Appleton Common Council Organizational Meeting – April 22, 2026
Appleton Common Council Organizational Meeting – April 22, 2026
The Common Council held its annual organizational meeting on April 22, 2026, at 6:00 PM in the Council Chambers. The meeting covered adoption of council rules, department functions, a code of conduct amendment, committee appointments, and elections for council president, vice president, and city plan commission representative. All votes were unanimous where recorded.
Proposed Changes to the Rules of Council
- Ald. Heffernan withdrew his proposed change (26-0499) to Rule 3, which would have required invocation speakers to use "I" statements instead of "we" statements when praying to a god. He cited potential constitutionality concerns. The withdrawal was accepted without objection.
Remaining Rules of Council
- The council approved the Rules of Council (26-0473) by a vote of 15–0 with no discussion.
Department and Committee Functions
- The council approved the Department and Committee Functions (26-0474) by a vote of 15–0 with no discussion.
Recommit to the Code of Conduct
- Ald. Crote moved to amend the last bullet of the Code of Conduct to read "act decisively and definitively on behalf of all of our constituents" (adding the word "all"). The amendment passed 15–0. The Code of Conduct as amended was then approved 15–0.
Appointment of Committees and Committee Chairs
- The council approved appointments of committees and committee chairs by a vote of 15–0 without discussion.
Election of Common Council President
- Nominations: Ald. Crote nominated Ald. Brad Furkas; Ald. Meltzer nominated Ald. Nate Wolf. Both accepted. After brief remarks from each nominee, secret ballots were cast. Ald. Furkas was elected president. The mayor noted a commemorative gavel will be presented to outgoing President Van Zieland at the next meeting.
Election of Common Council Vice President
- Nominations: Ald. Meltzer nominated Ald. Nate Wolf (declined); Ald. Stanzel Martin nominated Ald. Patrick Hayden (accepted); Ald. Hartzheim nominated Ald. Chris Crote (accepted). After remarks from both nominees, secret ballots were cast. Ald. Patrick Hayden was elected vice president.
Election of Common Council Representative to the City Plan Commission
- Nominations: Ald. Crote and Ald. Fenton both nominated Ald. Hartzheim; Ald. Wolf nominated Ald. Josh Lambert. Both accepted and gave remarks. Secret ballots were cast. Ald. Josh Lambert was elected, succeeding Bill Sievers.
Other Council Business
- The mayor reminded newly elected chairs to coordinate with staff liaisons on committee schedules due to timing issues. Ald. Hartzheim raised a question about whether the CDBG Advisory Committee representative must be on the Community Development Committee. The mayor said they would verify the requirement and ensure it is sorted out before the CDBG committee meets.
Consent Calendar
- No separate consent calendar was used; all items were handled individually.
Meeting Transcript
Good evening. I now call to order the formal organizational meeting of the Appleton Common Council. Please rise for the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the United States. Roll call of Alders. All are represented. Roll call of officers and department heads. We have representatives from community development, finance, police, and public works. All others are excused. Okay. All right. This being our organizational meeting will take care of our rules and the department committee functions, code of conduct, and then we'll get on with elections. So first proposed changes to the rules of council. One submitted ahead of time, 26-0499 regarding Rule Three Order of Business. And at this time, I'd like to recognize Alder Heffernan who submitted this one. Thank you, Chair. While my sentiment I feel was well received by my colleagues and well respected due to the fact that we are flirting with some uh constitutionality on this rule. I, if there are no objections, would respectfully uh withdraw. All right, Alder Heffernan wishes to withdraw. Are there any objections? Hearing none, uh, the proposed rule change has been withdrawn. We'll move on now to the remaining rules of council. This is 26-0473. Looking for a motion. We have a motion and a second to approve the rules of council. Is there any discussion on the rules? Hearing none, please cast your votes. Motion passes 15 to 0. You have rules. All right. We have no proposed changes to department and committee functions, so we're on to 26-0474. Department and Committee functions. We have a motion and a second to approve. Is there any discussion? Hearing none, please cast your votes. All right, that motion passes 15 to 0. Department and Committee functions have been approved. On to recommending to the code of conduct. The code of conduct reads as follows. Treat everyone with respect, be courteous, prepared and on time, and accept differences. Be honest in all interactions and avoid surprises. Listen to all sides with an open mind and be understanding of different opinions. Agree to disagree. Remember that we are elected or appointed to serve the best interests of our community. And act decisively and definitively on behalf of our constituents. We have a motion and a second to approve the code of conduct. Is there any discussion? All right, hearing none. Oh, Alder Crote. Okay.
openpublica.com