Appleton Common Council District 6 Update for the Week of October 20, 2024

Greetings District 6 Neighbors,

Well, so much for fall weather. The Packers’ all-white uniforms yesterday turned out to be a good choice as the temperature approached 80 degrees by mid-afternoon. Fortunately, it looks like the return to summer will be brief. Despite the threat of another day of 80-degree temperatures, fall leaf pickup begins today in our zone and continues through November 22. I saw a lot of yardwork happening over the weekend as I walked around town – remember that most of our district is in the vacuum zone, so leaves go on the terrace in those areas. We should separate brush and other non-leaf debris from the leaves so that the vacuum trucks are able to process the leaves. Brush and limbs still need to be bundled, and other debris (annuals, pumpkins, etc.) should be bagged and placed in the terrace for separate pickup. I saw some furniture and other bulk items out on terraces over the weekend – remember that bulk item pickup is suspended until the spring to allow our crews to focus on fall leaf and yard waste pickup and then snow removal.

The Common Council meeting last week went about as I expected, with one exception. The items separated for individual consideration were the operator license recommended for denial at the Safety and Licensing Committee, the Bellaire Court street reconstruction and the proposed update to the smoking ban around the library and transit center.

As I wrote last week, I changed my mind about the operator license based on some more research. The applicant noted in her public appearance that she took offense at my looking up her record after she was being less than truthful in her statements to the Safety and Licensing Committee. The license was denied by a 4-7 vote, with four alders absent. (three were excused and Alder Wolff was late after being stuck in traffic getting back to Appleton)

The Bellaire Court street reconstruction design passed unanimously. The Department of Public Works reviewed the design and was able to make minor modifications that should save all seven of the trees (excluding ash trees and other trees in poor condition) that were originally slated to be removed. I’d like to stress that DPW never arbitrarily chooses to remove trees for a project. Appleton is a Tree City, U.S.A. and trees are an important part of both the landscape and our ecology. This was a good example of citizens and government working together to achieve a solution that works best for everyone.

I was a bit surprised at the vote on the extension of the non-smoking area around the library and transit center, which failed with 7 votes in favor and 5 against. Ordinance changes require a majority of the full council as opposed to just a majority of those voting. There were arguments against government overreach and against perceived discrimination against the population that regularly congregates in that area. I was slightly struck by the reasoning of my colleagues who had minutes before stated that their vote against the operator license was based solely on the recommendation of the police department, but chose to ignore the unanimous recommendation of the Board of Health and the city’s Health Department to extend the non-smoking area in order to limit secondhand smoke exposure in the outdoor children’s area of the new library. I expect that we will see a motion to reconsider this item at the next council meeting since there were three alders excused from this vote.

This week is a committee week – items that committees will consider:

Municipal Services Committee – Monday, October 21, 4:30 p.m.

The only action item on the agenda is the extension of the occupancy permit for The Boldt Company to close the sidewalk along College Avenue in front of the new Trout Museum/Lawrence University project through June 1, 2025. The Drew Street Hill will reopen to two-way traffic but continue to have a barrier on the west side of the street until that same date. Kimball Alley will remain closed until August 4, 2025.

The Department of Public Works budget is included as an information item on the agenda.

Finance Committee – Monday, October 21, 5:30 p.m.

The committee will vote on the recommendation of the CEA committee to approve the purchase of an enclosed trailer for the APD Identification Unit. ($24,683 with $22,169 from the CEA replacement fund and the rest to be absorbed by APD)

We will also be voting on a request to obligate the remainder of the ARPA funds allocated to Local Economic Recovery ($985,000) to the Fox Cities Exhibition Center (FCEC) Repositioning & Tourism Recovery Project. From the memo:

The Fox Cities Exhibition Center opened in 2018. The building is owned by the City of Appleton, but managed by the entity that owns/operates the adjacent Appleton Hilton Paper Valley. The facility was challenged by the COVID 19 pandemic, which occurred in its first few years of operations which was planned to be its ramp up period. Since opening, and in particular since the pandemic, the facility has been hindered as the facility lacked some features that prevented it from reaching its full market & tourism potential – namely carpeting and acoustical improvements. To remedy these deficiencies, funding is proposed to design/engineer and install acoustical improvements; and evaluate and install carpeting. Other miscellaneous maintenance and improvements may also be considered dependent on budget and final scope of work.

