http://www.allthingsappleton.com/

All Things Appleton, Appleton, WI (2026)

04/20/2026

Readers have been raising objections to my post highlighting the unconstitutional ordinance the City of Appleton has had on the books for the last 6 years (https://allthingsappleton.com/2026/04/14/unconstitutional-ordinance-in-appletons-municipal-code-no-longer-to-be-enforced-city-attorney-and-health-office-to-recommend-repeal/). Broadly speaking, their criticism is that my purported concern over the First Amendment violations associated with that ordinance is merely a mask for LGBTQ bigotry. I will endeavor to explain (a) why strong support for the First Amendment is interpreted as opposition to LGBTQ ideology and (b) why Appleton’s conversion therapy ordinance should not be seen as simply a minor mistake but is indeed a serious violation of the Constitution that should be viewed with concern.

The ideology of transgenderism represented by the T in LGBTQ is inherently hostile toward and in conflict with the First Amendment because transgender ideology is foundationally untrue, and if that untruth is recognized, articulated, and explained it cannot flourish. The First Amendment, among other things, protects the right of people to speak the truth even if their hearers find that truth to be unpleasant.

On a basic, physical level, humans cannot change their s*xes. Males will always be males. Females will always be females. Regardless of the way a person acts, the way they look, the way they dress, the way they feel, the hormones they take, or the surgeries they undergo, a male will always be a male and a female will always be a female. This is just reality. Transgenderism rejects that reality and can only be sustained if everybody buys into the same falsehood. As a result, freedom of speech is a huge barrier to maintaining the fiction that a person’s s*x can be wrong or somehow changed or willed into being a different s*x.

The government of our city cannot design its streets (https://allthingsappleton.com/2024/02/27/municipal-services-committee-receives-overview-of-new-complete-streets-policy-design-guide-and-pedestrian-crossing-toolkit/), figure out where to place pedestrian intersections and bike lanes (https://allthingsappleton.com/2024/02/27/municipal-services-committee-receives-overview-of-new-complete-streets-policy-design-guide-and-pedestrian-crossing-toolkit/), determine where to locate its transit center (https://allthingsappleton.com/2022/05/30/transit-commission-votes-to-approve-contract-for-transit-center-needs-assessment-and-master-plan-study/), manage its ARPA dollars (https://allthingsappleton.com/2022/09/10/common-council-approved-150000-contract-with-consultant-to-help-the-city-administer-arpa-funds-alderperson-chad-doran-expresses-opposition/), review the workload and organization of the police department (https://allthingsappleton.com/2024/10/30/human-resources-committee-unanimously-approves-contract-with-matrix-consulting-group-to-conduct-police-department-organizational-and-workload-study-69000-cost-to-be-paid-with-arpa-dollars/), or create a planning vision for the city (https://allthingsappleton.com/2024/12/10/human-resources-and-information-technology-committee-meeting-12-11-2024-will-vote-on-award-of-45000-strategic-visioning-contract/) without hiring consultants to tell it how to do those things. This very same government decided that it was right and appropriate for it to regulate the speech of the health and medical professionals practicing within its boundaries. That in itself was an unconstitutional act regardless of the contents of the ordinance, but as an even more serious matter, when the Appleton government gave form to that ordinance it dictated that health and medical professionals were free to lie to their patients and encourage those patients down a path based on a fundamental falsehood but would face negative repercussions from the government if they spoke the truth or based treatments on the physical reality that s*x is immutable.

A primary purpose of the First Amendment is to facilitate people in their pursuit of the truth. If it does not protect people who say true things, it will not protect anybody who says anything. The Appleton government’s rejection of the First Amendment in this case is, therefore, particularly egregious because it used its overstepping of authority to cut at the very foundation of why the First Amendment even exists.

A prescient man once wrote, “Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows.” In 2020, the City of Appleton tried to take that freedom away, and that is no small thing.

04/14/2026

For 6 years, the City of Appleton has had an unconstitutional ordinance in its Municipal Code. Concerns about this ordinance’s scope and constitutionality were raised at the time of its adoption, but the Common Council went ahead and approved it anyway by a vote of 14-1. The unconstitutionality of that ordinance has now been confirmed by an 8-1 decision of the Supreme Court of the United States of America.

