What you may not know: Week of January 20

The Appleton Common Council has a busy committee week ahead, with some new issues and some longstanding debates on the agenda. Here are the highlights:

Community and Economic Development, Monday, 5 pm

I've written extensively about Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) in the past, as the city accepts applications annually for shares of money from a federal program designed to provide funds to projects that benefit low-to-moderate income residents. On Monday night the Community and Economic Development Committee will meet to make a recommendation for $124,900 in grant money available to non-government organizations in 2014.

A six-member advisory board has already met to make a preliminary recommendation for these funds, and here's their proposal:

• Greater Fox Cities Area Habitat for Humanity will receive $33,600 (requested $60,000).
• Harbor House will receive $19,800 (requested $25,000).
• National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) will receive $16,600 (requested $28,000).
• Housing Partnership of the Fox Cities will receive $16,300 (requested $45,800).
• Emergency Shelter of the Fox Valley will receive $15,000 (requested $15,000).
• STEP Industries will receive $13,600 (requested $37,000).
• Fox Valley Warming Shelter will receive $10,000 (requested $10,000).
• Compassionate Home Health Care will receive no money (requested $50,000).

Determining how this money is distributed is an enormous task, of course, and I'm eager to hear how we arrived at this result.

Municipal Services, Tuesday, 5:30 pm

The Municipal Services Committee will be busy on Tuesday night, as they have three interesting items on their agenda.

First, they'll discuss Alderman Joe Martin's proposal to add decorative street lighting to the Skyline (Oneida Street) bridge when the street is reconstructed in 2015. The lights would look similar to those installed on the College Avenue bridge and throughout downtown. The estimated cost to replace the current lights with decorative fixtures is around $160,000, raising a debate on whether beautifying one of the entrances to our downtown area is worth a pretty significant expenditure in tax dollars.

Second, the effort to procure a second option for the city's recycling bins will take another step forward as the committee is expected to select some possible vendors and sizes to request quotes. Two weeks ago the committee was split on the appropriate size for a smaller alternative bin. Most local communities that offer an alternative use something between 60-65 gallons, but a smaller size (48, 35 or 32 gallons) is available for purchase.

Finally, two weeks ago the committee approved a proposed pilot project to install a "bike corral" in a parking space on College Avenue in front of Harmony Cafe, but the issue was referred back at council and will be discussed again. At the last Municipal Services meeting some concerns were raised about potential safety issues caused by bicyclists needing to ride down College Avenue to reach the corral.

Parks and Recreation, Wednesday, 6 pm

Finally, we'll have yet another discussion in our long series on dogs in parks at Wednesday night's Parks and Rec meeting. A series of amendments regarding park ordinances was approved by a 3-2 vote two weeks ago, but last week at council I referred the issue back to committee.

I've been supportive all along of efforts to allow dogs into the parks with certain restrictions, but as I've discussed it with constituents and others over the last couple of weeks it's become apparent that we'll need some time to make some infrastructure adjustments to the parks if we're going to allow dogs. I'm most concerned about our park rules signs (which currently all say "no pets"), potential bag dispensers to encourage people to pick up after their dogs and our park garbage cans, which may need to be emptied more frequently.

This week I'm hopeful we'll discuss potential adjustments that may need to be made and the possibility that we could allow dogs at a date in the future, giving us some time to make the changes needed to do this correctly.

You can see agendas for all of this week's meetings and the full schedule at the city's Legistar page.

Keeping you informed on issues that may impact you around the city is one of my primary goals as an alderman. Making the council's activity as accessible as possible to as many people as are interested is part of my goal to make it easier for more people to get involved with issues that matter to them.

What you may not know: Week of January 13

As promised earlier, here is this week's update on city council activity. The biggest issues coming before the council this week are the same ones I discussed in last week's post, but here's an update on where they stand:

Recycling bins:

As expected, the Municipal Services committee made some modifications to a proposed exchange plans for new, smaller recycling bins.

The initial draft of the exchange policy called for a $100 exchange fee, but that fee will now be waived for anyone that hasn't already exchanged recycling bins once in the last 24 months. As such, anyone who wants to move to a smaller bin and qualifies will be able to do so for free once.

The phrase "and qualifies" is important because of the committee's second amendment: An addition to the policy stating residents can only move to a smaller recycling bin if they also have one of the city's small (roughly 35 gallon) or medium (60-65 gallon) sized garbage bins. This was designed to hopefully prevent residents from downsizing their recycling bin and throwing their overflow recycling into their oversized garbage.

