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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10.2.20newsletterCity Manager • Mark A. Rohloff City Hall, 215 Church Avenue P.O. Box 1130 Oshkosh, WI 54903-1130 920.236.5002 DATE: October 2, 2020 TO: Honorable Mayor and Common Council FROM: Mark Rohloff, City Manager SUBJECT: Weekly Newsletter 1. REIMBURSEMENT FOR SERVICES TO STATE FACILITIES CONTINUES TO DROP: Attached is a report from the Wisconsin Policy Forum regarding the continued reduction in state reimbursements for costs incurred by cities serving state facilities. The Municipal Services Program (MSP), is a program designed to reimburse cities for police, fire, and refuse services that are provided to state facilities. The reimbursement is based on the share of state owned property improvements relative to the value of the community. The intent is for the state to reimburse the city for its share of these specific services. In the case of Oshkosh, we do not provide refuse services to any state facilities, therefore our reimbursement is exclusively for police and fire services. According to the report, Oshkosh is the third largest recipient of reimbursements in the state, after Madison and Milwaukee. Our high number is due to multiple facilities in Oshkosh, including a state prison and a major university. As I mentioned Tuesday evening, the reimbursement from the state has plummeted over the past 20 years, and was done through the administrations of governors from both parties, so this is hardly a partisan issue. What used to be a reimbursement of nearly $.90 for each dollar spent on services benefiting a state, the reimbursement is now below $.35 per dollar spent. With nearly 1/3 of the cost being reimbursed, the city taxpayers end up shouldering the shortfall. As the report indicates, the deficit for 2020 is over $900,000 annually. To put that in perspective, that is comparable to the cost for 9-12 police officers or firefighters. I encourage you to read the policy forum article to get a better understanding of this program. However, one item that I think is overlooked in the study is the explanation for the increased costs for eligible expenses under this program. The data indicates that there is an increase in police, fire, and refuse costs that exceeds inflation. I believe this information is incomplete. In my recent discussions with municipal leaders, other cities, towns, and villages have looked for other options to make up for losses in state shared revenue. One of the solutions is to identify state properties in their own communities that have been overlooked from the MSP program. As a result, the number of communities submitting for reimbursement has grown significantly over the years. This has increased the eligible costs that the state should be reimbursing; meanwhile, the amount budgeted to reimburse municipalities under the MSP program has been reduced over the same time period, creating a greater gap in reimbursements. The League of Municipalities is encouraging its members to point out this increased funding gap and ask that the state recommit itself to fully funding this program. While I am skeptical about the state listening to these cries for help, I think it is important to continue to voice our concerns. Please contact me if you have any questions regarding this program. 2. SCHEDULE FOR REVIEW OF JACKSON STREET CORRIDOR AND SAFETY STUDY: The Planning Services Division is currently in the process of developing a Multimodal Traffic Safety and Quality of Life Study from Church Avenue to Murdock Avenue (Area 1) and a corridor plan to guide lane use and mobility development from Murdock Avenue to Interstate 41 (Area 2). Ayres Associates and RDG Planning & Design are facilitating the planning process in collaboration with the City of Oshkosh. The plan process kicked off in late 2019, and is planned to be finished in late 2020. To facilitate review and approval of the plan by the end of the year, Staff is proposing a virtual joint workshop with the Common Council, Plan Commission, Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee, and Traffic and Parking Advisory Board prior to the end of October 2020. Please look for an invitation to attend this virtual workshop. Tentative Adoption Schedule  Joint Workshop TBD Late October  Traffic & Parking Advisory Board November 10, 2020  Plan Commission November 17, 2020  Bicycle & Ped. Advisory Committee November 19, 2020  Common Council Action December 8, 2020 For questions about the planning process contact Associate Planner, Alexa Naudziunas at anaudziunas@ci.oshkosh.wi.us. The final adoption schedule will be posted on the project website: https://www.ci.oshkosh.wi.us/PlanningServices/JacksonStreetCorridorPlan/Default.aspx 3. FIRE DEPARTMENT TO END HOSPITAL TRANSFER SERVICES: Council may recall the Fire Department staffing study recommended the end of dedicating 911 emergency service personnel to conduct transfers between hospitals, in order to free up staff to respond to 911 emergency calls. The Oshkosh Fire Department staff began discussions with Aurora Medical Center in early 2020. Although those discussions were halted due to the COVID pandemic, they resumed this summer when Chief Stanley notified area hospitals of our plans to end the transfer service in October. Effective at 7:00 AM on Monday, October 5, the Fire Department will officially no longer provide transfer patients from one facility to another. Although we are ending this service, we have agreed to continue discussions with Aurora Medical Center to assist them in securing a long-term solution to this change. While there will be a fiscal impact to the city, our ambulance units will now remain available for emergency response, which was becoming an issue with continued increases in calls for services. Please contact Fire Chief Mike Stanley if you have any questions regarding this change in service. 4. 2020 CENSUS: 98.7% OF HOUSEHOLDS COUNTED NATIONALLY: As of September 29, 98.7% of housing units nationally have been counted. Wisconsin is at 99.7% of households counted. It’s not too late! Please complete a 2020 Census Questionnaire online at www.2020census.gov, by phone at 844.330.2020, or complete the questionnaire that was mailed to you earlier this year. Census results shape the future of communities, as census data informs how billions of dollars in federal funds are distributed for health clinics, school lunch programs, disaster recovery initiatives, and other critical programs and services for the next 10 years. Do you have questions or concerns about the census? Call City of Oshkosh Grants Coordinator Darlene Brandt at 920.236.5029 or email dbrandt@ci.oshkosh.wi.us. 5. FREE FOOD BOX PROGRAM RETURNS IN OCTOBER: The USDA Farmers to Families Food Box program will return to Menominee Park in October. They plan to distribute the boxes from 10:00 am until 11:30 am on the following Mondays: October 12, October 19 and October 26. The program ensures that everyone has access to fresh produce, meat and dairy they need during COVID-19. This is a drive through distribution that is offered on a first come, first served basis and there are not any income requirements. Citizens will enter the park from Merritt Avenue and follow Siewert Trail to the Miller’s Bay parking lot where they can receive their box of food and simply exit the park onto Hazel Street. Please see attached flyer for more information. If you have any questions, feel free to contact Ray Maurer, Parks Director, at 236-5080. 