November 2025
For many years, the League of Women Voters of Appleton-Fox Cities has observed the City’s budget process and spoken at these public hearings. Our statements cover issues the League has studied and where we have reached consensus on the common good for Appleton’s residents.
We support an open and transparent budget process. Thank you to Mayor Woodford for his budget listening session and for online public access to all budget documents and alderperson questions. Special thanks to those alderpersons who send out regular newsletters by email. We subscribe to a few of these and they provide us with timely information and background on City issues at budget time and throughout the year.
We support environmental resiliency and biodiversity. We commend the city for its plan to quickly replace the many ash trees lost to Emerald Ash Borer, and the goal to plant a diversity of species as a protective factor in our urban forest. We strongly encourage choosing native species to maximize the ecosystem services provided by the replacement plantings.
We support preparation for extreme weather due to climate change. Appleton’s long term flood mitigation program will help us prepare for heavy rainfalls such as we received in the spring of 2024. Higher stormwater standards for developers is another measure of our better preparation for these events.
We support city efforts to maintain and enhance water quality demonstrated by our emerging leaf vacuuming program. We encourage continued and strengthened educational efforts for residents about the reasons for handling grass clippings and yard waste appropriately.
We support an adequate housing supply with an emphasis on affordable housing and efforts to eliminate housing blight. Grant programs along with intergovernmental and non-profit cooperation are addressing our housing shortage in a variety of ways. We also support returning 50 units of housing back into our supply after lack of compliance.
We support safe and friendly streets for all modes of transportation: cars, pedestrians, bicyclists, mass transit. The Complete Street program creates a consistent framework for future street policies while traffic-calming retrofits provide safety for pedestrians and bicyclists.
We support community engagement in the City planning process and collaboration with regional planning organizations and other local municipalities. The Comprehensive Plan process gave citizens many opportunities to be involved, and the “New Avenue” project includes East Central Regional Planning Commission, Outagamie County, and the Town of Grand Chute.
We support mass transit and regional transit organizations. Valley Transit is an efficient way to provide transportation for those who need it, while sharing costs with state and federal governments and other municipalities. We anxiously await the promised federal grant for a new Transit Center in downtown Appleton.
We support investments in energy-efficient and environmentally friendly vehicles — such as the hybrid and EV cars and “clean diesel” heavy duty trucks purchased by Central Equipment Agency.
We support public libraries as essential services. Congratulations to Appleton, and specifically Appleton Public Library for its well-deserved honor as 2025 Wisconsin Library of the Year. Our residents' heavy use of our new library demonstrates how essential our public library is to all levels of our community.
We support initiatives by the Human Resource Department to attract and retain quality workers. These include the THRIVE Leadership Academy, programs for High Potential Employee Leaders, wellness programs such as the Connecting Care Clinic, and ongoing employee recognition programs.
Overall, we are impressed with the expertise and professionalism demonstrated throughout the budget review sessions by our City’s highly competent staff. At a time when all levels of government are under fire, observing our City of Appleton budget review gives us confidence in our local leadership.
We greatly appreciate the due diligence of Common Council members in their preparation for budget discussions — and Mayor Woodford and City staff for crafting a budget that holds taxes in check while continuing to deliver quality services. Considering inflation, we know this means doing more with less. Still, Appleton is a great place to work and live, thanks to all your good work.
Janice Quinlan, President
League of Women Voters Appleton-Fox Cities
322 South Ct.
Appleton, Wisconsin, 54911
The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan grassroots political organization whose mission is to empower voters and defend democracy. We purposefully engage with local governments to improve the quality of life in our community.