Common Council Meeting 10/16/2024 – Will Vote On Bartender License For Applicant With History Of Alcohol-Related Convictions, Asphalt Reconstruction Design For Bellaire Court

The Common Council is meeting 10/16/2024 at 7PM.

Items that stand out as likely candidates for being separated out for individual votes include the bartender/operator license for Cindy and the request to approve the asphalt redesign for Bellaire Court.

Cindy had three OWI convictions between 1995 and 2007 and then earlier this year also received a felony conviction for operating with a prohibited alcohol content level. While her blood alcohol content level did not rise to the level of legal intoxication, it was above .02 which is the level the State of Wisconsin allows people with multiple OWI convictions to legally drive cars. Cindy claimed that her elevated BAC was caused by having taken some NyQuil prior to driving. She also claimed that her BAC was only tested after she was pulled over for having darkened license plates. Initially, the Safety and Licensing Committee recommended her license for approval by a vote of 3-1. However, there were some inconsistencies in the story she presented to the committee. A search of the Wisconsin Circuit Court Access website indicates that there was a speeding violation associated with the incident which would suggest she was pulled over for more than just a darkened license plate. Additionally, she presented no evidence that drinking a capful of NyQuil could raise her BAC to over .02.  The item was referred back to committee for a second look, at which time the committee ended up voting 3-2 to deny the license application.

The asphalt reconstruction of Bellaire Court resulted in a lot of feedback during the public hearing that was held 09/23/2024. It was also the subject of some discussion during the 10/07/2024 Municipal Services Committee meeting. Residents were concerned about the loss of trees and were interested in possibly turning the street into a one-way street. Alderperson Vered Meltzer (District 2) the alderperson for the district in which the street is located initially wanted the item held so that the design could be reviewed and hopefully a way found to save more trees. The committee ended up voting down the motion to hold the item and ended up voting to approve the design as currently proposed. Alderperson Meltzer ended up voting against the existing design proposal.

View full meeting details here: https://cityofappleton.legistar.com/MeetingDetail.aspx?ID=1213521&GUID=A5313A45-DFAA-48DE-B2CC-FE146922F184