I refer to Section 7-300 of Appleton’s Municipal Code, the section which banned, among other things, counselors and therapists, when working with patients under the age of 18, from providing talk therapy that the city defined as being “conversion therapy”.

The ordinance in question’s definition of “conversion therapy” is almost word-for-word the same as that of a Colorado state statute that has just been determined to be unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in its ruling in the Chiles vs. Salazar case. Both the Appleton ordinance and the Colorado law define conversion therapy as a practice or treatment intended to change a person’s “s*xual orientation or gender identity, including efforts to change behaviors or gender expressions or to eliminate or reduce s*xual or romantic attractions or feelings toward individuals of the same [s*x/gender].”

Both Appleton’s ordinance and Colorado’s law also explicitly define conversion therapy to not include therapy that provides (a) “assistance to a person undergoing gender transition“ or (b) “acceptance, support, and understanding” or facilitates an individual’s “coping, social support, and identity exploration and development, including s*xual-orientation neutral interventions to prevent or address unlawful conduct or unsafe s*xual practices, as long as such counseling does not seek to change [an individual’s] s*xual orientation or gender identity.”

The Supreme Court determined that the law in question is unconstitutional because it regulates speech based on viewpoint. It notes that, “The fact that the State’s viewpoint regulation falls only on licensed health care professionals does not change the equation. The First Amendment protects the right of all to speak their minds, and NIFLA expressly rejected the notion that professional speech is subject to ‘diminished constitutional protection.’” The court goes on to warn, “History is littered with examples of governments that have sought to manipulate professional speech ‘to increase state power,’ ‘suppress minorities,’ and censor ‘unpopular ideas.’”

Justice Gorsuch, penning the opinion for the majority, points out one of the great dangers of the government regulating professional speech, writing, “Not long ago, many medical experts and organizations, including the American Psychiatric Association, considered homos*xuality a mental disorder. […] On the view Colorado and the dissent advance, a law adopted during that era prohibiting counselors from engaging in the ‘substandard care’ of affirming their clients’ homos*xuality would have been subject to only rational-basis or intermediate-scrutiny review—and likely upheld. […] Today, tomorrow, and forever, too, any professional speech that deviates from ‘current beliefs about the safety and efficacy of various medical treatments’ could be silenced with relative ease.”

Justice Kagan in her concurring opinion, points out how serious a matter it is when the government tries to ban certain viewpoints, “If the First Amendment prohibits anything, it is the ‘official suppression of ideas.’ […] Because viewpoint-based laws always raise that specter, they are the most suspect of all speech regulations. So much so that this Court has refused to permit viewpoint discrimination even within unprotected categories of speech, like fighting words or obscenity.”

I reached out to City Attorney Chris Behrens and asked what the status of this ordinance was in light of the Supreme Court’s ruling in Chiles vs. Salazar. He indicated that, going forward, the Appleton Health Department will not accept written allegations against a provider and forward those on to the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services as the ordinance requires but will instead provide individuals submitting complaints with information on how to contact DSPS directly with their concerns.

He indicated that he and Health Officer Charles Sepers also “discussed bringing this ordinance back to the Board of Health at a future meeting with a recommendation to repeal the ordinance given the Chiles decision.”

Additionally, he noted that since the ordinance’s adoption Dr. Sepers was “not aware of any written complaints being submitted to his department pursuant to 7-300.”

[While in some respects it is good that no licensed professional faced repercussions from the City of Appleton under this ordinance since its adoption, the very lack of complaints and city action suggests that this ordinance was not enacted in response to any sort of actual issue on the ground that the Common Council was wrestling with at the time. The extreme similarity in the ordinance’s language to the language of the Colorado law would also suggest it did not spring up as an organic response to an organic issue in Appleton but rather came from a shared template.

This inorganic and unconstitutional ordinance has sat on Appleton’s books for 6 years, and, even if seemingly unused, it was fulfilling a purpose and making a statement. The statement it has been making for the last 6 years is: “We, the City of Appleton, have authority over your words and your viewpoints. Give careful consideration to your thoughts because if you express thoughts we don’t like, we will try to cause you harm.”

