OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Appleton Common Council Meeting – March 4, 2026: Approvals, Reckless Driving Ordinance, No Kings Referral

Common Council — Wednesday, March 4, 2026
BodyAppleton, Wisconsin
SessionCommon Council
DateWednesday, March 4, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 35:36

Transcript — Verbatim
0:02

Good evening.

0:03

I now call to order the Wednesday, March 4th, 2026 meeting of the Appleton Common Council.

0:08

We do not have an invocation tonight, so please rise for a moment of silence.

0:28

Thank you.

0:29

Please join me in the Pledge of Allegiance.

0:33

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands.

0:40

One nation under God.

0:42

Indivisible with liberty.

0:54

Roll call of alders.

0:55

All are represented.

0:57

And roll call of officers and department heads.

1:00

All are represented.

1:01

All right.

1:01

Thank you.

1:10

Any discussion of the minutes.

1:16

Hearing none, please cast your votes.

1:23

Motion passes 15 to 0.

1:25

The minutes have been approved.

1:27

On the business presented by the mayor, I have one reappointment for you.

1:30

This is 26-0226 for the Appleton Housing Reauthority or Housing Authority.

1:37

Excuse me.

1:38

We have a motion and a second to approve any discussion.

1:43

Hearing none, please cast your votes.

1:55

There it is.

1:56

Motion passes 15 to 0.

1:58

That reappointment has been approved.

2:00

And uh thank you for reappro approving this reappointment.

2:05

And we also thank Sergeant Chris Bees for continuing in his service with the housing authority.

2:12

That's it for business presented by the mayor.

2:14

So we come now to a time of public participation.

2:17

At each meeting of the Common Council, the council sets aside 30 minutes for public participation.

2:23

Public participation is limited to a maximum of five minutes per person.

2:27

And we ask that you keep your comments concise and within the time limit.

2:33

And we will take up the list.

2:36

If if you miss this sign up, don't worry, I'll I'll double check before we close public participation.

2:41

But we'll uh first take up those who've signed up ahead of time.

2:45

Uh the first is Katie Olson.

2:55

If you'd please state your name and address or your affiliation for the record.

2:59

Thank you.

2:59

Yes, I am uh Katie Olson.

3:02

I live at 1720 West Reeve Street here in Appleton, and I am also the uh director of the nonprofit Esther.

3:11

So good evening and thank you for your time tonight.

3:16

Um I, as I said, I I work for Esther, uh, which is a nonprofit that brings together faith communities and neighbors to work for the common good.

3:25

Um first I want to thank the Safety and Licensing Committee for hearing our appeal last week and for uh provisionally approving the permit request for uh the No Kings March on uh March 28th.

3:41

Uh we appreciate the committee's thoughtful consideration and the opportunity to come before common council tonight.

3:48

Um, since that meeting, our organizing team continued to work through our plans and the logistics of the event.

3:56

Um, through those conversations, we realized that the original route, which ended in the courthouse parking lot, would require a large number of participants to gather in an open parking area.

4:08

Um, so after further reflection, we felt that this could create unnecessary safety concerns and congestion.

4:16

Um, so because of that, we uh worked with Sergeant Bees and Mayor Woodford to develop a revised route that would uh instead loop around College Avenue.

4:27

Uh this route allows the march to remain moving rather than concentrating at people in one um congregated area, and it improves the visibility for the event while keeping participants in a more structured and predictable path.

4:44

The revised route was developed collaboratively uh by two organizers who are representing the full organizing team of 26 people in conversation with city leadership.

5:00

We also reached out to uh warning lights to obtain a quote for the barricades and signage, and our organizing team has committed to fundraise to cover those costs if we do uh get the permit.

5:11

Um, and earlier today I reached out to Pete Neubauer in the Department of Public Works and left a voicemail for him to ensure that we are coordinating uh with all of the correct city staff.

5:24

Um, safety has always been our top priority.

5:28

Our team has successfully organized two similar events in the past, and in both cases, we use trained volunteer marshals, clear communication with the participants, and internal coordination among organizers to ensure the crowd remained peaceful and safe.

5:45

Both of those events concluded safely.

5:49

We will implement these same safety measures again for this event.

5:54

Our goal is to work cooperatively with the city to ensure the march happens in a structured, predictable and safe way for the participants, residents, and drivers.

6:04

The permit allows us to do exactly that.

