Round Up – Tuesday 3/24/30

March 24, 2020 8:32 pm

Updates of roundups! Homeless services consortium, the City council, elections updates and more.

NON-COVID-19

Oh, who am I kidding, its all coronavirus related these days.

COVID-19

Homeless Services Consortium Update 3/24/20

Hi HSC Members!

Hope you are all doing well. I don’t have much for updates today. You all are doing awesome work! I feel lucky to work alongside so many intelligent, creative, compassionate folks.

1. The link I sent out yesterday for EA grant, FSET and W2 seemed not to work. So, let’s try it again: https://countyofdane.com/coronavirus/human-services

2. I have heard some questions regarding tenant/landlord law. The Tenant Resource Center is a wealth of information. Please check their website to see if it provides an answer to your question. https://www.tenantresourcecenter.org/ If you do not find an answer there, you can call them at 257-0006.

3. Governor Evers issued Executive Health Order #12 today referred to as Safer at Home: https://content.govdelivery.com/attachments/WIGOV/2020/03/24/file_attachments/1409408/Health%20Order%20%2312%20Safer%20At%20Home.pdf

Please note that I always consider the work you do as essential, but the Governor thinks so too. This is what is listed as an essential service in his executive order:

“g. Organizations that provide charitable and social services. Businesses and religious and secular nonprofit organizations, including prevocational group supportive employment, food banks and food pantries, when providing food, shelter, and social services, and other necessities of life for economically disadvantaged or otherwise needy individuals, individuals who need assistance as a result of this public health emergency, and people with disabilities.”

4. Services from NewBridge for those ages 60+

ALDER DAILY ROUND UP FOR 3/24/20

Good evening Alders,

Please see a round of updates from today.

From your Common council Office:

Please see a list of resources complied by the office that you may share with your residents or on your blog in this time of crisis.

From the Governor:

The Governor just sent out this “Safer at Home” Order, which is effective at 8 am on Weds., March 25, 2020 and will remain in effect until 8 am Fri., April 24, 2020, or until a superseding order is issued.

This also outlines essential businesses.

Read the full Press Release: https://bit.ly/2xlM7Xg

Read the full order: https://bit.ly/2y61xiQ

From Parks:

The Parks Department has signs going up today—all 175 playgrounds will have at least 2 signs stating they are closed until further notice. Parks is working to get translation to Hmong and Spanish for the all signs they are putting up today.

From the City Attorney’s Office:

Hopefully you so the memo from CA May earlier today. The OCA long advised that the Open Meetings law requires that any virtual meeting have a physical location where members of the public have access to the meeting. Based upon the increasing strictures on public travel, the OCA is modifying its advice during the time of the health crisis. As far as the OCA is concerned, we can dispense with the separate location for the general public. We do this on the assumption that the technology, either for a conference call or internet meeting, will accomplish the necessary goals under the Open Meetings law:

1. 1. Meeting must be accessible to and allow participation by members of the body.
  2. Meeting must be accessible to and allow participation by any staff needed for the meeting.
  3. Meeting must be conducted in a manner that makes clear what the body decided.
  4. Meeting must be accessible to the public.
  5. Although not part of the OM law, the City’s rules require the ability of the public to participate, as do those items set as public hearings. Thus, any virtual meeting must allow this, including participation by phone for those without internet.

From MPD/Parking Enforcement:

The City has suspended towing the AM/PM commuter routes and scofflaws. Today will be the final day for towing of abandoned vehicles. The City will continue to tow any on street violations that present a public safety issue. Schmidt’s is also releasing vehicles by appointment to limit public contact.

From Streets:

All Streets Division drop-off sites will be closed until further notice beginning at 3:00pm, Tuesday, March 24.

This means the drop-off sites at 1501 W. Badger Rd, 4602 Sycamore Ave, and the brush processing and mulch center at 121 E. Olin Ave will be closed until further notice beginning at 3:00pm today. The yard waste only site at 402 South Point Rd will remain closed.

The Streets Division decided to close these sites in an effort to help residents comply with Governor Evers’s “Safer at Home” order.

