Second Quarter 2025

Welcome to Spring! Or, as I believe, the season of yellow powder making us all sneeze, cough and our eyes water. As I write this it is 42 degrees outside and spring is playing hide and seek. Let’s get to it!

Final Goal for District One

When I first came into office in 2016, I had pretty specific goals. The multi use walking path on Wall Triana from Browns Ferry to Gillespie was my number one goal. It was frustrating to see moms walking their children to school from both directions to West Madison Elementary School. A second goal was a roundabout at Balch and Gillespie (done!) and a second roundabout at Balch and Gillespie (hopefully coming in 2026!). My final goal is the Mill Creek Greenway completion. While we did get about 75 yards done from Browns Ferry Road by Bartlet Mill and ending between Oakstone and Foxfield there is much, much more to this project. Here is the original map: GreenwayAndTrails

Here is the new, improved map:

This project is in it’s infant stages. The top portion near Gray’s cemetery will be the first project that will begin under the partnership of Madison Greenways and Trails and the North Alabama Land Trust. More information below regarding the MVP Service Day Project.

Madison City Council Appoints New Fire Chief

Resized Chief Photo

The Madison City Council has appointed Brandy Williams as Fire Chief for Madison Fire & Rescue. During the May 12^th City Council meeting, Chief Williams, who has served the department for 27 years and was the acting Fire Chief, took an oath of office pledging to uphold the laws and policies of the City and Fire Department.

Chief Williams began her career with Madison Fire & Rescue in 1998 as a Firefighter ll/EMT Basic. Over the years, she was promoted to Driver in 2003, named Firefighter of the Year in 2006, advanced to Captain in 2010, and Deputy Chief in 2016. She previously served as Acting Fire Chief twice, most recently beginning in February 2025.

A lifelong public servant, Chief Williams holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration and Emergency Services Management. She is also the current President of the North Alabama Fire Chiefs Association and serves on the Alabama Firefighters Personnel Standards and Education Commission through 2026.

“I’m proud to serve as the Fire Chief for the City of Madison,” Williams said. “My goal is to make this a great workplace, help build a strong community, and lead the department’s growth. What I value most about this role is the opportunity to drive positive change and ensure we have the resources, facilities, equipment, and personnel to support the city’s ongoing growth.”

Mayor Paul Finley praised Chief Williams’ appointment, noting both her qualifications and her forward-looking vision. “Chief Williams has earned the trust and respect of her department and this community. Her plan to grow the department and support the needs of a rapidly expanding Madison is exactly what we need as we move forward.”

Madison Police Chief John Gandy also expressed strong support. “Chief Williams and I have developed a strong and effective working relationship over the years. She’s a proven leader and collaborator, and I look forward to continuing our partnership to keep Madison safe.”

This new appointment makes Chief Williams the fourth Fire Chief since the City of Madison established its full time fire department in 1969.

For more information about the Fire Department, visit.

MVP Day of Service

Join Madison Visionary Partners (MVP) along with other local groups and organizations for the upcoming Big Weekend of Service beginning Friday, June 27 through Saturday, June 28. This two-day community-driven initiative invites residents of all ages and backgrounds to roll up their sleeves and give back through a variety of volunteer opportunities across the city.

What It’s All About

The Big Weekend of Service is more than just a volunteer event—it’s a celebration of the spirit that makes Madison special. Local nonprofits, churches, civic groups and citizens will come together to complete service projects that enhance public spaces, support local causes, and build lasting community connections.

From landscaping and cleanups to packing Kids to Love backpacks and more, there are service opportunities suited for everyone!

How to Get Involved

Residents can browse projects and sign up online by visiting this link. MVP will continue updating the page with new opportunities and details as they become available.

Whether you’re signing up individually, with your family, or as part of a local group or business, there’s a place for everyone to participate and make a difference.

Why It Matters

Community service strengthens neighborhoods, fosters civic pride, and helps ensure that Madison remains a vibrant and welcoming place to live. The Big Weekend of Service is also a chance for residents to:

Support local nonprofits
Beautify public spaces
Build connections with neighbors
Model the value of service for the next generation

Get Ready to Serve!

Dates: June 27-28
Locations: Various sites across Madison, AL
Event Info & Sign-Up: Big Weekend of Service Webpage

We encourage all Madison residents to participate with a shared purpose for our community!

