardless of any implications it might have on the personal lives of the people shown below.

However, I am not one to publish the cookbook on making your own atomic bomb just because I happened upon the recipe. I don’t want people making atomic bombs. See this is where I am fair and balanced. And ridiculous.

Which explains what I am about to do. I'm going to work with Madison Police, who deserve all of our tax dollars and don't need to be held accountable, until they have banned several individuals from one specific address in an area they call the East Mifflin Street corridor. I'm going to work with police to make sure residents in that area know who these people are and ask for these people to be banned from other properties too. Neighbors will have this list. It will be transmitted as eyes only. After all, if these people are no good on E Mifflin, I don’t want them at the Madison Club or Overture Center or a Chamber of Commerce meeting.

But, like I say, I am a patriot first and fair and balanced. So I'll contact Joel DeSpain at Madison Police and ask:

Joel, I have a list of people I want banned from the E Mifflin corridor. If they are no good for E. Mifflin, why are they good for any area? Question #2 -- why should I not post those on my blog? As always, feel free to call.

Joel, a true pro, will surely spread the message to the uniforms and give me the same courtesy they gave to Blaska and let me know if they have any objections.

Now that Blaska's "hobo" jungle is gone and the attention is elsewhere (911), the only way I can keep this issue alive is by sensationalizing it to feed my ego.

So, I'm not going to bother making up an excuse, I'm just going to claim that I validated my intention to "out" the troublemakers and I am fair and balanced. What follows is a document I hope to get distributed by the MPD.

East Mifflin Street corridor banned list
updated 5-2-08

Note: these “bans” are generally verbal warnings and wishful thinking resulting from being annoyed by their inability to see that homeless people and "transients" are not trash, but human beings. Having been warned, these subjects can easily be ridiculed for their backwards thinking, gross use of stereotypes and general contempt for poor people. They should be cited for indecent public dialog, arrogant disdain for the poor, shameless fundraising, reckless disregard for facts and/or the lives of other human beings and other violations as appropriate. The case numbers are included for your convenience AND your report (“John Doe was previously warned on [date] not to be on these premises [case number]).

These are NOT bans from P&P or bail conditions UNLESS SPECIFICALLY NOTED. (Always confirm those before arresting.)

Major Paul Moore
22311tdp

John Roach
200804bk

Lt. Joe Balles
Too many cases to list here.
When did he become the anti-homeless/anti-"transient"
spokesperson for the MPD?

Fred "Hardball" Mohs

bk030708

Scott Milfred
Actually, he's been m.i.a. but I'm sure its coming!
Guilty by association in this case, after all, he's one of them.

David Blaska

22493tdp

I know, these folks look scary. You should be afraid, be very afraid. They might do something terrible in your neighborhood.

/sarcasm

I'll have a real response to the posting of those photos (see Blaska case above) next week.

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Who's Crack House is it?

When I read things in the news like "He said he knew the men from a "crack house" in the 500 block of West Wilson Street, which abuts the backyard of Zimmermann's apartment." I just have to ask "OK - so who's the landlord who has a crack house?". If the line from this article yesterday is correct, here's the possibilities from the assessors office. I left off the ones that appeared to be owner occupied, because while I suppose it's possible, I decided it was highly unlikely and they shouldn't be included:

• 070923133361 508 W Wilson St JACOBS JR, GEORGE F
• 070923133337 512 W Wilson St B5 CHRISTIANSON VENTURES LLC #168
• 070923133337 518 W Wilson St CHRISTIANSON VENTURES LLC #168
• 070923133329 522 W Wilson St DERR, MICHAEL
• 070923133303 526 W Wilson St 526 WEST WILSON LLC
• 070923133303 530 W Wilson St 526 WEST WILSON LLC
• 070923133296 532 W Wilson St COUTRE' TRUST % MADISON PROPERTY MGMT
• 070923133262 542 W Wilson St COUTRE', SCOTT D
• 070923133254 544 W Wilson St COUTRE', SCOTT D
• 070923133246 546 W Wilson St HANSEN LIVING TRUST N & F HANSEN, TRUSTEES
• 070923133238 548 W Wilson St MEYER, JEFFREY J

Of course, that wasn't my first thought when I read that awesome piece of reporting from Jason Shepard about the 911 call and Brittany Zimmerman. I think I was stunned for at least a half hour, then sick, then angry, then determined to do something about it, then angry again, then sad for her family, still feeling sick, then angry enough to want someone's head on a platter. Rumor has it, Progressive Dane County Board Supervisors will be asking for an audit of the 911 center. While that might make sure it won't happen again, it seems so inadequate for the anger that I feel.

