OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Appleton Common Council Meeting - March 18, 2026

Common Council — Wednesday, March 18, 2026
BodyAppleton, Wisconsin
SessionCommon Council
DateWednesday, March 18, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 35:43

Transcript — Verbatim
0:01

All right, folks, thank you for waiting.

0:03

We'll call to order the meeting of the common council for Wednesday, March 18th.

0:09

Tonight's invocation will be delivered by Alder Person Fenton.

0:16

Thank you.

0:17

Um I had something written, but I pivoted, and I want to take my time tonight to publicly thank everyone who has been and in many cases still are.

0:28

There's a lot of snow to move, working tirelessly to get our city moving again after Blizzard ELSA.

0:34

And by the way, it might be a while before I agree to watch a certain Disney franchise with my granddaughters again.

0:41

We think of the operators driving the plows, but there's a whole team of mechanics, supervisors, and support staff, some of whom I know pitch in again as operators during emergencies like this.

0:52

They've worked long hours even during the height of the storm.

0:55

While the community is being told to stay home because the roads aren't safe, these dedicated folks are out there trying to make those roads passable so that police and fire can get to emergencies and so that essential workers can get to their jobs.

1:08

Kudos to the police and fire departments for their service in these times as well.

1:13

I want to make a special shout out to the staff handling the phones at the Department of Public Works.

1:18

Not every caller is at their best in kindness and at kindest in these situations.

1:23

And to everybody sharing updates with the council members in the community.

1:27

I heard from several constituents that they were grateful for the information I was able to pass along.

1:32

I'm going to close with some snowplow inspired haiku.

1:36

I wrote this morning instead of cleaning up all the mess we've tracked into our kitchen.

1:41

For the plow operators.

1:43

At work all night long, blade pushing mountains of white.

1:47

Let this be the last.

1:50

For the rest of us, winter wonderland.

1:53

Agreed, it's very pretty.

1:55

Now just plow us out.

1:57

And for the complete street engineers.

2:00

Model says there's room around the calming feature.

2:03

Please let it be right.

2:05

Thank you.

2:09

Please join me in the Pledge of Allegiance.

2:13

I pledge allegiance.

2:22

Underbath.

2:31

All right, roll call of Alderpersons.

2:36

Oh, yep.

2:37

There you go.

2:38

Um, all are represented with the exception of Alderpersons Smith and Jones who are excused.

2:44

Alder Person Hertzheim will be joining us when she is able.

2:47

And Alder Person Croat is virtual with us tonight.

2:50

Thank you.

2:51

Roll call of officers and department heads.

2:54

All are represented with the exception of library director Rortbet, who is excused.

2:59

Thank you.

3:00

We will entertain an approval of our previous council meeting minutes from March 4th.

3:06

We have a motion and a second to approve.

3:10

Any discussion?

3:12

Hearing none, please cast your votes.

3:44

Thank you.

3:45

That motion passes 11 to zero.

3:49

Um we will start with the business presented by the mayor.

3:53

I am not the mayor, as you can see.

3:56

Um I am Council President Van Zieland.

3:59

I am leading the meeting for Mayor Woodford, who is joining us from a secure location.

4:06

I'm just kidding.

4:07

He's gonna discuss item 260355.

4:11

Um, before I turn it over to Mayor Woodford, can we get a motion to get this item on the table for discussion, please?

4:18

We do have a motion and a second.

4:21

Uh, Mayor Woodford, I'll turn it over to you.

4:25

Right.

4:25

Thank you, Chair.

4:26

Uh, and I appreciate you uh filling in this evening.

4:31

Uh I'm I'm coming to you all from Washington, D.C., where I've been participating in the National League of Cities Conference uh through the League of Wisconsin municipalities and uh spent a good day advocating on behalf of the uh interests and needs of our community in the city of Appleton and Wisconsin community.