Madison Animal Shelter

I am thrilled to announce that one of my goals since 2016 is coming to fruition. The new Animal Services building will be at 360 Celtic Drive. This is the schedule:
Submit Advertisement: July 2

Ad Runs: July 9

Pre Bid: July 16

Questions: July 23

Bids Open: July 30

Project Awarded: August 11

Please check back for updates. I look forward to celebrating the grand opening this fall! Here it is:

I could not be more excited or more proud of this fabulous project. A very special shout out to Gerald Smith our Facitilities Department Head and our Mayor’s Office for their support!

Mayor Finley’s Reports

March 23rd to April 6th

Happy Saturday Morning,

While it is overcast as I write this, I sure am happy we aren’t getting the rain and storms that they are north of us. With that said the yellow/green haze of pollen certainly let’s you know Spring is upon us.

Without question our biggest news during the past two weeks is the City of Madison being named the 9^th best city to live in the United States. Congratulations to all of you for the part you continue to play in making Madison great…..on behalf of our 60,000+ residents “THANK YOU”!

In addition to a nice award, we still accomplished a great deal during the two weeks…..here are a few of the highlights.

Our Rocket City Trash Pandas opened their 2025 season with 6600 fans in attendance on a beautiful Friday night. Thanks to our Madison Police, public works, and engineering for working together to maximize traffic flow….great job.
Our Facilities and Grounds team shared that they completed 84 work orders during the two weeks including plumbing issues at City Hall, the Wellness Center, Public Works, and Fire Station 1.
Our cleanup and upgrade of the landscaping at City Hall is complete and looks great!
We are preparing documents for bid of the New Animal Control Building; current schedule is to release July 2^nd.
Madison Fire and Rescue shared that they responded to 320 incidents during the two weeks, 249 of which were EMS related. This was a very high volume for the two weeks….we appreciate the efforts of our MFR team.
Our Court team shared that they opened 255 cases, closed 356 cases, and issued 120 warrants during the two weeks.
Code Enforcement created 27 new cases and removed 20 signs out of the right of way during the two weeks.
Our Madison Police responded to 2031 calls for service, made 88 arrests, issued 97 citations, and gave 149 warnings during the two weeks.
Our Building team shared that they created 201 permits, issued 203 permits, and the inspection division performed 484 inspections during the two weeks.
Our Revenue team shared that the sales tax collected in March 2025 decreased by 7.21% compared to March 2024. The year-to-date collections have decreased by 2.10% compared to the same period in the previous fiscal year.
Open registration for our Recreation summer day camp filled in four minutes.
The resurfacing of the baby pool at Dublin has been completed.
The Bob Jones softball tournament is taking place at Palmer Park this weekend and for the first time in like forever….no rain….yet!
The recreation staff is preparing for the Easter Egg Hunt next Saturday the 12^th at Dublin Park.
Our City Council is scheduled to hold Board of Education interviews April 9^th.
Our City Clerk team continues to support our upcoming elections, helping candidates with information and scheduling and training poll workers.
IT received 140 work orders during the two weeks, as well as multiple calls and in-person requests.
Work has begun on the Mill Road Stabilization project. Big thanks to Madison PD and Public Works helping get extra signage out and making adjustments to the traffic signal timing within the Sullivan/Wall-Triana corridor.
We are scheduled to open bids next week on two projects: the Gooch/Wall-Triana Intersection Improvements and the Site Work at the Celtic Drive Training Center.
Tree clearing continues on Segers & Meacille for utility relocation. Some lane/road closures may be necessary.
Lane striping was done this week on Madison Blvd. They still lack some detail work (arrows, touch-up, etc.) and applying the raised reflectors. We are working with Huntsville Utilities to get power to the new signals at Hughes and at Sullivan. Once the signals are on at Hughes, they can remove the old equipment and finish the turn lanes.
The pedestrian bridges are scheduled for delivery next at Palmer Park.
Expecting the sidewalks to be finished next week at Hughes/Mill/Portal. Once that is done, the daily lane closures there should take a break until all of the signal equipment is delivered.
HR led a great training session for multiple departments focused on the interviewing and hiring process.

As I close I again want to congratulate and thank each of you for all that you do for our Madison community. Let’s have a great week!

