Appleton Common Council Update for Week of July 6

I hope everyone had a safe and relaxing holiday weekend. It was a brief break for the Appleton Common Council, as we're back to work to kick off a busy committee week today. Here are the highlights:

Finance Committee, Monday, 5:30 pm

Tonight the Finance Committee will receive our annual report on the city's audited financial statements and, as usual, good news is anticipated.

Dave Maccoux of CliftonLarsonAllen, LLP, the firm that audited the city's financial statements, will give a presentation at tonight's Finance Committee meeting on the recently completed 2019 audit. Their documents indicate the city received an unqualified or "clean" opinion on the audit. This is the highest opinion that can be offered.

This continues a longstanding trend in the city's annual audits: This is my seventh year on the Finance Committee and during that time (and in the years prior) the city has received nothing but clean reports as part of our annual audits, a yearly reassuring indication that the people who manage our financial intake and expenditures are doing the best possible job effectively and efficiently. 

This is a longstanding point of pride for the City, but it's also more than that: It's a big part of the reason the city has routinely been able to secure excellent bond ratings, which save the taxpayers money when we borrow for capital projects. We recently learned, for example, that the anticipated interest rate for our 2020 General Fund borrowing is expected to be less than 2%. That low interest rate will have a direct impact on the property tax levy in the years ahead, and it's in part due to our Finance Department's responsible management of the City's finances.

Also at the meeting tonight (and later at the Parks and Recreation Committee) we'll likely make a recommendation to approve accepting a $500,000 grant from the Community Foundation for the construction of the Edison Trestle, an anticipated addition to the city's trail network. We're extremely grateful to the David L. and Rita E. Nelson Fund for their contribution to this project, which allows us to proceed on a longstanding priority while, again, reducing the project's impact on the taxpayers.

City Plan Commission, Tuesday, 4 pm

On Tuesday the City Plan Commission is expected to make a recommendation on two proposed annexations into the City of Appleton, both of which will be new additions to the 13th District.

The Broadway Hills Annexation is just less than 40 acres located at the northwest corner of the intersection of East Broadway Drive and North French Road, currently in the Town of Freedom. Any drivers (or bicyclists) who have recently passed through this area have likely noticed a sign outlining a new projected layout for this subdivision, which is currently uninhabited. This annexation is in compliance with a 2003 boundary agreement between the City and the Town, and any development here would be able to tie into existing sanitary sewer and water infrastructure.

Meanwhile, the Trail View Estates South Annexation is just less than six acres located south of the Apple Creek corridor between French Road and Cherryvale Avenue. It's adjacent to two other properties that were annexed into the city in 1997 and 2011 that are currently vacant. At this time this property will be zoned Temporary Agricultural, and a future action will need to be taken to rezone it before any development can take place.

Safety & Licensing, Wednesday, 5:30 pm

On Wednesday the Safety & Licensing Committee will continue to receive an overview on the procedures and policies of the Appleton Police Department. Two weeks ago the committee received a presentation on the APD's Use of Force data from the previous decade. This week we'll hear from Sgt. Ignacio Enriquez on the department's Behavioral Health Office and Mental Health Intervention and Services.

Appleton is, of course, a part of a larger national conversation on police tactics and the role of police departments in our community. As part of that larger conversation we're receiving and will likely continue to receive pressure to make changes locally. As I told Sierra Trojan of Fox 11 following our previous meeting, I think the first step in that discussion is a thorough look at where we stand right now and an evaluation of where, if anywhere, we may be able to improve. As such, I'm grateful to committee chair William Siebers and the APD for facilitating this ongoing conversation.

The ongoing pandemic makes it increasingly difficult for us to safely allow large groups to participate in our governmental meetings, making it all the more valuable to have the tools for residents to contact alderpersons online and view our meetings remotely. If you have thoughts on these or any other action items on our agendas this week I would encourage you to use those links to remain engaged and active in the safest way possible.

You can see all of this week's meeting agendas 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. Good governance happens in the open, and I remain committed to raising awareness on the issues coming before us.