Common Council Holding Special Session 11/10/2021 – Will Vote On 2022 Executive Budget

The Common Council is holding a special session 11/10/2021 at 6pm to adopt the proposed 2022 Executive Budget.

The agenda includes 4 proposed amendments.

1. Add $6,300 to Information Technology Dept. for Computer Replacements Delete $6,300 of Council Parking Permits (Sibmitted by Alderperson Doran)
2. Add $3,360 to Council Training/Conferences Delete $3,360 of Council Parking Permits (Submitted by Alderpetson Reed)
3. Add $500 to Council Training/Conferences Delete $500 of Mayor Training/Conferences (Submitted by Alderperson Fenton)
4. Reduce 2023 Borrowing for Library Project CIP from $13,542,000 to $11,542,000 (Submitted by Alderpersons Alfheim and Doran)

Obviously, there appears to be some conflicts between the first three amendments and there wouldn’t be enough money available for all three to approved.

The fourth amendment is probably the one that carries the most interest for the public. It’s related to the recently passed 2021 budget amendment which allocated $2 million in American Recovery Plan Act funds to be spent on broadband for the library project. There was some discussion as to whether that $2 million would be on top of the $26.4 million currently set for the project or whether it would reduce the overall borrowing needed for the project. This amendment seems aimed at clarifying that it is intended to reduce overall borrowing.

Alderperson Brad Firkus (District 3) has given his thoughts on the final amendment on his website. “The last amendment offered as of now is a bit of an oddity in that it doesn’t see to change the 2022 budget, just the five-year plan for 2023 by reducing the projected borrowing for the library project by $2 million to correspond with the $2 million in ARPA money we allocated towards broadband and information infrastructure. While items in the five year plan are a helpful guide to see where we plan on going with future spending, numbers that appear in out-years are not necessarily binding. We have seen project that show up in the five year plan in one budget get removed or pushed back in a preceding year’s budget. I real big example of this is the formerly proposed underground parking ramp at the bluff site. So between this and the fact that we will know much more about the library project by the time we take up the 2023 budget, I don’t think this item makes sense to approve this. We can make a much more informed decisions in the upcoming months than we can right now on both how much the ARPA funds we both end up using on the broadband and information infrastructure, and how that impacts our borrowing needs.”

Alderperson Sheri Hartzheim (District 13) on the other hand, has expressed support of the amendment posting on her website, “This is not an attempt to cut the overall budget for the library. It is merely a way to help the city keep its promise of maintaining the library budget already agreed upon! How? Well… the common council just voted to approve a $2M addition to the library budget for broadband infrastructure through the American Rescue Plan (ARPA) proposal from the mayor’s office. So… with this amendment, the overall budget for the library will remain at $26.4M but $2M of it will be paid for through ARPA funds instead of through City of Appleton borrowing in 2023. This is a good amendment. It keeps the city honest to our taxpayers while removing some of the heavy borrowing for the library project that’s proposed in 2023. Unless I hear salient arguments to the contrary, I will be voting to approve this amendment.”

[While Alderperson Firkus’ point about this affecting the 5-year plan for 2023 and not the 2022 budget is well taken, voting for this amendment does seem like a really simple way for the Council to signal that they are committed to doing their best to keep the library project’s costs down and limit the financial impact on taxpayers. Yes, verbally that desire has been expressed in meetings, but an actual vote carries weight that words do not.]

View full meeting details here: https://cityofappleton.legistar.com/MeetingDetail.aspx?ID=897733&GUID=CA4F0BCF-FC1E-40B1-A2BB-5F92AB863E55