Committee recommends changing Ped‑Bike‑Transit ordinance to broaden accessibility representation

The Middleton Ped‑Bike‑Transit Committee voted to recommend an amendment to its Ped‑Bike‑Transit ordinance that would remove a designated seat for the Commission on Aging and instead specify six citizen members with transit or accessibility experience. The committee approved the recommendation by voice at its meeting and will forward the amendment to the License & Ordinances Committee and then to City Council.

Daphne, who presented the draft language, said the change replaces a single Commission on Aging designee with a broader, six‑member citizen representation and alters wording from "issues" to "accessibility" to capture a wider range of functional needs. "I changed the wording. So instead of one member from the commission on aging, it would be six members, our citizen members...I changed issues into more accessibility," she said.

Supporters said the change will allow the commission to draw members with lived experience across a range of disabilities and accessibility specializations, including family caregivers. "Making it more about specialization and awareness...gives you a lot of opportunity to draw somebody in who could really contribute something," one member said.

Steve moved the committee recommendation and Keaton seconded. The committee approved the motion by acclamation; exact vote counts were not recorded in the meeting transcript. The ordinance language will be reviewed by the License & Ordinances Committee before a City Council reading and vote.

The committee also noted a small housekeeping edit to remove obsolete text in the appointment section if the proposed changes are carried forward. No formal amendments were offered during the committee vote.

Next steps: staff will place the ordinance amendment on the License & Ordinances Committee docket, and the Ped‑Bike‑Transit Committee will expect Mark to present the measure when it reaches committee and council.