Organizational meeting: Rules and committee assignments approved; council officers elected
At a glance
Quick context to catch up fast.
On April 22, 2026 the Appleton Common Council held its organizational meeting in Council Chambers. The Rules of Council and Department & Committee Functions were approved, the Code of Conduct was amended and recommitted, 2026 committee assignments were adopted, and council leadership was elected. A proposed change to invocation protocol was withdrawn. Sixteen members were present; Mayor Jake Woodford abstained on recorded roll-call votes.
Committees mentioned
Open the committee coverage hubs tied to this summary.
Topics discussed
Was this summary helpful?
Your feedback helps us prioritize what to improve next.
Key decisions
Follow the major takeaways from this briefing.
- Proposed invocation rule (requiring use of 'I' statements when prayer references a god) was withdrawn by Alderperson Heffernan with no objections.
- Rules of Council approved (motion: Lambrecht; second: Hayden). Vote: 15 Aye, 1 Abstained (Mayor Jake Woodford).
- Department & Committee Functions approved (motion: Lambrecht; second: Croatt). Vote: 15 Aye, 1 Abstained (Mayor Jake Woodford).
- Code of Conduct amended so the last bullet reads 'Act decisively and definitively on behalf of all of our constituents.' (motion: Croatt; second: Wolff). Vote: 15 Aye, 1 Abstained (Mayor Jake Woodford).
- Recommitment to the amended Code of Conduct approved (motion: Hartzheim; second: Croatt). Vote: 15 Aye, 1 Abstained (Mayor Jake Woodford).
- 2026 Alderperson Board, Commission, and Committee Assignments approved (motion: Hartzheim; second: Van Zeeland). Vote: 15 Aye, 1 Abstained (Mayor Jake Woodford).
- Alderperson Brad Firkus elected Common Council President.
- Alderperson Patrick Hayden elected Common Council Vice President (Alderperson Wolff declined a nomination).
- Alderperson Josh Lambrecht elected Common Council Representative to the City Plan Commission.
- Meeting adjourned at 6:26 p.m. (motion: Hartzheim; second: Croatt). Vote: 15 Aye, 1 Abstained (Mayor Jake Woodford).
Timeline & follow-ups
Action items flagged by the community.
No follow-ups have been shared yet. Add one in the community board below.
Meeting information
Details and records from this meeting.
Recent documents
Fresh records from this municipality.
Civic leadership
Know who to contact about the decisions that matter.