Second, the Management Agreement for the Exhibition Center expires on 12/31/2025. We are seeking the assistance of a consultant(s) to assist in developing a strategy and advise on/guide the negotiation and development of a new management agreement. This consultant will assist the City to ensure the agreement is effective to reach the goals of the Exhibition Center. It will address marketing, maintenance, capital expenditures, staffing, utilization and other areas. Consultant(s) who specialize(s) in Exhibition Center agreements is/are required to ensure the greatest potential is reached for this facility and that the investment made by all municipalities is met.

Together, the implementation of these project components (e.g., Design/Engineering, Capital

Improvements, and Management Consulting) will increase the number of organizations that will

utilize the facility for future events, increasing tourism and generating more operating revenue.

These funds will create a sustainable business model for the facility and improve tourism

recovery post-COVID.

 

While I agree that the Fox Cities Exhibition Center needs improvements, and I am not satisfied with the way that the FCEC has been managed by the hotel, I want to make sure that our partners in the tourism industry in the Fox Cities are comfortable with allocating close to a million dollars in ARPA funds for this project. While the building of the FCEC predates the tenure of the mayor and the majority of those of us on the Common Council, the fact remains that the city owns this facility, and the region is not getting the benefits of it if it’s not attractive for events and is not being well managed, so it is up to us to decide how we can turn it around. I want to make sure that all of the parties agree on the path forward.

 

We also have three sole-source contract recommendations on the agenda:

 

• Beneficial Reuse Management for 2025-2027 Biosolids Transportation, Application, and

Incorporation Services

TABLE 1: BRM CONTRACT SERVICES PROPOSAL

BRM Contract Year:	2024 (current)	2025	2026	2027
Transportation and Application:	$463,744	$579,680	$597,070	$614,982
Annual Cost Increase	2%	25%	3%	3%

Note: Costs based on 23,000 wet tons and average unit rates for distance, scaling, and fuel surcharges

This contract is for the program that creates compost from and uses treated biosolids for agricultural applications.

 

• Plunger pump to remove settle sludge from wastewater plant clarifiers (Wastecorp - $35,000) Sole source justification is to maintain consistency with the three other pumps.
• Engineering contract for the Summer Street Lift Station Replacement (McMahon - $128,310 with contingency) Sole source justification is continuity with previous consulting for similar projects.

Information items include the 2025 budgets for Facilities Management, Finance, Legal Services and Risk Management, along with some contract updates and small budget amendments to record donations and reimbursements.

Parks and Recreation Committee – Monday, October 21, 6:15 p.m.

The committee has no action items on the agenda but will be reviewing the budgets for Reid Golf Course, the Parks and Recreation Department and Special Revenue Funds and will also review the Reid Golf Course reports for September 2024.

Board of Zoning Appeals – Monday, October 21, 7:30 p.m.

The Board will consider a request to allow a 6-foot fence to be erected one foot from the property line along N. Haymeadow St. when the zoning code states that the height of a fence in the front yard may only be three feet. The applicant cites the shape of the lot and privacy concerns as the hardship, but the Inspections Division notes that there is already a compliant 6-foot fence in the back yard and says that the hardships identified by the applicant do not meet the established review criteria in the code.

Fox Cities Transit Commission – Tuesday, October 22, 2:50 p.m.

The Commission will vote on approving the September payments and the recertification of the Valley Transit Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan (PTASP).

Information items include the Financial and Ridership reports, the Valley Transit 2025 Budget and 3rd Quarter KPIs.

Utilities Committee – Tuesday, October 22, 4:30 p.m.

