Common Council notes for the week of May 17th

Before I get into the Common Council business for the upcoming week, I wanted to dedicate some space to honor two men who dedicated themselves to service to Appleton in public safety.

First, Appleton Fire Department Driver/Engineer Mitch Lundgaard was killed in the line of duty two years ago on May 15th. Lundgaard was responding to a medical call at Valley Transit's bus station, when he was shot and killed by the man he was helping to save. I pray God will continue to watch over his wife and three sons and all of our first responders. May we never forget his sacrifice.

Also last week, Appleton Police Department Assistant Chief Larry Potter retired. Assistant Chief Potter had a long career in law enforcement and was a great leader for the department. I was fortunate to have the pleasure to work with Larry on several occasions over my time working for the city. He is a man of integrity, honesty and truly cared about the mission of serving all citizens in Appleton. I wish him all the best in his retirement.

Upcoming Meetings

Before our Common Council meeting Wednesday night, there are a few others meetings taking place this week. 

• A property owner is appealing to the Board of Zoning Appeals, a denial of a permit to allow the homeowner to build a non-compliant fence. The property is abutted by streets in the front and backyard of the home, meaning both the front and back yard are considered "front" yards according to the city. The homeowner requested a variance to build a 5-foot tall fence (city ordinance allows a 3-foot fence) and the appeal will be heard Monday night at 7 p.m.
• The Appleton Library Board meets Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. on the 6th floor of City Hall. The board will hear updates on operations at the facility as COVID protocols continue to evolve, as well as an update on the building project. 
• The Taskforce on Resiliency, Climate Mitigation and Adaptation meets at 5 p.m. Wednesday.
• A special meeting of the Community and Economic Development Committee will take place just before the Council meeting at 6:45 p.m. The meeting is to approve a lease with a farmer to farm two city-owned parcels off Edgewood Dr. These are future development areas for the city, but allowing them to be used for agricultural purposes until then, helps generate a small amount of income from the land for the city and for the farmer, who the city has a good working relationship with. 

Common Council Agenda

There were few surprises from last week's committee meetings. All of the items were moved forward to this week's council meeting for votes. I detailed those items in my last blog post. A few things to highlight here. 

• Mayor Woodford issued a proclamation regarding mask usage following updated CDC guidance last week. It puts the city in line with the CDC guidance by removing the mask requirement for visitors to city facilities and simply encourages those who are not yet vaccinated against COVID-19 to continue to wear a mask. 
• We will also be reviewing an updated temporary ordinance to Council and committee meetings that encourages aldermen to return to in-person attendance. Given all of the progress made against COVID-19 in the past few weeks, the updated CDC guidance on masks and the length of time Council members have had to get vaccinated if they wanted to, this is a good step in my opinion. I am glad to see that most Council members are already returning to in-person attendance. I believe it is best for the Council to meet in-person to do the work we were elected to do. 
• Mile of Music is planning a return for this summer, August 5th-8th. The event organizers requested noise variances for the festival at the Board of Health meeting last week. A public return announcement was made by the organizers last week as well. This is a great event, that draws visitors to Appleton and will be a big boost for our struggling tourism industry. 
• We will also be honoring APD's Officer of the Year at this week's Common Council meeting. 

Library Building Project Advisory Committee

The mayor is accepting applications for the newly formed Library Building Project Advisory Committee. Any resident is welcome to apply. The committee will offer input and help shape the goals of the library project. To apply to be on the committee, head to the city's job board and fill out the application by May 24th. 

Holiday Garbage/Recycling Schedule

The Memorial Day Holiday garbage and recycling schedule is on the city website. Check it for possible changes to your normal collection days. 

Get In Touch

As always, agendas can be found on the agenda and meetings page of the city website. Meetings can be viewed live on the website or watched at a later date. Meetings are also open for anyone to attend in person. I am always available to answer questions at district15@appleton.org or (920) 419-1360.