All drop-off sites will remain closed until the order is no longer in effect.

Curbside collection services of trash, recycling, and large items are not affected by the drop-off sites closure.

All collection rules and guidelines remain in effect for curbside services. This means that certain items that can only be recycled at the drop-off sites, like televisions or computers, should be held onto by residents until the drop-off sites are open again.

Check the Recyclopedia or the Streets Division’s website to learn these rules to be sure what you are setting to the curb is in compliance with the rules.

https://www.cityofmadison.com/news/streets-division-drop-off-sites-closed

From The Board of Police and Fire Commissioners (PFC):

The PFC is continuing the important task of searching for a new Chief of Police for the City of Madison. To date, the Board has held multiple working sessions to focus on various aspects of the appointment process. The Board previously scheduled four (4) public listening sessions to take place in March and April. Due to COVID-19 concerns and related orders, the Board is unable to conduct the public listening sessions as originally planned. However, the Board will continue to use electronic methods for obtaining input from the community and various stakeholders regarding what the Board should be looking for in the next Chief of Police. Written comments may be submitted electronically to the following e-mail address:PoliceChiefSearch@cityofmadison.com. The Board also anticipates that it will seek direct input from current employees of the City, members of City Government, and various organizations through electronic means.

Further, the Board anticipates that it will hire an outside search firm to supplement the work of the Board and the resources provided by the City. The Board recently interviewed two finalists and is currently examining which firm is best qualified to assist the Board within the budget provided by the City. The Board continues to welcome community input as we carry out this very important task. Although recent circumstances have forced the Board to modify its plans, the Board wants to ensure the public that it is continuing to work towards finding a candidate who meets the needs of the City of Madison. In the interim, Acting Chief Victor Wahl continues to lead the Madison Police Department.

From Public Health:

COVID-19 Information Update 3/24/20

Main Messages:

- - Governor Evers issued a Safer at Home order today, which goes into effect at 8:00 am tomorrow morning. We urge everyone to take these orders seriously and stay home as much as possible. Our best defense against COVID-19 is our collective action. The more safety measures we all take to slow the spread of illness, the better our healthcare system will be able to treat those who are sick.

- - We are in the process of updating our website to reflect these new orders, and our staff are working on answers to anticipated questions.
  - Yesterday we shared a few data points with you. Today we shared those points on our new data page. We will continue to update this page as new information becomes available.

From the Clerk’s Office:

The City of Madison has reserved four parking spots on Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. outside the City-County Building and the Madison Municipal Building for curbside voting starting Friday, March 20th. Voters who are high-risk for COVID-19 can register to vote and/or cast their ballot from their vehicle. High-risk populations include older adults and people with chronic health conditions. Curbside voting will be offered 8:00am – 6:00pm, Monday – Friday, March 20th – April 3rd.

The Clerk’s Office is open to the public. We recommend voting by absentee ballot if possible. You can request an absentee ballot by mail or email. In-person absentee voting locations are changing frequently, be sure to check locations and hours.

If you plan to vote on Election Day, please check MyVote WI on Election Day to verify your polling location, as many locations will change for this election.

View all impacts to City service on the City’s COVID-19 website.

Kwasi K. Obeng, Chief of Staff

Common Council Office

CITY ATTORNEY CHANGES POLICY ON OPEN MEETINGS LAWS?

Date: March 24, 2020

MEMORANDUM

TO: Mayor Rhodes-Conway
Council President Bidar
FROM: Michael P. May
City Attorney

RE: The Open Meetings Law and Virtual Meetings

Our office has long advised that the Open Meetings law requires that any virtual meeting have a physical location where members of the public have access to the meeting. Based upon the increasing strictures on public travel, we are modifying our advice during the time of the health crisis.

I attended the Finance Committee meeting last night. Not a single member of the public or the media appeared in person. Given an even stronger “stay at home” order is coming out today, I have decided to relax our rule that virtual meetings must have a physical location. Eliminating the physical location is only for the time the “stay at home” orders are in place.