6:06

So we respectfully ask the council to approve the permit with updated route so we can continue planning a safe and well organized event for our community.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural██████████████████████████████████34%
Transportation Safety██████████████████████22%
Public Safety█████████████████████21%
Public Engagement███████████████████19%
Engineering And Infrastructure████4%
Summary of Proceedings

Appleton Common Council Meeting – March 4, 2026

The Appleton Common Council met Wednesday, March 4, 2026, at 7:00 PM in Council Chambers. Mayor Jake Woodford presided with 16 alderpersons present and all department heads represented. The meeting adjourned at 7:36 PM after approving numerous resolutions, ordinances, and committee action items.

Consent Calendar

  • The February 18, 2026 Common Council meeting minutes were approved 15-0; Mayor Woodford abstained.
  • The Appleton Housing Authority reappointment (26-0226) was approved 15-0; Mayor Woodford abstained. Mayor Woodford thanked Sergeant Chris Bees for continuing his service with the housing authority.
  • Ordinances #8-26 to #12-26 (26-0265) were approved 15-0; Mayor Woodford abstained.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Katie Olson (1720 W Reeve St), director of nonprofit Esther, spoke in support of the No Kings 3 special event permit. She described a revised march route that loops around College Avenue instead of ending in the courthouse parking lot, said the route was developed collaboratively with city leadership, and stated organizers would fundraise to cover barricade and signage costs.
  • Ronna Swift (230 W Seymour St) spoke in support of the permit, citing decades of peace coalition advocacy and emphasizing freedom of speech.
  • Taylor Wilson (1409 N Graceland Ave), a mother and member of the Democratic Party of Outagamie County, spoke in support, saying the permit would keep protesters, residents, and downtown visitors safe.
  • Megan Normansell (229 N Rankin St), part of the event safety team, said the team has ongoing training and a history of orderly, safe events.

Public Hearings

  • Public hearing 1-P-26 on sanitary laterals, storm laterals, and storm main for Badger Ave, Eighth St, Sixth St, Dewey St, Walden Ave, Brewster St, Drew St, Oklahoma St, Rankin St, and Lawe St was held. Sarah Leet (1027 W Oklahoma St) expressed concerns about construction communication, financial impact on taxpayers, and repeated delays, and asked for smooth communication over the next two years.
  • Public hearing 2-P-26 on concrete paving, sidewalk construction, and driveway aprons for Baldeagle Dr, Harrier Ln, Honeygold Ct, Kestrel Cir, and French Rd was held; no one spoke.
  • Public hearing for the portion of Canal St. street vacation was held; no one spoke.

Special Resolutions

  • Final Resolution 1-P-26 (sanitary laterals, storm laterals, and storm main) was approved 15-0; Mayor Woodford abstained.
  • Final Resolution 2-P-26 (concrete paving, sidewalk construction, and driveway aprons) was approved 15-0; Mayor Woodford abstained.
  • Final Resolution for the portion of Canal St. street vacation was approved 15-0; Mayor Woodford abstained.

Discussion Items

  • No Kings 3 Special Event Application (26-0259): Alderperson Croatt moved to refer the application back to the Safety and Licensing Committee, citing final details to be worked out on the traffic control plan. Mayor Woodford added that organizers had proposed an alternative route after the committee's provisional approval, requiring continued review, and that staffing analysis and a follow-up discussion with organizers were not yet complete. The item was referred back and will be taken up at the Safety and Licensing Committee meeting on March 11 at 5:30 PM.
  • Reckless Driving Vehicle Impoundment Ordinance (26-0227): Approved 15-0 after discussion. Police Chief Olson explained that reckless driving requires criminal negligence, an unreasonable risk of death or great bodily harm, and driver awareness of the risk; Appleton issued two citations under that criteria in January. He said Milwaukee had adopted a similar ordinance and Green Bay was working on one. The ordinance applies only to vehicles defined by statute, not bicycles or electric bikes. Towing release timing depends on the towing company and applicable fees.
  • Preliminary 2026-2027PY Community Development Block Grant Community Partner Allocations (26-0209): Approved 14-0; Alderperson Jones and Mayor Woodford abstained. Alderperson Van Zeeland thanked committee participants for their work.

