Eli Judge

The photo ordinance will be considered at the Housing Committee tomorrow at 5pm in room LL-110 in the Madison Municipal Building (215 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.).

There is a notable adjustment to the ordinance that I will be introducing tomorrow. A very fair concern was brought up by a notable Madison property owner that, given the language in the current version of the ordinance, landlords would not be able to deduct something from a security deposit on ANY damages unless they had photos for every single damage. The adjustment I am currently working with students, property owners, and the city attorney’s office to craft will shape the ordinance to make sure that landlords can claim deductions for the damages they have authentic photographic proof of, but not the things they have no proof of. The seemingly possible “All or nothing” language in the current ordinance, I found, was an unacceptable violation of basic fairness to property owners. If there are true-blue damages caused by a tenant, damages that a property owner should be compensated for, then it is fair to make sure that a property owner can be reimbursed for them. With that said, the ordinance still protects students and still accomplishes, completely, what I had originally intended with this ordinance.

I hope students who have an interest in this ordinance can find their way to the meeting and share their thoughts on it. If you have any questions, or would like to discuss anything about this ordinance, please feel free to call (6083226358, use area code) or email (district8@cityofmadison.com) and I would be happy to have a chat.

Expect some general thoughts on the process this ordinance has gone through over the past couple weeks.

The message below was released by the streets department a little bit ago. The university also issued this statement. Looking out the window, I must say I find it disappointing that classes were not canceled today.

Metro busses are saying that they are having delays from times by about 15-25 min.

Still no word on the status of city meetings tonight. Stay tuned to see if Housing, among others, will be convening in this winter wonderland.

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The City of Madison has declared a snow emergency. That means that alternate side parking restrictions will be in effect throughout the entire City of Madison including the downtown/isthmus snow emergency zone.

Madison residents are asked to remove all vehicles from the street if possible. Residents who must park on the street this evening should park on the ODD house numbered side of the street. Vehicles parked on the street Thursday evening February 7th should be parked on the EVEN house numbered side of the street. Violations of the alternate side parking rules are punishable by a fine of $20 outside the Snow Emergency Zone and $30 inside.

The Snow Emergency will remain in effect until at least 7 a.m. on Friday February 8th.

Parking is available in the cashiered sections of city-owned ramps in the downtown area. During a declared Snow Emergency you can park for no charge at the City ramps from 9 p.m. until 7 a.m. If you enter before 9 p.m. or leave after 7 a.m. you are liable for any parking charges before 1 a.m. and from 7 a.m. until the time you leave.

When parking in the ramps overnight, do not park on the top level so this area can be plowed. Be aware that vehicles stored in city ramps longer than 48 hours are subject to being ticketed and towed. Meters in lots and ramps are enforced 24 hours per day, 7 days a week.

NEW, Parking is also available at three central city parks. Residents can park in the lots at Burr Jones Park 1820 E. Washington Av, the boat landing lot of Tenney Park, 1615 Sherman AV (located along the east side of the Yahara River), and beach parking lot at Olbrich Park 3527 Atwood Av.

Madison residents can get complete snow emergency information at www.cityofmadison.com/streets or by calling 261-9111.

The Housing Committee has been canceled for today. Items, like the Photo Ordinance, will be considered at a later meeting.

Madison Metro will be stopping all service today at 7PM! This includes all campus area Safe Ride busses. Below is the message from the UW administration. I wonder if the class cancelation will apply to the class I am in right now (current time: 3:15). :)

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In light of deteriorating weather and road conditions, UW-Madison will cancel all afternoon and evening classes at 3:30 p.m., Provost Patrick Farrell has announced.

However, campus operations will continue to the degree possible. Individual services, such as Recreational Sports, Libraries and Unions may remain open. Anyone planning to attend evening events on campus is encouraged to call ahead to ensure programs are continuing.

Madison Metro buses, including those serving campus, will end today at 7 p.m. Final trips will leave the transfer points at this time. Passengers are encouraged to leave as early as possible to ensure they are able to make these final 7 p.m. trips.

Madison Metro delays should be expected throughout the rest of the day. Most buses are currently experiencing a 5-20 minute delay.

Employees who would like to leave early due to poor road conditions are advised to use their own discretion regarding their health and safety, but are required to use accrued holiday, vacation or compensation time to cover any absences. Please check with your supervisor.

Employees who are unable to reach campus for evening shifts are also urged to contact their supervisors. Employees in these situations are also required to use accrued holiday, vacation or compensation time to cover any absences.

Supervisors are advised to grant approval of all employee-requested leave in this inclement weather situation.

For more information on Madison Metro service and delays, http://www.mymetrobus.com

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Today is certainly not "business as usual" around campus. On my way home from class about an hour ago, I saw three very telling events. I watched a group of three people sledding down the stairs on observatory drive. Of course, these steps are meant for walking pedestrians. Continuing down the hill, I watched the 85 bus struggle to free itself from a mound of snow on the street, even though four or five people were shoveling sand at the tires and snow away from them. Upon taking a short cut through the Union to my apartment on Langdon, I noticed that the usually busy Rathskeller was almost completely empty.

Let my comments not be mistaken for criticism towards the university's efforts of street and sidewalk clearing. The reason I mention the state of pedestrian corridors on campus is that the university simply cannot keep up with the excessive amount of snow being dumped on the region.

If it is the case that people cannot move to and from work/class, because doing so risks their personal safety, it is the responsibility of the university to assess the value of keeping classrooms open, against the possible harm that it may cause upon students and staff. Whether it is a student slipping on the snow and ice, or a car sliding through crosswalks, it is only a matter of time until someone gets seriously hurt. If that happens, it will be a terrible day for the university. While we are all here to get an education, the university should not wait to cancel classes until after Madison metro announces a shut down in operations. This is not an appropriate standard. In addition, forcing faculty and staff to use holiday, vacation, or compensation time should they not show up, or leave early today, is irresponsible and shows a lack of respect for the service that those individuals provide to the student population.

I would love to continue into a discussion on how people with disabilities are expected to traverse to class, but I think I would end up getting far too upset to continue.

While the pursuit of truth is a truly honorable goal, if one must sift and winnow through blizzard conditions and impassable roads and sidewalks, one must wonder what harm waiting until tomorrow would do.

Sorry about the short notice, but today's "Alder Hours" are going to need to be pushed back a bit. Instead of its normal mid-afternoon slot, I will be pushing today's session back to 4:30 pm. It will still be at Lakefront on Langdon on the first floor of the Memorial Union.

I'm sorry for whatever inconvenience this causes to anyone. If the new time wont work for you, feel free to give me a call (6083226358, please use the area code) and we can set up a one on one time.