There are 6 alderpersons who were serving on the Common Council in 2020 and who voted in favor of this ordinance who are still members of the Common Council today. They are Vered Meltzer (District 2), Brad Firkus (District 3), Katie Van Zeeland (District 5), Denise Fenton (District 6), Alex Schultz (District 9), and Chris Croatt (District 14). Every single Council member takes an oath to support the Constitution of the United States. In the case of this ordinance, that oath was not followed well, and one hopes that the current Common Council will quickly rectify this issue and that the 6 alderpersons who voted in favor of this ordinance back in 2020 will not only publicly apologize for having overstepped their authority but will also be the ones who most vigorously lead the charge to rectify that mistake and make it clear that, going forward, the City of Appleton will respect and uphold the constitutional rights of the people who reside and conduct business in this city.

It is only good and right that the Council (and those 6 alderpersons in particular) should do that because, as the Supreme Court noted in its ruling, “The First Amendment stands as a bulwark against any effort to prescribe an orthodoxy of views, reflecting a belief that each American enjoys an inalienable right to speak his mind and a faith in the free marketplace of ideas as the best means for finding truth. Laws like Colorado’s, which suppress speech based on viewpoint, represent an egregious assault on both commitments.” The last thing Appleton should want to be known for is for being the city that engaged in an egregious assault on the fundamental right of Americans to speak their minds and for having suppressed the ability of people within its borders to seek truth.]

09/11/2025

It is with mixed feelings that I announce All Things Appleton will be going on indefinite hiatus beginning immediately. Sudden, unexpected changes at my work have resulted in me needing to markedly increase the hours I work for at least the rest of the year if not beyond. While working overtime every single week for 3 months will certainly be financially lucrative for me, it also means that, in order to give my family and children appropriate focus and attention, I need to reduce the time I spend on personal hobbies, All Things Appleton being the main such thing.

I had initially planned to continue things as normal through this week and recap the committee meetings as usual, but one of my children woke up sick this morning and has to stay home from school and requires extra attention and care. So, I took that as a sign that I should make the announcement now.

It has been a great pleasure reporting on local government activity over the last 5 years. I believe local government is an area that does not get nearly as much attention as it should. While state and national politics are certainly important, the actions of local elected officials influence our daily lives as much if not more than politicians on the state and national stage. I hope one day to start reporting on it again. Until then, government meeting agendas, minutes, and raw videos are all available for any member of the public to view whenever they want.

The City of Appleton meeting details can be viewed here: https://cityofappleton.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx

The AASD Board of Education meeting details can be viewed here: https://www.aasd.k12.wi.us/district/leadership/board-of-education

09/10/2025

The Appleton Area School District Board of Education met 09/09/2025. One of the items they reviewed was the 2024-2025 Fiscal Year Summary. Over the year, the District had $234.3 million in revenue and $248.5 million in expenses for a deficit of $14.2 million. They had $15.2 sitting available in in their unassigned and unrestricted accounts/funds which they used to cover that deficit. That means for next year, they only have around $1 million remaining of available funds to cover future deficits. They had some one-time expenses in 2024-2025 that had not been budgeted for, so in the 2025-2026 fiscal year they are anticipating a deficit of only $13 million. Their goal for the 2025-2026 fiscal year is to not have that deficit increase beyond $13 million.

A transcript of the discussion is available for download on the All Things Appleton website: https://allthingsappleton.com/2025/09/10/aasd-board-of-education-reviews-2024-2025-fiscal-year-summary-discusses-13-million-deficit-expected-for-2025-2026/

The District’s two largest funds are Fund 10 (the General Education Fund) and Fund 27 (the Special Education Fund). For this last year, they had originally expected those funds to have $214.4 million in revenue, but they actually ended up bringing in $216.5 million in revenue which was $2.1 million more than expected. Half of that increase was because the Fed did not reduce interest rates this last year. The other half was a combination of smaller things such as different grants and state funding.

The slide about revenue also included a bullet point saying that private school vouchers increased by $843,286. This, however, did not increase AASD’s revenue although it is part of the local tax levy. Because it is included as part of the tax levy, on paper AASD acts as a passthrough for the funds as they make their way to the schools with students who have vouchers. In actuality, the state collects the money and it goes right out to the schools with students who are utilizing vouchers.

