Meeting colors

OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Appleton Common Council Meeting - October 1, 2025: Budget, Truancy Ordinance, and Salaries

Common Council — Wednesday, October 1, 2025

BodyAppleton, Wisconsin

SessionCommon Council

DateWednesday, October 1, 2025

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 3:06:33

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

0:04

Good evening.

0:05

I now call to order the Wednesday, October 1st, 2025 meeting of the Apple and Common Council.

0:11

Tonight's invocation will be delivered by Elder Meltzer.

0:13

Please rise.

0:18

Kindness is a value that we often mention.

0:22

Kindness can take many forms.

0:25

One example of kindness is clarity.

0:28

As we gather publicly to discuss things on which we agree or disagree, we can be kind by being sincere, being accurate, and being intentional with our words and statements.

0:40

This clarity and discourse benefits our whole community, not just those engaged in dialogue.

0:47

Another example of kindness is to allow breathing room.

0:51

We don't often think of ourselves as the recipients of our own kindness, but we can instantly be kind to ourselves and increase our capacity to be kind to each other by taking a slow deep breath.

1:06

So I know this is cheesy, but please indulge me.

1:10

I want you all to join me in chambers here, watching at home.

1:15

Let's all adjust our posture, take a slow deep breath, let it out gently, and then let us all proceed with kindness.

1:31

Please join me in the Pledge of Allegiance.

1:58

All are represented.

2:00

Roll call of officers and department heads.

2:02

All are represented.

2:04

Okay.

2:13

We have a motion and a second to approve any discussion of the minutes.

2:20

Hearing none, please cast your votes.

2:45

Aye or nay?

2:46

Aye.

2:46

Okay, Alder Jones votes aye.

2:49

Alder Lambruck, how do you vote?

2:52

Thank you.

2:53

Alder Doherty, how do you vote?

2:55

Aye.

2:56

Okay.

2:59

Motion passes 15 to zero.

3:01

The minutes have been approved.

3:03

All right, on to business presented by the mayor.

3:07

Number of proclamations to make you aware of.

3:10

Diwali Awareness Day, Indigenous People's Day, Fire Prevention Week, and Senior Center Month.

3:17

And just make note of that.

3:19

The proclamations are in the materials for the meeting and presented at various events and on locations around the community.

3:28

All right.

3:29

Next we have, and I know you're all here to hear the budget presentation that I'm going to give in a little bit.

3:36

And I really appreciate the civic engagement.

3:44

And one is the uh one we're really excited uh to be presenting tonight, the 2025 City Star Awards.

3:50

And I am glad that you're all here because we get to celebrate some amazing uh city employees and also a friend, a dear friend of the city, uh recognize them with awards.

4:00

So at this time I'm gonna uh welcome uh Mel and Jamie up, and uh we're gonna present these awards.

4:08

All right.

4:11

How long have we been at this?

4:13

This is second year.

4:15

So uh we we started this program uh last year, and uh I want to say this would not be possible uh without the incredible work of our colleagues Mel and Jamie, uh, who who really who took this idea uh out of a meeting that we had and totally ran with it.

4:33

And I just am very grateful uh for their help and in recognizing our employees.

4:38

Uh this this is a program where we we actually solicit nominations from our employees and community members uh and a committee, an internal committee reviews the nominations and puts forward recommendations for awards.

5:00

And as you'll as you'll see as I as I share some of the comments from the nominations that were submitted and the folks who are getting awards tonight, fairly extensive comments about the incredible things that people are doing in service of this community.

5:10

So with that, we're gonna get started.

5:13

We'll kind of work this way, right?

5:14

Okay.

5:20

All right.

5:21

First is Maureen Ward.

5:23

Where's Maureen?

5:35

I'm gonna say nice things about you.

5:38

So Maureen Ward works in the library, and uh she's been recognized with uh the Excellence in Service Delivery City Star Award.

5:45

And I'm just gonna share some uh highlights from her nominations.

5:49

Uh first, Maureen is at the epicenter of all things special at the Appleton Public Library.

