Common Council Meeting 12/20/2023 – Will Vote On Three Resolutions: Parking Facility Management Study, ARPA Funding For Flock Cameras, Timeline Change For Budget Delivery

The Common Council is meeting 12/20/2023 at 7PM.

They have a full agenda both including business presented by the mayor as well as committee items that the Council will be voting on.

Mayor Woodford will be recognizing Utilities Director Chris Shaw who is retiring as well as presenting the Downtown Appleton Christmas Parade Awards. The Council will also receive the 4^th Quarter Economic Development Report from the Fox Cities Chamber/Regional Partnership.

Last week the Council had a full slate of committee meetings, so the agenda is full of action items. Three items likely to be separated out are the resolutions that were voted on.

Resolution 15-R-23, the Parking Facilities and Management Study Resolution, was recommended for denial by the Municipal Services Committee by a vote of 3-1. Although some alderpersons were interested in studying best management practices for the city’s parking utilities, they objected to language in the resolution that called for a study to investigate the possibility of selling or leasing the city-owned parking ramps.

Resolution 13-R-23, the Resolution To Use ARPA Funding For Flock License Plate Reading Cameras, was recommended for approval by the Finance Committee by a vote of 3-1. If approved by the Council, $125,000 of ARPA funds would be reallocated to cover the cost of leasing 10 additional Flock license plate reader cameras. Although the resolution passed the committee, some alderpersons expressed opposition to the use of ARPA funds for this purpose, believing that money could be better utilized elsewhere.

Resolution 14-R-23, the Resolution Changing the Timeline for Budget Delivery to the Common Council, was recommended for denial by the Finance Committee by a vote of 4-0. If passed, the resolution would have moved the deadline for delivery of the executive budget to the Common Council up a couple weeks from the first Wednesday in October to the third Wednesday in September, thus allowing the Council members additional time to review the budget. After reviewing how this change would impact the budget creation process, the committee members voted against it, believing that the changes were too onerous to warrant the increased review time the Council would be afforded.

View full meeting details here: https://cityofappleton.legistar.com/MeetingDetail.aspx?ID=1134247&GUID=D40578C0-B765-46EF-BB73-46120EF3B292