The committee voted unanimously to approve the mayor's office budget after the mayor described ongoing work to gather frontline employee feedback and identify training and process improvements intended to improve customer service and retention.

The mayor said staff have been holding listening sessions with frontline employees who frequently interact with members of the public to gather input on operational pain points and training needs. Topics surfaced include better website information presentation, de-escalation training and recognizing communication barriers. The mayor said Human Resources and the Appleton Police Department are collaborating on possible training offerings.

Council members asked about whether the city has seen an increase in escalated incidents; the mayor responded that while municipal staff sometimes encounter agitated residents, the current effort is largely proactive and employee-retention oriented rather than a response to a recent surge in incidents. The mayor also noted one small compensation/benefits election change that would have a nominal impact on the bottom line (less than $1,000) and said the office will include a housekeeping amendment to clarify the materials for budget adoption.

After questions the committee approved the mayor's office budget by a 4-0 vote.