Appleton Common Council Update for the Week of January 25

 The Appleton Common Council has a full slate of committee meetings on the schedule this week, our first since before the holidays. The agendas include a pair of items of interest I've highlighted:

Municipal Services Committee, Monday, 4:30 pm

Locally I've heard some concerns recently about the growth and expansion of Outagamie County's landfill on Holland Road. This facility has been in operation for quite some time and is in a beneficial location for efficient use of city resources: Having a landfill near the city limits saves a significant number of staffing hours, fuel and wear and tear on garbage trucks as we haul collected refuse.

The landfill is also filling up, however, and a new cell is expected to be opened on the site in the coming years. This new cell will be closer to the city limits than the existing one.

This week the Municipal Services Committee will be asked to approve a resolution designating City Attorney Chris Behrens as a representative to negotiate with the county on matters related to the landfill and its expansion. While this designation likely will not result in any immediate changes, it does position us to respond and ensure that our constituents' needs are taken into account in the expansion process.

City Plan Commission, Tuesday, 4 pm

The Fox Valley continues to struggle with increased occurrences of homelessness, an issue we've been working to address in a variety of ways throughout my eight years on council. A lack of available affordable housing is often cited as one of the underlying causes of homelessness, and this week the City Plan Commission will have their first opportunity to discuss a resolution aiming to help address that concern.

Last week Alderpersons Brad Firkus, Denise Fenton and Vered Meltzer co-introduced a resolution calling for the city to allow Accessory Dwelling Units on property zoned for single family. They've prepared a great FAQ on their proposal: I learned a fair amount reading it, and hopefully if you're interested you'll take a moment to do the same. 

I suspect our process with this resolution will be pretty deliberate: The City Plan Commission will see it for the first time this week, but it's entirely possible they'll hold it at the committee level or refer it to staff to get answers to questions they may have or allow for additional community feedback.

If they do decide to vote on this item on Tuesday, then the earliest it could appear on a common council agenda is our Wednesday, February 3 meeting. It's possible it would appear later than that: This change impacts our zoning ordinances, which may require more substantial public notice for legal purposes.

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.