What you may not know: Week of August 20

The Appleton Common Council has a relatively quiet committee week planned with one notable exception:

Finance Committee, Monday, 4:30 pm

As I mentioned two weeks ago and in last week's update, the Finance Committee has begun the work to make a recommendation for the city's 2018 policies for Special Assessments, As I noted two weeks ago, special assessments for street reconstructions were eliminated when the city's Vehicle Registration Fee (aka "Wheel Tax") was implemented three years ago, but assessments and the related policies remain for the construction of new streets and underground utility work.

The major sticking point in this year's discussions and the reason this item was held at Finance two weeks ago is a resolution by Alderman Bill Siebers calling for the city to assign special assessments to properties based on their usage and eliminate the current practice of basing their assessment on their zoning. This discussion began several months ago when council was asked to modify special assessments for properties along N. Fair Street that are residential in nature but received a higher assessment for utility work due to their commercial zoning. At Finance this week we will be asked to make a recommendation on whether we should change the policy for similar properties or continue to take up appeals on a case-by-case basis. I prefer the former, which I feel will allow us to be consistent and fair.

Additionally, this week the Finance Committee has an action item related to a pending Request for Proposals for mixed-use development plans incorporating the Appleton Public Library. This item would not be a commitment to proceed with a mixed-use project but approving it would be a clear indication that the city is on board with continuing to explore this option in conjunction with the Library Board.

Finally, the Finance Committee's agenda also includes requests for the committee to make recommendations on the following:

• A budget adjustment to allow the Fire Department to move funds from a Training Tower improvement project to pay for additional personal protective equipment for firefighters to fulfill a need outlined in a recent Post Crescent story.
• A proposed $300,000+ contract with Vinton Construction for trail and riverbank improvements at Lutz Park.
• A proposed $150,000+ contract with Miron Construction to make additions to the skate park at Telulah Park.

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.

What you may not know: Week of August 14

The Appleton Common Council will meet on Wednesday at 7 pm (or following the conclusion of one or more committee meetings scheduled to occur before our main meeting). Here are some updates on items we discussed in last week's update that will proceed to council this week:

• The Municipal Services Committee voted unanimously to recommend approval of a new Special Event Parking Fee Rate to help address challenges with large volumes of vehicles trying to exit at the same time following events at the Performing Arts Center.
• The Municipal Services Committee also voted to deny a resolution from Alderperson Meltzer calling for the city to waive street occupancy permits for businesses looking to install bike racks. I'm still hopeful something can be done in this area.
• The Finance Committee received favorable reports on the city's planned 2017 borrowing, which includes a total of $19 million between current general fund projects, refinancing of existing general fund debt and capital projects for the stormwater utility. The committee voted unanimously to recommend that the city proceed with the borrowing process.

Additionally, these items discussed last week will not be acted on by council this week for the reasons stated below:

• The Finance Committee opted to hold the 2018 Special Assessment Policy until next week to address some confusion about process related to a resolution changing the way residential properties within commercial zoned areas are assessed. 
• The Joint Review Board voted to approve the creation of two new TIF districts, and their action does not require council approval.

Finally, this week's council agenda again includes three consolidated action items related to the discontinuance of Locust Street south of College Avenue. These items, which are part of the city's tentative agreement with Canadian National Railroad regarding the acquisition of unused railroad trestles over the Fox River, have been delayed while the city waits for the railroad to take necessary steps on their end to approve the agreement. Council was ready to proceed with these items a month ago now but has continued to hold them while waiting for Canadian National to respond.

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.

What you may not know: Week of August 7

It's been a quiet few weeks for the Appleton Common Council, hence my lack of posts: In an effort to maintain a solid signal-to-noise ratio I make an effort not to waste your time or mine producing blog posts on weeks where there isn't much of large public interest going on.

With that said, this week projects to be a busy committee week for the council. Here are some of the meetings of interest:

Municipal Services Committee, Monday, 4:30 pm

This afternoon the Municipal Services Committee will be asked to consider a change to downtown parking rates that could have a significant impact on the traffic ramp users experience when trying to exit downtown following events at the Performing Arts Center.

