Appleton Common Council District 6 Update for the Week of September 8, 2024
Greetings District 6 Neighbors,
I hope the first week of school went well for those families getting back into the fall routine. If you believe the weather forecast, we’re going to get some more summer this coming week in spite of the fact that I saw my first pair of Ugg boots in the wild already.
At last week’s Common Council meeting, as expected, we had several members of the community express their concerns about the preliminary development plan for the Thrivent property, mostly related to fears of increased traffic. During the Plan Commission meeting where the rezoning, future land use map amendment and planned development overlay amendment (changes that allow the residential, commercial and mixed-use development in the Thrivent plan to occur) was recommended for approval, the company had committed to a traffic study. Given the transparency and care that the Thrivent has exhibited during the planning process, I expect the same level of transparency as the development proceeds. I noted that these plans are years from full implementation, so there will be continual review of traffic patterns and traffic control measures as development progresses. The council voted unanimously to approve the three changes.
We also voted unanimously to approve the design for the Lawe Street reconstruction. Utility work will take place in 2025 and street reconstruction in 2026. 80% of the project will be federally funded up to $2,454,193. The current total estimated cost is $4,268,885.
We also voted on the resolution from Alder Croatt that would raise the threshold for any vote to change the wheel tax amount. The increase in the wheel tax set to take effect in 2025 passed by a simple majority and the resolution’s intent was to require a two-thirds majority vote like other budget-related measures. The supermajority vote on budget measures is mandated by state statute, whereas items such as the wheel tax are locally controlled. I had voted in favor of the resolution in committee, but after that meeting, I kept coming back to Alder Firkus asking and getting confirmation that, unlike votes that are mandated by state statute, a future council could come back and change the requirement again if a majority wanted to change the wheel tax (either up or down). Therefore, it seemed that this resolution was really more symbolic, and I changed my vote to no. The resolution failed 3-10 (two alders were excused from the meeting).
In this week’s committee meetings:
Municipal Services Committee – Monday, September 9, 4:30 p.m.
We will take up the driveway extension on N. Ballard again – Alder Croatt referred the item back to committee at the August 21 Common Council meeting in order to connect with the property owner who was not present for the council meeting. The driveway extension was added without a permit in violation of the zoning ordinance that limits the width of a driveway extension into the front yard. The homeowner stated at the committee meeting where it was first discussed that the contractor had told him he did not need a permit for this extension. We have had some informal discussion about some method of holding contractors responsible for situations like this. I would certainly be willing to discuss this further. While it is certainly ultimately the homeowner’s responsibility to obtain proper permits and to abide by the zoning ordinances, it does seem that some recourse should be available when one is misled.
We will also take up a couple of parking changes near Wilson Middle School and Johnston Elementary School after successful six-month trial periods and adding a two-way stop to the Douglas St./Harris St. intersection.
Finance Committee – Monday, September 9, 5:30 p.m.
We only have two action items to consider
- A request to approve the contract for workstations (partition walls, furniture) for two new positions that will be housed in the Police Department. (Nordon Business Environments - $48,100.37) While this is a sole-source contract, the vendor is the only local supplier of the Haworth brand which is the standard for City of Appleton facilities because the components can be reconfigured for different uses as needs change. The purchase would be made through the U.S. Communities Government Purchasing Alliance Contract guaranteeing the lowest price available and the products are all made in the U.S.
- A request to approve a contract with McMahon for engineering services on the wastewater treatment plant Hauled Waste Station Tank Upgrades. ($45,700 with contingency). This is another sole source contract, but with a firm that has done a great deal of work for the city and has in-depth knowledge of operations and requirements.
Joint Review Board – Outagamie County – Tuesday, September 10, 1:00 p.m.
The Board will be reviewing the reports for Tax Increment Financing Districts 3,8,9,10,11 and 12 (within Outagamie County).
You can review the reports in the agenda here:
Utilities Committee – Tuesday, September 10, 4:30 p.m.
The committee was forced to cancel their last meeting because they didn’t have a quorum. They had a special meeting before the last council meeting to take care of the action items, but did not review the information items, including the report on the polymer incident that shut down parts of the water treatment plant in December of 2022. They will be hearing that report, along with the July water main break report, in Tuesday’s meeting.
Board of Health, Wednesday, September 11, 7:00 a.m.
The Board has no action items but will be reviewing the 2023 Annual Report of the Health Department and the new noise variances approved by the Health Officer. They’ll also (sadly) be reviewing another dangerous animal declaration.
City Plan Commission – Wednesday, September 11, 3:30 p.m.
The only action item before the commission is the request to approve the public participation plan for the upcoming update to the city’s Comprehensive Plan. The plan is linked here: https://cityofappleton.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=5fd43cbd-6d16-415c-b713-7f9a06b58282.pdf
A comprehensive plan advisory group is being formed to review and discuss plan content. The group will consist of the mayor and representatives of:
Common Council, Parks & Recreation Committee, City Plan Commission, Appleton Redevelopment Authority, Lawerence University, Appleton Area School District, Fox Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau, Fox Cities Chamber, Registered Neighborhood, Housing/Builder’s Organization, Unhoused Organization, Medical Organization, Faith Based Community, and Marginalized Community
I’ve been asked to be a member of the advisory group in my capacity as the appointed representative of the Common Council on the Plan Commission.
Safety and Licensing Committee – Wednesday, September 11, 5:30 p.m.
For a change, the only action items on the agenda are the usual license applications and renewals. The director’s report from the City Clerk will have information on the November 5 General Election.
The Parks and Recreation Committee, Transit Commission, Community Development Committee and the Human Resources and Information Technology Committee will not be meeting next week.
Have a wonderful week!
Denise
Comments
Post a Comment