I do this primarily for two reasons: First, it is clear that the physical location in fact is not serving the purpose of making the meeting accessible to the public. We are fooling ourselves if we pretend it is satisfying our obligations. Second, telling people to come to a physical location undermines the purposes of the ever more stringent health orders.

So, as far as the OCA is concerned, we can dispense with the separate location. We do this on the assumption that the technology, either for a conference call or internet meeting, will accomplish the necessary goals under the Open Meetings law:

1. Meeting must be accessible to and allow participation by members of the body.
2. Meeting must be accessible to and allow participation by any staff needed for the meeting.
3. Meeting must be conducted in a manner that makes clear what the body decided.
4. Meeting must be accessible to the public.
5. Although not part of the OM law, the City’s rules require the ability of the public to participate, as do those items set as public hearings. Thus, any virtual meeting must allow this, including participation by phone for those without internet.

My understanding is that these issues have been discussed by the Media Team. A plan to require some pre-registration is being developed. I caution the Team to take account of the fact that some persons may not have internet access so pre-registration via a number with a voice mail receptor would be advisable. You also could cut off registration by phone before the meeting, and have a person check for voicemail registrations.

One issue we have to deal with is that the Council’s rules allow a person to register up to the time the matter is taken up. We can observe this rule simply by having the chair, after hearing from any members of the public who have registered, ask if there were any late registrations and, if the Council desires, to hear them at that time. This is not an issue for committees, but it is wise for the chair to ask that question also. Another option for the Council is to add this to the rules to be suspended for virtual meetings.

It will be important for the media team to develop and publicize the rules to carry this out. It will be important that meeting notices detail exactly how the public may access and make comments.

Thank you. Let me know if you have questions.

CC: All Alders
Committee Staff
Department and Division Heads
Roger Allen
Patricia Lauten
Sarah Edgerton
Dave Faust
Mary Bottari
Cam McLay

ELECTIONS UPDATES

Good afternoon,

Maribeth has asked that I provide the Council with a daily update on the election and what our office is doing. This first email will be quite the doozy to get you up to speed.

Absentee Requests

Two weeks ago at this time, we were getting around 100 – 500 absentee requests per day. This number is average to high for a typical election. When the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic on March 11, we saw those number jump to at least a thousand requests per day. After the Governor’s first directive on limiting public gatherings, the number of requests grew again. I did an interview with PBS where I talked about this: https://video.pbswisconsin.org/video/absentee-requests-rise-amid-coronavirus-concerns-ri7frh/. And early last week there was misinformation being spread by a media outlet that the deadline to request an absentee ballot was Wednesday. The Wednesday deadline was actually to register online or by mail. The deadline to request an absentee ballot is April 2. Not only did this dramatically increase our already outrageously large number of absentee requests, but it also overwhelmed our phone line with panicking voters who thought they were going to miss an opportunity to vote without needing to go to their polling place on Election Day. We attempted to counter this bad information with social media (https://twitter.com/MadisonWIClerk/status/1240354844449390593) and interviews (https://www.wortfm.org/maggie-mcclain-on-voter-registration-deadline-for-april-election/).

We ran into another problem. Let me first explain absentee requests for those who aren’t familiar. In order to request an absentee ballot, you must have a photo ID on file, unless you are indefinitely confined. Presenting an ID at an in-person absentee voting location or at the polls on Election Day does not constitute having your ID on file. Only if you have provided us your ID for an absentee request and have not yet registered at a new address or with a new name, would we have your ID on file. If a voter with an ID on file or an indefinitely confined voter makes a request through the MyVote website, the absentee is processed automatically. However, if a voter needs to upload a picture of their ID with their request in the MyVote website, the request must be manually entered into the state’s election system (WisVote). The request will be sent to in an automated email to both Maribeth’s inbox and our Voting inbox. Each email will have a 29KB attachment with the absentee application and a file with the image of the ID that can range between 250KB and 5MB). So 1000 requests could have a data footprint of about 5GB. We quickly found that our inboxes had a size limit, and we hit it hard. We contact IT and eventually were given an increase to the size limit, but we hit that wall a very short time later. Thankfully, James Ferguson, head of IT Cyber Security, was able to get us an unlimited amount of space to receive absentee requests.

