Appleton Common Council Meeting – October 18, 2023
Appleton Common Council Meeting Summary – October 18, 2023
The Common Council met on Wednesday, October 18, 2023, at 7:00 PM in the Council Chambers. Mayor Woodford presided, with 16 alderpersons present (Alderperson Croatt virtually). The meeting adjourned at 8:01 PM.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Rebecca Zornow (1009 N. Oneida St.) spoke in favor of the Neighborhood Grant Program request submitted by the Historic Central Neighborhood, supporting the renovation of Columbus Playground. She noted that 73% of students surveyed nearly a decade ago expressed a desire for grass space, and the current playground lacks adequate green space.
Public Hearings
- Rezoning #7-23 Prospera Annexation (4704 N. Ballard Rd.): No public testimony was offered. The public hearing was closed.
Discussion Items & Key Outcomes
- 23-1236 ARPA Grant to Thompson Center on Lourdes, Inc. ($1,000,000): Approved 13-1-2 (Alderperson Doran opposed; Alderperson Jones and Mayor Woodford abstained). Alderperson Doran questioned the process, noting that the original lease for the Best Buy site went through the library board rather than the council. Staff confirmed the same process was followed.
- 23-1128 Resolution #10-R-22 – Alternate Lawe Street Truck Route: After extensive debate, the resolution was ultimately approved 8-7-1 (Alderperson Schultz abstained). The item had come out of the Municipal Services Committee with a recommendation to deny. Alderperson Meltzer moved to amend the resolution back to its original language (removing additional studies requested by the committee), which passed 11-4-1. A subsequent motion to approve the committee’s denial recommendation as amended initially passed 8-6-2, but then a motion to reconsider carried 14-1-1. On reconsideration, a notwithstanding vote was taken, and the resolution (as amended to original language) was approved 8-7-1. Supporters argued the resolution fulfilled its intent to explore the truck route issue and that staff had provided adequate analysis. Opponents cited staff’s recommendation to keep the truck route and concerns about potential impacts on a $2 million federal grant for Lawe Street reconstruction.
- 23-1199 Neighborhood Grant Program – Historic Central Neighborhood: Approved 15-0-1 (Mayor Woodford abstained). The grant, funded by federal CDBG, will be used by the Appleton Area School District to renovate Columbus Playground. Alderperson Hartzheim questioned why the city was paying for a school district project; staff clarified the neighborhood application and partnership with the district.
- 23-1197 Budget Amendment – Jones Park Shade & City Hall Remodel: Approved 14-1-1 (Alderperson Schultz opposed). The amendment transfers $37,400 from the Jones Park Shade Project to the City Hall Remodel Project to cover costs for exposed steel beams required by fire code. Alderperson Hartzheim expressed frustration but voted yes, thanking the fire department for clarification.
- 23-1162 Elected City Attorney Compensation (May 2024 term): An amendment to increase salary by 3% for all years failed 7-8-1 (Mayor Woodford abstained). The original motion to approve the compensation as recommended was then approved 14-1-1 (Alderperson Del Toro opposed). Debate centered on the difficulty of projecting future economic conditions and the desire to remain competitive with private-sector attorney salaries.
- 23-1012 Resolution #9-R-23 – Mental Health Awareness & Services: Approved 8-7-1 (Mayor Woodford abstained). Alderperson Fenton successfully amended the resolution to remove the phrase “and we will divide this money amongst organizations in our community” and to specify that the $1,000,000 ARPA allocation is for “Community Wellness, Mental Health & Violence Prevention.” The amendment passed 8-7-1. Opponents (including Alderpersons Jones, Hartzheim, Van Zeeland, and Alfheim) argued the resolution lacked actionable steps and could imply current efforts are insufficient. Supporters (including Alderperson Wolf, the author) emphasized the importance of raising awareness and continuing the conversation on mental health.
- Balance of the Agenda: Approved 14-0-2 (Alderperson Croatt absent; Mayor Woodford abstained). This included items such as a terrace occupancy permit, a stormwater consulting contract, a wastewater rate increase (7% effective January 1, 2024), a lieutenant over-hire request, and mayor compensation for the April 2024 term.
- Ordinances #153-23 and #154-23: Approved 15-0-1 (Mayor Woodford abstained).
- Resolution #11-R-23 – Overnight Parking: Submitted by Alderperson Siebers and referred to the Municipal Services Committee.
Other Business
- Alderperson Meltzer announced the Utilities Committee meeting on Tuesday to hear the budget presentation.
- Alderperson Siebers announced the Parks and Recreation Committee will not meet in the upcoming week.
Meeting Transcript
Good evening. I now call to order the Wednesday, October 18th, 2023 meeting of the Appleton Common Council. Tonight's invocation will be delivered by Elder Meltzer. In light of recent and ongoing world events, I ask us all for a moment of silence. Thank you. Please join me in the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance. With liberty and justice crawl. Roll call of Alders. All are represented, and Alder Person Croat is joining us virtually. Roll call of officers and department heads. All are represented. All right, we have a motion and a second to approve. Any discussion of the minutes. Hearing none, please cast your votes. We've got you all to Croat. Thank you. Motion passes 15 to 0. The minutes have been approved. I have no business to present to you this evening, so we'll move on to public participation. At this time, we have one member of the public who signed up to speak, uh, Rebecca Zorno. So please approach the podium. Your name and address for the record. Thank you Hello, my name is Rebecca Zorno. I live at 1009 North Ornida Street. I would like to speak in favor of approving the neighborhood grant program requests submitted by Historic Central Neighborhood. I want to thank the city staff, the school district staff, and committee members who have supported this work alongside dozens of neighborhood leaders. This grant, combined with the increased investment it will generate from the school district, will make a huge impact on the quality of life in our neighborhood. Nearly a decade ago, when neighborhood kids shared about their dreams for their neighborhood playground, 73% of students mentioned their desire for grass. This was not a box they checked. They were not prompted. They drew pictures and wrote statements, and nearly all of them dreamed of grass space to play on. They never got to play on grass at their elementary school and neighborhood park, the Columbus Playground. There is now a new generation of students in our neighborhood. Students who chip their teeth when they fall while running, skin their knees while trying to build confidence in sports and play, students who sit on asphalt for field day picnics. The Columbus Playground is a landmark of Appleton's historic central neighborhood. It's used as a de facto neighborhood park for community events, as well as by two schools, Columbus Elementary and Appleton Bilingual School. Our closest city park, Arbutus Park, which is located in the most densely populated part of our city, has been underinvested in. The physical layout provides unique challenges. This makes the Columbus Playground the site that many families in our neighborhood utilize most. No other site can. It has excellent visibility for young kids testing their independence. It's highly accessible, but it is in need of an update. For this proposed playground renovation, ideas were generated via Columbus staff who know the playground best, neighborhood families, community partners, and students. A large group of neighborhood members showed up at last week's community and economic development committee meeting to voice their approval. Most of those families are without students at Columbus. Thank you for your consideration, and please help us improve the most popular community gathering space in the historic central neighborhood. And yes, there will be plenty of grass. All right. That was the only member of the public who signed up to speak, but this is public participation.
openpublica.com