The Notes: Week of June 10 - June 14, 2024

Hello, there, Neighbors!  Thanks for joining your alderman back here for another Committee Meetings Week blog post.  We have a very full slate of meetings -- with some long agendas! -- this week so let's just straight to business!

Monday, 06/10/2024

Municipal Services Committee - 4:30pm  The week begins with a rather lengthy and involved agenda for this committee.  Here are the highlights of what will be discussed during this meeting:

• A request for the approval of a modified street design for the reconstruction of Morrison Street from Glendale to Pershing.  The requested modification is in response to the city's new Complete Streets Design Guide which was approved subsequent to the original design proposal for this project. 
  
• A proposed partial closure of a short stretch of College Avenue in front of the Fox Commons project construction area for the delivery of building materials there every Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday (5:30am to 2pm) from July through mid-November.  This is a bit of a big deal as this will just congest traffic in that area for those few hours of those few days at the start of each week... and for many months!  One positive thing is that this plan will hopefully not interfere with any summertime special events in the downtown area.  I'm not super comfortable with the proposal; but what else can be done with all of the construction that is going on along that corridor of College Avenue? 
• A request to approve the street occupancy permit needed to conduct the downtown Sidewalk Sale during the Mile of Music weekend of 8/3 - 8/4/2024.
• Requests for various street occupancy permits for some light construction (brick facade repair and new awnings) on the exterior of Jack's Apple Pub and some temporary (seasonal) picnic tables in front of Lil Taco, both in downtown Appleton.
• The requested approval of a service contract for traffic signal control and management software for the city (within budget and using some state Department of Transportation (DOT) dollars).
• A request to suspend 2024 negotiations with Bird for their electric scooter program downtown.  This does not mean that Bird scooters are gone from Appleton "for good." It just means that we are already too far into the 2024 spring/summer scooter-riding season for the city to manage all of the negotiations with the company (to include the company needing to change their program to better meet the needs of the community such as better scooter parking and a plan for helping to ensure safer scooter usage in the city).  I welcome the prospect of no Bird scooters for this coming summer.  The scooter program thus far has posed too many issues in our city... and perhaps Appleton is just not the right city for this program, at least for now.  I suspect that this committee will vote to disallow any scooter programs in the city for 2024 and then direct the Department of Public Works (DPW) to work with Bird to make program revisions for another year (2025) of "trial" of the program.  What do you think about this plan?  How do you feel about continued negotiations with Bird for future years?  
• The discussion of Resolution #4-R-24 (presented by former alderman Del Toro before his departure) regarding the restriction/elimination of the use of certain pesticides in the city.  While this resolution may sound good and easy on its face, there are countless complications with which the city would have to deal in managing the city's properties (including parks, public rights-of-way, and stormwater ponds).  At present, the city follows closely all recommendations for careful use of the pesticides that it does utilize on city grounds.  A very long memo included with this meeting agenda details the city's current best practices for pesticide use.  City staff recommends denial of this resolution due to the unknown implications on the city.  The mayor states: "While we agree that minimizing use of chemicals that, used carelessly and inconsistently with product specifications, can and do harm the natural environment, the City of Appleton stands behind our processes and practices, which seek to avoid such harm in our community."  What it seems to boil down to is that the city already has strict pesticide usage guidelines in place and does not needlessly disburse pesticides.  After review of the long memo contents, I agree that this resolution should not be approved and the city can continue its current best practices for pesticide usage and limiting.  What are your thoughts on this?  Should more restrictions be placed on the city in this regard (potentially leading to higher costs and poorer management of city-owned grounds)?   
• Consideration of a new resolution introduced last week to rescind No Mow May legislation in the city.  We all know what a contentious item this is.  It is -- and has always been -- my belief that this practice of allowing long grasses to grow unchecked on private properties throughout the city through the month of May causes more neighborhood harm than good.  If you drove through some areas of the city during the last half of May this year, you saw firsthand what an eyesore and blight this practice has been in our city.  It only takes common sense to see that non-flowering long grasses with dandelions already long gone to seed before the end of the month of May does not and will not support pollinators.  It does, however, support increased pests in neighborhoods, including more rabbits, mice, voles, chiggers and other biting insects, etc.  No Mow May allows homeowners and renters to simply disregard their neighbors' thoughts and concerns about pests while they neglect to mow their lawns -- even if supposed support of pollinators is not a concern for them.  There have got to be other practices that the city can encourage of homeowners to help keep neighbors from disliking one another for their lack of care and upkeep of the grounds of their neighboring homes while still supporting pollinators!  I suggest the city encourage homeowners to support pollinators with early flowering plantings in their yards but take care to keep lawns properly trimmed to keep away those pests.  Don't you think the latter would be a better policy for the city?  Many neighboring municipalities have already done this and some have most recently also rescinded their earlier allowances of No Mow May policies.  (See the well thought out policy of Kaukauna and the 1000 Islands Environmental Center here.)  How do you feel about No Mow May and the potential to rescind it now that we've seen that it's often more of a neighborhood blight than a true support for pollinators?      