The city's pay-on-exit parking ramp systems can create long queues of users when large groups of people, including many unfamiliar with the parking ramp infrastructure, all leave the PAC at the same time following a performance or other event. Staff has asked the committee to approve a special parking rate and procedure that would allow ramp users to pay a flat fee on entry when going into the ramp for selected special events, which would hopefully allow pre-paid users to exit the ramp in a more timely fashion and avoid long delays.

In addition, today the Committee will discuss for the first time a resolution submitted by Alderperson Vered Meltzer calling for the city to waive street occupancy fees for businesses wishing to install bike racks in the street right of way. I'm looking forward to learning more about how this could work.

Finance Committee, Monday, 5:30 pm

The Finance Committee has a very busy agenda this week. First, we are expected to receive a final briefing and recommend approval for the city's already-budgeted 2017 borrowing package, which will include just under $14 million in General Obligation Notes (to be repaid by property tax dollars) and $5 million in Storm Water Revenue Bonds (to be repaid by the Stormwater Utility). We also anticipate issuing Water Revenue Bonds (to be repaid by the Water Utility) at a later date this year. These bond issuances are a routine part of our budgeting process, as the time has come to borrow money for capital projects included in the 2017 budget.

Additionally, this week the committee is expected to recommend approval of relocation orders for two properties adjacent to the city's "blue" parking ramp, the ramp immediately adjacent to City Hall. That ramp has reached the end of its usable life and is expected to be demolished in the years ahead, but it shares walls with two neighboring buildings and cannot be torn down independently from those structures. As such, those buildings will also need to be vacated to make way for the project.

Furthermore, this week the Finance Committee is expected to review, potentially amend and make a recommendation related to the city's 2018 special assessment policy. A quick recap of how we arrived here:

• Special assessments for reconstruction of existing, permanent city streets were eliminated a few years ago when the city's Vehicle Registration Fee (aka "Wheel Tax") was enacted. Revenue from the fee is used to replace the expenses the city used to recover via special assessments in these cases.
• Special assessments remain in place, however, for utility work, new streets and the transition from temporary to permanent streets. 

This week we will discuss items related to the latter policy and attempt to establish a policy that will allow us to budget for anticipated 2018 projects.

Finally, this week the committee also has an information item related to the process of moving forward for the Appleton Public Library. Last month the Library Board approved a measure calling for the board and the city to work together to explore the possibility of a mixed-use development to include a new library. While we're still very early in this process, there are some jurisdictional challenges and indistinct boundaries between roles that likely need to be ironed out before we can proceed. While that discussion will take place this week, this is only an information item on the agenda and no official action related to the library will be taken at this meeting.

Joint Review Board, Wednesday, 1 pm

In my last update I mentioned proposed plans for the city to create two new Tax Increment Financing (TIF) districts, our 11th and 12th such districts in the city. The districts would be generally located on the east and west ends of downtown. Follow that previous link for more details on how TIF financing works. 

The Joint Review Board is made up of representatives from the four taxing entities (the city, Outagamie County, the Appleton Area School District and Fox Valley Technical College) that would be impacted by the development of one or more new TIF districts. In all proposed cases, the taxing entities would not lose revenue but would see their revenue from properties within the TIF district frozen while the "increment," the additional taxes collected on these properties due to their increase in value, is used to repay the borrowing done to create needed improvements in these areas. 

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.

What you may not know: Week of July 10

It's been a quiet few weeks for the Appleton Common Council:

• Our regular council meeting on the first Wednesday of the month was cancelled for July in observance of the Fourth of July holiday.
• With that meeting cancelled, most of the committee meetings from the prior week that would typically have referred items to our council meeting were also cancelled and had their items postponed to this week.

So, with all of that said, many of our committees have busy agendas this week. Here are some of the highlights:

Joint Review Board, Monday, 10:30 am
City Plan Commission, Tuesday, 4 pm

Two meetings will be held this week to discuss and make recommendations on a staff request to create two new Tax Increment Financing (TIF) districts, generally located on the east and west ends of downtown. Madeleine Behr of the Post Crescent outlined the proposals on Friday. 

