The Notes: Week of October 10 - October 14, 2022

Hello, neighbors.  Thanks for tuning in after the very sad football game results earlier this morning... How about we forget about that as a thing of the past and look forward to this week's city government happenings?

This week is once again a Committee Meetings Week and we have a fairly full schedule.  The Parks and Recreation Committee members and Fox Cities Transit Commission members will have this week off as those meetings are cancelled.  But the rest of the committees commence as follows and will see the following items on their agendas:

Monday, 10/10/2022

Municipal Services Committee - 4:30pm 

• City staff were tasked with further updating and honing the city's street terrace planting policy but have been delayed.  As such, they've asked this committee for an extension (to further hold this item) to 10/24/2022.  As we are now safely out of the outdoors growing season in Appleton, I don't expect that this delay will be an issue with this committee.  
• A couple of street reconstruction projects (portions of Rankin Street and Summit Street) will be presented to this committee for initial review and approval.  
• The committee will also review the September Bird scooter monthly report and the inspections division permit summary report.

Finance Committee - 5:30pm 

• Bids in the amounts of $634,000 and $835,684 for a wastewater treatment plant sludge pipe replacement project were received by the city for a project with a remaining budget amount of $423,700.  Yikes!  Finance Committee members will be asked, once again, to reject all bids... as well they should.  This is a very bad time for the city's large capital improvement projects.  This bodes poorly for the city and will no doubt limit the amount of continued infrastructure improvement projects in the city for the time being.  Perhaps this might be the time to rethink giving away about $8M in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars rather than reinvesting them in our city's infrastructure. 
• Fortunately for the city, bids for three other (smaller) projects did come in under budget and this committee will be asked to award the contracts for these projects to the low bidders. 

Tuesday, 10/11/2022

Utilities Committee - 4:30pm

• Members of this committee will be asked to approve changes to the city's erosion and sediment control municipal code and program verbiage.  They will also be asked to approve water main replacement projects (for high-maintenance and regular water main breaks) throughout the city using funds transferred from the city's no-longer-required second raw water line improvement project.
• The proposed 2023 Utilities Department budget and the August 2022 water main breakage report (which reveals a loss of approximately $152,000 due to water main breaks) will also be reviewed.

Wednesday, 10/12/2022

Board of Health - 7am

• Starting off their day at their usual bright-and-early hour, this board will review only informational items -- noise variances approved by the Health Director since the last time this board met and the proposed 2023 Health Department budget and expected grants.

Appleton Redevelopment Authority - 9am 

• The only action item on the agenda for this committee is as follows: "The Appleton Redevelopment Authority may go into closed session... for the purpose of discussing real estate negotiations regarding 222 N Oneida Street..."  Though I am uncertain the purpose of this, it is likely related to the proposed mixed-use development around the Valley Transit transit center between the library and the yellow parking ramp. 
• This committee will also briefly review the city's proposed budget (including the mayor's overview).

City Plan Commission - 3:30pm

• Commissioners will review and potentially approve a special use permit for a restaurant on the former site of Paradise Island (near the corner of Ballard Road and Northland Avenue).  The staff report recommends approval so plans for this new restaurant on the north side of town are likely to proceed after this meeting.
• They will also review and potentially approve the final plats for the Trailview Estates subdivision just south of Apple Creek between French Road and Cherryvale here in District 13. 

Community and Economic Development Committee - 4:30pm

• Besides reviewing the Community and Economic Development Department proposed 2023 budget, committee members will also be asked to approve a variance to the Northeast Business Park's deed restrictions which disallows ancillary structures.  The request is for the property on which Beefeaters was operated at 2331 E Evergreen Drive.  In their remodel of the building, the owners of Parker Johns are proposing to build a new dumpster enclosure as an ancillary structure.  Staff recommends approval of this variance and, as long as it is well kept up, District 13 neighbors should feel confident that there will be no issues with the granting of this variance. 

Safety and Licensing Committee - 5:30pm

• A number of temporary (event) liquor licenses and one cigarette license application are on this committee's agenda for approval.  Committee members will also enjoy a brief overview of the proposed 2023 budgets for Legal Services/City Clerk and the Fire Department. 

Human Resources and Information Technology Committee - 6:30pm

• A new contract between the city and the fire fighters local union is up for review and approval by this committee.  There are also a few small fringe benefit policy changes up for review as well.  These committee members will also review their respective departments of oversight proposed budgets for 2023.  

And that will wrap up yet another Committee Meetings Week for Appleton.  As you can see, we are now deep into 2023 budget review.  This is the time for questions of all of the departmental budgets of the city and see where budget cuts and conciliations can be made to save taxpayers.  I'll be reviewing the 600+ page budget and letting you know if there are any items of concern.  I ask that you let me know should you have any questions on anything in city government -- budget-related or not!  I'm always looking for feedback from you!

Now... on to grief counseling for some of you after the London Packers game.  The rest of us are soldiering on as best we can... until next week!