The Appleton Library Project will be fully funded with borrowed funds and $2-million in American Rescue Plan Act money. In a Wednesday Special Budget Meeting, the Appleton Common Council voted against an amendment to reduce borrowing for the project from $13.54-million to $11.54-million. One of the amendment sponsors, Alderperson Chad Doran, voiced concerns over the city not setting spending limits on future projects.
“If we’re willing to start now before we put a shovel in the ground, at higher than what we committed to,” Doran said. “I’m not sure we’re going to be willing to put a ceiling on what we’re willing to spend. But we have to look to the future beyond just this project and what we’re going to be able to afford for other things this community needs.”
But the other amendment sponsors, Alderperson Kristen Alfheim, changed her mind after a further review of how ARPA funds can be used.
“By using the ARPA dollars to go towards this project, it is indeed saving the city, “Alfheim said. “It is helping. The ARPA dollars are doing exactly what we had been asked to use them for, which is to offset a cost that we did not anticipate.”
The amendment was defeated on a 12-to-3 vote.
The common council also gave final approval Wednesday to the $37,080,000 spending plan. That includes nearly $10.9 million will go for Debt Service Funds, while nearly $2.1-million will be used for Special Revenue Funds. The Department of Finance will sell $14.48-million in general obligation promissory notes and $13-million in water, sewer, or stormwater revenue supported bonds.
