Appleton Common Council Update for Week of October 19

 Following last week's busy committee week, the Appleton Common Council will meet on Wednesday with an opportunity to make final decisions on many of those items.

The biggest change from last week's update was an amendment altering the language of a resolution calling for a reduction in the city's fine structure for marijuana and drug paraphernalia citations. The resolution called for the fine for a first offense arrest for possession of marijuana and/or drug paraphernalia to be reduced to $5 (plus court costs).

Last week the Safety & Licensing Committee voted to recommend approval of a compromise proposed by the Appleton Police Department, which would instead lower the fines to $50 for a first offense and $100 for a second and all subsequent offenses. With court costs, the citations would carry a values of around $200 and $260, respectively. I supported this amendment to the resolution.

In the end I'm grateful to folks on both sides for a reasonable discussion on this topic that led to what I feel is a fair compromise. 

At the same meeting the committee held extended discussion regarding Trick-or-Treating in Appleton this year. In the end the committee voted 3-2 to deny a resolution calling for it to be canceled, but the full council will have the final say on the matter this week.

While I acknowledge that we cannot cancel Halloween and we have neither the ability nor interest in patrolling the streets to break up trick-or-treating, I supported an amendment calling for the practice to be "strongly discouraged" for two reasons:

1. I was hoping to send a clear message that the city recognizes that traditional trick-or-treating creates a safety risk during a pandemic and should be done with extreme caution, if at all.
2. I was and continue to be concerned that Appleton's decision to condone trick-or-treating will lead to families from communities where it was canceled to come to Appleton to participate, raising the risk of virus spread.

This week's council agenda also includes the following items we discussed in last week's update, all with recommendations to approve:

• The Finance Committee voted to approve staff recommendation to continue to hold a resolution calling for a City of Appleton Branding Study to allow for more time to further identify the goals of the process.
• The Finance Committee also voted to approve a request to use $147,000 in excess fund balance to help fund a comprehensive planning study for the neighborhood around the Appleton Public Library and to supplement the Appleton Redevelopment Authority's Business Enhancement Grant program.
• The Plan Commission voted to recommend approval of an annexation of about 3 1/2 acres in Grand Chute and Vandenbroek to provide for a future street northeast of the corner of Highway JJ and French Road.
• The Utilities Committee voted to recommend approval of the city's recent Wastewater rate study and subsequent rate increase, scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2021.

Last week's update also included a note on two north side rezonings: Those items were approved by the Plan Commission but will come to council at a later date. Rezonings require a different public notification process than many of our other actions, which puts a longer delay between Commission and council action.

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.

Appleton Common Council Update for the Week of October 12

It's an extremely busy committee week for the Appleton Common Council. Here are some of the highlights:

Finance Committee, Monday, 5:30 pm

This week the Finance Committee will again be asked to approve a recommendation related to a resolution submitted this spring. The resolution calls for the city to take on a comprehensive brand study to consider updating the city logo and messaging.

When this resolution was submitted six months ago I asked for it to be referred to staff and brought back for consideration alongside the city's 2021 budget. The study itself is likely to require a significant expenditure and potential implementation (replacing every city logo on a vehicle, building, stationary, etc) could be even more expensive, so I felt it was appropriate for this item to come up for discussion at a time when we were best prepared to discuss how it would be paid for and its budgetary impact.

Of course, a lot has changed since the spring. Late last week the mayor issued a memo asking for the committee to give his office more time to "further research and prepare for a brand study, including gathering input from internal (employee) stakeholders, alderpersons, community partners, and members of the public to appropriately establish the scope and objectives of the project."

If this item is approved, council is expected to see a Request for Proposals no later than February 1, 2021 and at that time will have the opportunity to evaluate financing options to proceed.

This week the committee will also be asked to consider possible options for funds available in excess of our maximum general fund balance. The city has a policy related to the general fund calling for the end-of-year balance in the general fund not to exceed three months of operating expenditures.

The policy calls for any excess to be divided two ways, with 75% used to reduce long-term liabilities and 25% subject to the recommendation of the Finance Committee. With nearly $600,000 available, that means the city's Finance Director and financial advisor will have about $442,000 to use to either pay off existing borrowing or reduce next year's budgeted borrowing.

That leaves slightly more than $147,000 for the recommendation of the Finance Committee. Staff is requesting permission to allocate those funds as follows:

• $100,000 to help fund a comprehensive planning study for the neighborhood surrounding the Appleton Public Library to "provide recommendations for the most effective and orderly development of the properties north of E College Avenue." There are currently several vacant parcels in this neighborhood, including Washington Square (the former Conway Hotel), the former site of the Blue Parking Ramp and the former site of Author's Kitchen.
• $50,000 to supplement the Appleton Redevelopment Authority's Business Enhancement Grant program, which provides matching funds to commercial property owners and tenants to fund facade and exterior improvements to their establishments.