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No way.

Tell me this is not true!

You'll have to read it for yourself . . . but it starts out like this:

Brittany Zimmermann called 911, but no one came
Police not sent in response to victim's plea for help

Madison police believe Brittany Zimmermann called 911 before she was stabbed and beaten to death inside her Doty Street apartment, but the 911 Center failed to send help after erroneously concluding the call was a mistake.

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Homeless Backlash: Will there be Violence?

Across the nation, there has been an increase in violence against the homeless. A report out this week called Hate, Violence and Death on Main Street USA, from the National Coalition for the Homeless and the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty highlights these recent trends. Here's a few excerpts and facts from the report:

• Homeless persons are particularly vulnerable to violent attacks when they are living outside in public spaces. Most of our communities do not have adequate affordable housing or shelter space to meet the need, leaving many homeless persons forced to live outside. In fact, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, 44% of our homeless population is unsheltered.1 Without proper action to deal with the crisis of homelessness as a whole, our homeless neighbors will continue to be vulnerable to brutal attacks.
• Many attacks against homeless persons go unreported and are thus are likely many times higher than the actual numbers presented here.
• Since 1999
• 774 violent acts have been perpetrated against homeless individuals across the country in a variety of communities.
• These attacks occurred in 235 cities throughout our country, in 45 states and Puerto Rico.
• 217 homeless people have been killed, as a result of attacks ranging from being beaten to being set on fire and other atrocious acts.
• Throughout 2007,
• 160 homeless persons were violently attacked and
• 28 of those 160 persons were killed as a result of those attacks

• The number of attacks in 2007 rose from the number of attacks in 2006:
• The total number of attacks rose by 13% from 2006 to 2007 – from 142 attacks to 160 attacks.
• The number of attacks resulting in death rose by 40% from 2006 to 2007 – from 20 deaths to 28 deaths.
• The number of non-lethal attacks rose by 8% from 2006 to 2007 – from 122 non-lethal attacks to 132 non-lethal attacks.
• The perpetrators of these violent attacks against homeless people tend to be younger men or boys. The majority of crimes were committed by teens and youths as young as ten-years-old. Of the known attackers in 2007,
• 64% were youths between age 13 and 19;
• An overwhelming 86% of the accused and convicted were 25 and under;
• Some of the attackers repeatedly cited their motive of attack as boredom, committing the crimes for the “thrill” or “fun,” because the victim is homeless, or perhaps even more harrowing, because they simply “can.”

You can quickly scan the first 30 or so pages of the report and get quite a bit of information from charts and graphs, I'd encourage you to check it out.

All of this recent local backlash against the homeless makes me wonder . . . what messages are we sending our kids and will it make it more likely that something like is happening throughout the nation start happening here? I sure hope not!
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Bus Wraps - Love Em or Hate Em?

Let Metro Know!

From the Metro E-newsletter

PLEASE GIVE US YOUR COMMENTS
Full-Wrap Bus Advertising

What do you think of Full-Wrap Advertising on Buses? In March, 2007, Metro Transit implemented full-wrap advertising on a portion of its bus fleet.

Please give us your opinion on Metro's full-wrap advertising pilot program.

Take Survey

Survey is also here.

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Mayor Dave's Committee Appointments

You know, over the years, the Mayor has made some unusual decisions about re-appointing people to various committees. It's his prerogative, just ask him. Sometimes people rally and he changes his mind, sometimes it doesn't work. Sometimes it a complete blind-side, other times he talks to people and they know that it's coming. One of the more public ones was when he "broke up" with me and didn't re-appoint me to the Plan Commission and didn't tell me in advance. At the same time, he didn't re-appoint Alder Skidmore to the Park's Commission because he "voted the wrong way" on the sale of land in James Madison Park. He failed to re-appoint Mike Barrett to the Urban Design Commission. Michael Howe didn't get re-appointed to the Equal Opportunities Commission - and there are about to be 5 vacancies on that commission. Kelly Thompson-Frater didn't know she wasn't getting re-appointed to the Plan Commission - I had the unpleasant realization of telling her and realizing she didn't know. Recently Tim Wong didn't get reappointed to the Transit and Parking Commission. Rumor also had it that he wasn't going to re-appoint Stuart Levitan to the Community Development Authority (previously kicked off the plan commission as well), but that didn't happen.

