iWell, this is the week of hell for me. August 15th. Working at the Tenant Resource Center, this is the beginning of a few months of crazy stories and desperate people and larger than usual numbers of people needing our services. While the City is taking care of its business, I’ll be listening to all of the “I can’t move into my apartment because . . . ” stories and then 21 days later its the “I didn’t get my security deposit back because . . . ” stories. I often wonder how anyone ever let us get to this point where everyone packs up on one day, moves out and hopes they can move in to their new apartment and that they won’t be homeless for a few hours with all their belongings sitting on the curb outside their old or new apartment. While some of us live through this nightmare, here’s what’s going on of interest in the rest of the city.
Monday, August 13, 2007
See below for agendas with no links to supporting materials.
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
5:00 PM AFFIRMATIVE ACTION COMMISSION ROOM LL-120 MMB
I’m interested in hearing the report about how the County and State do things differently from the City of Madison. Perhaps we can learn a few things and do things better.
5:00 PM TRANSIT AND PARKING COMMISSION ROOM 260 MMB
Public listening session on the future of Madison Metro. I hope people show up!
5:00 PM PUBLIC SAFETY REVIEW BOARD ROOM LL-110 MMB
Hmmmm . . . given all the issues with crime lately, you’d think maybe they’d be talking about strategies to work with neighborhoods that are feeling neglected by the police. Or maybe not.
6:30 PM COMMITTEE MEMBER TRAINING ROOM 201 CCB
(Hmm, there was an agenda sent around, but none linked anywhere in legistar or additional meetings.) Seems to me this should be mandatory for committee chairs and staff people given the many mistakes in open meetings laws and Robert’s rules that I’ve seen committees making lately. So, here’s the agenda:
A G E N D A
Committee Member Training
Tuesday, August 14, 2007 or
Thursday, August 30, 2007
(Identical sessions; attendees need only attend one)Room 201, City-County Building
210 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
6:30 – 9:00 p.m.I. Mayor Dave Cieslewicz
· WelcomeII. Karl van Lith, Human Resources/Organizational Development and Training
· Role/responsibilities of committee membersIII. Michael May, City Attorney, and Roger Allen, Assistant City Attorney
· Ethics
· Robert’s Rules of Order
· Open Meetings/Public RecordsIV. Questions and Answers
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
5:00 PM ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION ROOM LL-110 MMB
I’m interested in the Living Wage Calculation and the discussion of the Economic Development Study that we approved in last year’s budget. Also, a new interest of mine, why is my house and the state capitol a brownfield redevelopment site? (Blog entry with details coming soon.)
5:30 PM ALCOHOL LICENSE REVIEW COMMITTEE MEETING AND PUBLIC HEARING ROOM GR-27 CCB
I think there’s only missing information for 17 of the 39 issues, I think that might be progress? Anyways, this committee gets the award this week for poorly timed meetings. On August 15th when everyone is in the middle of moving, they are having a hearing on the downtown alcohol density plan. I guess they didn’t really want input from renters downtown now did they?
Thursday, August 16, 2007
5:00 PM LONG RANGE TRANSPORTATION PLANNING COMMISSION ROOM LL-110 MMB
They’ll be discussing the Tenney-Lapham Neighborhood Plan. Unfortunately, I will be out of town. Fortunately, Patrick McDonnell of the TLNA is the expert on this plan and we are in total agreement on the issues being discussed. (It’s almost like having a second alder!)
And for the record, here’s the problems I found trying to hunt down what different committees will be discussing this week.
1. No agenda on the List of Additional Meetings or in Legistar, so who knows what they will be discussing:
Monday, August 13th
8:00 AM MADISON METROPOLITAN SEWERAGE DISTRICT 1610 MOORLAND ROAD
Wedensday, August 15th
8:30 AM CHAPTER 2 SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE COMMON COUNCIL ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITTEE ROOM 417 CCB, COUNCIL OFFICE CONFERENCE ROOM
Friday, August 17th
1:30 PM BOARD OF PUBLIC WORKS BID OPENING 1602 EMIL STREET
2. Meetings listed in Legistar, but no agenda and not on the Clerk’s lists of meetings for the week so there may or may not be the following meetings:
08/13/2007 Mon 5:00 PM COMMUNITY GARDENS COMMITTEE
08/15/2007 Wed 8:30 AM BOARD OF ASSESSORS
08/16/2007 Thu 5:30 PM BOARD OF HEALTH FOR MADISON AND DANE COUNTY
3. I don’t know if these meetings would be of interest or not, since the agendas are available, but there are no links to the materials that the committees will be discussing:
Monday
4:00 PM SUSTAINABLE DESIGN AND ENERGY COMMITTEE ROOM 300 MMB
4:00 PM MADISON CULTURAL ARTS DISTRICT BUDGET AND AUDIT COMMITTEE 201 STATE ST, OVERTURE CENTER FOR THE ARTS BOARDROOM
5:00 PM CPD EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE ROOM LL-120 MMB
Tuesday
4:00 PM DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL RIGHTS AFFIRMATIVE ACTION COMMISSION SUBCOMMITTEE ON GENDER, RACE, AND DISABILITY ISSUES ROOM LL-120 MMB
Wednesday
8:00 AM CENTRAL PARK DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION TASK FORCE ROOM LL-110 MMB (It might be unfair to put this agenda in this category, since there might not be any handouts or additional infromation, but my guess is there will be.)
Thursday
5:10 PM ADA TRANSIT SUBCOMMITTEE TO THE TRANSIT AND PARKING COMMISSION ROOM 303 MMB
5:30 PM DOWNTOWN COORDINATING COMMITTEE ROOM 120 MMB
5:30 PM BROADBAND TELECOMMUNICATIONS REGULATORY BOARD ROOM 103A CCB
There you have it. Hopefully soon these agendas will be getting more useful. Hopefully. The Mayor says he’s working on it.