Water Plant

After some discussion, the Finance Committee voted unanimously last week to approve the contract for the Regulatory Upgrades and Process Improvement Project at the Water Treatment Facility, and to make a budget adjustment to prepare for the possibility that the project could exceed its original budgeted figure.

Wednesday's vote will, if nothing else, be notable as a milestone in this project. After years of pre-design and design work and more, a two-thirds vote of council will give Staab Construction authorization to officially begin work on replacing microfiltration modules at the facility with ultraviolet light and making many other process improvements to help the facility remain compliant with DNR regulations.

Dogs in Parks

The Parks and Recreation Committee voted 3-2 last Wednesday to recommend approval of an amended set of park ordinances that include, among other things, the ability to bring dogs into city parks. I proposed the original amendment to allow dogs, and on Wednesday we amended that amendment to language the legal department was more comfortable with. Now, after months of debate, this issue is ready to come before the council for the first time.

I remain dedicated to opening up our parks for responsible pet owners, but it appears likely this is going to be a close vote. If you feel strongly about this issue I'd urge you to contact your alderman and let them know what you're thinking.

Keeping you informed on issues that may impact you around the city is one of my primary goals as an alderman. Making the council's activity as accessible as possible to as many people as are interested is part of my goal to make it easier for more people to get involved with issues that matter to them.

Hear me today on The Philcast on WHBY

I'll be back later this evening with this week's council roundup, but I wanted to take a moment while I have the chance today to invite you to listen to the Philcast on WHBY, where I'll be stopping by around 4:30 today for what's certain to be a lively conversation about allowing dogs in Appleton's city parks.

You can hear WHBY over the air at 1150 AM, or you can listen in online. Take a moment today to join the conversation!

What you may not know: Week of January 6

After a several-week hiatus for the holidays and the coldest Monday in recent memory, the Appleton Common Council will thaw out and return to action this week with an abbreviated committee schedule. Here are some of the highlights:

Municipal Services, Tuesday, 5:30 pm

Since I've joined the council one of the most oft-discussed topics has been the city's new blue recycling bins, and the Municipal Services committee is likely to take a step towards giving residents more alternatives on Tuesday night.

At the meeting I anticipate the committee will approve a proposed new recycling cart exchange policy that will allow recycling users to swap out their bin for a smaller version at no cost provided they make the request before December 31, 2014. After that time moving down to a smaller bin will carry a $100 fee, but the city will continue to maintain bins, replace broken bins and allow users to move back up to the larger bin for free.

On December 28 the Post Crescent ran a story about an earlier draft of this proposal, which called for the $100 change fee to begin immediately. At the last Muni meeting in December the committee made it clear that they wanted to give constituents time to make a choice before instituting the fee, then held the issue to give staff time to prepare this second draft.

Finance, Wednesday, 4:30 pm

The Finance Committee has a big ticket item on their agenda on Wednesday, as they're expected to vote to award a contract worth nearly $5 million for construction on a major project at the Water Treatment Plant.

This project has been a long time coming, as it's at least partially in reaction to new state and federal water regulations handed down in early 2012. The construction summary includes seven elements, but the primary task involved is installing and implementing an ultraviolet light disinfection process to inactivate Cryptosporidium and Giardia, two parasites that can cause very significant illness.

Of course, any time we're talking about a multimillion dollar project every possible step is taken to ensure we're doing the right thing, finding all possible efficiencies and adding something that will last. This project will have to clear an additional hurdle, as approving the project will require a $361,000 budget adjustment to cover some additions that have had to be made since the original project budget.

With that said, I think this improvement is going to be a great thing for our community and everyone that uses our water.

Parks and Recreation, Wednesday, 6 pm

We've been debating the possibility of allowing dogs in Appleton City Parks since August, but this may finally be the week where the Parks and Rec Committee makes a recommendation to the full council.

I wrote about this issue in my last post a month ago, where I outlined a possible rule change and set of criteria for allowing pets into city parks. The committee approved my amendment by a 3-1 vote at our last meeting in December, but then elected to hold the action item so the Legal Department could have an opportunity to re-craft the language.

With their suggestion in hand, I think we're finally ready to proceed here. I expect this amendment to pass Wednesday night, and it should make for interesting debate at council the following week.

