The Notes: Week of October 24 - October 28, 2022

A very busy Committee Week is on tap for this week, neighbors.  So thanks for joining me back here for a preview of what you can expect in City of Appleton government this week.

Just as you've come to expect most every week here, today's blog post will progress through the days with meeting dates and times and highlights of agenda items for each.  This Committee Week is a bit longer than usual and ends with a special once-a-year occurrence.  Read on for more!

Monday, 10/24/2022 

Municipal Services Committee - 4:30pm: Members of this committee will discuss and look to approve traffic control on the newly built Sequoia Drive in District 13.  These include 1) stop signs on Sequoia Drive at Broadway Drive and 2) prohibiting parking on the south side of Rubyred Drive from French Road to Sequoia Drive and on the east side of Sequoia Drive from Rubyred Drive to Broadway Drive.  This committee will also hold a design hearing (a listening session for the opinions of the voting public) on the proposed 2024 reconstruction of a potion of Linwood Avenue.  Perhaps of greatest interest on this agenda is the presentation and discussion of a proposed new street terrace planting policy for the city.  The new/proposed policy, unfortunately, does not make things clearer and easier to understand than the city's existing policy.  So I'm not certain that the city will be getting what the alderman who wrote a resolution to allow more terrace planting in the city wants.  I'm interested in your thoughts before this Monday night meeting that I will be attending... so let me know what you think!  

Finance Committee - 5:30pm:  There are no action items on this committee's agenda.  But there is a notice at the end of the agenda which states that committee members will go into a closed session (closed to the public due to legal concerns being discussed) regarding some pending litigation with the city.  I am not certain the circumstances for this closed session but will let you know if there is anything that can be disclosed to the public.

 

Parks and Recreation Committee - 6:30pm:  Members of this committee will look to change the fee schedules for park pavilions and other "special areas" to better help to offset the cleaning, maintenance, and utilities of the pavilions and boat ramps in city parks.  There are very few increases that are egregious so I would expect to approve these changes (though I hate to see fee increases in lieu of management of budgets and tax dollars already collected by the city).

Tuesday, 10/25/2022 

Fox Cities Transit Commission - 3pm:  After discussing and potentially approving the September 2022 payments of the transit system, commissioners will look to approve a contract for nearly $100,000 for environmental and geotechnical site services for the current transit center downtown.  These services will be needed in order for Valley Transit to apply for federal aid to develop a "joint development transit center" at that site.

Utilities Committee - 4:30pm:  These committee members will be asked to approve a city wastewater rate increase of 7% (!) -- instead of the earlier projected 4% rate increase -- for general service effective 01/01/2023.  While it is stated that this increase will result in a projected quarterly increase of $4 for the average residential customer, I am gravely concerned about yet another increase in costs to be levied on Appletonians.  Let me know your thoughts on this and any other of the projected tax and municipal service rate increases we have been seeing lately.

Wednesday, 10/26/2022

City Plan Commission - 3:30pm:  The owner of a proposed bar to be located near the corner of West College Avenue and North Perkins Street in one suite of a multi-tenant commercial building is asking for a special use permit to proceed.  Another property owner is asking this commission to allow a combining of neighboring parcels to create a double-frontage lot on East South River Street and East Arbor Lane.  Staff reports for both of these appeals recommend approval and I expect that the commissioners will do so.  

Community and Economic Development Committee - 4:30pm:  A developer property owner in TIF District #11 in downtown Appleton (corner of East Washington Street and South Oneida Street "behind" City Hall) is asking for greater TIF support (of 20%) from the city due to "the current financial environment" that "has significantly changed, resulting in a greater gap between the cost to develop and estimated value of the completed project."  Per the staff memo on this, "without this increased TIF support, work could be stopped and the project would be jeopardized."  This is disconcerting to me.  I need to know more about the effect this potential "increased TIF support" will mean to the city and taxpayers before I would feel good about approving this change.  Let me know what you think and I'll ask the questions you have of this committee and Community and Economic Development staff. 

Safety and Licensing Committee - 5:30pm:  A variety of license approvals will be discussed by this committee including a taxicab license for a "train bus" vehicle, a temporary liquor license for the Houdini 10K Run/Walk in early November, and the liquor license for the soon-to-be Parker Johns on Evergreen Drive here in District 13.  

Human Resources and Information Technology Committee - 6:30pm:  Members of this committee will discuss aldermen salaries for those elected in and serving in and after April 2024.  As I mentioned earlier when this topic came up (and was subsequently held until this week's meeting), I do not endorse and will not vote for a large increase for aldermen salaries.  This "job" is not meant to be a means for a living wage for we who serve our neighbors.  A small increase (1% or less) or even no increase in 2024 seems acceptable to me.  Please let me know what you think about this.  

A new non-union employee general pay and position grading plan is also up for approval by this committee.  This plan is the result of a compensation study by a city-hired consulting service.  In general, I am in agreement with the results of the study by this consulting firm.  The city does need to properly compensate its employees to retain them and properly service and help to keep this city running.  However, I am concerned that approving this pay plan before a 2023 budget is approved is putting the proverbial cart before the horse.  I would prefer to have the 2023 budget discussions first, independent of the projected plan for moving forward so that there are no conflicts between this plan for moving forward and next year's budget.  As mentioned last week, the proposed 2023 budget calls for an across-the-board 5% salary increase for non-union employees.  I would like the council to openly and freely discuss this potential increase before the council is asked to approve the entire compensation plan for moving forward.  But I'm also very interested in your thoughts on this.  Please share them with me!

Thursday, 10/27/2022

Appleton Redevelopment Authority - 9am:  In another special session of this group, there will again be a closed session regarding real estate negotiations regarding 222 N Oneida Street.  Again, while I'm uncertain of what exactly will be discussed, I know that this is related to the proposed mixed-use development around the Valley Transit transit center downtown. 

And... here it is, folks... the special once-a-year day-long budget meeting of the full common council.  Though it's technically a meeting of the Finance Committee, all council members are asked to be present for...

Saturday, 10/29/2022

Finance Committee "Budget Saturday" - 8am:  Each line, each budget section will be individually brought forward for discussion, amendments, and committee approval.  The fun begins early in the morning and continues until each budget item is finally ready to move forward for full approval. 

Since this is technically a committee meeting, there will be another separate meeting of the full council solely for the purpose of adoption of the final version of the 2023 budget (6pm on Wednesday, 11/09/2022, in City Hall).  So you have some time before November 9th for review and for letting me know how you feel about the proposed 6.6% property tax increase that comes with the city budget as proposed by the mayor.  There are cuts and paring back that I believe can and should be made; but some of the issue we are facing in 2023 involves the repayment of earlier years of debt taken on by the city in years past (before my service as your alderman).    

This is likely the most important work of all for those who serve you in this city's government... and for all in this city!  You can review the proposed budget here.  And besides contacting me regarding your opinion, you are welcome to speak about the proposed budget during the Public Hearing on the Proposed 2023 Budget (at 6pm on Wednesday, 11/02/2022, in City Hall).  

Budget Saturday will wrap up this long week of many, many committee meetings.  Thanks for hanging in there with me for the review of what we will see in the week ahead!  I wish you the best in the last days of October 2022 and very much look forward to hearing from you on any of the above items or anything else of concern to you in your neighborhoods.