4:48

So I'm very sorry I couldn't be there uh in person, uh, but I I am very pleased to be bringing forward a recommendation uh for our next finance director at the city of Appleton.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Community Engagement█████████████████████████████29%
Procedural████████████████████████████28%
Economic Development███████████████15%
Personnel Matters███████7%
Environmental Protection███████7%
Public Safety██████6%
Emergency Management██████6%
Public Engagement██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Appleton Common Council Meeting - March 18, 2026

The Appleton Common Council convened on March 18, 2026, at 7:03 PM in the Council Chambers, presided over by Council President Van Zeeland (Mayor Woodford participated virtually from Washington, D.C.). Twelve alderpersons were present, three were excused, and one was absent. The meeting covered a new Finance Director appointment, public testimony on two agenda items, separate votes on three key items, and approval of a large consent block of committee reports. The council also praised city crews for blizzard response. The meeting adjourned at 7:38 PM.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of Previous Minutes (26-0339): The March 4, 2026 meeting minutes were approved 11-0.
  • Finance Director Recommendation (26-0355): Council approved Mayor Woodford's appointment of Jennifer Messerschmidt as Finance Director (12-0).
  • Balance of the Agenda (Committee Reports): All remaining committee report items were approved unanimously via a single motion (12-0). These included:
    • Municipal Services Committee: Parking changes on 1700 block E. Orchard Blossom Dr; loading zone on 300E College Ave; parking changes on Florida Ave/Durkee St (near Einstein Middle School) and Badger Ave (near Appleton West High School); traffic utility locating services contract to Lazer Utility Locating, LLC (not-to-exceed $60,000); Lawe Street Navigational Canal Bridge design contract amendment #1 ($23,401.80, new total $463,057.64); 2026 illicit discharge detection and elimination field screening services contract to Westwood Professional Services, Inc. (not-to-exceed $35,000); and contract amendment #1 with TAPCO for TIBA ramp access upgrades ($67,000, new total $288,209.00).
    • Safety & Licensing Committee: Upheld the commercial solicitation license suspension for Helping Homes; denied operator license for Michael St. John; approved secondhand article dealer licenses for The Wild Goose Exchange (contingent on Health/Fire/Police) and Gamestop #5520 (late renewal, contingent on Police); approved cigarette/tobacco/vaping device license for La Bodega Nightclub (contingent on Police); and accepted grant funds.
    • City Plan Commission: Approved the Mission Ridge North Final Plat.
    • Finance Committee: Approved a budget amendment for a WI Department of Justice Law Enforcement Drug Trafficking Response grant (+$17,200 to both Misc State Aids and Misc Equipment); awarded the Anaerobi Digestor Inspection/Maintenance/Improvements construction project to Rohde Brothers Inc. (base plus Alternatives 1 & 5: $1,547,320 with 10% contingency $154,732, total NTE $1,702,052, with 2025-2026 budget carryover appropriations); and awarded a sole source purchase of Allen Bradley PLC Equipment to Werner Electric ($25,678.40, with budget carryover).
    • Utilities Committee: Approved the 2025 Annual Stormwater Report submittal to WDNR.
    • Board of Health: (The Environmental Health Lodging Fee Schedule item was separated; other Board approvals were included.)

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Maiyoua Thao (5310 N Rosemary Dr) spoke in support of item 26-0304 (Long Cheng Marketplace CDI grant), emphasizing the marketplace's role in supporting small businesses, cultural activities, and neighborhood revitalization.
  • Jeanne Roberts (1110 E Florida Ave) also spoke in support of Long Cheng Marketplace, highlighting its community events (Santa, Easter), cultural garden, and intergenerational programming.
  • Katie Olson (1720 W Reeve St) urged approval of the No Kings 3 special event permit (item 26-0259), explaining the late application was due to the national nature of the rally, and that organizers had worked with city staff on a safer march route.