Other Committee Action Items Approved (balance of agenda)

  • Ordinance changes for B-26 Alexander St, B-26 Bell Ave, B-26 Melrose Ave, and A-26 Lawe St reconstruction projects.
  • All-way stop control change at the Durkee St / Florida Ave intersection.
  • WisDOT I-41 Memorandum of Agreement for stormwater detention pond construction and maintenance and the permanent limited easement.
  • Amendments to Municipal Code Sections 19-90 and 19-91 related to parking.
  • McFleshman's Brewing Co. full-service retail outlet transfer for 2026 Downtown Appleton Farm Market dates.
  • Rezoning #1-26 for the 5730 N. Ballard Road annexation (approximately 1.93 acres) from AG Agricultural District to R-1B Single-family District, Shoreland-Wetland District, and Shoreland District.
  • Foxport Extraterritorial Preliminary Plat in the Town of Grand Chute.
  • Alicia Playground Equipment Project contract award to Lee Recreation LLC, not to exceed $130,000.
  • Unit B-26 asphalt paving award to Triple P Inc. dba Peters Concrete Company for $1,244,583.86 with a 3.6% contingency of $45,000, for a project total not to exceed $1,289,583.86.
  • Sole-source purchase of Rockwell Automation/Allen Bradley variable frequency drive equipment from Werner Electric for $203,197.
  • WEDC SAG Grant 2026 budget amendment adding $150,000 each in Misc State Aids and Consulting Services.
  • Contract Amendment #1 to Donohue for Phase 5 Construction Services in the amount of $209,479, increasing the AWWTP anaerobic digester contract from $293,755 to $503,234, with related 2025-2026 budget carryovers.
  • Lindbergh Standpipe Recoating Project budget amendment transferring $54,038 from the Matthias Tower Coating Project.
  • Municipal Code Chapter 4, Sec. 4-278 text amendment on duplex water service.
  • Engineering services contract for the Lindbergh Standpipe Coating Project to Dixon Engineering, Inc., for $51,465 plus a 5% contingency of $2,573, totaling $54,038.
  • Police Department Table of Organization change.
  • Utilities Table of Organization change.
  • Fox Cities Transit Commission awards for data management system extension and APC support, router and antenna purchase, and commissioning agent contract.

Key Outcomes

  • Approved minutes, mayoral reappointment, special resolutions, ordinances, and the balance of committee agenda items as noted above.
  • Referred the No Kings 3 special event application back to the Safety and Licensing Committee.
  • Approved the reckless driving impoundment ordinance 15-0, with Mayor Woodford abstaining.
  • Approved CDBG preliminary community partner allocations 14-0, with Alderperson Jones and Mayor Woodford abstaining.
  • Adjourned at 7:36 PM.

Meeting Transcript

Good evening. I now call to order the Wednesday, March 4th, 2026 meeting of the Appleton Common Council. We do not have an invocation tonight, so please rise for a moment of silence. Thank you. Please join me in the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands. One nation under God. Indivisible with liberty. Roll call of alders. All are represented. And roll call of officers and department heads. All are represented. All right. Thank you. Any discussion of the minutes. Hearing none, please cast your votes. Motion passes 15 to 0. The minutes have been approved. On the business presented by the mayor, I have one reappointment for you. This is 26-0226 for the Appleton Housing Reauthority or Housing Authority. Excuse me. We have a motion and a second to approve any discussion. Hearing none, please cast your votes. There it is. Motion passes 15 to 0. That reappointment has been approved. And uh thank you for reappro approving this reappointment. And we also thank Sergeant Chris Bees for continuing in his service with the housing authority. That's it for business presented by the mayor. So we come now to a time of public participation. At each meeting of the Common Council, the council sets aside 30 minutes for public participation. Public participation is limited to a maximum of five minutes per person. And we ask that you keep your comments concise and within the time limit. And we will take up the list. If if you miss this sign up, don't worry, I'll I'll double check before we close public participation. But we'll uh first take up those who've signed up ahead of time. Uh the first is Katie Olson. If you'd please state your name and address or your affiliation for the record. Thank you. Yes, I am uh Katie Olson. I live at 1720 West Reeve Street here in Appleton, and I am also the uh director of the nonprofit Esther. So good evening and thank you for your time tonight. Um I, as I said, I I work for Esther, uh, which is a nonprofit that brings together faith communities and neighbors to work for the common good. Um first I want to thank the Safety and Licensing Committee for hearing our appeal last week and for uh provisionally approving the permit request for uh the No Kings March on uh March 28th. Uh we appreciate the committee's thoughtful consideration and the opportunity to come before common council tonight. Um, since that meeting, our organizing team continued to work through our plans and the logistics of the event. Um, through those conversations, we realized that the original route, which ended in the courthouse parking lot, would require a large number of participants to gather in an open parking area. Um, so after further reflection, we felt that this could create unnecessary safety concerns and congestion. Um, so because of that, we uh worked with Sergeant Bees and Mayor Woodford to develop a revised route that would uh instead loop around College Avenue. Uh this route allows the march to remain moving rather than concentrating at people in one um congregated area, and it improves the visibility for the event while keeping participants in a more structured and predictable path.

SUMMARIZED BY OPENPUBLICA AI
TRANSCRIPT VIA PUBLIC VIDEO
openpublica.com