Fitchburg Common Council Meeting - March 25, 2026

The Common Council met on March 25, 2026, with a quorum present. The mayor and two alders were absent with excuses. The council approved minutes from two prior meetings, received no public comment for non-agenda items, and heard two informational presentations: the Round Trip Greater Madison/Metro Transit overview and the Public Works 2026 street resurfacing plan. The meeting adjourned at 8:07 p.m., and the next Committee of the Whole meeting is scheduled for April 22, 2026.

Public Comments & Testimony

• No members of the public appeared in person or online for public appearances on non-agenda items.

Round Trip Greater Madison / Metro Transit Presentation

• Zia Brukaya, Round Trip program manager at the Greater Madison Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), and Mike Dentis, Metro Transit customer service manager, presented transportation demand management (TDM) resources and regional transit outreach.
• Brukaya said the Madison region is projected to add nearly 200,000 people and 100,000 more households by 2050 and that about one-third of community members do not drive. Round Trip offers free resources, including an online matching platform and mobile app, an emergency ride home program, a bike buddy network with 54 registered bike buddies, and employer workplace networks. In 2025 the platform had over 1,300 members, with more than 450 actively matching and more than 800 new accounts. The April 2026 Spring Roll Challenge goal is to log 10,000 green trips in Dane County; the Smart Trips Challenge will follow in September.
• Dentis reviewed Madison Metro routes serving Fitchburg (B, D, G, H, 65, and 75) and said the BRT route is expected to be built out by the end of 2026. He outlined payment and accessibility options, including cash, tap-to-pay cards, Fast Fare cards, mobile QR codes, fare capping, the online bus tracker, and third-party transit apps. Fare caps are $5 per day, $16.50 per week, and $65 per month for regular fares; youth fares cap at $2.50 per day, $7 per week, and $26 per month.
• Dentis invited Fitchburg to partner on Learn and Ride events; a May 6 event is planned with the Fitchburg Senior Center, Bike Fitchburg, and Madison B-Cycle, and National Week Without Driving is planned for October.
• Council members expressed strong support for public transit and the Round Trip program. They noted the city is funding all-day and weekend service on Routes 65 and 75 and a BRT extension, suggested holding a Learn and Ride at the new community center and park off Traceway and Fish Hatchery, and asked about establishing a Round Trip network for City of Fitchburg employees. They also discussed creating a TDM toolkit for developers and property managers and called for improved proactive notification when bus stops or routes change.

2026 Street Resurfacing Presentation

• Ross Kalar, Fitchburg Public Works transportation engineer, presented the 2026 street resurfacing program. Resurfacing generally removes the full asphalt layer, usually 4 to 6 inches, replaces damaged curb and gutter, proof-rolls the base, and repaves to the existing thickness over two to six weeks without geometric changes.
• The city rates all 145 miles of roads every two years on the PACER 1-to-10 condition scale, as required by WisDOT, and selects roads using condition, location, traffic volume, coordination with utility work, and traffic-calming needs.
• Resurfacing planned for 2026 includes Petersburg Circle and Spect Drive; paths at Chicory Meadows, Clayton Park, Fish Hatchery path south of McKee Road, and a new accessible path at Hillside Heights Park; the Hillside Heights neighborhood plus Ryland Street; and water main replacement on Lyman Lane, Florin Drive, Barber Drive, and Tower Hill. Carryover utility work from 2025 in Belmar includes water work on Crescent Road, Aztec, and Sentinel Pass, plus storm sewer work on Crescent Road. Research Park Drive will also be resurfaced with geometric changes tied to the new police facility, including median narrowing, longer angle parking, and added turn lanes without widening the road.
• Construction is scheduled to start in mid-May and continue through the summer, with utility work completed by September and asphalt paving completed by October.
• Q&A discussion covered asphalt recycling and pulverize-and-overlay methods, concrete versus asphalt lifecycle costs, tree-root management, ductile iron water main replacement, speed bump replacement, apartment notification, and the city's new online road closures map. Kalar reported 2026 covers about 3 miles of resurfacing, while the ideal annual benchmark to maintain the system would be about 5 miles. He identified Fitcherona Road as the city's current worst road and said Irish Lane is likely to remain in poor condition until reconstruction, with state funding not available until 2030.
• Council members praised the new road closures map, which shows closure reasons, dates, lane impacts, and access levels such as local traffic only, critical vehicles, emergency vehicles, and no access.

Key Outcomes

• The council approved the draft minutes of January 28, 2026, and the February 25, 2026 Committee of the Whole minutes by voice vote with no audible opposition.
• No formal votes were taken on the Round Trip/Metro Transit or street resurfacing items; both were informational.
• Staff and partners were encouraged to pursue Fitchburg-specific transit outreach, including a possible Learn and Ride event and a City of Fitchburg Round Trip employee network.
• Street resurfacing work is scheduled to begin in mid-May 2026, with utility work complete by September and paving complete by October.
• The next Committee of the Whole meeting is scheduled for April 22, 2026; the meeting adjourned at 8:07 p.m.