Month: September 2019

REGISTER TODAY!  2019 Mayor’s Neighborhood Roundtable

Mayor’s Q&A, Affordable Housing and More! Click Here to Register: Mayor’s Neighborhood Roundtable 2019

Saturday, November 2, 2019 * Madison Public Library, 201 W. Mifflin Street

9:00 a.m. to Noon * Free of charge * Childcare, Language Interpretation and Light Refreshments

The City of Madison Mayor’s Neighborhood Roundtable 2019 will bring together hundreds of the most thoughtful, conscious, and caring people involved in neighborhoods across our city. Residents, neighborhood groups, nonprofits, faith-based leaders and local elected officials will all be under one roof.

Sponsored by MGE, this important event will feature:

• Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway Q&A
• Affordable housing 101, what’s happening in Madison, and ways neighbors/neighborhoods can help with affordable housing initiatives
• Community-based organizations’ successful neighborhood engagement efforts, and how neighbors/neighborhoods can make it happen in their areas
• Transportation initiatives
• And much more!

You’re guaranteed to make new connections, form new partnerships, and find out how your neighborhood can best shape its future.  It is also about expression –applauding creative ways neighbors achieved desired changes, and celebrating the work that residents do to make their block or larger neighborhood a better place.

If you have questions, please email us at neighborhoods@cityofmadison.com or call us at (608) 267-8727. PARA ESPANOL 608-267-8649

You can also receive updates by subscribing to Neighborhood Conferences, Roundtables & Training on the city’s webpage:  City of Madison Subscription Lists

Does Your City Government Work for You? Share Your Opinions with City Officials

The City of Madison Common Council created a Task Force on Government Structure (“TFOGS”) in 2018 to ask whether changes to city government could help the City work more effectively for all residents, specifically including residents of color and low income. 

This 11 member committee has been at work for the past 18 months discussing questions related to the powers and duties of the Mayor’s Office, the Common Council, and the City’s Boards, Commissions, and Committees.  Additionally, the TFOGS is looking very closely at whether the city’s current processes for obtaining resident engagement and participation effectively solicit and encourage resident input on city decision making. 

 As part of its work, TFOGS has reached out to former government officials, city staff, and city residents.  As it prepares to issue a final report to the Mayor and Common Council, the TFOGS is holding a series of resident open houses.  The last open house will be held in late September.

Date: Tuesday, September 24, 2018

Time: 5:00-8:00 p.m.

Location: Warner Park Community Center

1625 Northport Drive

Childcare and dinner will be provided.  Help shape Madison’s government by joining TFOGS at this exciting event where you can provide your ideas for ways that Madison can improve resident engagement and city decision making.

MSCR received a grant from the Friends of MSCR for more sewing machines which enabled them to expand their sewing classes to their westside location on Odana Road. Now there are sewing classes available for the community at MSCR East and MSCR Odana!

The 2020 Census is approaching.

The Census is a once-per-decade count of all people living in the United States that is mandated by the Constitution. The count will begin in mid-March of 2020 when most households will receive a mailed invitation to respond online or by phone.  Federal law requires the Census Bureau to keep personally identifiable census information confidential – it cannot be shared with any other governmental agencies, law enforcement, landlords, credit agencies, or anywhere else outside the Census Bureau.

The Census usually takes less than 10 minutes to complete, but brings 10 years of benefits. The Census informs how $675 billion of federal funds – an average of over $2,000 per person – will be allocated for things like affordable housing, childcare, healthcare, education, transit, roads, and more. The Census count is also important to ensure equal representation when drawing electoral districts – from aldermanic districts all the way to U.S. House of Representatives districts. District boundaries are based on the total population count – not the number of voters or citizens. Lack of a complete and accurate Census count can lead to underrepresentation in certain areas and a lack of funding for important community programs and infrastructure.

The City is actively publicizing the importance of the 2020 Census through a variety of channels, including working with the UW and MMSD, publicizing the census at community events, working with nonprofit community partners to spread the word, talking with local TV stations and newspapers, and more.  One effective avenue is also working through neighborhoods to inform people about the census and encourage people to fill out their census forms.  The City encourages residents to reach out to their neighbors to make sure everyone is aware of the 2020 Census and its importance. 

Visit www.cityofmadison.com/2020Census to find out more about what the City is doing and learn about 2020 Census events and updates, or visit www.2020census.gov for more from the Census Bureau.  The City of Madison wants to ensure all residents are counted – help shape our future by completing the Census next year!

Recognizing that conservation is water supply, Madison Water Utility and its customers are committed to using water efficiently. After surpassing a 2008 goal (one year early!) to reduce residential per-capita water use by twenty percent by 2020, MWU is updating its Water Conservation and Sustainability Plan to further improve efficiency.

To inform this process, Madison Water Utility wants to engage with their customers to better understand which incentives would be most effective in increasing water use efficiency still further. MWU is working with the WaterNow Alliance , in partnership with the online polling platform POLCO , to maximize public engagement. 

Public input will help guide Madison Water Utility as they plan for the next phase of water conservation and sustainability in Madison. The Toilet Rebate Program has saved more than a billion gallons of water in Madison. Now, the EVERY DROP MADISON initiative seeks community input on new conservation incentives and programs that will bring a new era of water stewardship and source water protection to our city.

You can find the poll at the following link:  https://www.cityofmadison.com/water/sustainability/take-our-every-drop-madison-poll