Respectfully,

Mayor Finley

April 7th through 20th

Good Friday Afternoon….literally!

Happy Holy week to all of you and hopefully we will all be able to enjoy a fantastic weekend.

It has been a busy two weeks in Madison, here are just a few of the high lights.

During the April 14 City Council Meeting, seven Madison Fire and Rescue Firefighters received the Star of Life award, a national honor given to EMS teams for exceptional life-saving actions. The Star of Life Award is a symbol of excellence in emergency medical services-and our teams exemplify that standard. The City of Madison is immensely proud of these firefighters and EMS professionals whose courage and compassion continue to impact our community.
The Parks and Recreation Easter Egg Hunts took place last weekend. Thanks to our volunteer teams who put in extra hours to help make this happen.
The Palmer Park Pedestrian Bridges were set last week. This week crews finished the mechanical connections, backfilled the foundations, added riprap on the stream banks, and poured the concrete decking. They have also started forming the sidewalk for the approaches.
Crews made progress this week also on Mill Road Stabilization project. All concrete foundation for the first phase is poured and they are starting to stack wall blocks. Weather next week might slow them down, but they plan to work through what they can.
The plan is to start working on the Mill Road sidewalks next week. We are working through some conflicts with trees in the ROW and some utility poles, but they can start working on the east end of the project area. This is a 60-day project and may have some lane closures with flaggers, but we will work closely with the contractor to minimize the effect to traffic, particularly during the morning rush.
The new signal is running at Madison Blvd & Sullivan and the old poles & equipment have been removed. Shout out to our DOT in Public Works for working through some initial bugs and now it is running smoothly.
The plan is to get the new equipment running at Madison Blvd & Hughes next week. Once the old poles are removed the developer’s contractor can finish the turn lanes into the development and in front of the Circle K.
Tree clearing on Segers & Maecille is finishing up today. This will clear the way for utility relocation to begin in advance of the roadway improvements in this area for the new school under construction.
The Huntsville-Brownsferry/Burgreen intersection is scheduled for closure beginning at 8:30am on Monday (4/21). Message boards have been out since Tuesday evening providing advance notice and our DOT has a few extra signs to set up Monday morning suggesting that drivers seek an alternate route.
We continue to look ahead to Phase 1 of our City Hall renovation. One of the keys will be minimizing our physical archive box storage on site. Lori Spaulding from our City Clerk’s office will manage this, verifying compliance and leading Departments through the process of shredding, scanning, or keeping.
New playground equipment has been installed at Cambridge, Stavemill, Mill Creek, Fieldcrest, Leathertree, West Highlands, and Windsor Park.
Our City Clerk team is also holding required election meetings in preparation for our August Municipal elections. We greatly appreciate the number of volunteers who will man the polls throughout the day.
Several new commercial projects have been approved, including: a gas station and commercial center for the northeast corner of County Line Rd and Production Ave.; the first phase of a commercial business park off of Shelton Road, behind Publix; and a 24-hour Emergency Department operated by Crestwood at the northwest corner of Madison and Research Boulevards. Construction timing for these projects is still being finalized.
We opened bids this past week for two projects: the Gooch/Wall-Triana Intersection Improvements and the Site Work at the Celtic Drive Training Center. Both projects had bids within budget and were awarded by City Council.
Recent restaurant openings include Dave’s Hot Chicken (Hwy 72) and Indian Palace (Madison Blvd), with Walk-Ons in Town Madison slated to open in the next few weeks.
Madison Fire and Rescue shared that they responded to 253 incidents during the two weeks, 202 of which were EMS related.
Our MFR Community Risk Reduction team shared that the Fire Chief of the Day family from St. John’s came to Fire Station 1 for their family visit. The Station set up several activities for the three boys and had Chick-fil-A together. The three boys were also presented with a shadow box with a certificate, patch, and challenge coin. Also, the risk reduction team gave a safety presentation to the entire 4^thgrade class at Midtown Elementary on CPR and how the heart and lungs work.
Thank goodness for our Facilities and Grounds team and their continued HVAC focus at all of our facilities as weather goes hot, the cold, then really hot, etc.
The Facilities and Grounds team completed 96 work orders during the two weeks.
Our Court team shared that they opened 210 cases, closed 260 cases, and issued 71 warrants during the two weeks.
IT received 146 work orders this week, as well as multiple calls and in-person requests during the two weeks.
IT welcomed a new team member, Wes Baugh, who has joined as the Public Safety IT Support Technician. Welcome Wes!
Building shared that they created 216 permits, issued 199 permits, and our inspection division performed 543 inspections during the two weeks.
Code Enforcement created 41 new cases and removed 30 signs out of the right of way.
Pour Madison Police responded to 2167 calls for service, made 80 arrests, issued 86 citations, and gave 191 warnings during the two weeks.
Lateral Officer Dexter Drayton joined the Madison Police Department…..welcome Officer Drayton.

