OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Appleton Common Council Meeting June 5, 2024: ARPA Grants, Wheel Tax Held, Responsible Bidder Policy Approved

Common Council — Wednesday, June 5, 2024
BodyAppleton, Wisconsin
SessionCommon Council
DateWednesday, June 5, 2024
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:05:47

Transcript — Verbatim
0:04

Good evening.

0:05

I now call to order the Wednesday, June 5th, 2024 meeting of the Appleton Common Council.

0:11

Tonight's invocation will be delivered by Alder Wolf.

0:16

Happy Pride Month.

0:18

Let us join together in celebrating love, diversity, and acceptance.

0:22

May this month be a powerful reminder of the importance of equality and the beauty of being one's true self.

0:29

Let's embrace and uplift each other as we march towards a more inclusive and loving world.

0:35

Love is love.

0:36

And we stand proud together.

0:39

Please join me in the Pledge of Allegiance.

0:42

I pledge allegiance.

0:50

God indivisible with liberty.

1:03

Roll call of Alders.

1:05

And all are represented with the exceptions of Alderperson Ferkas and Alderperson Hayden who are excused.

1:10

And we'll note we're expecting Alder Schultz.

1:13

And right on Q Alder Schultz.

1:17

Right.

1:17

Welcome.

1:18

Roll call of officers and department heads.

1:21

All are represented.

1:22

All right.

1:38

Hearing none, please cast your votes.

1:54

Okay.

1:58

Okay.

2:06

All right.

2:06

That motion passes 13 to zero.

2:08

The minutes have been approved.

2:14

All right.

2:14

On to business presented by the mayor.

2:17

I'll just want to make note of a number of proclamations here in the month of June.

2:23

Of course, recognizing Pride Month, Scleroderma Awareness Month, CPR and AED Awareness Week, Gun Violence Awareness Day, and Juneteenth Celebration Day.

2:34

And we've been marking these occasions with a number of uh ceremonies on site and also here at City Hall.

2:43

So just make note of those and uh the text of those proclamations is in your materials.

2:49

That's it for business presented by the mayor.

2:51

So we'll move on now to public participation.

2:55

At each meeting, the common council reserves 30 minutes for members of the public to express their views on items which appear on our agenda.

3:04

We have five people signed up to speak this evening.

3:06

When I call your name, please approach the microphone and state your name and address or your affiliation for the record.

3:12

We ask that you please keep your comments concise and to the point, and that you please take into consideration comments that have been made by those who've spoken before you.

3:19

We also ask that you limit your comments to five minutes or less, and we will help you keep track of time.

3:25

So with that, uh let's get started with Deborah Blank.

3:31

Welcome.

3:34

Hi, good evening.

3:35

I'm Deb Blank.

3:36

I live at 2623 East Sundance Drive, Appleton, Wisconsin.

3:41

And thank you for letting me be here tonight.

3:43

Oh, my goal is to illuminate the big picture and share some of what I've discovered.

3:47

It went through a variety of solutions, all rejected as nonviable alternatives at your finance committee meeting regarding the resolution for the wheel tax, stating that returning to assessments was not an option.

3:59

So I explored others.

4:00

How do Appleton residents currently contribute to roads?

4:03

We do so through power registrations, driver's licensing fees, gas taxes, county taxes, sales taxes, and the transportation fund is going to include electric car sales, taxes, and sales taxes, and auto parts, tires, repairs.

4:17

We also do property taxes, federal taxes, wheel taxes, and we continue to pay for new construction.

4:24

Appleton doesn't operate in a vacuum.

4:26

As a municipality, it works with counties and the state.

4:28

So I reviewed the entire state budget.

4:30

Oh my stars, and looked at the amount of funding and their priorities.

4:34

And and when I looked at priorities, I was astounded at the um at basically the amounts that were designated for public welfare, public education, um, then up higher education, health, and then roads.

4:51

So I think we have a bigger problem.

4:52

It's obvious that it's obvious that the state looks to local governments to deal with roads.

4:57

All of Wisconsin's 190 cities operate under the same parameters with the same constraints.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Finance and Budget███████████████████████23%
Procedural█████████████████████21%
Public Engagement███████████████15%
Budget Equity Analysis██████████████14%
Youth Programs████████████12%
Engineering And Infrastructure██████6%
Public Health█████5%
Public Transportation██2%
Economic Development██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Appleton Common Council Meeting June 5, 2024

The Appleton Common Council met on June 5, 2024, at 7:00 PM in the Council Chambers. The agenda included proclamations, public hearings, and several major action items. Key decisions included approval of $1.75 million in ARPA non-profit grants, a vote to hold a proposed $10 wheel tax increase until the next meeting, and adoption of a Responsible Bidder Policy. The meeting also featured public comments on the wheel tax and ARPA allocations, and a public hearing on a rezoning for the Emerald Valley Estates 8th Addition.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved the Common Council meeting minutes of May 15, 2024 (13-0).
  • Approved the balance of the agenda (Committee Reports) en masse, which included:
    • Municipal Services: Mural in the Red Ramp, Commodore Club street occupancy permit, pavement marking contract to Century Traffic ($178,195.90), parking change on Second Street, Trout Museum of Art permanent overhang permit.
    • Safety & Licensing: Multiple alcohol license changes and renewals (Angels Restaurant, Ivory Rose Bridal Boutique, three FKG Oil MotoMarts, Apollon, Appleton Beer Factory, Target, Lawrence University Viking Room), annual alcohol license renewals, temporary premises amendment for Mill City Public House (Ribfest July 4, 2024), Pet Supplies Plus renewal, cigarette/tobacco/vapor renewals, Fox Valley Cab renewal.
    • City Plan Commission: Rezoning #3-24 (Emerald Valley 8th Addition, AG to R-1B), approval of 8th/9th/10th Additions Preliminary Plat, Special Use Permit #2-24 for a bar/cocktail lounge at 823 W. College Avenue.
    • Parks & Recreation: Adoption of revised Scheig Center and Gardens Rental and Fee Policy.
    • Finance: Sole source purchase of fire apparatus, CEA Review Committee report, contract amendment for Lightning Drive Extension Phase 1 (increase of $77,508), two budget amendments for Fire and Police donations from Theodore Lang Trust ($17,651 each).
    • Utilities: Single source contract with Brown & Caldwell ($41,400), sanitary/storm sewer cleaning contract to Green Bay Pipe & TV ($250,000).
  • Approved Ordinances #32-24 through #91-24 (13-0).

