Common Council Meeting 05/18/2022 – Will Vote On Bond Issuance, Recommendation For New Public Works Director, Soldier’s Square Resolution, Redistricting Modifications

The Common Council is meeting 05/17/2022 at 7PM.

Mayor Woodford will be making a recommendation for a new Public Works Director to replace retiring current director Paula Vandehey. The city was having such a difficult time finding qualified candidates that they ended up hiring an outside recruiting firm to find qualified people. It looks like they found someone in the nearby Village of Kimberly. Danielle Block is the current Village Administrator for Kimberly and has experience as both a public administrator and professional engineer. She has both a master’s degree in Public Administration and a bachelor’s in Civil Engineering.

Mayor Woodford will also be presenting the Police Officer of the Year award.

The Council will vote on the issuance of $15,530,000 worth of General Obligation Promissory Notes and $11,460,000 Sewerage System Revenue Bonds. This was discussed and recommended for approval by the Finance Committee during the 05/09/2022 Finance Committee meeting. The money would go to cover capital improvement projects, including the library, and sewer projects.

It’s always a little bit of a tossup as to what items will be separated from the agenda for individual votes. Committee items that garnered discussion over the past week included…

• The Soldier’s Square resolution which the Municipal Services Committee recommended for denial.
• Redistricting modifications required by the April 15, 2022, Wisconsin Supreme Court Ruling. The Safety and Licensing Committee’s discussion on this was relatively brief and non-contentious, but due to the nature of the item and separate vote may be warranted.
• The Bartender License application for Jacob. The Safety and Licensing Committee recommended his application be denied, but some committee members encouraged him to attend the Common Council meeting and possibly find people to speak on his behalf.
• The rezoning and Future Land Use map amendment for property owned by the Apostolic Truth Church. The City Plan Commission voted to approve both changes, but their vote was not unanimous, and two alderpersons expressed opposition. [This item isn’t actually showing on the Council agenda for 05/18/2022, so I don’t know if it will be taken up at a different meeting.]

View full meeting details here: https://cityofappleton.legistar.com/MeetingDetail.aspx?ID=937641&GUID=CA7260FB-60F6-4BC6-ADFA-D4D98C93E204