Discussion Items

  • Resolution #2026-01 – CDI Grant Support for Long Cheng Marketplace (26-0304): Council passed a resolution supporting Long Cheng Marketplace's Community Development Investment grant application to the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation. The city assumes no financial liability. Council members praised the project as an economic and community hub. Vote: 12-0.
  • No Kings 3 Special Event Application (26-0259): Council voted to reverse the earlier denial and approve the special event permit for the March 28 rally. Police Chief Olsen and Public Works Director Youngworth confirmed no changes since the Safety & Licensing Committee meeting and support for the traffic control plan. Council members noted they were approving the reversal of denial, not the specific route. Vote: 12-0.
  • Environmental Health Lodging Fee Schedule (26-0285): Council approved a budget‑neutral revision to Tourist Rooming House (TRH) license fees, creating categories for 1, 2-4, 5-9, 10-19, and 20+ units after state law changes. Health Director Siepers explained that 128 licenses fall in the 1‑unit category, 5 in 2-4 units, and 2 in 5-9 units. Fees increased from the previous single $350 to a minimum of $425. Vote: 11-0-1 (Alderperson Schultz abstained).
  • Consolidated Action Items (26-0356): Council approved a package including acceptance of grant funds (26-0310) and the WI DOJ drug trafficking response grant budget amendment (26-0298, requiring 2/3 vote). Vote: 12-0.
  • Ordinances #13-26 to #24-26 (26-0338): A set of ordinances was approved. Vote: 12-0.

Key Outcomes

  • All votes passed with large majorities: Only the lodging fee schedule had an abstention; all other votes were 12-0 or 11-0.
  • Appointments: Jennifer Messerschmidt confirmed as Finance Director.
  • Grant support: Council endorsed Long Cheng Marketplace's CDI grant application.
  • Permit reversal: The No Kings 3 special event was permitted after a late application, contingent on an approved traffic control plan.
  • Fee changes: Updated TRH license fee schedule adopted.
  • Contract awards/amendments: Over $2.3 million in contracts awarded or amended across traffic locating, bridge design, illicit discharge screening, ramp access upgrades, digester construction, and PLC equipment.
  • License actions: Commercial solicitation license suspended, operator license denied, and several secondhand and tobacco licenses approved (subject to department approvals).
  • Recognition: Council expressed appreciation to DPW, Police, Fire, Facilities, and Communications staff for their work during Blizzard ELSA.

Meeting Transcript

All right, folks, thank you for waiting. We'll call to order the meeting of the common council for Wednesday, March 18th. Tonight's invocation will be delivered by Alder Person Fenton. Thank you. Um I had something written, but I pivoted, and I want to take my time tonight to publicly thank everyone who has been and in many cases still are. There's a lot of snow to move, working tirelessly to get our city moving again after Blizzard ELSA. And by the way, it might be a while before I agree to watch a certain Disney franchise with my granddaughters again. We think of the operators driving the plows, but there's a whole team of mechanics, supervisors, and support staff, some of whom I know pitch in again as operators during emergencies like this. They've worked long hours even during the height of the storm. While the community is being told to stay home because the roads aren't safe, these dedicated folks are out there trying to make those roads passable so that police and fire can get to emergencies and so that essential workers can get to their jobs. Kudos to the police and fire departments for their service in these times as well. I want to make a special shout out to the staff handling the phones at the Department of Public Works. Not every caller is at their best in kindness and at kindest in these situations. And to everybody sharing updates with the council members in the community. I heard from several constituents that they were grateful for the information I was able to pass along. I'm going to close with some snowplow inspired haiku. I wrote this morning instead of cleaning up all the mess we've tracked into our kitchen. For the plow operators. At work all night long, blade pushing mountains of white. Let this be the last. For the rest of us, winter wonderland. Agreed, it's very pretty. Now just plow us out. And for the complete street engineers. Model says there's room around the calming feature. Please let it be right. Thank you. Please join me in the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance. Underbath. All right, roll call of Alderpersons. Oh, yep. There you go. Um, all are represented with the exception of Alderpersons Smith and Jones who are excused. Alder Person Hertzheim will be joining us when she is able. And Alder Person Croat is virtual with us tonight. Thank you. Roll call of officers and department heads. All are represented with the exception of library director Rortbet, who is excused. Thank you. We will entertain an approval of our previous council meeting minutes from March 4th. We have a motion and a second to approve. Any discussion? Hearing none, please cast your votes. Thank you. That motion passes 11 to zero. Um we will start with the business presented by the mayor. I am not the mayor, as you can see. Um I am Council President Van Zieland. I am leading the meeting for Mayor Woodford, who is joining us from a secure location.

SUMMARIZED BY OPENPUBLICA AI
TRANSCRIPT VIA PUBLIC VIDEO
openpublica.com