The Madison Common Council on Oct. 28 unanimously adopted a resolution creating the MacArthur/Larson/MacArthur Court/Sycamore Avenue Assessment District for 2026, approving a full street reconstruction project that includes pavement, curb and gutter, sanitary and water main replacements, new storm sewer and replacement of private sewer laterals.

The project, presented by Jim Wolf, city engineer, calls for sidewalks on both sides of McArthur Avenue and McArthur Court, one side of Larson Court and select pedestrian connections; staff said sidewalks themselves will not be charged as special assessments to property owners. "This is a full street reconstruction project," Wolf said, describing work to replace pavement base, install new utilities and replace private sewer laterals. He said assessment responsibilities follow city policy: pavement reconstruction costs are assessed, driveway apron replacement is split 50/50 between owners and the city, and owners pay 25% of sewer lateral replacement with the city paying 75%.

Speakers from District 3 raised concerns about notification, cost and changes in scope. Hilton Jones, president of the Mayfair Park Neighborhood Association and a longtime resident, asked the council to require a 3–5 foot terrace to protect trees and accessibility, to remove sidewalks on blocks where residents explicitly oppose them, and to reassess special assessments on the 3900 block of Sycamore Avenue. Jones said the Transportation Commission approved a draft plan that showed only spot sidewalk replacements for the 3900 block, but the plan presented to the Board of Public Works and later mailed to property owners showed full reconstruction and assessments for that block; he characterized the change as a surprise to many residents. "Their first notice was when the special assessment cards came in the mail," Jones said.

Joseph Stupar, a McArthur Road resident, said homeowners are worried about assessment amounts and argued the work is general maintenance that should not be charged as a special assessment to individual homeowners. "We have been paying property taxes for decades to maintain the roads," Stupar said. He and other registrants asked the council to reconsider sidewalk placement and the financial burden on long-term residents.

Staff explained the city's notification process: a postcard is mailed before the initial public informational meeting, a formal letter is mailed before the Board of Public Works public hearing, and another mailing goes out prior to the council hearing, with a notarized affidavit of mailing attached to the Legistar file. Wolf said final sidewalk and terrace widths are typically fixed at about 90% design, two to three weeks before bidding, and staff attempts to minimize impacts to mature street trees; he said the project currently anticipates three city street-tree removals but expects to avoid additional losses "unless something happens during construction that is unanticipated." Wolf estimated the city pays the large majority of project costs and that "generally the city pays at least 90% of the project costs with 10% of it being a special assessment." He also said staff researched past records and found the most recent documented work on the 3900 block dated to roughly the 1960s and that there was no clear record of more recent special assessments for that entire block.

On payment options, staff said the Board of Public Works recommended extending the standard eight-year payback period to 15 years for this project, and that community development administers a special-assessment loan program for qualifying owners. Wolf described the timing: construction would occur in 2026 if approved and final assessment bills would be issued in 2027; owners may pay the final assessment in a single lump sum by Oct. 31 the year the bill is issued or allow it to roll onto property tax bills with interest, or take the recommended installment schedule.

Alders who spoke in favor emphasized the neighborhood's long-need for investment, ADA compliance for new sidewalks and the city's share of project costs. Alder Field said the streets scored among the city's lowest condition ratings and pushed to keep the project in the 2026 budget. Alder Figueroa Cole and Alder Evers stressed tree protections and long-term safety and accessibility for residents. The Board of Public Works' recommendation to extend assessments to 15 years and to note one difficult lot that staff will continue to study was cited by Alders supporting the ordinance.

After extended public comment and staff responses, the council recorded a unanimous vote in favor of item 11.