The Notes: Week of October 7 - October 11, 2024

It's Committee Meetings Week once again, Neighbors.  There are lots of meeting agendas to go through and just a few cancellations of meetings due to lack of agenda items.  Members of the following committees get this week off:

• Parks and Recreation Committee
• Fox Cities Transit Commission
• Utilities Committee

There are also a few committees which don't regularly meet who have agenda items to discuss this week.  Here is the rundown of what you can expect:

Monday, 10/07/2024

CEA Review Committee - 4pm  The Appleton Police Department (APD) is requesting ~$25,000 to purchase and upfit a trailer to replace an aging and no longer functional mobile crime scene processing van.  Some alternatives to this trailer were explored but this was the best and least costly option.  There is a fund of ~$22,000 available for this and the remaining balance can be found in the current year's APD operations budget.   

Municipal Services Committee - 4:30pm  The last time this committee met, there were discussions and a public hearing for the proposed reconstruction of portions of the following streets: Alexander Street, Bell Avenue, Bellaire Court, and Melrose Avenue.  This week, the committee will be ask to approve the final proposals for these reconstructions.  Each of these streets will be narrower than they are currently (which is both by design -- for natural traffic calming/slowing -- and to help save as many mature terrace trees as possible) and will have restricted parking on one side of the street.  Many neighbors in these areas do not like these plans as they wish to have wider streets and parking on both sides of the street allowed.  But I believe that these are the most workable plans that the engineers in the Department of Public Works have at the city's disposal.  I expect these proposals to be approve by this committee despite some negative feedback.  

Finance Committee - 5:30pm  There are quite a few items up for approval by this committee.  Here's a sampling of what will potentially be approved:

• A contract for $228,800 (including contingency) for an Appleton Water Treatment Plant (AWTP) carbon dioxide system rehabilitation (for pH adjustment and fire suppression)
• A multi-year contract for cleaning/janitorial services for city facilities (2025 - 2029).  The annual totals for each year are as follows: $463,883, $477,800, $492,134, $506,898, $522,105.  This bid is from the second-least-expensive contractor among those who submitted bids.  
• A sole-source contract for the rebuilding of a gearbox for a screw pump in the Appleton Wastewater Treatment Plant (AWWTP).  The sole sourcing (which you know I don't love) is due to the contractor being the only provider with the used gear box parts that can be retrofitted to successfully rebuild this circa-1975 gearbox. 
• A budget adjustment (~$51,000) for the acquisition and training costs for two new canines in the Appleton Police Department (APD)
• Phase 3 -- the final phase -- expenses for repairing/replacing the Green (parking) Ramp barrier panel that was severely damaged by a drunk driver in August 2024

Wednesday, 10/09/2024

Board of Health - 7am  Early-riser board members will be asked to approve an amendment to the city's smoking prohibition policy to now include the entire block surrounding the downtown transit center and Appleton Public Library.  This proposed amendment to the municipal code would completely prohibit any outdoors smoking in those areas.  While I understand the desire for this, I very much dislike governmental prohibitions of outdoors smoking.  I get it -- it will be better (health-wise) for those walking past or visiting the library or the transit center.  But should the government be so involved in personal freedoms as to prohibit outdoors smoking in the open air?  I would think that the presence of diesel-burning busses at the transit center would be the worst offender to those wishing for fresh air in this block of the city.  But instead, users of the transit center who are smokers will be punished.  It feels a bit like governmental overreach in my opinion, even though I very much dislike inhaling tobacco smoke myself.  What are your thoughts on this?      

  

Appleton Redevelopment Authority - 9am  Members of this "authority" will not need to vote on any action items but will be presented with the engagement strategy for the city's upcoming update of the Comprehensive Plan.  I'm sure that members of this group will be asked to participate in the public outreach for this plan update as stakeholders in the process. 

Board of Building Inspection - 2pm  One variance to the Uniform Dwelling Code is being requested of this board (which has not met since December 2022).  The owner of a home on Lawrence Street which was recently changed from a commercial building to a multi-family residential one is asking that an existing stairwell which is only 30" wide be acceptable when the code requirement for a required means of egress is a minimum of 36" wide.  This is a reuse of an older home and all other options (additional outdoor stairwells, etc) have been explored and are not workable due the lot size and orientation of the home on the lot.  The applicant is also proposing a permanent outdoors fire escape ladder as an added safety feature in lieu of having a wide enough egress stairwell.  I'm not certain how the members of this board will view the proposal or how the fire department representatives will feel about the fire escape ladder idea.  But I feel as though there needs to be some consideration for older homes that no longer conform to the newest code requirements and hope that the applicant's proposal satisfies the safety requirements for this case.     