Keeping you informed on issues that may impact you around the city is one of my primary goals as an alderman. Making the council's activity as accessible as possible to as many people as are interested is part of my goal to make it easier for more people to get involved with issues that matter to them.

What you may not know: Week of December 9

Once we finish digging out from the most recent snowstorm, the Appleton Common Council has a very busy committee week ahead of us. Here are some of the things I'll be watching:

Human Resources, Monday, 6 pm

The Human Resources committee meets Monday at 6 pm but the most interesting item on their agenda may actually have more to do with Parks and Recreation. P&R Director Dean Gazza is requesting the city's Golf Course Superintendent position, which oversees Reid Golf Course, be expanded from .85 to 1.0 full time equivalent, costing the city an additional $20,000+ annually.

The argument for the change is that "A need exists for the Golf Course Superintendent to provide on-site expertise and daily oversight of the entire golf course operation," according to Director Gazza. Currently, much of the oversight for the contractor hired to manage the clubhouse is handled by Director Gazza and the Parks Planner/Liaison.

2014 is a critical year for the golf course, as it reopens as an 18-hole course for the first time after being a nine-hole facility for all of 2013. Even with that exciting development, though, the 2014 budget calls for revenues to exceed expenses at the course by less than $5000. It's a challenging time to be running a golf course. I guess you could make a case that that's why this move is so important, but it's also why it's hard to justify making the investment.

I haven't decided where I am on this yet. I'm looking forward to hearing discussion about it on Monday.

Municipal Services, Tuesday, 5:30 pm

Many of this week's big stories are likely to come from this meeting. The Municipal Services Committee has eleven action items on their agenda, including the following:

• A request to add decorative street lighting to the Skyline (Oneida Street) bridge when it's reconstructed in 2015. The estimated cost to add the lights is $160,000.
• Approval of the city's suggested policy for exchanging recycling carts for citizens who want to move to a smaller size.
• Approval of several options for $175,246 in undesignated 2014 budget money for street construction or reconstruction.

And, of course, if you've been reading the Post Crescent you know that I have a resolution coming before this committee dealing with the possibility of relaxing the city's snow shoveling policy during the holidays.

The city ordinance, as it currently stands, requires all property owners to clear their sidewalks within 36 hours of the end of a snowfall. That policy works fine during normal days but, in my opinion, it creates a potential hardship during the busiest and most stressful travel times of the year.

I've proposed a rule change that would extend the shoveling deadline from 36 to 72 hours if a snowfall occurs from Wednesday-Sunday on the week of Thanksgiving or between December 24 and January 1. I feel like this will make it one step easier for property owners to travel for the holidays without the added stress of having to either come home early or find someone to clear their sidewalks during the holidays if it happens to snow while they're gone.

The snow clearing ordinance represents a balance between two pressing needs: The need for our citizens to have safe, passable sidewalks to walk on and the need of our property owners to have adequate time to clear them without potentially facing a bill from the city for noncompliance. I think our current policy is fair in most situations, but I also think we can do more to be understanding of people's challenging schedules during the busiest time of the year.

Parks and Recreation, Wednesday, 6 pm

As if those two loaded meetings weren't enough, on Wednesday night the Parks and Rec Committee will meet to discuss one of the more controversial topics we're likely to handle all year: Dogs in parks.

The city's current park ordinances prohibit bringing animals into parks, including sidewalks around the perimeter of park grounds. This ordinance has proven to be very difficult to enforce, and on Wednesday I plan to advocate for changing it.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources allows pets into most state parks, and I think they have a logical set of rules covering what is and isn't allowed. If you're not interested in following that link, here's the short version:

• Pets must be on a leash (no longer than eight feet) and under control at all times. Pet owners who fail to control a pet or whose pet is creating a public nuisance may be asked to leave the park or issued citations.
• Loose pets may be seized and treated as stray animals.
• Pet owners are responsible for removal and disposal of waste products (just like they are on any other property).
• Pets are not allowed inside buildings, in playgrounds, or places where food is being prepared.

I understand that we'll hear arguments on Wednesday regarding irresponsible pet owners and the issues they cause. I won't deny that allowing dogs in parks will create some challenges. But I think the majority of pet owners are responsible (and some others can be encouraged to be more responsible), and we owe it to our constituents to give those responsible owners the benefit of the doubt. 