Finance Committee - 5:30pm  This meeting should be a bit shorter than the Municipal Services Committee meeting.  There are only four items on the agenda and none seem as big as the last couple of items above!  The committee will discuss the potential approval of 1) the painting of the proposed mural on the Appleton Police Department building (as was approved by the Appleton Public Arts Committee last week), 2) a resolution to allow the city to reimburse private homeowners (through a state loan program) for replacement of any private water services that contain lead pipes, 3) a request to award an Appleton Wastewater Treatment Plant (AWWTP) project to the lowest bidder, and 4) a request to approve the lowest bid for shoreline redevelopment in Lutz Park (within budget... but still a large ask of ~$500,000 with a contingency that brings the total to nearly $600,000).  

Parks and Recreation Committee - 6:15pm  Since grounds are a major part of the Parks and Recreation and Facilities Management Departments of this city, this committee, too, will take up discussions on the above-mentioned resolution to curb pesticide use in the city.  Updated stormwater pond rental rates in Memorial Park and at Reid Golf Course will also be discussed.  Other requests on the agenda include: 

• That the city allow a transfer of a current lease of some of Houdini Plaza for outside seating at Bazil's Pub from the current lease holders to the new owners of the pub.      
• To approve a resolution allowing the city to ask the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WiDNR) for a grant to cover some tree replacement after the loss of so many ash trees on city property.  $395,000 is being requested. 
• To approve some minor changes to the city's Park Pavilions and Special Areas Policy

Tuesday, 06/11/2024

Fox Cities Transit Commission - 2:50pm  As was mentioned last week, this commission held a public hearing regarding some proposed changes to the operating hours of the full bus routes for Valley Transit.  Formal commission discussion and the potential approval of the suggested changes to the bus schedule will take place at this week's meeting.  While I understand that select users of the bus service will be impacted by this change (an estimated 10% of all Valley Transit users), I also see that these changes are the best possible solution that Valley Transit has to continue to serve users of public transportation in the Fox Valley while not being able to fully staff full bus routes with safe and appropriately licensed drivers.  What are your thoughts on these changes?  Do you agree with me that, while these changes are not ideal, they are likely the best option available at this time?   

Utilities Committee - 4:30pm  Members of this committee will entertain approval of a resolution accepting the utility's score of 4.0GPA on the 2023 compliance maintenance annual report.  (While I assume that that is an excellent grade, the grading scale is not well defined in the documents for this action item.)  These committee members will also discuss the updated stormwater pond rental rates in Memorial Park and at Reid Golf Course (mentioned above).  

Wednesday, 06/12/2024

Board of Health - 7am  These early riser board members will begin this meeting by electing a vice chairman and review the city's tuberculosis screening policy.  (How's that for a first-thing-in-the-morning discussion?!)  They will then take up two proposed changes to the health department's table of organization.  (Both are detailed below in the Human Resources and Information Technology Committee section.)  