These days, I'm getting emails from constituents asking to make sure the Capital Area Regional Planning Commission people get re-appointed. Here's an email from a colleague explaining:

In addition to Tim Wong on TPC, there are some other potential non-reappointments coming up. Please take a moment to call or email Mayor Dave and ask him to reappoint his appointees to the Capitol Area Regional Plan Commission (CARPC). It is important that we do this quickly, because the decisions may be made Friday.

CARPC was recently formed to replace the Regional Plan Commission that disbanded in 2004. This body is approves urban service area extensions and is supposed to be responsible for water quality in Dane County (both ground water and surface water.) Effectively, this is the planning commission for the county.

Two Mayoral appointees' terms are running out, and there is a possibility that they won't be reappointed by Dave because they didn't "vote the right way." What is especially interesting is that many environmental organizations in the county - theoretically Dave's allies from way back - are backing the reappointment of these two people, because Dave is disagreeing with all his former friends on CARPC policies and procedures. That's right, Dave is going against the leadership of Sierra Club, 1000 Friends, Trout Unlimited, Audubon Society, League of Women Voters of Dane County, Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters, and many more!

The two people that may not get reappointed actually come from opposite ends of the political spectrum, yet they both voted to support policies endorsed by the environmental groups: Anne Sayers from League of Conservation Voters, and George Kamperschroer from the Chamber of Commerce.

I am very disturbed by the pattern of Dave not reappointing people that "vote the wrong way" or question his policies. He seems to give in to groups that have never supported him, appointing their representatives even if they are likely to hurt his programs, but when his allies all back someone, he stubbornly refuses to reappoint someone who stepped out of line. What's up with that?

Thanks for your help.

And when the Tim Wong controversy came up, I got an email reminding me that the Mayor didn't appoint Ken Golden to some committees he wanted to serve on. I'm sure there are others that I am forgetting this morning and I apologize for that. What is remarkable to me is that in all of these cases the non-appointments are because the person had strong opinions, was a strong advocate and . . . crossed Dave.

What concerns me is the impact that all of this has had. Madison has a strong history of citizen involvement that is something others envy. Sometimes it slows down the process, but more often, it makes the process stronger. Local citizen experts in various areas help us come up with better solutions and make discussions rich. In many ways, we have not only an Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branch of government - but we have Citizen/Resident branch of government as well. Somehow, we elected a Mayor that doesn't believe in that process. In fact, he openly shows his disdain for this input process. When you combine these non-appointments and disregard for the public sentiment with his threats to the Transit and Parking Commission when they didn't want to raise fares, his threats to the Parks Commission over the sale of the land in James Madison Park and him by-passing the Parks Commission regarding solutions are Brittingham Park, plus skipping committees when items of interest should come before them like the Housing Committee and Allied Drive Plan, the Elections Committee and the Zatch Act and the Equal Opportunities Commisson and the Chronic Nuisance ORdinance . . . well, it sends a strong message that serving on City Committees are a waste of time if you expect to have your own opinions and act on them. You are simply there to be a rubber stamp and if you stray from the Mayor's wishes you won't be there any longer or the committee will be by-passed.

It makes recruitment to committees more and more difficult. In trying to recruit people, I've made this suggestion: Try to get appointed, and if you do, realize you will only be there for two or three years in most cases, so make the most of it. Work hard, speak up for what you believe in, get things passed and do your best. Then, when you don't get re-appointed, hold your head high and know that you did your best to make the City of Madison stronger and you are in good company. Because if you don't, we have to live with the results of the alternative and I don't think that anyone thinks that is good for the City of Madison.

Meanwhile, it will be interesting to watch what I call the further "Baumanization of Cieslewicz" as he further alienates his supporters with these CARPC appointments . . . and finds himself more and more alone with no solid base of supporters for re-election . . . or will he make the right decision?
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