The Common Council is meeting 11/06/2024 at 7PM.
There are a number of items on the agenda that seem like they might be separated out for individual votes.
The Council will be reconsidering the request to update the Municipal Code to ban smoking around the entire city block the public library sits on. The smoking prohibition was put forth by city staff under the reasoning that the updated library will feature an outdoor learning space for children near Oneida Street and the city wants to ensure that the children are not exposed to second-hand smoke. under the reasoning that the updated library will feature an outdoor learning space for children near Oneida Street and the city wants to ensure that the children are not exposed to second-hand smoke. Library Director Colleen Rortvedt stated that it was “not a veiled attempt to target specific individuals.”
During the 10/16/2024 meeting, the item was voted in favor of by a majority of the 11 alderpersons present; however, it required a minimum of 8 votes in order to pass but it only received 7 aye votes so it failed. Per Council rules, one of the alderpersons who were not present at the previous meeting can asked for it to be reconsidered.
The Council will also be voting on a new Special Event Policy that would allow the city to recoup 25% of the costs it incurs for special events and also allow it to negotiate one-on-one with organizers of large-scale events for the purpose of coming up with a mutually acceptable service agreement. The item received public comment by organizers for the Farmers Market, Octoberfest, and Mile of Music, all of whom were concerned about how the new policy would impact their costs. The item was eventually recommended for approval by the Safety and Licensing Committee by a vote of 3 in favor, 1 against, and 1 abstention.
Another item before the Common Council is the request to spend nearly $1 million in American Recovery Plan Act dollars to pay for facility upgrades and consulting work associated with the Exhibition Center. The Expo Center has struggled since opening in 2018 because of Covid and the fact that the facility lacks features that such as carpeting and acoustical improvements. Additionally, the management agreement for the Expo Center expires 12/31/2025. City staff requested approval to spend $985,000 in ARPA funds to install carpeting and make other miscellaneous improvements and also hire a consultant to help them develop a strategy to negotiate the development of a new management agreement. The Finance Committee unanimously approved this request.
The Council will also be voting on a 9% wastewater utility rate increase. This increase was higher than the initial 4% increase that the city had planned for back in 2020. The larger increase was driven by the addition of extra capital projects that had not been scheduled back in 2020 and also the cost of digester maintenance that needed to be performed in 2025.
Finally, another item that stands out as a candidate to be separated out for an individual vote is the request to hire the Matrix Consulting Group to complete and Organizational and Workload Study for the Appleton Policy Department. The study would cost $69,000 and would be paid for with ARPA dollars. The Human Resources and Information Technology Committee unanimously recommended the item for approval.
View full meeting details here: https://cityofappleton.legistar.com/MeetingDetail.aspx?ID=1226981&GUID=4A4EFEF8-0F93-4AB5-A746-075D3ED8A998
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