The Notes: Week of July 18 - July 22, 2022

Hello again, Neighbors!  Here we are in the second Full Council Week of July but preparing for the first meeting of the full council this month.  (The last full council meeting was cancelled due to the 4th of July holiday, in case you didn't remember that. :))

This week, there are three meetings on the schedule in Appleton city government.  

The Board of Zoning Appeals (one of my favs, as you know), will meet on Monday, 07/18/2022, at 7pm.  There are quite a few items on the agenda for these board members -- a lot coverage issue on East Calumet Street, a "too close to the front yard setback" request for a property on East John Street, and a three-pronged variance request for a property on North Ballard Road.  The current occupants of the latter property, Onstage Audio LLC, would like to rezone the property so that they can expand to accommodate semi tractors and trailers.  The proposed rezoning they request would put the property in violation of three municipal code requirements.  The property would be smaller than the minimum required lot size, have 99% lot coverage (where 90% maximum is allowed), have a rear property setback of 11 feet (where 20 feet is required).  Staff analysis of this one is clear: "The applicant does not appear to meet the review criteria for a variance because the hardships are self-created."  These are the tough ones for the zoning board members!  I will be very interested to see how this plays out on Monday.

Then on Tuesday, 07/19/2022, at 4:30pm, the Library Board will meet.  They will look to reappoint a couple of trustees and appoint a new one, review the bill registers for May and June, and review a city policy of code of conduct.  There will also be a library building project update, a related capital campaign planning update, and some staff updates on the children's program and community partnerships.  I will be interested to hear the discussion regarding the library project as the budget for this project is of grave concern at this time.  By the looks of this document, eyes are being kept on the budget.  I am happy to see that the city will be bidding out sub-components of the project individually rather than in one bid package.  This should help the project stay on track, moneywise.  Rest assured, though, that your alderman will be watching for any "budget busters" and will ask hard questions when and if that time comes... all to help the city keep its library project budget promise to its citizens!  If you have any questions or concerns in this regard, please always feel free to contact me.

The "main event" will then take place on Wednesday, 07/20/2022, at 7pm.  The full Common Council will take up much of what was discussed this past week in committee meetings (summarized here).  But as per usual, the mayor will start things off with a budget process review, presentation of the Flag Day Parade awards, and two proclamations.  Highlights of the items up for approval/debate by the council are as follows:

• Many Mile of Music licenses and premises amendments, all needed to make this event a success and grow the popularity of Appleton as a festival city.
  
  
• The recommended denial of a taxicab license for an applicant with "a record" who did not reply to police department requests of information from him.
  
  
• The recommendation that the savings of $2.9M in the city's raw water line construction project be applied to other water main improvements in the city.

There is not much else of significant note on the agenda for the council this week.  As we progress through the summer, this will no doubt change and we will see "more action."

Please know that I always welcome your comments, suggestions, questions, or concerns.  Send me an email or contact me through my alderman Facebook page or on Nextdoor where these blog post updates are posted each week.  

Have a great week ahead and we'll see you back here again soon!