City Plan Commission - 3:30pm  Commissioners will take up 1) a rezoning request for two properties on the corner of Owaissa and Amelia Streets to allow the owner of these properties to adjust the lot line between the two properties and 2) a wetland restriction modification for a subdivision plat in North Edgewood Estates (along Yosemite Lane).     

Community Development Committee - 4:30pm  This meeting will begin with a public hearing regarding the 2023 Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report for the city's Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program.  After the public hearing, the report will be up for approval by this committee.  The federal Housing and Urban Development (HUD) department allocations to the city for CDBG in 2024 came in a bit higher than originally anticipated and, as such, there is more to allocate to grantees through this committee's approval.      

Safety and Licensing Committee - 5:30pm  This committee will be asked to approve some late alcohol and tobacco license renewals for the year, a fire department aid agreement between Appleton and the Village of Fox Crossing, some pet store and taxicab company license renewals, and numerous temporary premises amendments for this year's Mile of Music celebration in August.  They will also discuss a proposed Appleton Police Department (APD) table of organization change (detailed below).  

Human Resources and Information Technology Committee - 6:30pm  To wrap up this week's meetings, this committee will take on some requested changes to some city department tables of organization (charts showing which city employees report to whom and how many employees work in each city department). 

The city's Health Department is asking for two changes:

• An added full-time position to take on the task of managing the city's licensed (and unlicensed!) tourist rooming houses (i.e. Airbnb's).  The expectation is that the addition of this new position would be cost-neutral to the city budget as one of the goals of the position is to bring currently operating unlicensed short-term rental homes into compliance, bringing income to the city through new licensing and enforcement activities. While I am glad to see that the projection is that adding this job will not be costly to property taxpayers, I am concerned that bringing in new fee and fine income alone will be the goal of this position.  Instead, I hope to see this position work for the citizens in the neighborhoods surrounding the many short-term rental properties in the city to help when there are neighborhood issues with short-term rental properties causing disturbances, parking issues, etc.  I understand that not all short-term rentals cause neighborhood issues; but when one does, it is disruptive and unfair to the neighboring homeowners and needs to be addressed.  I will work to push this position to be one of a facilitator for neighborhood harmony when short-term rental issues arise and hope that this will make a difference to those neighbors who are suffering the negative side effects of an Airbnb in their neighborhoods!
• An added .1 Full Term Equivalent to the public nursing staff.  The reasons for this request are that 1)  that there is an anticipated arrival of a substantial number of refugees coming to the Fox Valley from areas of the world with higher prevalence of tuberculosis and TB screening and case management is expected to increase and 2) there is a rising demand for the city's prenatal care program so more public nursing hours are needed to address that demand.  There is not an expected cost to this proposed change as the dollars needed to support it will come from the department's part-time wages budget to cover the added hours of public health nursing.

The Appleton Police Department is asking for a number of table of organization changes and, in the end, a new position.  The new position -- a Traffic Safety Officer -- will require the removal of the department's Professional Development Administrative Specialist and some addition budget dollars (which, in 2024, are proposed to come from the department's vacant/unused salary dollars but will be a projected maximum net increase of ~$23,000).  While I lament spending more taxpayer dollars, I see this as a minimal investment in an important tool to help fight the growing problem of dangerous driving throughout the city.  Have a look at this memo from the police chief and let me know your thoughts on this.          

In a quick recap of last week's meeting of the full council, I can share with you that the resolution to raise the wheel tax by 50% was held until the next full council meeting due to the absence of one of the resolution's authors.  I'm disappointed that the resolution was not outright defeated last week (as it came from the Finance Committee with a recommendation to deny).  But I understand that the author of a resolution deserves the ability to argue his cause.  It is very important that if you disagree with the proposed increase in the wheel tax, you let your alderman and all of the other aldermen in the city know that this is not the way to "fix" the road reconstruction budget for the city.  An increased fee (to defy the levy limits set forth in state law) is no way to solve the city's problem with underfunding of road reconstruction.  Budget reform is the only way to do so!  

Thanks again for joining me here this week.  I look forward to hearing from you if you have any questions or concerns or feedback on any of the items mentioned above.  I wish you a wonderful week ahead!