Third Quarter 2024

Hello Friends and welcome to the hottest, dryest summer ever! Let’s GO!

Madison’s Civic Awareness Academy is accepting applications for Fall 2024 Applications for the City of Madison’s Fall 2024 Civic Awareness Academy are now being accepted. This engaging and informative 6-week course is designed to enhance your understanding of your local government. “The Civic Awareness Academy empowers citizens to engage in the inner workings of the municipal  process. It’s an opportunity to educate Madison’s citizens and allow them to make informed decisions on their community. We value involved citizens, who are willing to make a positive impact,” says Mayor Paul Finley. The program will kick off with an orientation on October 10, 2024. Each week, participants will have the opportunity to learn about different aspects of the city’s operations, meet with city officials, participate in hands-on activities and network with like-minded individuals. “You’re going to be more knowledgeable. You’ll learn not only where the money goes but who’s spending it,” said Major General Vinny Boles, a graduate of the Spring 2024 class. “There are so many aspects of the city that if you’re just sitting home being complacent you would not have known about. The best thing to do is to get out and come up here and find out what’s going on,” says Stacy Tidwell, also a graduate of the Spring 2024 class.  The deadline for applications is September 9, 2024. Applicants must be at least 18 years old and reside in the City of Madison. For more details and to submit your application, please visit the Civic Awareness Academy page or contact Traci Gillespie at traci.gillespie@madisonal.gov with any questions.  Scheduled Fall 2024 Dates: October 10 – Orientation October 17 – Our City at Work October 23 – Our City Maintaining October 30 – Our City is Growing November 7 – Our City is Playing November 14 – Our City is Protected November 21 – Our City is Leading December 9 – Graduation

Mayor Finley Updates

July 1st to 14th

Good Sunday Evening,

I hope everyone had an enjoyable weekend and that you did your best to stay cool. A lot has transpired in the past two weeks, here are just of few of our highlights.

• The annual Independence Day Celebration took place at Dublin Park on July 3^rd. We had a large crowd by fireworks time, thanks to everyone in Recreation, Public Works, MPD, MFR, and all other supporters as the day and night were a huge success.
• Our Fire Marshal’s office shared that they have now permitted 415 new construction inspections in FY24.
• Madison Fire and Rescue responded to 225 incidents, 177 of which were EMS related during the two weeks.
• Our Building team shared that permitting created 104 permits, issued 111 permits, and the inspection division performed 277 inspections.
• Code Enforcement performed 22 inspections/re-inspections, created 19 new cases and removed 21 signs out of the right of way.
• Our Court team opened 127 cases, closed 109 cases, and issued 17 warrants.
• Madison Police shared that during the two weeks they responded to 2354 calls for service, made 87 arrests, issued 104 tickets, and gave 204 warnings.
• MPD also shared that new officers Keonn Pride and Samuel Thrower began their training this week….welcome Keonn and Samuel).
• Our Revenue team shared that sales tax collected in June 2024 decreased by 4.87% compared to June 2023. However, the year-to-date collections have increased by 4.80 % compared to the same period in the previous fiscal year.
• Our Public Works CIP team made significant progress at Sunshine Oaks, completing the cutting and removing of trees for the second driveway and adding dirt for the larger parking lot.
• Public Works also started our parking lot addition at Palmer Park, adding much needed parking for Westco.
• IT received 144 work orders during the two weeks, as well as multiple calls and in-person requests.
• The FY25 budget packet is now in our Department Heads hands, and we continue to have multiple meetings to discuss projects and priorities.

Let’s have another great week. Thanks for all that you do to help make Madison a fantastic place to live, work, and play.

Respectfully,

Mayor Finley

July 15th to 28th

We had a busy and productive couple of weeks throughout the city. Here are just a few of the highlights:

