Appleton Common Council District 6 Update for the Week of September 8, 2025

 Greetings, District 6 Neighbors,

On days like we’ve had recently, I’m reminded of one of the reasons I live in Appleton. I had flown in for a job interview on a September day like today – blue skies, sunshine and just a hint of crispness in the air. The joy of that weather, particularly for someone used to dealing with heat and humidity well into October (or later!), made me forget what I know about Midwest winters. I still have no regrets!

We had a bit of a surprise during the Common Council meeting last week. After the fairly contentious license revocation hearing at the Safety and Licensing Committee meeting the week before, I expected that the owners of Mr. Frogs would appear to contest the committee vote in favor of revoking the license. City Attorney Behrens informed us before we began discussion on the license revocation that the owner/agent had voluntarily surrendered the license that afternoon. The voluntary surrender makes the license available for another establishment and gives the owner the ability to sell the bar to someone who can either obtain an alcohol license or open a different kind of business there.

There was also an interesting turn to the park naming policy for Veterans Park, the small park off Memorial Drive that needs to be renamed after Appleton Memorial Park became Veterans Memorial Park. The Parks and Recreation committee had recommended amending the naming policy that I published last week to basically allow anything (subject to vetting by city staff and approval by the Common Council). Alder Hartzheim proposed an amendment to restore the original policy, which I supported. That amendment failed, so I voted against the policy, along with three of my colleagues, but the policy passed. My fear is that the naming of this small park, with no facilities other than a playground and a portable bathroom, is going to become a source of community discord. Mayor Woodford also expressed disappointment after the vote and indicated that the Parks and Recreation staff would still have to come back to the committee for guidance on what names to allow.

This week’s committee schedule is fairly light, with the Finance, Parks and Recreation and Utilities committees, along with the Fox Cities Transit Commission, canceling their meetings.

Municipal Services Committee – Monday, September 8, 4:30 p.m.

As chair of this committee, I suppressed a shudder before my preparatory meeting with Public Works Director and Deputy Director last week because the main agenda item is another street design hearing. However, these projects, the reconstruction of Badger Avenue between College Avenue and Memorial Drive, along with 8th and 6th streets between Pierce Avenue and Badger Avenue and between Memorial Drive  and State Street respectively, is much less residential and the design only calls for the removal of six terrace trees. Utility work would be done in 2026 with the street reconstruction in 2027.

I believe the pedestrian improvements at Badger and College Avenue, and the addition of the 10-foot side paths will make that dangerous area much safer for both motorists and cyclists/pedestrians.

Badger Avenue improvements:

· Raised medians at existing railroad crossing to maintain quiet zone

· Intersection geometry at Badger/Locust/Eighth to be modified to improve intersection safety.

o The Badger Ave connection with the north leg of Locust St and east leg of Eighth St would be eliminated (pedestrian access would be maintained)’

o The connection between Locust St & Eighth St (northeast of Badger) would be maintained.

· New 10’ concrete side paths would be constructed along both sides of Badger Ave, within the project limits.

 

Sixth Street between Badger Avenue and Memorial Drive would also get concrete sidepaths, the street would be narrowed to 30 feet and parking would be prohibited on one side of the street within the project limits.

Eighth Street would be narrowed to 26 feet and parking would be prohibited on one side of the street within project limits.

I don’t have the drawings at this time but will share them when I receive them. 105 questionnaires were sent to residents along the project for all three streets, only two have been returned as of last Thursday and no concerns were noted. The Department of Public Works sent the notices out on August 5 to give residents more time to provide feedback than for previous projects.

The design hearing will also address the reconstruction of North Rankin Street between East Commercial Street and East Wisconsin Avenue.

 

Most of this project borders the Appvion facility and city staff has worked with the company on the design. The company’s concerns centered on continued access and operational capabilities upon the project’s completion.

 

The one action item on the agenda is the removal of the two-hour parking restriction in the 1300 block of North Viola Street (between Randall Avenue and Kay Street just north of East Wisconsin Avenue after a 6-month trial during which there was no feedback from the community.

 

Board of Health – Wednesday, September 10, 7:00 a.m.

 

The Board’s action items are all policies and procedures relating to tuberculosis. While tuberculosis remains relatively rare in the state, Wisconsin has had one of the highest rates of multi-drug-resistant TB in the country. The policies and procedures to be approved are based on Wisconsin state statutes.

 

Information items for the board include two dangerous dog declarations, the September Health Department newsletter and noise variances granted for late August through early October events.

 

Appleton Redevelopment Authority – Wednesday, September 10, 9:00 a.m.

 

The Redevelopment Authority has not met since February, so they need to take care of the housekeeping for the council year – electing a chair and vice chair, setting the meeting date and time and the contact person for the group.

They will review the draft comprehensive plan and subarea plans as information items and will get an update on the sale of the property at 222 N. Oneida – the city is purchasing this property for the new transit center.

 

City Plan Commission – Wednesday, September 10, 3:30 p.m.

 

The commission will take up a request from property owners on East Melody Lane (located west of Ballard Road and south of JJ) in the Town of Grand Chute for annexation into the City of Appleton in order to connect to city water service.

 

The other action item for the commission is the proposed sale of the property at North Division Street and West Franklin Street to the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center. The PAC currently leases this property from the city and wishes to purchase it for future use. The Community Development Committee will take up the proposal in detail, but the Plan Commission is required to consider any sale of public land.