6. GO TRANSIT GOES MOBILE: GO Transit launched a new contactless way for riders to purchase their bus fare October 1st. Token Transit is an app available in iOS and Android operating systems that allows users to pay for their bus fare and receive that fare on their mobile device. We decided to roll-out this contactless way of purchasing bus fares immediately as we see numbers of COVID-19 increasing in northeast Wisconsin. This app will allow people to purchase mobile fares and operators to verify those fares without any direct or close contact. All riders will need to do is show their phone/digital fare to the bus operator who will verify it is a valid fare and they will be able to ride. Below is the link to a short video that explains how the Token Transit app works: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjRlMvAM708 For more information about GO Transit, or how to download the Token Transit app for contactless bus fare purchasing, visit https://www.ci.oshkosh.wi.us/Transit/. If you have any questions about this, please contact Transportation Director, Jim Collins. 7. START OF CONSTRUCTION FOR CONTRACT 20-15 STORM SEWER LATERALS (VARIOUS LOCATIONS): The City of Oshkosh is notifying residents that construction of the second 2020 storm sewer laterals project will begin soon. The general contractor for Contract 20-15, Wood Sewer & Excavating, Inc., plans to begin construction the week of October 5th. The work under this Contract includes construction of storm sewer and laterals, along with concrete and asphalt street patching at approximately twenty-five (25) locations throughout the City. The Contract additionally consists of construction of storm sewer, along with street patching, on East Custer Avenue and Ceape Avenue. Traffic will be maintained on all streets, including local access to properties. If you wish to sign up for e-mailed construction updates for Contract 20-15, please send a blank e-mail to contract2015-subscribe@lists.ci.oshkosh.wi.us. You will receive an e-mail stating your subscription request has been received. You must reply to that message within five (5) days to complete the subscription. If you have any questions, please contact Construction Management Supervisor, Mike Blank. 8. REVOLVING LOAN FUNDS UPDATE: The Greater Oshkosh Economic Development Corporation continues to administer and promote multiple revolving loan funds (RLF) for the City of Oshkosh that support business growth and entrepreneurs in our community. The Greater Oshkosh RLF has loaned out over $400,000 with all loan payments current. There are pending loan applications and multiple businesses have expressed an interest in applying for a loan through this program. This RLF is primarily used for existing businesses looking to expand their business. In order to support entrepreneurship in the Oshkosh area, Greater Oshkosh EDC has successfully applied for and been awarded two WEDC Capital Catalyst grants that can be used for startup businesses. The City partnered with Greater Oshkosh EDC on this grant and provided the cash match required from the Greater Oshkosh RLF. The Capital Catalyst Funds are a mix of grant and loans with the WEDC funds being applied to the grant and loan portion of the program and the City RLF funds being the loan portion of the program. To date, the Capital Catalyst Fund has distributed over $100,000 in grants and just under $400,000 in loans. Greater Oshkosh EDC has applied for a third grant from WEDC and the City will provide the cash match from the Greater Oshkosh RLF once again. The Greater Oshkosh COVID-19 Emergency Response Loan Fund (ERL) was created this spring to provide businesses with a loan to help them through the COVID-19 pandemic. To date, eighteen loans have been approved by the RLF Committee and fourteen loans have been disbursed totaling $175,000. The loan programs are a valuable resource for businesses and entrepreneurs in our community that can help them start or expand their business. If you have any questions regarding the loan funds please contact Kelly Nieforth, Economic Development Division Services Manager. 9. COVID-19 RESOURCE LINKS AND INFORMATION: o Citizen Covid-19 Information Site: https://www.ci.oshkosh.wi.us/covid19.aspx o Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: https://www.cdc.gov/ o Wisconsin Department of Health Services: https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/ o Winnebago County Public Health Department: https://www.co.winnebago.wi.us/health/divisions-program- areas/communicable-disease/covid-19-coronavirus/wchd-covid-19-situation 10. ATTACHED REPORTS & UPDATES: Attached please find the Museum Directors Report. 11. MEETING MINUTES FOR BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS: All meeting minutes are uploaded to the website upon approval. Please follow the link below for the most updated information & meeting minutes: https://onboard.ci.oshkosh.wi.us/. 12. UPCOMING MEETINGS: The meetings I have scheduled for the week of October 5 include the following: At 9:30 AM on Monday I will be doing an interview on WHBY’s, Talking Oshkosh. At 10:15 AM I will be meeting virtually with a UWO MPA student working on a research paper. At 3:00 PM I am meeting with staff to discuss the 4th quarter virtual employee meeting outline. Tuesday at 1:00 PM I will be attending the joint meeting with Council & Local Stakeholders. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday are the scheduled dates for the League of Wisconsin Municipalities Annual Conference. There are a variety of virtual seminars that I will be attending including the League Board Meeting at 8:30 AM on Wednesday and one on Cyber Attacks at 2:00 PM, featuring our IT Manager, Tony Neumann. On Thursday at 7:30 AM I will be attending the GOEDC Executive Committee meeting. On Friday at 7:30 AM I will be participating in a United Way Leadership Council meeting. At 10:00 AM I will be attending a virtual WCMA Committee meeting. If you have any questions regarding my schedule, please contact me.