Council notes for the week of 4/18/22

Blessed Easter neighbors! I hope you are able to spend time with family and friends and are filled with joy at the promise that Holy Week and Easter brings. 

New Council Business

This week is the start of a new council year with the swearing in of new and returning council members Tuesday evening in a ceremony in Houdini Plaza at 5:15 p.m. Following that ceremony, we will all head up to the council chambers for our informal organizational meeting where we will discuss council rules for the upcoming year. 

Swearing in ceremony in 2021

We were requested to submit rules changes by Friday and according to the agenda I was the only council member to suggest any changes. There was talk by several of my returning colleagues of introducing a rule change to allow submitted resolutions to be withdrawn. I believe that is a bad idea and would not support it. That rule makes it too easy for council members to submit resolutions without really vetting them with staff, as is our customary procedure, or should be. That rule change was not formally submitted however, but it does not mean it could not come up during the meeting. We will have to wait and see if that or other proposals come forward. 

Wednesday features two council meetings. The first is at 6 p.m. and is the formal organizational meeting. This is a meeting to formally debate the new council rules proposals and vote on them. We will also discuss our committee assignments and elect a new council president and vice president. 

Following that meeting finishing up we have the first regular council meeting of the year. Though there isn't a lot on the agenda. I wrote about those items in my blog last week which you can read here.  

Infrastructure Resolution

For a few weeks now, I've been writing about infrastructure issues with the city's roads and underground utilities. I've mentioned that we now borrow for 80% of our road projects, where just 15 years ago we were paying cash up front for 86% of our road projects. This shift was caused in part by declines in local funding from the state and the city shifting funding to other priorities that can't be borrowed for under state law. This is not a sustainable model as every year we reduce the number of projects we can afford to do.

I also talked about our utilities like water/sewer/storm water infrastructure underground. We had a near record number of water main breaks in 2021, which cost the city $1.2 million just to fix. Since at least the 1980s the city's standard water main size has been eight inches in diameter. Yet we still have residents in some parts of the city that have water mains half that size and cannot shower and do laundry at the same time. This is a service equity issue that has gone on long enough and needs to be addressed. 

Installing a Water Main

To do that, I am introducing a resolution this week to address this glaring water main issue. We have the funding available and I hope my colleagues will agree that this is a priority that can and should be addressed now, rather than continuing to push it off for years to come until the problem gets worse. 

Infrastructure is one of the core functions only local government can provide and we need to stop prioritizing other services over this basic need for a functioning community. 

Spring Yard Waste Collection

Many of you are getting out for yard work and wondering about the spring yard waste collection. Notes on that are in the graphic below. Just remember all debris needs to be bagged and placed on the terrace. Nothing goes into the street in the spring. Collection for neighborhoods in District 15 starts this week. 

Spring Yard Waste Collection Information

Chief Thomas Retirement

This week Police Chief Todd Thomas announced he will be retiring at the end of the year. He has led the department since 2015 and has earned a well-deserved reputation of being pragmatic, caring and innovative in his time leading APD. He will be missed and I look forward to his last few months on the job as the police and fire commission will look to hire a new chief for 2023.

Photo of Chief Todd Thomas, credit: Post-Crescent

Get In Touch

I am always available to answer questions at district15@appleton.org or (920) 419-1360. 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 and all meetings take place in the Common Council chambers on the 6th floor of City Hall, unless otherwise noted.