Thanks again to each of you for your continued focus on our community. Madison is an incredible place to live and your efforts continue to make a positive impact.

Mayor Finley

April 21st to May 4th

Good Saturday Morning,

I hope everyone weathered the storms yesterday and that your weekend is off to a great start. We have had an incredibly busy two weeks. Here are just a few of the highlights.

The sidewalk is complete at the Palmer Pedestrian Bridges, with final touches coming in the next couple of weeks.
Final utility relocations are underway at the Huntsville-Brownsferry Roundabout. Our contractor has begun installing new storm and water lines and will be working on that for a couple of weeks.
The signal work is complete at Madison Blvd and Sullivan.
Now that the old signal poles have been removed, the developer’s contractor can finish the turn lanes at Madison Blvd and Hughes.
The contractor had another good week of progress at the Mill Road Stabilization project. The retaining wall on the first section is about halfway complete.
Work has begun on the Mill Road sidewalk from the Bradford Greenway parking lot going west toward Heritage Plantation.
Utility relocation is in progress for the improvements at Segers & Maecille.
Neighborhood paving update: sections of Woodley Road & Glen Ives Way in Walden Preserve and sections of Nobleman Lane & Manor Drive in Browns Ferry Crossing have been resurfaced, and crews are working on Big Oak Lane, Big Oak Circle, and Little Oak in Spencer Green.
I had the honor of representing Madison at the Greater Owensboro, Kentucky “Rooster Booster” breakfast, giving the keynote presentation on the successes we have had here in Madison.
Our Court team shared that they opened 425 cases, closed 269 cases, and issued 101 warrants during the two weeks.
Madison Fire and Rescue shared that they responded to 253 incidents, 215 of which were EMS-related, during the two weeks.
Congratulations to Steven Chop, Ryan Ledford, and Gage Tolton on their promotion to Captain, and to Tyler Drew, Jordan Fielding, Grayson Hope, Jeremiah Johnson, and Curtis Roesner on their promotion to Driver at MFR.
Our Building team shared that they created 164 permits, issued 129 permits, and the inspection team performed 606 inspections during the two weeks.
Code Enforcement created 78 new cases and removed 50 signs out of the right-of-way.
Our Facilities and Grounds team completed 78 work orders and 29 preventative maintenance work orders during the two weeks.
IT received 151 work orders during the two weeks, including multiple calls and in-person requests.
We just wrapped up our third Civic Awareness Academy on Thursday. This six-week program offers residents a behind-the-scenes look at how our city government works. We look forward to celebrating their graduation before the City Council on May 12th.
Our Madison Police shared that they responded to 2386 calls for service, made 75 arrests, issued 233 citations, and gave 324 warnings during the two weeks.
Detective Taylor-Duncan taught three classes at James Clemens in digital forensics to 79 students.
Congratulations to Lt. Tanner Ward for passing the Alabama State Bar Exam.
Our HR team held a hiring fair for summer employees last week, with recreation sharing that they are in the best position they have been in for years, going into the summer.

Thanks to everyone for your hard work and dedication to our Madison community! Have a great rest of the weekend.

Mayor Finley

May 4th to 11th

Happy Mother’s Day!

Overcast skies can’t stop us from celebrating all our mother’s…..I hope each of you has enjoyed a great weekend.

