Appleton Common Council District 6 Update for March 10, 2022
Apologies for this update becoming a council/committee recap rather than a preview. I took a few days to go to Little Rock, Arkansas for a visit the kids and grandkids (and to racewalk a marathon).
Last week’s Common Council meeting was brief. Only a couple of items were separated for individual discussion and votes, but those were only because one member had a question about ongoing policy.
Some items of interest were held at the original committee meetings and will be discussed at committee meetings this week – more on those in the committee agendas.
Given the decrease in COVID-19 cases and the updated CDC guidance, the COVID report at council was the last that will be a part of the agenda unless the situation changes. COVID-19 material will continue to be covered in the Board of Health meetings.
Items passed in the meeting included a contract with E-Plan Exam to do plan review for large construction permit projects. In the past this had been done by the state, but they are facing long lead times and are allowing cities to contract with third parties for this work. No cost will be incurred by the city. E-Plan Exam will guarantee a 14-day turnaround.
Parking regulations for long term and city vehicle parking were updated to allow more space in the Yellow Ramp for library patrons when the new building is completed.
$120,900 in additional COVID-19 grant funds from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services for 2022-2023 were allocated as a budget amendment.
In committee business this week:
Municipal Services Committee – Monday, March 7, 4:30 p.m.
Most of the meeting was taken up with discussion of Resolution #3-R-22, which would make No Mow May (not enforcing the tall grass ordinance until June 1 to allow pollinators to feed on the early growth in the spring – i.e., dandelions, etc. that bloom before other flowering plants) permanent as opposed to having to introduce it every year. It would also make the height at which residents could be cited for not cutting their lawns uniform at 12 inches for both residential and commercial property. Note that the “noxious weed” ordinance would not change, so that growth of burdock and other species would still be treated separately, allowing enforcement for abandoned property, for instance. Initially, there was a motion to deny, which failed. After that, the resolution was amended to essentially reverse the intent and make No Mow May something that would have to be reintroduced each year. Because we saw positive results in both number and diversity of pollinator species in a per-reviewed study during the first No Mow May, and because resident complaints were actually lower than in previous years, I supported making the change permanent and will support amending the resolution again in full council. I will move to keep the length at 8 inches for residential properties.
Because of the length of the discussion on this item, all information items were held until the next meeting except the initial discussion on potential redesign of Soldier’s Square. This was the second hold for some of these items – hopefully, we will get to the discussion of the process for enhanced crosswalks at the next meeting.
Finance Committee – Monday, March 7, 5:30 p.m.
- Approval of 2021-2022 budget carryover appropriations. These are separated into two categories – budgeted items not under contract ($24,152,421) and items requiring special consideration ($686,626). The breakdown is attached.
- Resolution #2-R-22 Improve Communication, Technology, and Pedestrian Safety The resolution was amended per recommendations from the Mayor’s office:
- Allocate and authorize $75,000 for a consultant to evaluate the Enhanced Crosswalk Program
- Allocate and authorize $60,000 for IT systems upgrades
The remaining funds from the brand study that was held indefinitely will be taken up by the committee at a future meeting:
- Hold $100,000 for website re-design
- Hold remaining $150,000 for Enhanced Crosswalk program
- Hold remaining $90,000 for technology upgrades
In the information items, it was noted that there is an open house for the College North Neighborhood Plan on Monday, April 11, 2022, from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm in the City Center Board Room, City Center Plaza, 10 E. College Avenue, 1st Floor toward East End (Walk throughs will take about 15 minutes, you can stop by anytime during the 3-hour window). See the website at [planappleton.org]College North Neighborhood Planning Safety and Licensing Committee – Wednesday, March 9, 5:30 p.m. The main item here was the recommendation to deny the intoxicate bartender resolution. In the last council meeting, the author moved to withdraw it after there were some legal concerns expressed. Upon review of the process, he was advised that it was cleaner to actually act on it; hence the recommendation to deny. The rest of the agenda was the normal license renewals. Information items included the Fire Department Annual Report. Human Resources and Information Technology Committee – Wednesday, March 9, 6:30 p.m. As discussed in the Finance Committee, the only action item is to approve the $60,000 contract with Heartland Business Systems for the IT network assessment. Heartland is a long-time vendor for the city and the recommendation as a sole-source vendor was approved by the city’s purchasing department. When the new Information Technology Director performed an analysis of the city’s network, there were some issues revealed, that, along with the increased number of incidents of cyber terrorism, showed a need for some immediate analysis to make sure that we are completely secure. As noted in the Finance Committee notes, these funds will come from the allocation originally intended for the brand study. An information item of great interest involves modifying a project manager position in the Facilities Department to become a Project and Resiliency Manager. The job description is modified to include a number of job functions related to recommendations from the climate task force. The individual who currently holds the Project Manager position has experience with the Department of Natural Resources and is a Certified Energy Manager and is working on certifications as a Certified Sustainable Development Professional (CSDP) and Renewable Energy Professional (REP). When I questioned the Director of Parks, Recreation and Facilities Management about the breakdown of the duties under the new job description, I felt comfortable that this was not just adding words to make the job look like a resiliency specialist. The city will be supporting the individual’s certification plans and this person would be a city staff representative on the future climate change commission, which would continue the work of the task force. I believe that this is a great compromise and applaud the directors and the Human Resources Department for making sure that we continue to build on the city’s strong record of sustainability and encourage growth and development of city personnel. Finally, a note on the upcoming spring election (April 5). The City Clerk’s office will start mailing absentee ballots on March 14. You can still request a ballot at https://myvote.wi.gov/en-us/The official deadline for
requesting an absentee ballot is March 31, but I wouldn’t wait that long, to be
honest, given delays with the mail. If you have requested a ballot before, you
do not have to upload your ID again. We will not have ballot drop boxes this
year due to recent court rulings, so you would need to mail the ballot (allow
plenty of time) or drop them off at City Hall up until the day before the
election or at your polling place (for District 6, this is the Scheig Center in
Memorial Park – 1313 E. Witzke Blvd.)
Early voting times have
been set at City Hall on the 6th Floor:
8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. March 22nd
8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. March 23rd - March 25th
8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. March 28th - March 30th
8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. March 31st
8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. April 1st
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