Mon – Wed “Daily” Round Up 9/21-9/23

By
Brenda Konkel
-
daily round up

Late, but still relevant information to be shared. 

MONDAY 9/21

LOCAL GOVERNMENT NEWS RECAP

City of Madison

Mo’ Meetings

Meeting: Board of Assessors
Date: Wednesday, Sep. 23, 2020 at 9:00 am
Location: Madison, WI

 

 

Meeting: Board of Review
Date: Wednesday, Sep. 23, 2020 at 1:30 pm
Location: Madison Municipal Building
215 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd
Room 215
Madison, WI 53703

Dane County

Madison Area Schools

K-12

Higher Ed

And more . . .

COVID UPDATES – DANE COUNTY OFFICE OF EQUITY AND INCLUSION

1.       Briefing From Public Health Madison and Dane County

  • Testing – changes in data in last 2 weeks.  New average is 90 and % positivity is about 3% .  Seeing 1/3 coming from unknown exposure sources – so there is community spread.  There has been a significance spike in data.
  • Alliant Energy will run up to Oct. 3 with current staffing.
    • Tested over 160K at Alliant.  Last week had more than 5K testing last week.
    • Reminder – once you get tested it is important that you quarantine until you get results especially if you have symptoms or have had known exposure.
    • Change – looking to add lanes for flu vaccine for uninsured and on badger care recipients.
    • Community pop ups were canceled last week due to weather and they will be done this week.
  • UW have an increase in cases.
    • PH Gave out guidance to UW and for those live and work in area.
    • Anyone out and about they should consider themselves exposed so should monitor self and go get tested.
    • End of July PH started keeping stats on UW.
    • UW and PH have been taking steps to limit exposure.
    • PH is helping UW with contact tracing.
    • PH sent mandatory quarantine notice for certain Greek houses based on the association of exposure.
    • PH are looking to issue tickets/citation to people who violate order in an egregious manner.
    • Last week court issued injunction of PH ordinance 9.  This means  grades 3 -12 have the option to school in person.   Despite PH is encouraging schools to continue virtual learning.  Schools are continuing to request to receive school metric data.
    • PH has received at least 600 media request and have received 7000 questions/inquiries on their COVID lines which they have responded to since the pandemic began.
  • Reminder to follow rules – hand hygiene, social distancing, limiting  outing with others and quarantine if you have known exposure.
  • Trick or treating guidelines – PH is working on those recommendation but not ready yet.

2.       Questions / Comments

  • New order or restrictions coming out?
    • Not aware of new order or restriction coming out as of now.  PH continue to review data.
  • Tracking of false positive?
    • Any test administered to say 0 false positive or negatives would not be true there is always that possibility.  PH knows that current testing is very reliable.  No way or knowing for sure if a test is a false positive or negative.  If person believe test incorrect, PH recommends to do test again.
  • Tracking of people who repeat testing?
    • PH starting to look at this.  There is good data behind testing process in place.
  • Tracking on test positive – how many are saying they are mask compliant?
    • Not going to be good information and information will come from persons interview notes.  A person would have to manually look at each note for person tested and document the number who said they masked versus those who said they did not.
  • Tracking asymptomatic, moderate or gravely ill?
    • Could probably have information on person asymptomatic  and have available next week?
  • Any update on saliva testing?
    • Not really.  No change in recommendations on how test but remain up to date on testing methods.

COUNTY BOARD PRESS RELASE

RESOLUTION APPROVED BY COUNTY BOARD WILL REQUIRE INFORMATION ON MINORITY- AND WOMEN-OWNED BUSINESSES IN COUNTY BILLS APPROVED BY THE COUNTY BOARD

At the September 17th Dane County Board of Supervisors meeting, a resolutionrequiring the list of bills the County Board regularly approves to include information on minority- and women-owned business that are receiving payment was approved.  The resolution was introduced and sponsored by Dane County Supervisor Anthony Gray (District 14), who represents the western part of the City of Madison.

Currently, the list of bills the board approves includes all payments to be made that are over $10,000 and that the Controller’s Office has recommended be allowed by the County Board . It lists the business name and the amount paid for bills incurred in the operation of Dane County departments.   The resolution includes adding additional information indicating whether each business listed is a minority- and/or women-owned business, as self-reported by the business.

The resolution follows recommendations from two County Board program evaluations completed in the last few years that examined government operations, policies, and practices, including a targeted evaluation of Dane County government contracting and purchasing processes and policies, with a focus on racial and social equity.

“We know we need to do better in Dane County when it comes to racial and social equity.  Having this information accessible when we are making important decisions will help us keep it central to the decision-making process,” said Gray.

Dane County has made a commitment to equity and inclusion and has incorporated that commitment in ordinances, policies, and numerous initiatives focused on eliminating racial disparities across Dane County Government operations, the resolution goes on to say.