The 2024-2025 expenses for Fund 10 and Fund 27 were also higher than budgeted for by about $5.4 million. Factoring in the increased revenue, these funds ended the year with a $3.2 million deficit. AASD’s Executive Director of Finance Holly Burr noted that, while $3.2 million was a large number, as a percentage was around 1.3% of AASD’s total budget which was well within a normal variance range for the year. “So, although we, none of us, like it, we don't like to see that kind of a change beginning of the year to the end of the year, it is not out of the realm of normal.”

The main drivers of increased expenses were staff compensation and then a whole bunch of little overruns for operational expenses. Ms. Burr said contracted services was a big chunk of that, “Anytime we have to contract work out, which we do have to do sometimes, those costs are increasing. Unfortunately, in this particular case, some of this stuff is increasing at a faster rate than what we had anticipated. Other example, you know, we do our best to anticipate, you know, utilities, insurance, and all of that, but bottom line sometimes that it just costs—plain costs more by the end of the year.”

Superintendent Greg Hartjes also explained, “In some of the areas, and as Holly talked about in operations, we might budget for a 10% increase, and it might be a 20% increase. So, something as simple as we can't repair our elevators; we have to have those repaired by an outside contractor. And so, we might budget for a 10% increase, and it might be 20%. Our property insurance has been going up considerably because of just different ways that insurance is being written in terms of how we have to insure our buildings. We haven't changed anything in how they function or any possible catastrophes to them, but insurances are charging us differently.”

Board member Ed Ruffolo asked if general fund dollars had been used to cover a shortfall in special education funding. Ms. Burr said that they had budgeted $29.9 million for special education and received $29.7 million from the state, so they were on target with their budget.

Board member Ruffolo followed up and said, “But if I remember, we were at about a 30% in the end, 30% reimbursement rate from the state. I know they were at 32 but it was sum certain, not sum sufficient, so it's always a little bit less. So, it would be fair to say at $29 million, if not—if they had the reimbursement rate for special education had been at 60% which it traditionally is, we wouldn't be having this conversation. We wouldn't even have a shortfall this year. In fact, we wouldn't have a deficit. If in the last four years that have been at 60%—just simple math—we wouldn't have a deficit at all. Is that fair?”

Ms. Burr responded, “That is a fair statement.”

Overall for the 2024-2025 year, AASD had $248.5 million in expenses but only $234.3 million in revenue which left a deficit for the year of $14.2 million. They had $15.2 sitting available in in their unassigned and unrestricted accounts/funds which they used to cover that deficit. That means for next year, they only have around $1 million remaining of available funds to cover future deficits. They expect future recurring deficits to be approximately $13 million if they don’t change anything.

At the next Board meeting, they will start talking about how they can start chipping away at that deficit. Per Ms. Burr, “The goal for '25-'26 is to not have that increase. So, we will take a look at, okay, if we if we have known increases in certain areas, then are we able to make reductions in others? So, the goal moving forward is to not to have that deficit increase anymore, but we will be starting with that number. From there, we will add on—okay, new revenues from the state. We know we're getting $10.3 million-ish in new monies. What are our new expenses going to look like? So, subtract those back off. So, we'll—we're going to talk about more about that.” She went on to say, “We won't have a balanced budget going into next year, but we do not want this $13 million to get any higher.”

Ms. Burr and Superintendent Hartjes discussed issues surrounding cash flow. They only have around $1 million in unrestricted funds and $35.6 million in overall general funds. That $35.6 million is only around 15% of total District expenditures. Their goal is to have the general fund balance be between 20-25% of total expenditures. Being at 20-25% supports the District’s bond rating which allows them to borrow affordably for capital projects and also ensures they have proper cash flow throughout the year.

A general fund balance of only 15% along with the timing of the distribution of state funds to schools means that AASD will be 5 months through their fiscal year before they receive a significant amount of money from the state in December. The $35 million in the general fun will need to cover payroll, insurance claims, and retiree payments. Per Ms. Burr, “The biggest issue is the cash flow. We have to be able to make payroll through November, not that we won't have enough money. After all, it's just, just like, you know, making it to pay day. Our pay day is December. So, we have to figure out how to cash flow our money until we get to that point.”