 

Community Development Committee – Wednesday, September 10, 4:30 p.m.

 

The committee meeting will begin with a public hearing on the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Notice of Funding Available and Community Needs for the 2026 Program Year (4/1/26 - 3/31/27). The primary function of this hearing is to obtain citizen views on priority community needs and the use of the City’s CDBG funds for the 2026 program year. The related memo regarding funding will be reviewed as an information item.

 

Action items for the committee include updates to the Art in Public Places Policy. Most of the changes appear to be for clarification, but the section mandating notification of property owners within 100 feet of a proposed installation have been removed. Public art within city-owned parks or buildings was not previously subject to the notification policy.

 

In a related item, the committee is being asked by the Appleton Northside Business Association to approve light pole banners and seasonal decorations on Richmond Street from Northland to College Avenue and on Wisconsin Avenue from Badger Avenue to Ballard Road.

 

The final action items relate to the offer to purchase the parcel at North Division and West Franklin Street directly behind the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center. The city leases the parcel to the PAC for $1 annually and additionally pays the stormwater charges. The proposal is to sell the property for $1, with the PAC taking over the stormwater charge (about $3000 annually). Under the terms of the sale, the city would conduct environmental assessments which would be paid for with EPA grants already awarded and administered by Calumet County. If any environmental cleanup exceeds the grant funding amount, the PAC would bear those costs. The committee could go into closed session to discuss the negotiations.

 

Information items include the CDBG funding memo mentioned above and the Inspections Building Permit Summary Report.

 

Safety and Licensing Committee – Wednesday, September 10, 5:30 p.m.

 

In addition to the usual license applications, the committee will take up a recommendation for denial of a bartender license to an applicant who has a history of convictions for OWI and other offenses from 2003 to 2025, with the most recent conviction for disorderly conduct in May of this year being related to a physical altercation with staff at a licensed establishment. We are required by statute to allow applicants to show evidence of rehabilitation, and, indeed, the committee has granted bartender licenses to applicants with some history of alcohol related offenses who we able to show evidence of rehabilitation. However, the fact that this applicant was convicted less than four months ago of an alcohol-related offense does not lead me to believe that they can offer a convincing case for granting the license.

 

The truancy resolution submitted on March 19 of this year finally appears as an action item on the committee agenda this week.  AASD personnel have appeared before the committee a number of times to present information, have held what they called a listening session – half of which was devoted to the same presentation that was given to the Common Council and the other half being devoted to small group discussions moderated by AASD staff.  In addition, community members have held a public listening session, which I attended. There have been meetings of a “working group” consisting of AASD personnel, City of Appleton personnel, and members of the judiciary. Neither the Safety and Licensing Committee nor the full council have been advised of the makeup of the working group, nor have we been privy to anything that might have been discussed within this group. I have recently been informed that two members of the Safety and Licensing committee have attended at least some of these meetings.

Frankly, I have been disappointed with the general lack of transparency surrounding this process. My colleagues and I have asked for information multiple times – we asked at every AASD presentation for the district’s desired dispositions if a truancy ordinance is adopted again. I personally questioned suspending drivers licenses for truancy and was met with a statement to the effect that kids aren’t getting licenses like they used to. A letter from an AASD graduate praising the old truancy court was read to us – we later found that the letter writer is a current AASD employee.

 

I am keenly aware of the huge truancy problem that is almost universal post-pandemic. Statistics clearly show that kids who don’t go to school and graduate have a far greater risk of living in poverty and being incarcerated. What I don’t know at this point is whether the legal system will do a better job of keeping kids in school.

 

I don’t know what will happen on Wednesday. I suspect that an alternate resolution has been drafted by some part of the “working group” and will be presented as a substitute for the original resolution submitted by outgoing Alder Siebers which had only this as the “therefore, be it resolved” clause:

 

Therefore, be it resolved, that the City of Appleton enact an ordinance prohibiting a person under 18 years of age from being a habitual truant, and that this ordinance be for a trial period of four school semesters, starting in the fall of 2025, after which time, a review of the success of the ordinance will be made by the City of Appleton, Outagamie County, and AASD with suggested, needed and agreed on changes being made.”

 

I am also not convinced that the committee will take definitive action this week. If a substitute resolution is submitted, I would want to take some time to study it before casting

a vote.

 

Information items include another batch of alcohol violation convictions, for selling to minors, and in one case both selling to minors and not having a licensed operator on premises.

 

Human Resources and Information Technology Committee – Wednesday, September 10, 6:30 p.m.

 

The committee has one action item – the review of alderperson salaries that did not generate a recommendation at the last meeting because two members were excused and one of the remaining three voted against a motion to keep the salary for 2027 (the first year we could put a new salary into effect) the same as it has been since 2023 (voted on in 2021) - $6750 per year with a parking pass if the alder chooses to use it. With the expected city budget crunch due to inflation and increasing employee health care costs, I would not expect anyone to propose a large salary increase, but I do think it an increase equal to a cost of living raise for other city employees would not be out of order. Last year employees got a 3% increase. 3% of $6750 for 15 alders would come to $3037.50 per year starting in 2027.

 

This is running very long, so I will hold onto my excitement about this morning’s tour of the Outagamie County Center for the next update. I learned some really interesting things I want to share.

 

Enoy the rest of the week savoring that first Packer victory!