The Notes: Week of November 15 - November 19, 2021

Happy Snowy Sunday, Neighbors.  I'm not thrilled to see the white stuff this early in the season... but it sure does bring out the "holiday" in people!  So, let's just make the best of it and leave that whole discussion right there. 

After last week's 2022 city budget rehash and debates, I thought I would begin the "business portion" of today's blog post with a short recap.  The 2022 Executive Budget was approved in the special session of the common council last Wednesday with only one of the four proposed amendments being passed (in amended form).  The common council (not unanimously) voted to move $1,000 from the Mayor's Office  Training/Conferences budget to the Common Council Training/Conferences budget.  I argued against and voted against this amendment as I feel that those dollars better serve the citizens of Appleton if offered to the mayor's staff for training as opposed to being available to common council members for training/networking.  But the amended amendment did pass.  The amendment did not affect the "bottom line" of the budget, though, so there was no net savings or added expense to the taxpayer there.

The amendment of interest regarding the budget for the city's library project (which I mentioned last week and which I supported) did not pass.  Since the common council had just recently voted to allocate $2M of federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to the library project for increased broadband access, I felt it appropriate to approve this amendment to make sure that the multi-year budget for the library project remained at the promised and agreed upon $26.4M in total.  I voted earlier in November to approve that ARPA allocation with assurances from the mayor that the city would work to use these funds to the best of their ability to decrease the borrowing needed for this costly capital project.  As such, I felt it necessary that the city keep its promise to its citizens with the budget amendment (in the 2023 Capital Improvement Projects budget).  

Last Wednesday evening, though, neighbors... the library project budget was effectively increased to $28.4M.  A colleague on the common council was quoted in the Appleton Post Crescent defending this library project budget increase.  This is a justification offered to you, neighbors:

“There is nothing fiscally responsible about cutting a budget that hasn’t been set when inflation is on the rise.”

I have so many qualms with this statement that I feel the need to refute it here.  First, the amendment was not a cutting of any budget.  It was a returning of the library's overall budget to the promised and agreed upon $26.4M.  For all intents and purposes, the library budget has been set for a long time now.  Way back in February and March 2021, I campaigned on the promise that I would help the city to successfully renew our library within the confines of the set $26.4M budget.  The mayor, too, has repeatedly made public assertions to the effect of "we will build a library to whatever standard is desired... but the city will not invest more than the agreed upon $26.4M."

With the $2M ARPA funds allocation, the project's overall budget had been inflated.  The ARPA funds were meant to offset some of the City of Appleton borrowing for the project.  Without this amendment, they no longer have that effect.  And so it is: The overall project budget is now $2M more than was promised to Appleton taxpayers.  

The federal government has stated the purposes for ARPA funds.  These do not including increase the spending of local governments without directly reducing the financial impact on local taxpayers.  It has been declared that ARPA funds are to help offset existing costs with the help of federal funds as a replacement for local communities having to ask more money of taxpayers.  The headline of the "Feature Story" on this Treasury website says that ARPA will deliver "immediate economic relief to families."  It seems to me that Appleton's increasing the budget for this library project does nothing of the sort.  Where is the immediate (or even long-term) economic relief for Appleton taxpayers when this capital project still requires the same investment from the city budget as before the ARPA allocation?     

Fiscal responsibility is a joint responsibility to utilize resources effectively, maintain a balanced budget, and ensure resources are used to help all citizens reach their potential.  Governments make the choice of increasing borrowing (and thus, taxation) or reducing/maintaining spending.  The fiscally irresponsible government is one which adds new spending instead of reducing or maintaining the budgets for projects when not enough money is available.  This amendment was the epitome of fiscal responsibility.  But it was unfortunately roundly rejected.... with the above statement that not amending the project budget is fiscally responsible...?  That is non-sensical. 

Inflation is pressing the personal/family/household budgets of every citizen of Appleton.  I know you feel it, too.  At the gas pump, at the grocery check-out.  

A family might have an agreed upon budget for a new TV -- something family members both need (for staying informed) and want.  This is not unlike a city having a set and agreed upon budget for a refreshed library that the citizens both need and want.  Would it be prudent for the head(s) of that household to spend more than the household's already budgeted dollars for a new TV for the family when the costs of food, fuel, heat, etc. are on the inflationary rise?  

Notice I've never once said that the city should not proceed with the library project or that it is not of value to the city.  That is not at question here.  What is at question is whether city government will keep its promises to its citizens.  By not passing this amendment, we have failed to do so.

Please feel free to share your thoughts on this with me.  I'm happy to listen and discuss it further with you. 

Now... onward to the business of the week.  **collective sigh of relief**

It's Full Council Week and there are a few other meetings scheduled as well:

Monday, 11/15/2021 - 3:30pm: The Library Board's Planning Committee will meet to discuss trustee training and development, specifically as refers to "inclusive services."

Monday, 11/15/2021 - 7pm: The Board of Zoning Appeals will discuss the application of a local business for a variance from the zoning code which requires off-street parking for all businesses.  The owner of this property on Pacific Street would like to open a restaurant.  But the building on the property takes up nearly the entire lot and there are no dedicated off-street parking spaces available surrounding this property.  This is exactly a reason for a zoning variance -- the property would be unusable without a variance -- but we shall see if any neighbors to this property turn up to oppose this application for fear of having the parking spaces in front of their homes overtaken by this restaurant's patrons.

Tuesday, 11/16/2021 - 4:30pm: The full Library Board will gather to discuss the October bill register, a small 2021 budget amendment, and the proposed meeting schedule and library closures schedule for 2022.  There will also be a library project update report, a report of library statistics for the third quarter, and reports on a couple other administrative items.     

Wednesday, 11/17/2021 - 7pm: The full Common Council will meet again.  (Man... It feels like we met just last week!)  This agenda's items of interest include:

• The mayor's recommendation for a new Information Technology (IT) Director for the city.  The city's IT department has been operating under the temporary/interim guidance of the city's finance director since the retirement of the previous IT director.  The council will be asked to approve the hiring of Corey Popp to this director position.  Here's a link to his resume should you be curious about this new director. 
  
  
• The council will be asked to approve a resolution regarding the polling places in the city subsequent to the city's recent redistricting.  Here's a listing if you are curious.   
  
  
• There are very few other pressing action items on the agenda, though the council will again take up the potential extension of the lease for the placement of some large art pieces in the city (including the "big head" sculpture, The Collective, at the end of the College Avenue bridge).  All other items are ones that were mentioned in committee meetings last week. 

Thanks for reading this week.  I hope that this post has been helpful to you and that you get a lot of value from coming back to this blog each week for updates.  I'm grateful to all of you who provide constructive feedback and am happy to listen if and when you have anything else to share with me!  Have a great week.  Now.... here's to warmer temperatures and driveway snow melting!