When school districts do not have enough cash on hand to cover payroll, the most common solution is to borrow funds for a short term. That is common, but it costs additional money to borrow. AASD would like to avoid having to pay extra to borrow funds, but if they have to they will. Ms. Burr noted, “It's been a number of years since Appleton has had to short term borrow. But if we have to do that again, we will have to do that again.”

View full meeting video here: https://aasd.granicus.com/player/clip/110
View Board of Education agenda website here: https://www.aasd.k12.wi.us/district/leadership/board-of-education

09/09/2025

The Human Resources and Information Technology Committee is meeting 09/10/2025 at 6:30PM.

They have one action item on the agenda which is a request to set alderperson salaries for an upcoming term. By law elected officials are not allowed to set their own salaries and must, instead, set the salaries of alderpersons who will be serving during a future term. That means, any change must be approved by December 1, 2025 to go into effect either April of 2026 for the half of the Common Council whose term started in 2026 or April of 2027 for the entire Council. Historically, the Appleton Common Council has chosen to set salaries two years ahead so that all alderpersons have the same salary.

City staff makes no recommendation on what the salary ought to be but has provided information on historical salary increases and the salaries for alderpersons in local municipalities and comparable municipalities elsewhere in Wisconsin.

For a salary change to go into effect, it must be approved by ¾ of the Common Council.

View full meeting details here: https://cityofappleton.legistar.com/MeetingDetail.aspx?ID=1336331&GUID=5F3B7DA8-6825-4F6F-8422-0B91DED59400

09/09/2025

The Safety and Licensing Committee is meeting 09/10/2025 at 5:30PM.

The agenda item of most interest to the public is the vote on Resolution 3-R-25 which, if passed, would reinstate a truancy ordinance in Appleton.

The Appleton Area School District’s request for a truancy ordinance has been discussed several times over the last 6 months.

*March 19, 2025 - AASD Superintendent Greg Hartjes gave an initial presentation to the full Common Council on 03/19/2025. (https://allthingsappleton.com/2025/03/21/superintendent-greg-hartjes-gives-presentation-to-common-council-on-truancy-issues-within-appleton-area-school-district-alderperson-william-siebers-introduces-resolution-to-bring-back-appletons-ant/)

*March 26, 2025 – No AASD representatives attended the Safety and Licensing Committee meeting. Members of the public did attend and expressed their concerns about taking punitive measures in response to truancy. The committee ended up voting to hold the item until May. (https://allthingsappleton.com/2025/03/27/safety-and-licensing-committee-holds-truancy-resolution-until-05-14-2025-committee-meeting-alderpersons-express-desire-for-more-details-prior-to-moving-forward/)

*May 2025 – Superintendent Hartjes asked the Safety and Licensing Committee to hold the item to give time for “stakeholder” meetings to take place. (https://allthingsappleton.com/2025/05/15/safety-and-licensing-committee-holds-truancy-resolution-with-expectation-it-will-be-brought-up-for-further-work-in-the-fall-will-receive-regular-informational-updates-during-interim/)

*June 2025 – AASD representatives gave a presentation to the committee on District efforts to curb student absenteeism and truancy. (https://allthingsappleton.com/2025/06/13/safety-and-licensing-committee-receives-presentation-on-district-efforts-to-curb-student-absenteeism-and-truancy/)

*July 2025 – AASD staff members gave speeches to the committee in which they asked for the truancy ordinance to be reinstated. They then answered committee questions for around 40 minutes. (https://allthingsappleton.com/2025/07/16/safety-and-licensing-committee-discusses-truancy-ordinance-with-aasd-staff/)

*August 2025 – AASD representatives provided recommendations on what dispositions should be allowed in a truancy ordinance. (https://allthingsappleton.com/2025/08/20/safety-and-licensing-committee-discusses-truancy-initiative-with-aasd-representatives-reviews-aasds-recommended-dispositions-for-potential-truancy-ordinance/)

The committee will also be voting on a request from city staff to deny the bartender/operator license application for Jeffrey Hanson. Mr. Hanson has a history of operating while intoxicated convictions, the first of which dates to 2003 and the fifth of which occurred in 2020. He was also convicted of disorderly conduct earlier this year for actions he engaged in while intoxicated.