We had a lot going on in the city this week… here are just a few of the highlights:

I enjoyed time with Amy Mitchell’s 4^th grade class at Horizon Elementary this week. They are the class that creates all our birthday cards for City Hall employees…..we celebrated with popsicles.
I also attended the Wellstone Beacon of Hope event last week. Wellstone continues to support families impacted by abuse and/or dependency.
Our 3^rd Civic Awareness Academy was a huge success, and the class will “graduate” at Monday night’s council meeting. Great job Traci Gillespie!
Madison Fire and Rescue shared that they responded to 139 incidents last week, 114 of which were EMS related.
Congratulations to our 10 new Madison Fire and Rescue recruits graduating from their 10-week Recruit School in Muscle Soals: Camden Anderson, Jackson Andrews, Ethan Dickson, Jacob Espitia, Matthew Fetner, Drake Gavcus, Seth Johnson, Anthony McKee, Angus Roberson, and Christopher Weis.
Code enforcement created 47 new cases and pulled 23 signs from right of way.
Our Building team shared that they created 97 permits, issued 82 permits, and the inspection division performed 262 inspections during the week.
Our Court team shared that they opened 93 cases, closed 179 cases, and issued 17 warrants.
Madison Police responded to 972 calls for service, made 36 arrests, issued 53 citations, and gave 47 warnings during the week.
Our Parks and Recreation team cleaned up the Mill Creek Dog Park area after all of the MU work and the park is now “officially” back open.
The adult summer softball registration is now open….information is available on the website or the Madison Parks and Recreation app (which now has over 3000 downloads).
Activities on our Public Works agenda this week were multiple visibility issue improvements, storm drain clean outs, downed tree clean ups, and sidewalk repairs.
We are excited to announce several promotions withing MPD. Mike Allen was promoted to Assistant Chief, Jon Stout was promoted to Captain, Chris Coons was promoted to Lieutenant, and Logan Grant and Josh Hensley were promoted to Sergeant. Congratulations to each of you! The formal presentation will be held at our June 23^rd council meeting.
Grass seed and straw mulch was applied at the Palmer Pedestrian Bridges this week, completing this project.
The contractor has continued to install the new storm and water lines at the Huntsville-Brownsferry/Burgreen roundabout this week. Probably another week-and-a-half working on that, then they will begin demolition of the existing road and now-abandoned utilities.
Great progress this week on the Mill Road Stabilization wall. Six of the 7 rows of blocks in this first section have been set & backfilled, and they can now begin working on the tie-ins to the existing driveway culverts. The top row of blocks will be applied later.
They have begun paving the turn lanes at Hughes & Madison Blvd. That should be complete next week, weather permitting.
Good progress was also made on the Mill Road Sidewalk project. Most of the excavation is complete, and the contractor should be able to begin concrete work on the short walls and sidewalk surface next week.
Utility relocation work continues at Segers & Maecille.
Our City Clerk office has been busy with municipal election preparation. Poll worker training will be held June 15-16 by Probate Judge Frank Barger.
The City Clerk office has also been working with departments to properly store and/or shred old paper documents in preparation for our City Hall revamp.

Madison, Alabama is an incredible town to live, and I am so thankful to have an opportunity to be part of the team helping to keep quality of life high. Thanks to each of you for your efforts and focus on our community! Let’s have a fantastic week.

Respectfully,

Mayor Finley

Mayor Finley Updates

Sadly, I have been told by Mayor Finley that this was his last update. He said I was the only one that asked for them so he’s not doing them anymore. Bummer! I thought they were very informative. Hopefully the new Mayor will start doing them when they are elected in August. Even if they don’t take office it will be great to hear their plans and goals leading up to taking office.

So to be honest….

This makes me a bit curious. If you are reading this message and want to see me continue to provide this information, please shoot a text to 256.337.2408 with your name and District number. If you aren’t sure which District is yours please click here: CouncilDistrict Map. If there is a reasonable amount of demand, I will continue to publish this quarterly blog. I never receive any feedback so I am not sure if anyone is even reading this? You may just be following me on Facebook? MauraforDistrict1 If that is the case and you prefer not to text me with your cell number, please send me a private message to my Maura For District 1 account. If I have at least ten people text/message me by the Municipal election on August 26th I will continue to publish. As you can imagine, this is quite time intensive but I am agreeablle to publish if anyone is reading?

In Closing

As I type this on June 27thth, the weather is so different from when I started this quarter’s blog. Now we are experiencing record heat! As my mom used to say, “If you don’t like the weather, wait 15 minutes. It’s sure to change!” 🙂

Thank you for reading! I can be reached at Email Maura or 256.337.2408. Thank you again for your continued support!

Second Quarter 2025