Anticipating a possible question: While we don't have an exact estimate for the price of the brand study listed above, I expect it to be in excess of the money available here and that's why these projects are recommended while the brand study remains on hold.

Fox Cities Transit Commission, Tuesday, 3 pm

Valley Transit has long been one of many stakeholders involved in a conversation regarding the possibility of providing commuter bus service along the I-41 corridor from Green Bay to Fond du Lac to help alleviate some of the congestion on that busy segment of highway. Continuing to expand that stretch is an extremely expensive project, so any efforts that could be made to reduce the need would provide an immediate financial benefit.

This week the Transit Commission has an information item listed on their agenda labeled "Potential Pilot I-41 Commuter Service." There are no more details attached to the agenda, but this could be step one in an exciting and newsworthy development.

City Plan Commission, Tuesday, 4 pm

This week the City Plan Commission will take up three items of specific interest to Appleton's north side and residents of the 13th district.

First, they have a pair of adjacent rezonings in the Emerald Valley neighborhood, north of Highway JJ and west of French Road. The rezonings call for a pair of parcels near the current north end of Providence Avenue to be rezoned from Agricultural to R-1B, single family as part of the continued development of that subdivision. Combined, the two actions cover more than 19 acres of property and around 50 new single-family lots.

Like many residents of the 13th district I am grateful for continued demand for homes in this neighborhood and continued expansion of the city's tax base. As always, however, I will note that continued development on the north side continues to stretch and challenge city services, including fire protection, and will presumably add to the enrollment numbers at Huntley Elementary. The city has already included preliminary spending in the 2021 budget for a projected move bringing Fire Station #4 further north to help address our portion of this issue.

Additionally, on Tuesday the Commission will be asked to approve the annexation of about three and a half acres currently in the towns of Grand Chute and Vandenbroek to provide the footprint for a future street northeast of the intersection of JJ and French Road. The road, currently mapped as Sequoia Drive, will connect an anticipated subdivision east of French Road (further in from French than current construction) to Broadway Drive to the north and provide a second point of access to the neighborhood.

Utilities Committee, Tuesday, 5 pm

The City of Appleton's 2021 budget includes something we haven't discussed in a long time: A wastewater rate increase. The city hasn't adjusted wastewater rates in any way since 2011 but will need to consider one for 2021 to cover increased expenses and the loss of revenue from a major industrial client.

Managing utility rates is a complicated and heavily regulated process and requires a "rate study" to determine the appropriate course of action. This week the Utilities Committee will hear from Trilogy Consulting, LLC, the consulting firm conducting our study, and will be asked to approve a 25% increase effective January 1, 2021 (about $15 quarterly for most residential customers). Even with the increase, the budget and rate study will note that our wastewater rates remain lower than our neighbors'.

Safety & Licensing, Wednesday, 5:30 pm

Finally, on Wednesday the Safety and Licensing Committee will be asked to consider a pair of resolutions likely to generate a significant amount of interest.

First, this week will be the second time the committee has discussed a resolution calling for the city to decrease the fine amounts for offenses related to marijuana and drug paraphernalia. The city's current ordinances call for a fine of $200 on the first offense, $250 for a second offense and $300 for third and subsequent offenses of possession of marijuana or drug paraphernalia. The resolution, submitted by Alderpersons Wolff and Prohaska, calls for the city's portion of the fine to be $5 for the first offense and $15 for subsequent offenses for marijuana and $5 and $10 for first and subsequent offenses for paraphernalia. In both cases, those fines do not include court costs.

While I do not have a strong opinion either way about marijuana, I do have a strong opinion about the nature of fines and the way way they serve as a steep penalty for those without financial resources but a minor inconvenience for those with plenty. In this particular situation the divide is even clearer: A defendant can have this charge dismissed by agreeing to attend an AODA assessment at a cost of $168-$459. Again, someone without financial resources is more likely to end up with this charge remaining on their record, while someone with more can write a check and walk away from it.

As such, in the interest of justice I support this resolution and plan to vote in favor of it on Wednesday and beyond.

Additionally, this week the committee is expected to take up a resolution submitted by Alderman Smith calling for the city to reverse its previously stated position and cancel trick-or-treating this Halloween. The city has previously issued guidelines for safely proceeding but has opted to allow it to continue.

I'm looking forward to hearing from our Police and Health Departments on the rationale for their existing decision and want to do that before I make a decision on this resolution. While my wife and I do not plan to hand out candy this year in an effort to maintain social distancing, I understand this is something a lot of folks are looking forward to and I have questions about our ability to prevent it from happening, even if we as a city do opt to cancel it.