Last week we had about 17000 to 18000 absentee requests in our Voting inbox to process, and growing by as many as 20 per minute at its peak. We have brought on some of our higher level hourly employees and a few city staff from other departments to assist us in processing this part of the requests. Clerk staff are working around the clock every day of the week and on weekends to get through these requests. During the day, when only half of us are able to process the requests and the others are busy with the mailing side of the requests and fielding phone calls, we can process about 361/hour. After working all weekend, we have the inbox down to about 11,000 emails.

Overview of the physical absentee mailing process

After requests are entered into WisVote, we generate a pair of labels for each voter. One label is for the envelope to mail to the voter and the other label is for the certificate that contains their ballot. These labels need to be affixed to the envelopes and certificates. The certificate and instructions need to be stuffed into the envelope. Each batch of labels that prints does do by ward, so someone bundles the envelopes together by Ward and pulls the appropriate number of ballots for all those envelopes. This goes to the next station where someone will verify the correct ballots have been pulled, put absentee stamps on them, initial the ballots, mark the appropriate Ward, and put the ballot into the envelope. At this point, the envelope can be put into a mail tray. We do not put envelopes into mail trails earlier than this to avoid envelopes going out without ballots. Lastly, a full-time member of the Clerk’s staff will verify there is a ballot in all of the envelopes before wheeling the cart of envelopes down to the mailroom.

Assistance

We are thankful to have many extra hands to help with labeling, stuffing envelopes, pulling ballots, and stuffing ballots. We’ve brought in our hourly employees who would have been utilized at care facilities or libraries ahead of the election and repurposed them to help with in-person absentee voting in our office and assisting with absentee ballot mailing. The mayor and the EOC have also asked other city agencies if they could spare people to assist our absentee ballot mailing. We are using out office, at least four conference rooms, and the Council chambers to do absentee ballot mailing while maintaining social distancing.https://twitter.com/MadisonWIClerk/status/1240781217408192517

Supplies

Our supplies for the mailing have been exhausted and replenished many times over; however, we’ve always had a steady production and have not been waiting on anything with nothing for anyone to do. There is always something to do. Last week, we went through all of the shipping labels we had, so I drove around to every Staples, Office Depot and Office Max in the city to buy up their stock. We received a shipping order from Amazon of labels and every agency in the city that could spare them, provided us with their shipping labels. I have a daily request from printing under the CCB to churn out more instruction inserts, print envelopes, and apply postage to return envelopes. When we had a moment where we thought we would be out of envelopes soon, we reached out to American Family and were able to get a supply of 25,000 envelopes from them to keep us stocked. Statewide, municipal clerks are running out of envelopes. A major supplier of printed materials (including envelopes) for municipal clerks sent an email about how they wouldn’t be able to fulfill all their customers’ orders in time for the election. The City of Madison does not utilize this supplier, at least not for anything critical.

Known Issue – Missing Ballots

We believe one mail tray of ballots went out without ballots. We have heard from a number of folks and have presented a pair of options: we can email them a PDF of their ballot for them to print and vote on, or we can cancel the current ballot and mail them a ballot and new certificate. The PDF of the ballot is the same one we sent to voters who request their ballot by email. If you hear from any constituents about a missing ballot, please direct them to us or forward their concerns to us so we may correct the error immediately. Ballot-less envelopes shouldn’t have been on a mail tray, per our protocol, for this reason. We have added an extra check of the mail trays to our protocol as a result of this error. We are confident this will not happen again.

In-Person Absentee Voting

Over the weekend, we made the determination that we can no longer do in-person absentee voting in our office. It was becoming too difficult to enforce social distancing among our voters. Beginning today, we went exclusively with curbside in-person absentee voting. We started promoting curbside in-person absentee voting last week Friday, focused more on voters in high risk categories. Now that we are exclusively going curbside, anyone is able to utilize it (not that we were refusing non-high risk voters before). I believe the mayor will be voting curbside tomorrow morning to help promote it. If you’re not familiar with curbside voting, it’s something used primarily on Election Day for voters who have difficulty making it into their polling place. The process involves a pair of our hourly in-person absentee staff taking a ballot and a certificate to the voter’s car for the voter to complete. Voters may also register curbside, if they need to.

