The Municipal Services Committee met 05/06/2024. Outside of the resolution regarding overnight on-street parking, only two other action items generated discussion. One was the revisions to the Downtown Appleton Parking and Meter Bag Policy and the other was a request to approve the conversion of 8 parking stalls on Lawrence Street alongside the YMCA from regular parking stalls to 15-minute loading zone stalls.
Both of these items were approved unanimously by the committee.
I’ve prepared a transcript of the discussion for download:
REVISIONS TO THE DOWNTOWN APPLETON PARKING AND METER BAG POLICY – The update to the policy included the ability for special event organizers to arrange to have an On-Duty Attendant serve in the red ramp and the yellow ramp during events with more than 1,000 attendees. This option included a $10 per/vehicle fee which ensured that the city would generate enough revenue to pay for the attendant. Ramp attendants were necessary for larger events to help prevent traffic backups in the ramp.
Prior to this change, this option was only available in the Green Ramp because that had been the ramp that had been typically requested. In the past, the option of adding an on-duty attendant had only been used for events at the PAC, but there had been some discussion about doing it for things like Mile of Music and Octoberfest, hence making it available at all three ramps.
The update also clarified that the $50 lost ticket fee was required on exit from a ramp and was non-refundable.
The policy clarified the circumstances under which standard blue cloth meter bags could be sold.
Finally, the policy clarified that pre-paid ramp validation stickers were valid through December 31 of the same year they were purchased and they were non-refundable.
One item that was not changed in the policy update was the $9 daily fee for a meter bag. Alderperson Chad Doran (District 15) asked if there had been any discussion about increasing that fee in light of past conversations in which it was brought up that $9 a day was not an amount that really covered what the city could generate in those spots were filled by the hour. Director of Public Works Danielle Block said there had not been such a discussion and noted that the amount of money a meter could generate was dependent on the type of meter and its location. Gray meters, red meters, and the Washington Street meters all had different rates per hour, so depending on a meter’s location $9 a day may or may not cover how much revenue it could bring in.
The committee voted unanimously to approve the changes to the policy.
PROPOSED LOADING ZONE STALLS BY THE YMCA AT 200 EAST LAWRENCE STREET – There had been 8 loading zone stalls along Lawrence Street outside of the YMCA prior to the recent street reconstruction project. When the street project was completed those stalls were no longer listed as loading stalls. This change would essentially put things back to how they had been prior to the street project.
Those stalls were not intended for delivery trucks, but were rather used throughout the day by people dropping off and picking up children who attended daycare and the 4K program. Additionally, some older adults got dropped off in that area as well.
The city had conducted a 6 month trial period so the stalls were currently marked as being 15 minute loading zones. Approval by the committee and Council would merely allow that designation to be finalized.
The committee voted unanimously to approve making those stalls permanently 15 minute loading zones.
View full meeting details and video here: https://cityofappleton.legistar.com/MeetingDetail.aspx?ID=1195284&GUID=9DE6D2DB-CDCC-463F-941F-56626D9A070F
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