5:54

Not only does she prepare agendas and minutes for the board, she has always been behind anything the library did for Library Appreciation Week.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Education Funding█████████████████████████████29%

Procedural██████████████14%

Finance and Budget███████████11%

Public Engagement██████████10%

Youth Programs█████████9%

Public Safety████████8%

Personnel Matters█████5%

Engineering And Infrastructure█████5%

Community Engagement███3%

Summary of Proceedings

Appleton Common Council Meeting - October 1, 2025

The Appleton Common Council met on Wednesday, October 1, 2025, at 7:00 PM in Council Chambers. Mayor Woodford called the meeting to order, and it adjourned at 10:12 PM. Key items included the presentation of the 2026 Executive Budget and Service Plan, City Star Awards, extensive public participation and debate on a truancy ordinance resolution, approval of a liquor license, design approvals for future paving projects, and reconsideration of alderperson salaries.

Consent Calendar

Minutes Approval: The minutes from the September 17, 2025 meeting were approved 15-0.
Proclamations: Diwali Awareness Day, Indigenous Peoples' Day, Fire Prevention Week, and Senior Center Month were proclaimed.
City Star Awards: Presented to Maureen Ward (Library), Lindsay Smith (Community Development), Eric Maggio (Health Department), Ryan Homan (Fire Department), and Mary Beth Nienhouse (Friend of the City Award).
2026 Budget Presentation: Mayor Woodford presented the budget, highlighting a 1.7% levy increase limit tied to net new construction of approximately $144 million, a proposed 3% merit salary increase for non-represented employees, and a 4.52% health insurance cost increase after plan design changes. A listening session on October 20 and a public hearing on November 5 were announced.
Sole Source Purchase: Approval of a $49,953 sole source purchase of Netzsch progressive cavity pumps from Crane Engineering passed 15-0.
Design Approvals for Paving Projects: Design approvals for Badger Ave, Sixth St, Eighth St, and Rankin St reconstruction (2027) passed 14-1 after discussion about historic neighborhood concerns.
Alcohol License: Class B Beer and Class C Wine license for BB Sports Cards LLC passed 15-0 after debate on statutory criteria.
Ordinances: Three ordinances (112-25, 115-25, 116-25) were approved 15-0.
Balance of Agenda: The remainder of the agenda was approved 15-0.

Public Comments & Testimony

Garrett Galster (Mad Elephant): Representing Mad Elephant, requested remand of the amusement device license application back to committee for further review, arguing the denial was based on insufficient investigation.
Sarah Leet (1027 W. Oklahoma St): Spoke on alderperson salaries, advocating for robust discussion and a substantial increase, noting the opportunity cost and barriers to service. She opposed the 2.5% increase, arguing it was devalued by inflation.
Diana Baker (2310 W College Ave): Spoke briefly on the BB Sports Cards alcohol license, deferring to the committee's recommendation.
Truancy Resolution Speakers: Fifteen individuals spoke, including AASD Superintendent Greg Hartjes, Executive Director Laura Jackson, Attendance Coordinator Stephanie Marta, TRAC representative Amanda Captain, Outagamie County Youth and Family Services representative Lauren Cowell, and community members Michelle Pauli, Katie Reiser, Ronna Swift, Corey Otis, Chad Endres, William Siebers, and Dana Johnson. Positions were split: school district officials and teachers argued the citation tool is a necessary last resort for re-engaging disengaged students, citing data that 95% of previous truancy cases improved under the old ordinance. Opponents (e.g., Michelle Pauli, Katie Reiser, and Dana Johnson) cited research showing punitive measures are ineffective and harmful, disproportionately affecting low-income and marginalized families, and noted 638 unhoused students. Supporters emphasized the deterrent effect and the importance of compulsory education.

Discussion Items

Mad Elephant Mechanical Amusement Device License (25-1091): The item was referred back to the Safety and Licensing Committee by Alderperson Croatt after a request from the applicant for further fact-gathering.
Truancy Ordinance Resolution (25-0298): Extensive debate occurred. Alderperson Van Zeeland introduced an amendment by substitution creating a trial period from November 1, 2025, through the end of the school year, with data reporting requirements (demographics, counseling costs, judicial oversight) and a commitment from the district to provide evidence of following 2018 Truancy Court Report recommendations. An amendment to change language from “the Appleton Area School District will:” to “Appleton Common Council requests the Appleton Area School District to:” passed 14-1. The amendment by substitution as amended then passed 15-0. The main motion (the amended resolution) passed 9-6, with Alderpersons Meltzer, Heffernan, Schultz, Jones, Stancil-Martin, and Wolff voting no. The resolution approves a truancy citation as a last resort tool.
Design Approvals for Paving Projects (25-1140): Discussion centered on neighborhood concerns about a 10-foot sidewalk on Sixth Street, communication with residents, and the impact on historic character. Alderpersons Smith and Fenton defended the design as addressing safety at a busy intersection, with no plans to extend the wider sidewalk. The motion passed 14-1, with Alderperson Stancil-Martin opposed.
Reconsideration of Alderperson Salaries (25-1146 / 25-1001): The motion to reconsider passed 9-6. An amendment to increase salaries by 3.5% (to $7,000) failed 6-9. The original 2.5% increase (effective April 2027) then passed 13-2, with Alderpersons Hartzheim and Croatt opposed.