FREEDOM INC STATEMENT ON MONONA DEATH AFTER HIGH-SPEED POLICE CHASE

Statement on Monona Death After High-Speed Police Chase

Last Thursday, the Monona Police Department engaged in a high-speed chase with a Black youth whom they alleged was driving recklessly, which resulted in his death. While the police allege that the youth took his own life, their actions were reckless and endangered the lives of not just the people they were pursuing, but also the lives of pedestrians and others on the road.

The Monona Police Department displayed their misplaced priorities in choosing to race through our community recklessly, doing more damage than the original alleged traffic infraction did. Like the Madison Police Department and other Dane County police departments in similar situations, Monona Police chose to further endanger lives, and as a result a family is mourning the loss of a loved one.

Limited and conflicting information from the Monona Police Department and the Wisconsin Department of Justice have raised more questions than answers. This incident is part of a pattern of the Monona Police Department’s disregard for Black life. The June police chase that resulted in another Black youth being drowned, as well as the arresting of a Black resident from his own home at gunpoint illustrate this clearly.

We are outraged by these incidents and demand accountability, and justice:

Immediately release a full report on the incident. We want answers and the power to act on them. Give us the power to conduct independent & concurrent investigations of police, and the power to fire and hire police.

TUESDAY 9/22

LOCAL GOVERNMENT NEWS RECAP

City of Madison

Dane County

Madison Area Schools

414 EAST WASHINGTON AVE

Neighborhood meeting – Thursday 1 October concerning the proposed development at 414 E Washington. You can register for this meeting here:  https://madisonwi.link/414virtual
If you haven’t weighed in on the James Madison Park Neighborhood survey, there’s still time:  https://forms.gle/aDE53uyswNczcVSn9
The information collected so far is exceptionally valuable and will help to shape plans for the neighborhood in the future.  Your input counts!

NEW POLICE POLICY TO REVIEW

Every time the police change their policies they are put on their website for 2 weeks for public comment.  here’s the latest.

Sexual Assault Investigations
https://www.cityofmadison.com/police/documents/sop/SexualAssaultInvestigations-Draft.pdf

FREE CONFIDENTIAL SHREDDING

ARMA-Madison and Access Information Management are sponsoring a FREE CONFIDENTIAL SHREDDING  EVENT Up to 100 Pounds.
Madison, WI Document Management, Storage, Shredding, & Scanning

Access Corp provides professional records management solutions including offsite media storage, shredding & dest…
Larger amounts accepted – donations appreciated.. All proceeds go to the Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin.
*This will be a no-contact event to protect the health and safety of staff and the public. Please plan accordingly.*
WHEN:   
Inline imageLOCATION:  
 

Inline imageOn the Westside at

3700 Commerce Dr.
Madison, WI
608-658-7413

All cash and check donations, plus shredding proceeds, go to benefit the Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin.

PUBLIC HEALTH MADISON DANE COUNTY – HOW WE’RE ASSESSING IF UW CASES HAVE SPREAD BEYOND CAMPUS

 

Young adult looking at phone while sitting on steps outside. They are wearing a mask.From September 1 through September 14, 2,380 people tested positive for COVID-19 in Dane County. Of those, 76% were from UW-Madison students and staff. We are closely monitoring data for evidence that those cases have led to spread of the virus outside of UW students, which we are calling “spillover.”

Assessing spillover is challenging

Assessing the timing and direction of disease spread is extremely difficult and very hard to prove. This is why you will probably not ever hear us say there is clear-cut evidence of spillover. One of the reasons is that people often have many different possible exposures. Someone may have gone to a family get-together but also went to a sports team practice. Teasing out with absolute certainty where they got the virus and to whom they spread it to is nearly impossible without using advanced molecular sequencing techniques.

While we can’t be definitive about spillover, we do closely monitor three key data sources for evidence it might be happening. Looking at any one of these sources independently can’t give us the answers we need. We have to assess them altogether.

Case counts are one tool for assessing evidence of spillover

We are monitoring a comparison of daily, 7-day, and 14-day average case counts with and without UW-affiliated cases included. If the trends not including UW-affiliated cases are stable or decreasing, this may indicate a “contained” UW outbreak. Keep in mind that if we see increasing trends without UW-affiliated cases, this could mean there is some spillover, but it could also mean we’re just seeing increased transmission elsewhere, for instance, with the arrival of colder weather, people decide to still host gatherings, but take them inside.

Heat maps of age groups can help us visualize transfer of cases from one age group to another

We look at age heat maps to further tease out evidence of spillover. We map out the age distribution of cases across time, which helps us understand if there may be transfer from one age group to another. For example, the heat map from June 1-September 7 PDF  clearly shows the majority of recent cases are among people in the 18-24 year old age group. If we start to see cells representing other age groups get darker, that could mean there is spillover happening between age groups.

