Appleton Common Council Meeting - March 6, 2024
Appleton Common Council Meeting - March 6, 2024
The Common Council of Appleton met on March 6, 2024, at 7:00 PM in the Council Chambers. The meeting included approval of previous minutes, mayor's proclamations, two public hearings on infrastructure projects, and votes on several resolutions and committee reports. Key outcomes included the approval of two special resolutions for street and sewer work, failure of a motion to modify yard waste site hours, and approval of lighting updates.
Consent Calendar
- Approval of the Common Council Meeting Minutes of February 21, 2024 (11-0).
- Confirmation of appointments (11-0).
- Approval of the balance of the agenda (12-0), which included:
- Street occupancy permit for Fox Commons City Center Plaza (College Avenue, ending May 15, 2024).
- Class "B" Beer and "Class B" Liquor license for SG Petroleum LLC d/b/a Friends & Neighbors (148 S Walter Avenue).
- Class "A" Beer and "Class A" Liquor license for Indianhead Oil Co LLC d/b/a Circle K #2746526 (1935 E Calumet St).
- Acceptance of funding and budget amendment for a Kayak Launch at Telulah Park ($13,500 donations, $15,000 fund balance applied, $28,500 equipment).
- Resolution for Worker's Compensation Self-Insurance.
- Award of Unit B-24 Asphalt Pavement Reconstruction to MCC, Inc. (not to exceed $1,457,816.40).
- Award of 2024 Highview Trail Project to MCC, Inc. (not to exceed $169,212.25).
- Award of 2024 Telulah Pavilion Renovation Project to RJM Construction, LLC (not to exceed $121,150).
- Authorization for a three-year contract with two one-year options to Running Inc. for Paratransit Services.
- Authorization for a two-year contract with three one-year options to Lamers Bus Lines, Inc. for Downtown Appleton Trolley Service.
Public Comments & Testimony
Public Hearing 1 (24-0100) – Concrete Pavement, Driveway Aprons, Sidewalk Construction (Amethyst Dr and Clearfield Ct):
- Gary Breezy (1606 S Perkins St) opposed the sidewalk installation, citing lack of driveways on the west side of Perkins Street and questioning the need for sidewalks leading to an industrial park.
- Kevin Kirsner (corner of Charles & Perkins) opposed the sidewalk for similar reasons and questioned the sewer lateral assessment policy, noting he already has new plastic pipe to the property line.
- Abel Miller (5636 N Amethyst Dr) expressed frustration that the project was delayed from 2023 to 2024, resulting in a $1,000 increase in assessment, and questioned why other areas were prioritized.
- Bryan Hass (185 E Clearfield Lane) stated he received a written estimate of $7,975 from the city in 2021 before purchasing the property, but was recently informed the assessment would be nearly $20,000. He argued he was misinformed and that the discrepancy financially impacted his family.
- Alex Perez (219 W Edgewood Dr) said the cost was unreasonable for a cul-de-sac with low traffic.
Public Hearing 2 (24-0101) – Sanitary Laterals, Storm Laterals, and Storm Main (Perkins St and Morrison St):
- Adam Katch (1527 N Morrison St) praised the wheel tax but suggested raising it to reduce special assessments, and recommended lowering the prime-plus-3% interest rate (currently 11.5%) for deferred payments.
- Ken McKenzie (1901 N Morrison St) echoed concerns about high interest rates, criticized poor restoration of lawns after construction, requested more advance notice (1-2 weeks) before workers enter homes, and asked for clearer guidance on trash can placement and parking during construction.
- Jan Dallman (1715 N Morrison St) expressed concern about asbestos in her basement and requested a city engineer to mark on the floor where asbestos removal is required to avoid repeat costs. She also asked if federal funds were available for the work.
Discussion Items
Yard Waste Site Hours Modification (24-0214): The proposal would modify hours at the Glendale and Whitman Yard Waste Sites, including elimination of winter weekend hours at Glendale. Several alderpersons (Meltzer, Schultz, Hayden) opposed the reduction, citing constituent concerns about weekend access, especially for working residents. Alderperson Fenton questioned whether special holiday hours could be added. Director Block noted that the sites average only 13 customers per winter weekend day and that dumpsters (which drove much of the usage) were removed in the previous year's budget. Alderperson Doran argued the reduction was justified based on low usage. After discussion, the motion to approve failed in a 6-6 tie vote.
Lighting Updates near Walnut Street and College Avenue (24-0215): The council approved recommended lighting improvements. Alderperson Siebers expressed support and suggested also reviewing lighting on South State Street and Lawrence Street based on a police ride-along experience. The motion passed 12-0.