The committee will be voting on the recommendation to increase the wastewater rate by 9%. The rate study conducted by Trilogy Consulting in 2020 reviewed cash flow needs for the wastewater utility and recommended rate increases through 2026 to fund operations and future capital improvements. The study acknowledged that future rate increases would need to be reviewed annually. The planned rate increase of 4% for 2025 will no longer meet the needs of the utility, especially given that it will have to reduce the amount of hauled waste (another source of revenue) during the digester inspection and maintenance activities. The recommended increase would result in a $6 per quarter increase in wastewater charges on the service invoice for the average residential customer. The utilities are enterprise funds, which means that they must fund their operational and capital needs through ratepayer charges rather than through property tax revenue.

Information items include the new Utilities Department Mission Statement Change (combining and aligning the operations and strategies of the water treatment and wastewater treatment plants), the 2025 Utilities Department budget and the monthly reports for September 2024 (water main breaks remain below 2023 YTD at 37 vs 57 in 2023).

Safety and Licensing Committee – Wednesday, October 23, 5:30 p.m.

The committee will be looking again at the alcohol license application for Delaires LLC d/b/a Delaire's, David Boulanger, Agent, located at 823 W. College Ave after it was referred back during the Common Council meeting. Neighboring businesses had expressed concerns to one of our colleagues.

We will also be taking up the Special Events Policy that was held at our last meeting. The city is looking to establish a policy that recoups 25% of the actual cost of hosting special events, shifting some of the burden of those events away from the taxpayers. The current fee structure based on estimated attendance did not account for the costs incurred before, during and after special events. I think that the policy I reviewed is fair and better outlines the responsibilities for both the city and for the organization hosting the events.

Information items include the Legal and Administrative Services Budget (City Clerk’s Office), the Fire and Police Department budgets, and a proposal to hire a consultant for a comprehensive staffing study for the Appleton Police Department. ($69,000 to be funded with existing ARPA funds) The goals of the study:

• Assess the current and anticipated future demands for service to ensure we can

meet these needs without compromising service quality and safety of our

community and employees.

• Evaluate current patrol coverage and distribution by examining how officers are

assigned across differing shifts, geographic areas and tasks.

• Improve budgeting and resource allocation decisions based on data we collect

regarding hiring, overtime needs, and equipment procurement.

• Plan for future growth by identifying anticipated community demands due to

population growth, changes in crime trends, or new responsibilities for the police

department.

• Retain quality officers in our community by finding ways to adequately staff to

reduce officer fatigue, stress and burnout.

This is being presented as an information item but appears as an action item on the agenda of the Human Resources and Information Technology Committee.

Human Resources and Information Technology Committee – Wednesday, October 23, 6:30 p.m.

The committee will be voting on the police department staffing study discussed above and on updates to the fringe benefit policy for city employees. The only change appears to be that police lieutenants and captains do not have to work a minimum of eight hours on Thanksgiving, the day after Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve or Christmas day to earn $100 compensation.

Information items include the Information Technology budget, the Human Resources budget and the Recruitment Status Report through October 17, 2024.

The City Plan Commission and the Community Development Committee will not be meeting this week. Next week contains the 5th Wednesday of the month of October, so neither the Common Council nor committees will be meeting.

Trick or Treating hours in Appleton will be from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. on Halloween, October 31.

A reminder that in-person absentee voting starts at City Hall (6th floor City Clerk’s office) on October 22 at 8:00 a.m.

Bring your ID just as you would at your normal polling place on Election Day. Note the extended hours on October 24th and October 28th and that voting ends at noon on November 1. You can also register at the City Clerk’s office through November 1. Online registration ended on October 16.

Note that the construction on the library and Fox Commons has made some of the metered parking stalls on Washington St. unavailable, but metered parking is available on College Ave. (I understood that the City Clerk was going to try to reserve some stalls for persons with limited mobility). There is also plenty of parking in the Yellow Ramp. Do note the closure of College Avenue at Drew Street for construction on the Trout Museum/Lawrence University project. Franklin St. and Washington St. are alternate routes for those of us north of downtown.

Have a great week!

Denise