TIF financing is generally used to spur development or to make necessary infrastructure improvements to allow or enhance development in areas where development or redevelopment could otherwise not occur. Once a district's boundaries are identified and a TIF district is approved, here's a basic outline of how the financing process works:

• The amount of property tax revenue going to the four taxing entities (the city, county, school district and FVTC) from properties within the district is frozen for the duration of the TIF financing period.
• Money is borrowed to finance the TIF's expenditures, which may include infrastructure improvements, developer incentives, etc, with the goal of increasing property values within the district.
• As the property values within the district increase, so does the amount of property tax revenue collected. Any revenue over the "frozen" amount listed above is the increment, and is used to pay down the borrowing.
• Eventually the debts are repaid and the TIF district is closed. At that time, the taxing entities are again allowed to collect the full value of the property taxes.

As such, it's worth noting and reminding you that TIF financing, including developer incentives, does not use general fund property tax dollars and will not impact your property taxes in any way. When the city (or any taxing entity) uses TIF financing, the money borrowed is financed against future tax revenue increases for the specific area, and tax rates are unchanged.

Municipal Services Committee, Monday, 4:30 pm

On Monday the Municipal Services Committee will also be asked to make a recommendation on the next step related to the city's railroad trestle acquisition and efforts to make the city a railroad quiet zone.

Both the city's trestle acquisition agreement and quiet zone process rely on our willingness to close a street railroad crossing near the corner of Locust Street and Lawrence Street near downtown. This week the committee will be asked to approve the discontinuance of Locust Street at that crossing as part of that process. If approved the street closure would not happen immediately but is likely to occur before the end of the year.

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.

What you may not know: Week of June 12

The Appleton Common Council has a busy committee week scheduled, and here are some of the highlights:

Finance Committee, Monday, 5:30 pm

Earlier this year the council was asked to react to an unusual situation regarding our special assessment policy, where a collection of single-family homes on commercially-zoned property received assessments much higher than they expected because their property's zoning did not match its use. Following that action, Alderman Bill Siebers introduced a resolution to amend our special assessment policy to eliminate this issue. That resolution has been held for a few months but will be back before the committee tonight.

In addition, tonight's Finance Committee agenda includes an information item (for discussion only) on the process involved in moving forward with plans for a new Appleton Public Library. During previous efforts to move forward on this issue there have been some philosophical differences between the Library Board, a body independent from council charged with oversight of the library and its operation, and the Common Council, who controls the library's budget. Tonight's information item is expected to be a discussion on those two roles and how they interact in the process of considering a large capital project.

Library Board Planning Committee, Tuesday, 4 pm

In a related note to the prior item, on Tuesday one of the Library Board's committees has an action item calling for consideration of three options that could help shape the conversation going forward:

• Refreshing the existing site selection matrix used when the board recommended the "bluff site" in 2015.
• Re-making the site selection matrix.
• Soliciting proposals for a mixed use library within a geographical range of the existing library site.

All three options would include consideration of the current site as an option within the re-evaluation of potential sites. And, of course, none of this represents a final decision: Any action taken at this meeting is a committee recommendation to the full library board on priorities to consider when or if proceeding with the decision-making process.

City Plan Commission, Tuesday, 4 pm

At the same time as the aforementioned Library committee meeting, the City Plan Commission will be asked to make a recommendation on a zoning change for another expansion of a subdivision north of County Highway JJ.

This time the specific request calls for 15 more single-family residential lots to be added to the Emerald Valley subdivision, which is located north and west of the intersection of Highway JJ and French Road. This follows closely on the heels of the most recent approved addition to the same subdivision, which council approved in April.

I do not intend to oppose this rezoning but I do continue to mention them as they come up because, as I've noted previously, continued expansion on the north side does carry some hidden costs in our road, utility, fire protection and school infrastructure.

Community and Economic Development Committee, Wednesday, 4:30 pm

Finally, on Wednesday the Community and Economic Development Committee has a scheduled appearance and presentation that may interest many residents of the city's north side. Representatives from ThedaCare will be present at the meeting for a discussion on their process related to a proposed regional hospital and its impact on the city. Public conversation on this topic has been quiet for some time now, so I'm looking forward to an opportunity to hear the latest on what's happening.

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.