I think that’s all I have for an update today. Let me know if you would like to know more about thing and I’d be happy to follow-up.

Sincerely,

Jim Verbick, Deputy Clerk

City of Madison City Clerk’s Office

ALDER UPDATES 3/23

From your Common council Office:

We are moving towards totally remote operations. Our office is still fully functional and we will be intermittently going into the office to check mail and ensure that other agencies like the Clerk’s office do not need assistance. Karen is conducting research resources, guidance and instructions for personal protective equipment for non-healthcare workers as well as community resources for rental assistance etc. The information will be shared with the EOC and alders. Lisa is still facilitating meetings with IT for the Common Council and other bodies that are still active. Debbie has been assisting the Clerk’s Office and will forward her calls to her location.

From the Governor and Mayor:

As you may have heard, the governor is executing a Safe at home order tomorrow. We will be awaiting guidance on what is deemed to be essential services. Some of the ones we already know of are public safety services, grocery stores and pharmaceutical stores and doctor’s offices. The Mayor also signed an emergency proclamation which will require some Council action at the 3/31 Council meeting.

From the Clerk’s Office:

If you plan to vote on Election Day, please check MyVote WI on Election Day to verify your polling location, as many locations will change for this election.

View all impacts to City service on the City’s COVID-19 website.

From Finance:

The payment process for property taxes, including penalties for late payments, is established in state law. Local taxing jurisdictions, including the City of Madison, cannot change payment dates or waive penalties for late payments without action by the state. The City has been in contact with the state urging action to provide this short-term relief to affected property tax payers in response to this public health and economic emergency. Currently, there is no change in property tax due dates. We are aware of conversations surrounding this topic at the City, State and Federal level. If a change is made, Finance will update the website and issue a press release.

From Planning:

Upcoming UDC meetings are currently cancelled. However, the Planning team absolutely recognizes the concern and uncertainly this has created for many developers and constituents. Planning staff, in consultation with our colleagues across other agencies, are exploring what options exist to address impacted development proposals. The Planning Team is working hard to assure that the development review process will continue and that the department can continue to support our community during this emergency.

From Metro:

Effective March 24, customers are asked to board and exit buses using the rear doors. This new required practice will continue until April 20, or until such other date as may be determined to address the COVID-19 medical emergency. Disabled customers in wheelchairs will continue to board at the front of buses.

Customers are asked to maintain social distancing and leave at least 6 feet of distance from the driver. Fares will not be collected.

Paratransit service will remain unchanged, however, we strongly encourage paratransit riders who are at high risk of severe illness to protect themselves and stay home if possible.

Metro will also be selectively increasing the number of buses on routes with high ridership in order to meet the demand while still maintaining a max capacity of 15 riders per bus.

https://www.cityofmadison.com/metro/contact/covid-19-updates

From Public Health:

COVID-19 Information Update 3/23/20

Main Messages:

- - Over 1,800 tests have been run in Dane County. So far, 70 have come back positive. (Note: While we typically report the same number as what the Wisconsin Department of Health Services lists on their website, today we had more real-time information to share.)
  - Over half of people with a positive test are in the 20 to 44 age group. This is likely due to the fact that many tests early on were from travelers—most of whom were working age adults. We’re seeing people from all age groups test positive, and everyone needs to take protective measures to keep themselves and their families safe.
  - About a quarter of folks with positive tests in Dane County have no known exposure to someone with a positive test, no travel history, and no healthcare exposure. This proportion is increasing. This tells us that community spread is happening. Every person who stays home makes it more difficult for COVID-19 to spread.
  - In looking at our contact investigations, those who have tested positive for the virus have increasingly fewer high risk contacts outside the home as time goes on. This is promising, and we can continue to reduce that risk by implementing stronger orders, such as the one the Governor will be releasing later this week.

