Appleton Common Council District 6 Update for March 17, 2026
Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
I hope everyone is digging out OK from Blizzard Elsa (I will not have good feelings about one of my granddaughters’ favorite movies for a while). I’m grateful to all the folks at the Department of Public Works who have been working around the clock to try to get things cleared out. All the streets should have been plowed by now, but with the cold weather, it’s still going to be snow packed in places. We’re supposed to get just a bit more snow tonight, but a big warmup and some sunshine should have a lot of this melting by the weekend. Check your sump pumps and if you’re on a corner like we are, make sure that the storm drain isn’t blocked.
I’m also grateful to everyone who has been out helping their neighbors during this near-record blizzard. We’ve had good Samaritans in my neighborhood going down the block clearing multiple sidewalks.
It’s a full council week, but there are a couple of committee meetings as well. The Historic Preservation Committee meets today. This is one of the committees that meets “at the call of the chair” and this one hasn’t met since July of 2024. They are meeting to consider a request from Creative Downtown Appleton, Inc. to install an official Wisconsin Historical Marker in Houdini Plaza honoring Harry Houdini’s connection to Appleton and in recognition of the 100th anniversary of his passing on Halloween, October 31, 2026. The marker would be on the south side of Houdini Plaza near the bronze bust of Houdini and would look like the other state historical markers. The Historic Preservation Committee is responsible for reviewing, editing and verifying all submitted sources for accuracy for proposed historic marker sign text located on public property, and recommending approval to the Common Council.
The Library Board is also meeting this evening at 5:00. The Board will review the February bill register, approve budget amendments to record some donations and program expense reimbursements and will vote on approving an agreement with the Friends of Appleton Public Library “to direct the Louis A. Reetz Unitrust Distribution of $55,413.86, plus any residual payments, to the Appleton Library Endowment Fund for the continuing benefit of the Appleton Public Library.” They will also vote on a request to change vacant half-time Clerk position in Community Partnerships to a Library Assistant sub position. This would be a revenue neutral change which would allow the position to support Community Partnerships in management of programming duties as well as support librarian staff by working desk hours, allowing Community Partnerships more time for community engagement and programming. Finally, they’ll vote on awarding Strategic Planning Consultant contract to Fast Forward Libraries that will be funded with Friends of Appleton Public Library grant funds for an amount not to exceed $29,000.
The Tax Payment Appeal Board will meet at 6:15 on Wednesday, March 18. They will take up appeals by three property owners who are appealing late fees on their 2025 property taxes. Two property owners are citing postal delays (one says they never received the tax bill at all), while the third is citing lack of knowledge, having acquired the property shortly before the tax bill was due. Given my personal experience with the mail lately, I tend to be somewhat sympathetic. So…if you are paying in installments and mailing a check for the March 31 payment, maybe get it in the mail soon!
The Common Council meeting on Wednesday, March 18th at 7:00 will start with the Mayor’s recommendation for a new city Finance Director. Jennifer Messerschmidt has an impressive resume, including as the Controller/Finance Director for Brown County and Assistant Finance Director for the City of Oshkosh as well as private practice as a CPA. Assuming council approval, she will start on March 30. Current Director Jeri Ohman expressed a desire to remain with the city, but to step back from the Director role.
Most of the items on the agenda seem straightforward. We may have more discussion of the Special Events Application for the No Kings protest on March 28, but the Safety and Licensing Committee once again recommended approval unanimously last week after the police department expressed approval of the revised route for the post-rally march. Note that the only reason that the permit even came to committee and council was the fact that the applicants were late (38 days vs 45 days) in getting all of their paperwork submitted. Otherwise, the application would have been approved administratively after the signoff of all relevant departments.
It’s possible that we might hear from the owners of Helping Homes, which had their solicitation license suspended after numerous citizen complaints. That license would have expired at the end of this month anyway.
There is also a chance that the applicant for a bartender license that was recommended for denial might appear to appeal again. We really don’t have any options if an applicant has a conviction for an offense deemed “exempt” by the State of Wisconsin – they cannot be granted a license under the law.
Have a great week and happy first round of the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Basketball tournaments, then the start of the Major League Baseball season while we’re figuring out if our brackets are already toast!
Denise
Comments
Post a Comment