What you may not know: Week of May 22

Before I get to this week's (relatively light) update on the Appleton Common Council's Committee schedule, an update on an item we've discussed at great length previously:

Dogs in Parks

As you may have heard, last week the Appleton Common Council (with Mayor Hanna breaking a 7-7 tie) voted to approve a resolution amended to allow dogs on sidewalks and trails within our city parks. The resolution was amended down to include just the sidewalks and trails in parks, but will include the sidewalks and trails in all parks (as opposed to a previous amendment limiting the number of parks) once the final ordinance is adopted.

And there lies the point I want to emphasize: The current ordinance banning dogs in parks remains in place until the new ordinance is adopted. This will likely happen at our next full council meeting on June 7. Until then, please continue to follow the existing ordinance.

Now, on to this week's committee agendas:

Finance Committee, Monday, 5:30 pm
Safety & Licensing Committee, Wednesday, 5:30 pm

This week both of the committees listed above will be asked to make a recommendation on an intergovernmental agreement with Outagamie County that could lead to new voting equipment for the city's 2018 elections.

All told, Outagamie County has 33 municipalities conducting elections during each cycle, and they're using a wide array of voting and vote tabulating equipment on each election day. This creates significant challenges when the time comes to count the votes, so the county has a vested interest in making sure as many municipalities as possible are using the same equipment going forward. They've proposed a cost-sharing measure to help municipalities get on the same page.

Of course, trying to get all of the municipalities on the same page regarding what equipment is best creates a new set of challenges. For the city, this includes the following:

• A seven-member procurement team for new voting equipment would include just one representative from the City of Appleton.
• Outagamie County understandably has no interest in purchasing equipment for use in other counties, so the city could bear some additional expenses to purchase matching equipment for the portions of our jurisdiction in Winnebago and Calumet counties.

While I understand the county's motivations for pursuing this action, we have a responsibility to make sure the city's interests are protected to the fullest extent possible. I'll be interested in hearing more about how this could work for all parties.

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.

What you may not know: Week of May 15

The Appleton Common Council has our regularly-scheduled Wednesday meeting this week, and our agenda includes a few items we discussed in last week's update:

Auto sales on Clark Street

Last week the City Plan Commission voted unanimously to reaffirm their recommendation that the city grant a Special Use Permit to an existing car repair shop at 524 N Clark Street (north of downtown between Packard and Atlantic Street) to allow them to also display and sell cars from that location.

As I wrote in last week's update Clark Street is very narrow and the properties along it are mostly residential, so the neighbors have some very understandable concerns about noise, traffic and parking as they relate to the potential impact of the business expanding. This street is not an appropriate place for the increased traffic or test driving of vehicles, especially high-performance vehicles, and as such I do not intend to support the permit.

Dogs in parks

Last week the Parks & Recreation Committee again amended my resolution calling for the city to lift its outdated ban on dogs in city parks. Their amendments included the following:

• Removing a previous amendment that called for dogs to only be allowed in six parks near the river.
• Adding a proposed restriction calling for dogs to remain on sidewalks, trails or roads and be restricted from access to playgrounds, athletic fields, picnic areas, lawns, courts, skateboard parks, disc golf courses, pavilions and pool areas.
• Doubling the fines for violations of dog-related ordinances.

These amendments are something of a mixed bag for me: I requested the first one and was pleased to see it pass. The second is, in my opinion, an overreaction to a set of far-out circumstances that are unlikely to occur (although I'm amused by the premise of dogs taking over a swimming pool), and the third is problematic: Fines for dog-related offenses in the city already exceed $300, so a ~$700 fine for a first offense being caught with an unleashed dog seems excessive to me.

At any rate, I'm pleased to see this item continuing to move forward and I'm hopeful we can make some adjustments to it before casting a final vote on Wednesday night.

Bees and chickens

Last week the Board of Health voted unanimously to approve a resolution calling for the city to expand urban beekeeping to be allowed on the rooftops of commercial buildings.  They voted against, however, a resolution calling for the city to amend its rules regarding urban chickens to allow chicken runs larger than 24 square feet. 

I'm concerned by the latter vote, which seems to go against all good science and best practices regarding the keeping of urban chickens. I'm hoping we'll fix that on the council floor.

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.