Analyzing interview notes helps us better understand the nuances of possible disease spread

We also deeply analyze interview notes to understand how spread may be happening. This is extremely time-consuming work because there is no algorithm or code that can spell out exactly what’s happening. Our team has to take the time to read the case notes—which are detailed and extremely helpful!—of people who have tested positive for COVID-19 and have been interviewed to learn circumstances of how they might have gotten the virus. Our team members doing this work are acting like detectives, trying to identify places of possible spread. If someone says, “I went to a wedding,” our team will then search through records to see if anyone else from this wedding also tested positive.  Keep in mind that a limitation of studying case notes is that they rely on what the interviewer writes down, as well as peoples’ memories and willingness to recount their potential exposures.

So are we seeing evidence of spillover?

The case count trends for Dane County without UW-Madison have increased over the past two weeks. We cannot say for sure that there is—or isn’t—spillover. We know that some of these cases are due to clusters without a clear link to UW cases—one cluster in a healthcare facility, college students from schools other than UW-Madison returning to Dane County, and daycare settings. Our heat maps still indicate the vast majority of cases are in the 18-24 year old age group, and our analysis of case notes has not clearly illustrated strong evidence of spread from UW students to the larger Dane County community.

We will continue to assess these data sources for evidence of spillover and will keep the community up-to-date in our data blog posts. It’s important that everyone across the county continues to keep up strong prevention behaviors to minimize the spread of the virus, like staying home when you can, avoiding gathering, wearing a mask, and staying at least six feet from people you don’t live with.

Image 1. Heat Map PDF 

Heat map showing cases by age group over time. The darkest cell shows people 18-24 make up the largest portion of cases in September.
Image 2. Case Counts Over Time

Chart of cases over time: The 14-day average of Dane County case counts without UW-Madison have increased over the past two weeks. There is a steady line with a slight uptick over the past few weeks.

This content is free for use with credit to the City of Madison – Public Health Madison & Dane County and a link back to the original post.

WEDNESDAY 9/23

LOCAL GOVERNMENT NEWS RECAP

City of Madison

Mo’ Meetings

Meeting: Sustainable Madison Committee
Date: Friday, Sep. 25, 2020 at 11:00 am
Location: Madison, WI

Dane County

Madison Area Schools

And more . . .

BIKE MADISON – VILAS PARK DR CHANGE

Bike Madison UpdatesVilas Park Drive Reopens to Motor Vehicles for Democracy in the Park

Early in the pandemic as the weather turned warmer and people sought refuge outdoors more than ever before, City Traffic Engineering worked to create temporary pathways for bicyclists and pedestrians. Vilas Park Drive was one of several roads closed or adjusted to meet the increased biking and walking demand.

While reservations and events at parks were not permitted, the popularity of outdoor spaces for individuals and families across the city increased, including at Vilas Park. The temporary closure of Vilas Park Drive enhanced access for pedestrians and bikers during the spring and summer seasons. This closure also provided Parks an opportunity to evaluate this concept for the future as a consideration for the Vilas Park Master Plan project.

This Saturday is the first of two Democracy in the Park events held at more than 200 parks citywide, including Vilas Park. In an effort to promote ease of access for voters, the Drive will be reopened for vehicular traffic on Friday afternoon for each of the next two weekends. The Drive will be closed to vehicular traffic on Monday morning each week.

“It’s imperative we provide an accessible space for the community to register and return their absentee ballot in person. We see this as an honor to support the most important mission of the City – giving our residents a voice in the democratic process,” said Eric Knepp, Madison Parks Superintendent.

In addition to the Democracy in the Park event, there are two small, long-planned weddings that will occur over these two weekends. Staff are continuing to evaluate options for an interim plan for the Drive for the winter and spring. This includes reduction in speed limits, limiting access, and providing access for winter recreation in a manner that can be maintained. Staff will seek feedback and input on this interim plan over the coming weeks.

Press Release

COVID NEWSLETTER

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Updates
The City of Madison is committed to keeping you informed of updates, services, and resources available for residents during its response to COVID-19. Did you receive a text this week?
Get COVID-19 Text
New Statewide Order on Face Coverings


On Tuesday, Gov. Tony Evers issued a new statewide mask mandate, replacing the previous order that was set to expire on Sept. 28. The new order is set to expire on Saturday, November 21 unless another order takes its place.