City Plan Commission - 3:30pm  Three public hearings will kick off this commission's meeting this week.  There are three corresponding action items for the commission to vote on as well.  They each deal with proposed changes to the municipal code:

• The first deals with code changes to eliminate duplication of regulations regarding parking of recreational vehicles, parking on terraces, and locations/sizes of paved driveways.  These regulations will be moved from the "traffic" section of the code to the "zoning" section of the code.  These changes will, in effect, move requests for variances for driveways to the Board of Zoning Appeals and away from the Municipal Services Committee/Common Council.  This, I think, will be an improvement as many of the committee/council members are not experts in building/construction/zoning and are also far too sympathetic to sad constituent stories in their variance applications to properly adjudicate variance requests.  My fear, though, is that the Board of Zoning Appeals members are not all well trained in the requirements needed for the granting of variances and may, therefore, fall into some of the same "emotional voting" traps that the committee/council members have fallen into over the years.  If we can be assured that this will not happen, I am in support of this move.  What do you think? 
• The second deals with amendments to the streets and sidewalks portion of the municipal code and would also prohibit single-family homes on lots zoned Agricultural.  There is a good rundown of what was discussed in this regard at the last meeting of the Plan Commission here.  It further explains the reasons behind the proposed change to eliminate single-family homes on lots zoned Agricultural.  I will be asking further questions in this regard before the change to the latter is approved.  I'm concerned that those who purchase land zoned agricultural with an existing single-family home on it be allowed to keep it as such even if the home requires demolition and rebuilding.  I suspect that there are few of these within the city limits... but those which are should not be punished or prohibited from continuing to live as-is within the city.  Do you agree? 
• The third deals with changes to the code referring to zoning/permitting for alcohol sales and consumption.  In general, the changes would eliminate the need for a special use permit for alcohol service/sales in addition to a liquor license in areas zones Commercial.  Right now, bars and restaurants require both the permit and a license.  In the future, the city's robust liquor license application would cover all of the bases as far as city staff inspections, etc, needed for a bar or restaurant to serve alcohol and a second process -- for a special use permit -- would no longer be needed.  I see this as a positive move for businesses with liquor service wishing to operate in the city -- far fewer hoops through which to jump.  But I do hope that the granting of liquor licenses continues to be a thorough vetting process.  

Community Development Committee - 4:30pm  This committee, too, will be looking to approve some code amendments/changes:

• To clarify what types of projects require a permit, the proposal is to add the word "structure," alongside the word "building."  I assume that this will clarify that an accessory structure which would perhaps not be considered a "building" but would be considered a "structure" requires city permitting.  It seems a bit much to me; but I will be interested in seeing what structures have thus far been exempted in this process but would be included should this code language amendment pass.  
• To spell out in the municipal code what is already required as far as fence post anchoring below the frost line.  The code will have added language specifically stating that fences must be anchored at least 48" into the ground.    
• To make sure that fences are called out in the municipal code as "structures."  Perhaps fences are the "structures" that have thus far not officially been called out as requiring permits (as mentioned in the first bullet point above)!  

Safety and Licensing Committee - 5:30pm  It's like deja vu all over again for this committee as they will again consider the bartender license application for a woman with four Operating While Intoxicated (OWI) convictions, the fourth being a felony.  (Mentioned earlier here and here.) This item was referred back to this committee during last week's full council meeting by one of the committee members who voted two weeks ago to approve the license.  I suspect -- and hope -- that that means that she has reconsidered her support of this licensure for the safety of all Appletonians.  Let's see how this week's vote on this license comes out!  

This committee will also consider some significant changes to the city's Special Event Policy including application deadlines, changes in security requirements, and an increase in the fees required for holding special events, as defined below, in the city.

"Events, gatherings, and planned occurrences on City property or in City rights-of-way that surpass the normal and ordinary use of such property may be considered special events and subject to review and permitting. Certain events, while held on private property, may still require extraordinary services from the City or pose safety risks to the public and would benefit from review by the Special Events Committee and require a Special Event permit." 

Most of the special events in the city up to this point have cost taxpayers a great deal of resources and taxpayer money and the new fee schedule looks to recoup some of that (an estimated 25% of the total costs to the city).  It remains to be seen how much this new policy and the fees associated with it will affect some of the smaller events such as local high school homecoming parades.  I hope that these new fees will not make some of these events cost-prohibitive for the organizers; but I think it is important that the city strikes a better balance between taxpayer expense for these events and the positive community effects they generate.  Have a look at the proposed new policy and fee schedule and let me know what you think.     

 

Human Resources and Information Technology Committee - 6:30pm  There is only one action item on this committee's agenda this week.  The city is asking the committee for initial approval to hire a consulting group to do an organizational and workload study on the Appleton Police Department (APD).  This has been in the works for a while as some have concerns that APD is "understaffed."  I look forward to this study (hopefully!) showing that there is not a significant need to increase the personnel on the police force.  I hope that it shows us ways in which the city could utilize technologies and better workflow management to best serve and protect the citizens of Appleton without a large additional inflow of taxpayer money to support a larger police force.  The thing -- both fortunate and unfortunate -- about this study is that it will be paid for by American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds.  It's good that these funds remain available to the city for this purpose without adding to the local taxpayer burden.  But it's unfortunate that these funds -- a projected $69,000 -- will be put to use on consulting work instead of on infrastructure funding for the city's streets and public works.  What are your thoughts on this?

So... there you have it.  Lots of items for your consideration and for which I would love for you to provide me your feedback.  I sincerely hope to hear from you.  

In the meantime, I wish you a wonderful week.  See you back here a week from now for more on what's happening in City of Appleton government!