From EAP:

EAP services have moved to telephone consulting. EAP welcomes your calls should you need support. Please contact EAP at main number Phone: (608) 266-6561 | Fax: (608) 243-0189 eap@cityofmadison.com EAP resources on COVID-19

Kwasi K. Obeng, Chief of Staff

Common Council Office

HOMELESS SERVICES CONSORTIUM UPDATES 3/23

I don’t have a ton of updates for today, but will use this space to share information/resources so as to limit the emails you receive.

1. 1. An additional 38 vulnerable people were moved into hotels today. Thank you to everyone for your hard work in making this happen.
  2. Remember to check our website regularly for updates. I post new resources there frequently. https://www.danecountyhomeless.org/covid-19-resource-guide
  3. Here is the latest from MMSD: https://www.madison.k12.wi.us/mmsd-covid-19-updates
  4. Information on how to access the EA grant, FSET and W2: https://countyofdane.com/coronavirus/human-services
  5. Governor Evers made an order regarding utility disconnections. Please read more: https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/WIGOV/bulletins/2829591
  6. See attached for meal drop offs on Darbo and Trailsway.
  7. Staff continue to work on securing additional hotel rooms both for those who are vulnerable and those who are sick and on sheltering options that allow for optimal space and use of staff resources.

Please let me know if you have additional questions.

Thanks, Torrie

PARKS DEPARTMENT – USING OUTDOORS WHILE SOCIAL DISTANCING

See more here: COVID-19: Using the Outdoors While Maintaining Social Distancing

- - Do not use parks or trails if you are sick with symptoms such as fever, cough or shortness of breath.
  - Maintain a social distance of at least six feet from people other than your household members.
  - Do not play team or contact sports. This includes but is not limited to basketball, ultimate frisbee, soccer, or football since these activities do not meet social distancing requirements. Suggested park activities include but are not limited to walking, biking, fishing, hiking, or running.
  - Assume that surfaces could have COVID-19.
  - Do not use playground equipment. If you must touch any surface within the park such as gates, tables, handles, playground equipment or other common touchpoints, use gloves or a bag over your hand, then wash your hands or use hand sanitizer immediately after.
  - Practice good personal hygiene such as washing your hands, carrying your own hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes, sneezing or coughing into a tissue or the inside of your elbow, avoiding touching your face, etc.
  - Avoid public restrooms. Use the restroom before you leave your home because many public restrooms may be closed or out of supplies such as toilet paper, soap, or hand sanitizer.
  - Bring your own water or drinks since many public drinking fountains may be disabled and should not be used, even if operable.
  - Bring a trash bag with you and take out your own trash.

COMMONWEALTH DEVELOPMENT FUND

Greetings Friends and Colleagues,

On behalf of Common Wealth, I want to send out my best wishes to you all, and hope that you and your loved ones are remaining safe and healthy at this confusing and frightening time.

During this uncertainty, one thing will not change: Common Wealth will continue to be unwavering in our advocacy on behalf of the people who depend on us for economic and housing security. We now look to you to join us in this effort, as our tenants need us all more than ever.

We are launching the Common Wealth Development Emergency Program Fund to support our tenants during this unprecedented event.

Though it appears the federal government will be offering some form of assistance in the coming weeks, the immediate financial uncertainty facing our tenants grows more dire by the day. Many are at elevated risk for medical issues and should not be in a work environment, and they are unable to work from home. Therefore, it is essential that we help where we can by alleviating the financial and emotional stress related to paying rent. In solidarity with our tenants, one hundred percent of the proceeds will go directly towards offsetting our tenants’ rentto help provide stability in uncertain times. For those still working or otherwise secure, we would greatly appreciate your help in directly assisting your fellow citizens by donating to the fund.

Our goal is to raise $700K, which will cover 4 months rent for all of our residents; one donation of $850.00 covers the average rent for one family.

Please consider supporting us in this endeavor. Right now, we need your help more than ever.

Thank you for your consideration.

Respectfully Submitted,

Justice Castañeda
Executive Director, Common Wealth Development, Inc.