The Abbreviated Notes: Week of June 27 - July 1, 2022

Welcome to the last week of June 2022, neighbors and followers!  Thanks for tuning in for this short update of City of Appleton government business.  This week is Fifth Week (further explained here) so there are no council or committee meetings on the schedule for the week.  We're moving into the summer months were there are fewer meeting agenda items and more city staff and council members taking summer vacations and having fuller family life schedules.  

There is one meeting scheduled for this week, though.  On Thursday, 06/30/2022, at 2pm, the Board of Building Inspection will meet to discuss one action item.  This board meets very infrequently -- their last meeting was in January! -- and only when there's a building inspection code exception to discuss and potentially approve.  This time around, the owner of a home on Bellaire Court would like to request a variance to the municipal code requiring a minimum three-foot-wide stairs and a minimum three-foot landing on a stairwell.  Apparently, a stairwell in this home has neither but does have a door located on the second step of the stairwell instead.  It looks in the application as if this "non-compliance" has been in place for a long time as the variance request says that the owners would like to "continue to use" a non-compliant stairway and doorway/landing as is.  It will be interesting to see what other information comes to light at this meeting and whether the board members feel as though this condition can continue with variance permission.

An item not on any agenda at this point but of concern to many District 13 neighbors is the continued degradation of the wooded area in Vosters Park.  As you are likely aware, most (if not all) of the ash trees in the wooded section of the park are diseased due to the emerald ash borer.  In the high winds last week, a rather large ash tree fell and was partially obstructing Benvalley Drive.  When I contacted the Parks and Recreation Director again in this regard, he expressed the same concerns that we all have -- that this is becoming a concern for the safety of those who use the park.  As such, I will be meeting and discussing further with him and the city forester regarding the short- and long-term plans for that portion of the park.  In the short term, of course, safety is of the greatest concern.  In the long term, the city will be soliciting neighborhood insight into the needs and desires of neighbors for what will take the place of this degrading wooded area.  I will let everyone in the District know (and will post on this blog, of course!) when the city will be asking for community input.  In the meantime, please let me know your thoughts in this regard.  Of course, we would all love it if the trees had not been infected by the emerald ash borers and the wooded area would be able to remain as-is for the long term.  But that is out of the question now... so we must move forward as best we can to make the most of the problem we're facing in this park.  I look forward to being a part of the changes that will be made there in the years to come... and look forward to working with all of you neighbors on it!

The only other impending issue in city government is that, as summer peaks and then begins to fade, the city budget season will begin.  We will have budget updates and meetings into the fall and Budget Saturday will take place in October.  In the meantime, I would love for you all to contact me with your thoughts regarding what this city spends too much money on and what you think the city's budget should focus more money on.  My goal is to help the city spend taxpayer money wisely on the infrastructure items and "core competencies" of a city and to spend less money on the things that a city government is not meant to or fit to manage.  So I look forward to hearing from you any time in this regard.  I will keep requesting input from you as we move through the summer and into budget time.  Thank you, in advance, for your input!

I wish you all a very happy and safe Independence Day 2022.  Praise be for our country's founding and the principles on which it was founded!  God Bless America!!