Keeping you informed on issues that may impact you around the city is one of my primary goals as an alderman. Making the council's activity as accessible as possible to as many people as are interested is part of my goal to make it easier for more people to get involved with issues that matter to them.

What you may not know: Week of November 24 - Regional Transit Authorities and You

The Appleton Common Council has an abbreviated committee meeting schedule this week due to the Thanksgiving holiday and Tuesday's Christmas Parade. You can see agendas for the four committees that are meeting here, if you're interested.

If you've read Sunday's edition of the Post Crescent, though, you know that I've been busy with another issue. Last week Alderman Jeff Jirschele and I co-sponsored a resolution calling for the city to support state legislation allowing a referendum to determine if a new sales tax could be used to fund a regional transit authority (RTA).

This new source of funding could go a long way to stabilize the long term future of Valley Transit, which provides safe and reliable transportation to passengers and businesses across the Fox Valley. Before that can happen, though, we need the state to give us permission to ask.

Any proposed new sales tax (the law calls for up to .5%, but Valley Transit is only likely to ask for .1 or .2) would have to pass a referendum before being enacted. And the referendum can't happen without the state legislature passing a bill that would allow us to do so. This legislation has been proposed multiple times but has never passed in both houses. This year it's Senate Bill 259 and Assembly Bill 349, but neither body has held a hearing on it.

I think it's important when discussing this legislation to remember what it is and what it isn't. The proposed bill won't create a new sales tax, or any tax at all. What it will do is allow a referendum that will allow the voters to decide if a supplemental sales tax is needed. All we're asking for here is permission to let democracy run its course.

The unfortunate reality of the moment is that future planning for Valley Transit has been impacted by uncertainty in long term funding. I'm a strong believer that creating a Regional Transit Authority to stabilize the organization would be a good thing for this community going forward, at a very minimal cost (a .1% increase in sales tax would be one cent for every $10 spent).

However, if a new sales tax isn't going to happen, knowing that would also help us plan for the future. Eliminating this possibility will likely have a negative impact on the future of public transit in the valley, but at least then we would know that we'll have to make some tough choices going forward and be in a position to brace ourselves for that impact.

Allowing the voters to choose which direction we go here is the epitome of democracy. I hope the state legislature can come together and agree to let residents of the Fox Valley decide how to proceed.

What you may not know: Week of November 18

The Appleton Common Council meets on Wednesday for the first time since adopting the 2014 budget. This should be a relatively quiet week, but we do have some items of interest on the agenda:

Police, Fire Contracts

The top story this week is likely to be the ratification of new collective bargaining agreements with union-represented members of both the Police and Fire Departments. This is the first time the city has negotiated with either group since Act 10 was enacted.

Despite the changes in bargaining laws, however, our current tentative agreement with both unions came together very quickly. The speed at which all of this came together is encouraging to me: It suggests everyone feels like they're getting a good deal here.

Both new contracts are for four years, so assuming they're ratified on Wednesday we won't need to negotiate the next deal until 1/1/2017.

Community Development Block Grants

Many of you may recall that we had extended debate earlier this year about awarding funds from the 2013 Community Development Block Grants, a federal program intended to help meet needs of low-to-moderate income neighborhoods.

While the city's allocation from the federal government isn't finalized yet, we're expecting to have $500,000 in grants for 2014 and staff has started the process of preparing to distribute those funds. Here's what's scheduled to come before council on Wednesday night:

• $175,000 earmarked for the Housing Rehabilitation Loan Program
• $60,000 for the Appleton Housing Authority
• $40,000 for the Neighborhood Program
• $37,000 for administrative costs for the Community and Economic Development Department.
• $10,000 for administrative costs for the Finance Department
• $53,100 for the Parks and Rec Department for a pair of projects at Arbutus Park, to make electrical upgrades and renovate a pedestrian stairway.

Assuming all of those items are approved and the city receives $500k as projected, $124,900 will remain in the pool and be available to non-governmental community partners. 

I was pretty vocal in the debate on how to allocate CDBG money earlier this year, because I think these funds represent a remarkable opportunity to make a major difference in our community and it's important we do everything we can to maximize their impact. 

Keeping you informed on issues that may impact you around the city is one of my primary goals as an alderman. Making the council's activity as accessible as possible to as many people as are interested is part of my goal to make it easier for more people to get involved with issues that matter to them.