In addition to all of the above, this week will be our first round of committee meetings since council received the 2021 City Budget. Many of my colleagues and I have started to review the 600+ page document in anticipation of Budget Saturday on October 31. The budgets for various departments will be on their respective committee agendas this week to allow directors to outline their respective portions and answer any preliminary questions.

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.

Appleton Common Council Update for Week of October 5

It's been a relatively quiet few months for the Appleton Common Council: While our regular meetings have continued our agendas have been relatively light and non-controversial. Beginning this week, however, business will begin to pick up as we take on our busiest month of the year, budget season.

This week members of council will receive our copies of Mayor Woodford's 2021 budget. From there we have roughly three weeks to review them before "Budget Saturday," the annual full-day meeting of the Finance Committee to discuss the budget section-by-section. That meeting is scheduled for October 31. 

From there we move to a public hearing on the budget at our council meeting on November 4, with final amendments and adoption of the budget scheduled for November 11, five weeks from Wednesday. It's going to be a busy few weeks.

The mayor will introduce the budget and give a brief overview at Wednesday's council meeting, which I've asked him to consider broadcasting via Facebook Live to help it reach a wide audience. From there, our budget process will look a little different from usual due to COVID-19: Things we've always done, like an all-day in-person Budget Saturday, are now significantly more challenging than they used to be. I'll have more details about how those processes will adapt to the times in future weeks.

In the meantime, this week council will hold a mid-year organizational meeting to clarify some of our council rules before embarking on this process, and we'll hold our regularly scheduled council meeting. The biggest topic of conversation this week is likely to be a request to approve a new boundary agreement between the City of Appleton and Town of Buchanan to bring 14 parcels of "town islands" into the city. The parcels in question are circled and in orange on this map:

Bringing these parcels into the city will improve the efficiency of services offered in this area and create clear boundaries between the city and our neighbors in this area. Since this proposal came forward council has been contacted by one property owner in opposition to this change.

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.

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.

Appleton Common Council Update for the Week of June 22

The Appleton Common Council is slowly but surely working our way back to normal operations with new precautions in place to keep everyone safe due to the ongoing pandemic. For several months now we've been limiting committee meetings in an effort to exercise social distancing, but this will be the first full week of committee meetings since March.

Over the past few months staff has taken on a tremendous number of challenges, including the effort to make the council chambers a safe place for meetings. Here are some of the steps we've taken in that regard:

• Seating is limited, both for elected officials and staff as well as the public, and the available seating is appropriately distanced.
• In the cases where it's not possible to maintain appropriate distancing (at the front of the chambers and between rows of council desks), Plexiglas has been installed between seats.
• Cleaning practices have been modified and expanded to ensure the chambers are properly sanitized between meetings and at the end of the day.
• Several of our council members and members of citizen boards and commissions are participating in meetings remotely.

In addition to those steps, staff is also continuing to work on a scheduled effort to improve audio and video equipment, which will lead to better audio within the council chambers and an enhanced experience for viewers who watch our meetings online. Unfortunately, this process has led to some gaps in coverage during the transition, which should be resolved soon.

In the meantime, here are some highlights from this week's agendas:

Municipal Services, Monday, 4:30 pm

While it's unlikely to be controversial, today the Municipal Services Committee will be asked to recommend action on a change at an intersection that many residents of District 13 likely regularly use. 

The intersection of Marquette and McDonald Streets is just down the street from Huntley Elementary, and until recently the intersection was controlled by yield signs. As noted in a staff memo (the attachment here), this intersection receives relatively low traffic but crash data suggests it's one of the more challenging yield sign-controlled intersections in the city.

We recently completed a six-month trial where the yield signs were swapped out for stop signs, and staff is recommending that change be made permanent. While the intersection's traffic count is relatively low, it's likely busier around the beginning and end of the school day and I welcome the effort to make it safer.

Utilities Committee, Tuesday, 5:00 pm

Council recently received a lot of feedback to a mailing sent out to property owners by Service Line Warranties of America ("SLWA") advertising insurance plans for the water and sewer lines extending between homes and the street right of way. These lines are the responsibility of the property owner and can be very expensive to repair/replace when needed.  

In an effort to better inform residents about this issue, I wrote a Facebook post about it a couple of weeks ago:

There's also much more about it in this Post Crescent story. This week the Utilities Committee will have an information item about this letter, where I'm hopeful they'll hear about plans to handle situations like this differently going forward.

Safety & Licensing, Wednesday, 5:30 pm

Finally, like many cities, Appleton has been given cause to reflect and re-evaluate the role and priorities of our Police Department following the recent death of George Floyd and the ensuing national conversation on police tactics. Last week we announced one step in that process, the formation of Chief Thomas' Community Advisory Board (applications to be a part of that board are open here). 