Dane County also has a face covering requirement that took effect on July 13. The Governor’s order sets a minimum bar of what must be followed, but it also allows local communities to be more strict. Because the order from Public Health Madison & Dane County has some stricter requirements, those requirements must also be followed. See Dane County face covering requirements to learn more. And remember to #MaskUpMadison!
Assessing UW COVID Cases and Beyond 

Restricting movement has been effective in reducing COVID-19 spread throughout this pandemic, and in Dane County our case count has started to decline over the past week. Public Health Madison & Dane County is hopeful the number of students diagnosed with COVID-19 continues to decline as they return to classes. It appears the majority of spread is happening when students are socializing, prevention methods continue for everyone to stay home when they can, wear a mask, avoid gathering, and stay at least six feet from people outside of your immediate household. Public Health will continue to monitor the situation closely and provide a weekly Data Snapshot. See Public Health Madison & Dane County to learn how they are assessing if UW COVID-19 cases have spread beyond campus.
Democracy in the Park This Saturday

Submit your absentee ballot in a Madison park this Saturday, September 26! Poll workers wearing high-visibility vests and face coverings will be in more than 200 Madison parks to accept your absentee ballot, to serve as your witness, if needed, and to answer voting questions from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and again on Saturday, October 3.  Look for the VOTE yard sign at the park. Rain date is the Sunday following.  See the Clerk’s Office for locations and more information. A note for the Vilas Park site: in an effort to promote ease of access for voters, Vilas Park Drive, which is temporarily closed to vehicles, will be reopened on Friday afternoon for each of the next two weekends.
Temporary Adventure Biking Trails in Parks


Try an adventure biking trail in a Madison park! Temporary bike trails, available for one week each, are being created in several parks. Each one-mile trail takes riders of all levels, through hills, woods and grassy prairies. In recent years, Capital Off Road Pathfinders (CORP) offered practice trail events for just a few hours on select evenings. Due to COVID-19, Parks staff worked with CORP to provide this activity for a longer period allowing for more people to try the trail and physically distance themselves from other riders. See website for locations and dates.
Clean Streets Parking Restrictions Resume Oct. 5

The Clean Streets/Clean Lakes posted parking restriction resumes on Monday, October 5. This year-round program restricts parking on one side of a street for a four-hour window allowing for street sweeping, snow plowing, and other maintenance work. This program was temporarily suspended due the increase of residents working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the need to park in the street during the restricted hours.

Resident Permit-Only, 1-hour and 2-hour posted restrictions in non-metered will remain temporarily suspended and will not be enforced. All changes are evaluated on a week-by-week basis to inform adjustments that best meet the needs of the community.

Visit the Parking Utility Coronavirus (COVID-19) page for more information.
Mayor’s Message 

Campus Bars Need to Follow the Rules

We know our COVID positive numbers have increased markedly in Madison since students have moved into the dorms and come back to campus.

While Public Health Madison & Dane County (PHMDC) does not have authority over the UW-Madison campus, it does have authority over gatherings in the campus area per Emergency Order #9. This is a critical time to enforce public health orders in partnership with the City of Madison Police Department.

Despite PHMDC’s education efforts, PHMDC continues to see increasing complaints of non-compliance related to restaurants and taverns.  Therefore, PHMDC and MPD will be shifting their collective focus to enforcement to address violations of the public health orders. Violations of a PHMDC Order carry a penalty of up to $1,000 plus court costs per violation – that is not per incident, that is per person that is observed violating the Order. So if an establishment with an occupancy capacity of 100 is required under the order to limit indoor capacity to 25% (25 people), if they are found to have 50 people inside, they face a potential forfeiture of $25,000 plus court costs and fees. In addition, any establishment holding an alcohol beverage license may also be subject to an enforcement action against their alcohol beverage license up to and including suspension or revocation.

The majority of complaints PHMDC is seeing are about exceeding the 25% indoor capacity restrictions; employees not wearing face coverings or not wearing them properly; employees not physical distancing; and customers not physical distancing.  All these protective measures are essential to safely reopening businesses and helping slow the spread of COVID-19.
If businesses are choosing to be open for business, they must comply with the specific requirements contained in the order. If you are a concerned resident you can report your concerns to compliance@publichealthMDC.com.

-Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway

 

DNR PFAS RULE MAKING MEETING

You are invited to participate in the fourth Stakeholder group meeting for rulemaking efforts related to PFAS surface water quality criteria, groundwater standards, and drinking water standards. This meeting will be held virtually on October 9, 2020 beginning at 10:00 am, and can be accessed via Zoom at https://zoom.us/j/98835155245.

At this meeting, DNR will present plans for sampling PFAS compounds at regulated facilities to provide data for the economic impact analysis required as part of the rulemaking process.

This meeting will also include a brief discussion on proposed plans to sample public drinking water system for PFAS in 2021, in advance of the promulgation of drinking water maximum contaminant levels in NR 809.

If you have questions, please contact Marcia Willhite at Marcia.Willhite@wisconsin.govor Adam DeWeese at Adam.DeWeese@wisconsin.gov.

The Water Quality Bureau; and The Bureau of Drinking Water and Groundwater are committed to working with our partners and stakeholders to ensure all options for effective regulation and control of these compounds to protect public health and the environment are considered during the rulemaking process.

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