The Notes: Week of September 12 - September 16, 2022

Hey, neighbors!  Welcome to Sunday and the first Packers Game Day of the season!  If you're like me, your afternoon will be full of football-watching and (maybe) some trash-talking (since they play the Vikings and we all know they are Packers rivals!).  As a result, your alderman blog update is being made available to you earlier than usual this Sunday. 

It's Committee Week again this week so I'll run down the expected meetings by day and time as you've come to expect here:

Monday, 09/12/2022

Municipal Services Committee - 4:30pm:  This week's agenda contains two "repeats" of items which have appeared before this committee before.  First, they will take up a multiple-times repeated discussion of the request for a variance for a property owner to pave a portion of his front yard.  See a previous blog post referring to this item here.  And, as noted in a recent Appleton Post Crescent article, the committee and members of the public will also have the opportunity to revisit potential proposed changes to the municipal code regarding private citizen plantings on city terraces (the areas between the sidewalk and the curb of the street).  I've written about this plan most recently here and have received some good feedback from many of you in this regard.  Please let me know if any others of you have any thoughts or concerns about this potential policy change so that I can take them to the committee meeting on Monday!  

This committee will also take up some new items such as proposed changes to the city employee downtown parking plan and another property owner's request for a variance to pave a portion of his front yard (because, as his request states, he has two grown children and a significant other of one of them living with him and his wife and they need to park five cars).

Finance Committee - 5:30pm:  There is only one action item on this committee's agenda -- the potential awarding of a contract for repairs to a city wastewater treatment aeration tank. 

Parks and Recreation Committee - 6:30pm:  This committee will take up the review and potential approval of a "process map" that the city will follow in the discussions with the Trout Museum for the potential use of city park land (Ellen Kort Peace Park on the riverfront) as new "headquarters" for the museum.  Please see a copy of the proposed process map below: 

I understand that many citizens of Appleton are concerned about the potential for this relocation of the museum into city park land.  I think that the process outlined above -- I believe that we are between Steps 3 and 4 at this time -- is a good one in that it allows for plenty of public comment and full council approval of the many steps that can and might be taken in this regard in the future.  Let me know your thoughts!  

Committee members will also discuss the recommendation from city staff to send a half-million-dollar Wisconsin Department of Transportation (DOT) grant back to the DOT and not proceed with the building of the proposed WE Energies Trail.  Per the memo: "Prior to completing geotechnical exploration, the estimated cost of construction was $958,672.70. The current estimate of construction costs is $3,197,226.30." Here we are with yet another project that far exceeds the city's budgets for completion.  (On another subject: I wonder how the city's library project bids will come in?) 

Tuesday, 09/13/2022

Fox Cities Transit Commission - 3pm:  This meeting has been cancelled.

Utilities Committee - 4:30pm:  Committee members will discuss the approval of a couple of contracts/contract changes for city utilities properties.  

Wednesday, 09/14/2022

Appleton Redevelopment Authority - 9am:  This meeting has been cancelled.

City Plan Commission - 3:30pm:  Commission members will discuss and debate whether to allow a special use permit for a craft distillery with a tasting room on Lawrence Street (in the city's Central Business District).  (Side note: I love the name of the applicant for this project: Nick Charles.  If you're a Thin Man black-and-white series of movies watcher, you get the reference here!)  Staff recommends approval of this permit so I see little in the way of this project.

The commission will also discuss approval of an amendment to the city's comprehensive plan regarding Soldier's Square.  The proposed changes note a "philanthropic public-private partnership to restore (public) and raise funds to undertake the expansion of a flexible outdoor pedestrian zone (private)..."  The verbiage proposed to be amended includes statements regarding the Soldier's Square being a planned mixed-use site which is no longer in the long-range plans for that area. 

Of importance to all common council members is the one "information item" to be presented at this meeting: Review the Roles and Responsibilities of the City Plan Commission. I look forward to this presentation and will share with you next week any enlightening information that comes of this discussion.  If you'd like a preview of what's to be presented, see this document.  

Community and Economic Development Committee - 4:30pm:  This committee will discuss a proposed plan to allocate ~$460,000 of federal Community Block Grant (CBG) money to "community partners" based on the distribution recommended by Community and Economic Development (CEDC) Department staff which will be presented to this same committee in November.  Applications for this disbursement are due to the CEDC department at the end of September.  

Committee members will also discuss the awarding of federal CARES Act funds (~$287,000) for COVID-19 relief to Pillars, Inc. to support a "Winter Shelter Overflow Program" in the city.  

Safety and Licensing Committee - 5:30pm:  This meeting has been cancelled.

Human Resources and Information Technology Committee - 6:30pm:  The Department of Public Works and Facilities Department is requesting a over-hire (more than one person doing a job at one time) for their administrative services coordinator position.  Their current coordinator will be retiring in January 2023.  Another request from the same department(s), this one for reclassification of a couple of employee positions, will also be discussed.  

Perhaps the hottest topic of discussion rounds out this committee's agenda -- alderman salaries for election year 2024 forward.  If you have thoughts about alderman salaries in the city, please let me know!  I am all for small adjustments to keep up with nationwide inflationary changes; but above that, I do not see a need for a substantial increase in alderman salaries in Appleton.  I'm interested in hearing your thoughts on this... before Wednesday's meeting and/or before any proposals for changes hit a future full common council agenda. 

Thursday, 09/15/2022

Joint Review Board (Calumet and Winnebago Counties) - 11am: The last time this board met was in October of 2021.  The board will elect a chairman and then proceed to discussion of the annual reports of Tax Incremental Financing (TIF) Districts #6 and #7 (in the city of Appleton in the Winnebago and Calumet Counties).  There will be no actions taken by this board at this time. 

And that completes your weekly round-up of city meetings discussions for this coming week.  Your alderman will be attending nearly all of these meetings, so please provide me any feedback you may have regarding any of the above-mentioned topics.  I'm always ready to listen and take your concerns to these meetings and to the full common council!  

I hope your day is full of excitement (whether you watch the Packers play this afternoon or not).  Let's see that sunshine again soon, right?!  Have a great week!!