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Debra Blank (2623 E. Sundance Dr.) opposed the proposed wheel tax increase (Item 24-0585), arguing it is regressive and that the city can prioritize its budget differently. She noted that 15 of the largest 24 Wisconsin cities do not impose a wheel tax and that Appleton's surrounding communities largely do not have one.
  • Walter Blank (representing Appleton Concerned Taxpayers) also opposed the wheel tax, calling it unfair and regressive. He highlighted Appleton's heavy debt service burden ($434/year on a $250,000 home) and proposed a state-level solution to reduce municipal debt.
  • Barb Tengesdal (Executive Director, First 5 Fox Valley) spoke in support of ARPA non-profit grant recommendations (Item 24-0669), describing the need for a family resource center and the collaborative process with parents.
  • Oliver Zornow (CEO/President, Building for Kids Children's Museum) supported the ARPA grants, emphasizing the pandemic's impact on children and the importance of mitigating developmental harm.
  • Lisa Strandberg (Executive Director, Pillars) thanked the council for recognizing the work of frontline staff through the ARPA funding.
  • Alicia Bushman (Appleton resident and parent) expressed gratitude for the ARPA funding toward the family resource center, noting the value of having a voice in community decisions.

Discussion Items

  • Special Use Permit #3-24 (1800 W. College Avenue): Approved 13-0. Alder Fenton expressed community gratitude for the redevelopment of the former CVS building into a wholesale facility.
  • ARPA Non-Profit Grant Award Recommendations (24-0669): Approved 11-2 (Alderpersons Hartzheim and Doran opposed). Alder Hartzheim urged better prioritization of city spending; Alder Heffernan expressed disappointment that no funds went to substance use disorder. Alder Jones and Fenton supported the grants, citing Treasury guidance and positive community impact. Alder Doran opposed the process and raised sustainability concerns. Staff clarified that the grants were part of a phased plan and that applicants were evaluated on long-term impact. Alder Van Zeeland emphasized the public input process behind the allocations.
  • Wheel Tax Increase (Resolution #5-R-24): A motion to hold the item until the June 19 Council meeting passed 10-3 (Meltzer, Schultz, Wolff opposed). Discussion centered on whether to wait for the absent Finance Committee Chair (Alder Firkus). Alder Hartzheim argued for denial, calling the tax a

Meeting Transcript

Good evening. I now call to order the Wednesday, June 5th, 2024 meeting of the Appleton Common Council. Tonight's invocation will be delivered by Alder Wolf. Happy Pride Month. Let us join together in celebrating love, diversity, and acceptance. May this month be a powerful reminder of the importance of equality and the beauty of being one's true self. Let's embrace and uplift each other as we march towards a more inclusive and loving world. Love is love. And we stand proud together. Please join me in the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance. God indivisible with liberty. Roll call of Alders. And all are represented with the exceptions of Alderperson Ferkas and Alderperson Hayden who are excused. And we'll note we're expecting Alder Schultz. And right on Q Alder Schultz. Right. Welcome. Roll call of officers and department heads. All are represented. All right. Hearing none, please cast your votes. Okay. Okay. All right. That motion passes 13 to zero. The minutes have been approved. All right. On to business presented by the mayor. I'll just want to make note of a number of proclamations here in the month of June. Of course, recognizing Pride Month, Scleroderma Awareness Month, CPR and AED Awareness Week, Gun Violence Awareness Day, and Juneteenth Celebration Day. And we've been marking these occasions with a number of uh ceremonies on site and also here at City Hall. So just make note of those and uh the text of those proclamations is in your materials. That's it for business presented by the mayor. So we'll move on now to public participation. At each meeting, the common council reserves 30 minutes for members of the public to express their views on items which appear on our agenda. We have five people signed up to speak this evening. When I call your name, please approach the microphone and state your name and address or your affiliation for the record. We ask that you please keep your comments concise and to the point, and that you please take into consideration comments that have been made by those who've spoken before you. We also ask that you limit your comments to five minutes or less, and we will help you keep track of time. So with that, uh let's get started with Deborah Blank. Welcome. Hi, good evening. I'm Deb Blank. I live at 2623 East Sundance Drive, Appleton, Wisconsin. And thank you for letting me be here tonight. Oh, my goal is to illuminate the big picture and share some of what I've discovered. It went through a variety of solutions, all rejected as nonviable alternatives at your finance committee meeting regarding the resolution for the wheel tax, stating that returning to assessments was not an option. So I explored others. How do Appleton residents currently contribute to roads?

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