This week we'll attempt to continue that conversation at the Safety & Licensing Committee, where we'll receive a ten-year analysis of the city's Use of Force as the first step in a multi-meeting conversation about where the PD stands today. While members of our council and similar bodies across the nation face calls for police reform, I'm grateful we're getting this opportunity to review where we stand now before a likely future discussion on changes going forward.

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.

Appleton Common Council Update for the Week of May 18

Before I get started today, a quick note on the relative quiet in this space: While we've all been navigating through the last couple of months council agendas have been pared down to essential business, emergency operations and the processes related to a new council year, which in this case includes three new alderpersons in addition to a new mayor and city attorney.

This new council year has brought a few changes:

• I'm proud to announce I've been re-elected by my peers to serve for a second year as Council President. I think the role is increasingly important as we navigate the transition to new city leadership, and I'm grateful to my colleagues for their continued trust. This year we're also welcoming a new council vice president, Alderperson Katie Van Zeeland. Alderperson Van Zeeland is still relatively new to council (this is her second year) but has brought excellent energy and attention to detail to her role as an alderperson and I'm excited to work with her going forward.
• In addition, this year for the first time I'll be serving as the chair of the Finance Committee. I'm excited for this new role and expanded presence in the city's 2021 budget process.
• Chairing the Finance Committee does, however, mean leaving my seat as chair of the Safety & Licensing Committee after five years in that role. I remain on the committee this year, but Alderman Bill Siebers will take my place at the helm.
• Finally, I'm pleased to be back for a second year on the city's Board of Review. This board plays a critical role in helping ensure properties are appropriately assessed.

Now that we're somewhat situated as a new council, we're moving on to questions about how we'll function during the ongoing pandemic. During the original emergency declaration the city cancelled ongoing committee meetings, conducting business instead as a "committee of the whole" during our regular full council meetings. We're currently working on the process of resuming regular committee meetings, although when we resume they're likely to continue as semi-virtual meetings with some members participating remotely via Zoom.

Through all of this I've been extremely proud of our city staff, who have demonstrated ingenuity, resilience and determination to get through these challenging times. This is clearly apparent in our meetings, which are very different than they were two months ago but continue to serve their purpose smoothly.

While we work on the transition back to normalcy, however, this week's regularly scheduled council meeting will include the business that would have appeared on last week's committee agendas, including one item that's likely to be of interest for residents on the city's north side:

Highway OO Intergovernmental Agreement

This week council will be asked to approve an agreement between the three parties with a stake in expected 2021 intersection improvements along County Highway OO: The city, Outagamie County and the Town of Grand Chute. The agreement covers anticipated projects at OO's intersections with Oneida Street, Ballard Road and Roemer Road to "provide traffic signal and associated geometric improvements to improve safety and accommodate future traffic volumes."

Recent studies have shown that many of the city's most problematic intersections (by crash volume) are along OO, so I'm happy to see steps toward working together on solutions. The specific plans are not covered in this action item, but the terms include a note that "the municipalities will be kept informed on the project status and will have input regarding the project."

The total cost of improvements at these three intersections is estimated at just over $1 million, and the city's share is estimated to be $383,344, which is 37% of the cost.

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.

Appleton Common Council Update for Week of March 16

As you might imagine, it's not exactly a routine week for the Appleton Common Council.

If you haven't seen it already, follow this link for a comprehensive statement from Mayor Hanna on the steps the city is taking to help slow the spread of the Coronavirus, including:

• Asking people to call City Hall or visit the city's website for information instead of visiting in person, when possible.
• Paying city invoices online, via mail or in the city's drop boxes instead of visiting in person.
• Encouraging residents to vote via absentee ballot for the upcoming spring elections (more information here). 

Since that message went out the Appleton Public Library has also announced they will be closed until further notice. 

The Appleton Common Council and its committees will still meet when necessary to conduct city business and those meetings are required to be open to the public, but in-person public participation in city meetings has been suspended until further notice. Residents can still watch meetings online and contact one or all council members at this link, but we're asking you to please exercise social distancing and avoid attending meetings in person.

With that said, the full council will meet on Wednesday to take up items including the following:

• Last week the Municipal Services Committee voted 3-1 to recommend the city rescind approval of the placement of "The Collective" sculpture near the west end of the College Avenue bridge. My thoughts on the matter were pretty thoroughly captured in this Post Crescent story.
• The committee also voted 3-1 to recommend denial of a resolution designating the month of May as "No Mow May" and temporarily suspending a city ordinance related to required lawn length to allow residents to support pollenator-friendly environments.
• Last week the Finance Committee voted unanimously to recommend the council approve a resolution stating our opposition to the State Department's efforts to deport Hmong and Lao US residents to the Lao People's Democratic Republic. The resolution is similar to many passed or in process in other cities and counties across the state, including Oshkosh and Outagamie County.

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.