• Council passed an ordinance that exempts hearing aids from sales and use tax. Madison is the first city in Alabama to adopt this measure.
• HR Director Megan Zingarelli presented the final information and HR’s recommendation for our city-wide wage study to City Council.
• Our Facilities and Grounds team completed 80 work order requests during the last two weeks, including plumbing issues at fire station 2 & 4, HVAC support at City Hall, and fire alarm testing at City Hall and the Library.
• All Departments submitted their FY25 budget requests to Finance, who will roll everything up and submit to the Mayor’s office.
• Our Building team shared that they created 106 permits, issued 101 permits, and the inspection division performed 343 inspections last week.
• Code Enforcement performed 34 inspections/re-inspections, created 17 new cases, and removed 47 signs out of the right of way.
• Madison Police responded to 2290 calls for service, made 77 arrests, issued 138 citations, and gave 197 warnings during the two weeks.
• We are excited to welcome Octavia Harris-Courtland to our MPD Communications Team.
• Madison Fire and Rescue responded to 247 incidents, 210 of which were EMS related.
• Our Fire Marshall’s office has completed 1332 annual fire inspections and 1110 of the 3216 fire hydrant inspections in FY24.
• Our recreation crew installed new playground equipment at the Whisperwood Park.
• Aquatics completed 423 swim lessons and had 33 pool rentals this summer.
• MARS completed 166 trips, and the Senior Center had 2067 sign-ins during the last two weeks.
• IT received 147 work orders this week, as well as multiple calls and in-person requests.
• The IT department began installing network hardware at the Madison Community Center this week and they worked with Public Works to repair the traffic light controller network that is used by Public Works DOT.
• Our Court team shared that they opened 159 cases, closed 143 cases, and issued 55 warrants during the week.
• Our Madison City Schools start their 2024-2025 year this Thursday, best wishes to all of our SRO’s for a safe and enjoyable school year. 

Let’s have another purposeful and productive week. Thanks for all that you do to help make Madison a great place to live, work, and play!

Respectfully,

Mayor Finley

July 29th to August 11th

A great deal was accomplished for our community during the past two weeks, here are just a few of the highlights.

• The City of Madison hosted the Alabama Big 10 Mayor’s Quarterly meeting last weekend, with 8 of the 10 Mayor’s from the state’s largest cities making the trip. Thanks to Traci Gillespie for taking the lead and to our Mayor’s office and a large MPD contingent for their support. Toyota Field was a great venue for our internal meeting and Alabama Legislator reception and Main Street Café supplied a fantastic dinner. Madison showed well!
• The City facilitated a visit by Homeland Security to administer an assessment of our city facilities.
• Our Revenue team shared that sales tax collected in July 2024 increased by 0.69% compared to July 2023. The year-to-date collections have increased by 4.32 % compared to the same period in the previous fiscal year.
• Our Facilities and Grounds team shared that they completed 134 work orders during the two weeks, including replacing the lights around the City of Madison sign, multiple HVAC repairs, and working with our Public Safety annex architects on reducing our scope for the project.
• Our Court team opened 458 cases, closed 303 cases, and issued 83 warrants during the two weeks…..wow and great job!
• Our Building team created 206 permits, issued 183 permits, and the inspection division performed 634 inspections during the two weeks.
• Code Enforcement performed 72 inspections/re-inspections, created 22 new cases, and removed 82 signs out of the right of way.
• IT received 142 work orders this week, as well as multiple calls and in-person requests during the two weeks.
• The IT Department collaborated with Public Works and the Fire Department to install a camera that will allow the Fire and Police Department to monitor the Sullivan Street railroad crossing. This is the first camera installed in Madison for this purpose.
• Toby Jenkins, along with the Police Department, began preparing the 60 Panasonic Toughbooks that will replace the unreliable legacy laptops currently in use by the Police Department.
• The IT Department continued installing networking equipment at the Madison Community Center.
• Our Public Works department installed new storm drainpipe in multiple areas, repaired ditch erosion in multiple areas, and removed beaver dams along Madison Blvd among many other activities.
• Our Public Works CIP team is working on three parking lots projects (Sunshine Oaks, Palmer Park, and the Community Center).
• Our Madison Police Department responded to 2757 calls for service, made 90 arrests. issued 230 citations and gave 443 warnings during the two weeks.
• Madison Fire and Rescue responded to 255 incidents, 206 of which were EMS related during the two weeks.
• MARS completed 308 trips during the two weeks.
• Youth Volleyball started this week with 119 participants and our adult softball leagues have 22 teams registered for the fall. 

As I close, I want to thank each of you for your service to our community. Madison, Alabama is a special place, and I hope you are as proud of our community as I am.

Respectfully,

Mayor Finley

In Closing

As always, I will be updating this blog every couple of weeks. Please check back during the the third quarter of 2024 for new information. You can also provide your email address in the box below for a subscription and be notified when the blog is updated  I can be reached at Email Maura or 256.337.2408. Thank you again for your continued support!