Special Resolution 1-P-24 (24-0102) – Concrete Pavement, Driveway Aprons, Sidewalk Construction: During discussion, Director Block clarified that the Amethyst Drive project was delayed from 2023 due to budget constraints, and that the 2023 special assessment policy (75% assessment for R1 zoning) was applied to both Amethyst and Clearfield, rather than the 2024 policy (100% for new concrete). For Bryan Hass's property, the $7,975 estimate was for roadway only; the actual project includes 167 feet of sidewalk ($7,000) and a driveway apron ($2,460), partly explaining the higher cost. Alderperson Hayden expressed empathy for Hass but noted the need for consistency. The resolution was approved 11-0 with one abstention.
Special Resolution 2-P-24 (24-0103) – Sanitary Laterals, Storm Laterals, and Storm Main: Discussion included notification procedures for accessing homes. Director Block stated that the contractor will provide more advanced notice and reschedule if needed. Alderperson Schultz queried the scope of work inside homes and was informed that a visual inspection of the lateral is required to identify infiltration and structural defects, and that the city coordinates with homeowners. In response to a question about federal funding, Director Block clarified that Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funds are for water service lines (lead and galvanized), not sanitary laterals. The resolution was approved 12-0.
Key Outcomes
- Special Resolution 1-P-24 (Concrete Pavement/Sidewalks) – Approved (11-0, with 1 abstention).
- Special Resolution 2-P-24 (Sanitary/Storm Laterals) – Approved (12-0).
- Yard Waste Site Hours Modification – Failed (6-6 tie). The proposal will not take effect; existing hours remain.
- Lighting Updates near Walnut Street and College Avenue – Approved (12-0).
- Balance of Agenda – Approved (12-0), including all committee report items listed in the consent calendar.
Meeting Transcript
Let's have a meeting. Good evening. I now call to order the Wednesday, March sixth, two thousand twenty-four meeting of the Appleton Common Council. Tonight's invocation will be delivered by Alder Meltzer. Thank you. Roll call of officers and department heads. And all are represented. Thank you. We have a motion and a second to approve the minutes. Is there any discussion? Hearing none, please cast your votes. Thank you, Alder Croat. We got you. Motion passes 11 to 0. The minutes have been approved. All right, on to business presented by the mayor. Item 24-0235 confirmation of appointments. We have a motion and a second to approve. Is there any discussion on the appointments? Hearing none, please cast your votes. Motion passes 11 to 0 and the appointments have been approved. Thank you for approving these appointments. And I also want to thank the members of our community who are continuing in their service to the city of Appleton in these volunteer positions. And just a note for the council and community. When that does post, we will have a couple of vacancies that we'll be looking to fill. So appreciate your help in getting the word out about those opportunities when they come up. Just a number of proclamations to share with you. Appleton's been designated a museums for all hub city, and that proclamation was presented last week. And it is MS Awareness Month. We're recognizing that here in the city of Appleton. And we are again engaged in a fundraising competition with the City of De Pier. We are we're trying to outraise the City of De Pier so that your mayor does not have to suffer an indignity, which would be uh walking from City Hall to the site of the walk, which is out of Fox City Stadium, and then also having to wear either an orange belt or an orange tie for the entire month of May. Uh orange is not really in my palette, so I would appreciate uh your help and the community's help and raising funds uh for a great cause, uh, MS Society of Wisconsin. Uh and uh we'll have a little bit of fun. And uh Mayor Boyd of De Pierre already seems resigned to his fate, uh, but we have to get the job done. So please help us raise funds uh for this great cause. Uh with that, I have no further business to present to you this evening, so we can move on to public participation. I do want to make a note uh for members of the public who are here uh to speak. I believe a number of you are here to speak during the public hearings that we're holding uh on on the special resolutions, uh one P24 uh concrete pavement, driveway aprons, and sidewalk construction uh in particular. We will be holding a separate public hearing for that after we finish regular public participation for any other items on the council agenda uh that'll come right after this in the agenda. So uh if you are here for that item, we'd just ask that you hold uh your your comment until we get to the public hearing in just a moment. And with that, we we we do have no members of the public uh signed up to speak on items that appear on the council agenda except for the the item I just noted. Uh is there anyone here who wishes to speak on an item that appears on the agenda that is not the special resolution? All right, hearing none, we will then close public participation and move along in our agenda to public hearings. The first public hearing is item 24-0100. This is a public hearing on sidewalk resolution one P24, concrete pavement, driveway aprons, sidewalk construction. Just the public hearing, anybody who wishes to speak. If you'd like to please come on up, uh approach the podium, state your name and address for the record, please. I went around, got a petition. I like to serve it to the city for the sidewalks.
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