The main topic of discussion in the open forum section of last night's annual meeting was the potential merger of the Grand Chute police department.
Resident Jim Duncan called for a motion for the board to put a three-tiered question to referendum. The questions would be, should the police department stay the same, should it merge with Appleton, or should it merge with Outagamie County Sheriff's Department. The motion was seconded and passed. There was no mention of when this referendum would take place in the motion. I say this, because the Post-Crescent this morning incorrectly reported that a referendum would take place this fall.
Another point to clarify is that this is a citizen advisory vote for the Town Board. Only Town Board members have the ability to place a referendum on a ballot. Last evening's meeting was a meeting of electors, not the Town Board, so no official Town Board action was taken.
After the advisory vote, and comments from residents, there was a call for a showing of hands on who was in favor of each proposal. I was able to observe from my spot in front, facing the crowd. The following are estimates from my personal observation, as no official count was taken. Out of approximately 125 people attending:
In favor of Appleton 6
In favor of staying Grand Chute 75
In favor of Outagamie County 45