Key Outcomes

Truancy Ordinance: Approved as amended (9-6). The ordinance will be in effect for a trial period from November 1, 2025, through the end of the 2025-2026 school year, with reporting requirements and a dependency on district cooperation. Data on citations, demographics, and outcomes will be reviewed.
Design Approvals: Approved (14-1) for the 2027 paving projects on Badger Avenue, Sixth Street, Eighth Street, and Rankin Street.
Alderperson Salaries: A 2.5% increase was approved (13-2), bringing the salary to approximately $6,912, effective April 2027.
Amusement Device License: Referred back to Safety and Licensing Committee for further review.
Sole Source Purchase: Approved (15-0).
Alcohol License: Approved (15-0) for BB Sports Cards.
Ordinances: All three ordinances approved (15-0).
Balance of Agenda: Approved (15-0).

Meeting Transcript

Good evening. I now call to order the Wednesday, October 1st, 2025 meeting of the Apple and Common Council. Tonight's invocation will be delivered by Elder Meltzer. Please rise. Kindness is a value that we often mention. Kindness can take many forms. One example of kindness is clarity. As we gather publicly to discuss things on which we agree or disagree, we can be kind by being sincere, being accurate, and being intentional with our words and statements. This clarity and discourse benefits our whole community, not just those engaged in dialogue. Another example of kindness is to allow breathing room. We don't often think of ourselves as the recipients of our own kindness, but we can instantly be kind to ourselves and increase our capacity to be kind to each other by taking a slow deep breath. So I know this is cheesy, but please indulge me. I want you all to join me in chambers here, watching at home. Let's all adjust our posture, take a slow deep breath, let it out gently, and then let us all proceed with kindness. Please join me in the Pledge of Allegiance. All are represented. Roll call of officers and department heads. All are represented. Okay. We have a motion and a second to approve any discussion of the minutes. Hearing none, please cast your votes. Aye or nay? Aye. Okay, Alder Jones votes aye. Alder Lambruck, how do you vote? Thank you. Alder Doherty, how do you vote? Aye. Okay. Motion passes 15 to zero. The minutes have been approved. All right, on to business presented by the mayor. Number of proclamations to make you aware of. Diwali Awareness Day, Indigenous People's Day, Fire Prevention Week, and Senior Center Month. And just make note of that. The proclamations are in the materials for the meeting and presented at various events and on locations around the community. All right. Next we have, and I know you're all here to hear the budget presentation that I'm going to give in a little bit. And I really appreciate the civic engagement. And one is the uh one we're really excited uh to be presenting tonight, the 2025 City Star Awards. And I am glad that you're all here because we get to celebrate some amazing uh city employees and also a friend, a dear friend of the city, uh recognize them with awards. So at this time I'm gonna uh welcome uh Mel and Jamie up, and uh we're gonna present these awards. All right. How long have we been at this? This is second year. So uh we we started this program uh last year, and uh I want to say this would not be possible uh without the incredible work of our colleagues Mel and Jamie, uh, who who really who took this idea uh out of a meeting that we had and totally ran with it. And I just am very grateful uh for their help and in recognizing our employees. Uh this this is a program where we we actually solicit nominations from our employees and community members uh and a committee, an internal committee reviews the nominations and puts forward recommendations for awards. And as you'll as you'll see as I as I share some of the comments from the nominations that were submitted and the folks who are getting awards tonight, fairly extensive comments about the incredible things that people are doing in service of this community. So with that, we're gonna get started.

SUMMARIZED BY OPENPUBLICA AI

TRANSCRIPT VIA PUBLIC VIDEO
openpublica.com