Common Council notes for the week of April 19th

Before I dive into this week's update, I wanted to officially welcome our new and returning council 

members. 

New Council 

Following a recount in a race decided by just two votes, Sheri Hartzheim will take over as the District 13 council representative after defeating incumbent and council president, Kyle Lobner. Kristin Alfheim was elected to represent District 11 after Patti Coenen did not seek re-election to the council. I round out the newly elected representatives on the council after winning the District 15 race to replace Corey Otis after he aloso decided not to seek re-election. 

Bill Siebers, Brad Firkus, Katie Van Zeeland, Maiyoua Thao, and Alex Schultz were re-elected for another two-year term.  

Time To Get To Work

This week starts off with a swearing in ceremony Tuesday evening at 5:15 p.m. for the newly elected and returning council members. For the first time, that ceremony will be held in Houdini Plaza and is open to anyone in the community to attend. 

The ceremony is followed by the informal organizational meeting of the new council. That meeting at 6 p.m. and will take place inside the council chambers on the 6th floor of City Hall. The informal organizational meeting is typically where new rules and changes to current council rules get discussed, as well as an outline of expectations and discussion of the different committees for the council for the new year. No action is taken at that meeting, but it is followed by the formal organizational meeting Wednesday at 6 p.m. where items discussed the prior evening would be voted on. Mayor Woodford will also share the committee assignments to the council members and then the real work begins. 

Following that formal organizational meeting, is our first regular Common Council meeting at 7 p.m. Wednesday. We will be discussing and voting on the action items brought forward from the committee meetings last week. 

Board of Zoning Appeals

Before the new council gets to work, the Board of Zoning Appeals meets Monday evening at 7 p.m. to discuss an appeal for a second sign at Emmanuel United Methodist Church at 740 E. College Ave. The Appleton Music Academy is requesting permission to place a sign next to the church's own sign. However, the request was denied by staff because it is against the city's zoning code to have two signs next to each other.

Library Board

Tuesday afternoon at 4:30 p.m., the library board meets to discuss a long list of items, including a building process update and the library's annual report. The Library Board meets at the Appleton Public Library, while all other committees meet at City Hall. 

Spring Yard Waste Collection

Just a reminder that the Department of Public Works is continuing spring yard waste collection through the end of the month. Details and dates of collection for our district are on the city's website.