There are also some miscellaneous alcohol licensing related items they will be voting on.

As information items, they will be receiving Director’s Reports, reviewing special events, and reviewing recent alcohol license violation convictions.

Lumberjack Johnny’s was convicted of selling alcohol to a minor and not having a licensed operator on the premises. Antojitos Micanos, Appleton Axe, Camelot, and the Richmond Citgo were all convicted of selling alcohol to minors.

View full meeting details here: https://cityofappleton.legistar.com/MeetingDetail.aspx?ID=1308972&GUID=ED88FC1D-F888-4589-AF83-5D6725568DB1

09/08/2025

The Community Development Committee is meeting 09/10/2025 at 4:30PM

They have one public hearing which is to obtain citizen views on priority community needs and the use of the city’s Community Development Block Grant funds for the 2026 program year.

They have three action items.

The first is a request to update the Art in Public Places Policy.

The second is a vote on Appleton Northside Business Association’s request to install banners and seasonal décor on Richmond Street and Wisconsin Avenue.

The third is a request to approve an offer to purchase submitted by the PAC for a city owned parcel on Division Street near Franklin that the PAC currently leases from the city for $1 annually.

View full meeting details here: https://cityofappleton.legistar.com/MeetingDetail.aspx?ID=1329190&GUID=771B0699-B579-4B31-A7C3-90CA1416A484

09/08/2025

The City Plan Commission is meeting 09/10/2025 at 3:30PM.

They have two action items on their agenda.

The first is a request to approve a 2 acre annexation on E Melody Lane currently in the Town of Grand Chute. The two parcels in question have single family homes on them and the owners would like to receive water service from Appleton.

The second is a request to approve the land disposition of a parcel on Division Street between Franklin Street and Washington Street. The parcel is currently owned by the city and leased by the PAC for parking. The PAC would like to purchase the parcel. City staff is recommending approval of the request.

View full meeting details here: https://cityofappleton.legistar.com/MeetingDetail.aspx?ID=1329189&GUID=C301340D-478D-40B0-BE6D-7256EFC0C42D

09/07/2025

The Appleton Area School District Board of Education is meeting 09/08/2025 at 6PM

They will be reviewing the 2024-2025 Fiscal Year Summary and discussing budget strategies. At this point, it appears that they expect to have a recurring deficit of $13 million moving forward.

They will also be reviewing the updated K-5 elementary art curriculum.

As action items they will be voting on educator new hires, contract changes, and resignations, and considering and voting on the potential creation of a Board Finance Strategy Committee.

View Board of Education website here: https://www.aasd.k12.wi.us/district/leadership/board-of-education

09/07/2025

The Appleton Redevelopment Authority committee is meeting 09/10/2025 at 9AM.

The only action items are electing a committee chair and vice chair, designating a contact person, and setting the meeting date and time.

As information items, they will be reviewing the updates to the city’s Comprehensive Plan and sub area plans. They will also be receiving an update on the parcel at 222 N Oneida Street on which Valley Transit will be building a new transit center.

View full meeting details here: https://cityofappleton.legistar.com/MeetingDetail.aspx?ID=1330979&GUID=EBD4FB50-20FC-40EF-9C29-3A4682AD00FF

09/06/2025

The Board of Health is meeting 09/10/2025 at 7AM.

They have 6 action items on the agenda, all of which are related to the city’s tuberculosis program and outline procedures for case finding, contacts, case management, and directly observed therapy.

As information items they will be reviewing two recent dangerous animal declarations.

A St. Bernard mix named Godfrey engaged in two different unprovoked attacks on humans. In both cases, the victim was exiting their house when Godfrey charged and attacked them, in each cases drawing blood and in the second case causing injuries that required stitches.

The second dangerous animal is a pitbull named Apollo. In one case he was at large off his property and engaged in an unprovoked attack on a neighbor’s dog. In the second case, he jumped off the second story balcony of his home, attacked a dog out for a walk with its owner and then attacked the owner when he tried to protect his dog. Apollo caused injuries to the human requiring medical treatment and stitches.

View full meeting details here: https://cityofappleton.legistar.com/MeetingDetail.aspx?ID=1329760&GUID=AE4524E2-994D-4337-8CA3-53B90FDC18D6

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