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HomeMy WebLinkAbout02.26.21 Newsletter DATE: February 26, 2021 TO: Honorable Mayor and Common Council FROM: Mark Rohloff, City Manager SUBJECT: Weekly Newsletter 1. OFD UPGRADED TO CLASS 1 ISO RATING: The City of Oshkosh Fire Department received exciting news from the Insurance Services Office (ISO) regarding the Public Protection Classification (PPC). The PPC is rated on a scale of 1-10. Our previous ranking had been a Class 2. Effective June 1, 2021 our new ranking will be a Class 1. ISO’s Public Protection Classification Program (PPC) plays an important role in the underwriting process at insurance companies. In fact, most U.S. insurers – including the largest ones – use PPC information as part of their decision- making when deciding what business to write, coverage to offer, or prices to charge for personal or commercial property insurance. Each insurance company independently determines the premiums it charges its policyholders. The way an insurer uses ISO’s information on public fire protection may depend on several things – the company’s fire-loss experience, ratemaking methodology, underwriting guidelines, and its marketing strategy. ISO is the leading supplier of data and analytics for the property/casualty insurance industry. Most insurers use PPC classifications for underwriting and calculating premiums for residential, commercial, and industrial properties. PPC is important to communities and fire departments as well. Communities whose PPC improves may get lower insurance prices. PPC also provides fire departments with a valuable benchmark, and is used by many departments as a valuable tool when planning, budgeting, and justifying fire protection improvements. In 2020 there were only 388 fire departments in the country that had achieved this rating. Of those, only 8 were in Wisconsin. This places us in the top 17% of all fire departments. This is definitely something that we should be incredibly proud of! A special thanks to Lt. Dave Neuber who spent countless hours compiling the data, completing the reports, and turning this into a reality. Congratulations OFD, this is well deserved recognition! 2. PROPOSED ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM UNDER REVIEW: The Greater Oshkosh Economic Development Corporation (EDC) is proposing to develop a business assistance program that will diversify the resources we have to attract and retain businesses in the City of Oshkosh. A Forgivable Loan Program would be a program funded by the City of Oshkosh and Greater Oshkosh EDC that will require high-impact investment and job creation with above average wages in order to qualify. The program will be utilized on a limited basis, only after all other options have been deemed ineligible. Greater Oshkosh EDC is proposing that City funds for the program come from the City’s Revolving Loan Fund and the Greater Oshkosh EDC will match the City’s contribution on a 1:1 match with their private dollars. The City’s Long Range Finance Committee and the Greater Oshkosh EDC RLF Committee will be reviewing the parameters of the program and will send a recommendation to Council in March. City staff is supportive of this program as a way to add another tool to our economic development tool box and to encourage economic growth in the city. Please contact Economic Development Services Manager Kelly Nieforth with any questions. 3. ONE DOWN ONE TO GO: Election Specialist Melissa Boothe is finalizing the state required reports for the February Election. Some interesting numbers from the Primary Election include:  37,991 registered voters in the City of Oshkosh  4,076 voted; 2,019 of the 4,076 were absentee ballots  Election results started coming in at 8:07 p.m. and results from all 16 polling sites were in by 8:21 p.m. Looking ahead to the Spring Election in April, Clerk Ubrig has placed the ballot order. Absentee ballots must be mailed by Tuesday, March 16th. At this time, there are just under 4,000 absentee requests that will be processed and the last day to request a ballot be mailed is Thursday, April 1st (no joke). As with every election, Clerk Ubrig recommends not to wait until the last minute to make that request. Voters will be encouraged to place their sealed absentee envelope containing their voted ballot in the secured drop box at the entrance of City Hall prior to Election Day. In-person early voting will start on Tuesday, March 23, 2021 and will continue through Friday, April 2, 2021 (week days only). The number of individuals in the building to vote will be monitored, employees will have PPE and all sanitizing procedures will be followed. Tuesday, April 6, 2021 is Election Day: the polls are open from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. If voters have questions, please check the city website at www.ci.oshkosh.wi.us or My Vote Wisconsin at www.myvote.wi.gov. Voters may also call the City Clerk’s office at 236-5011. 4. OSHKOSH MEDIA OPEN BY APPOINTMENT: Individual community producers are now able to make appointments to access the Oshkosh FM radio studio and the video editing station located at Oshkosh Media, on the first floor of City Hall. The Oshkosh Media offices had been closed to the public since last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Producers are now able to access the audio and video editing facilities one person at a time. Guests are not allowed at this time due to social distancing requirements. As a reminder, checkout of equipment like cameras, microphones and other video production equipment is still available by scheduling an appointment for pickup. The Oshkosh Media TV studio and TV control room remain closed to the public for now because of confined spaces in those facilities. Training classes also remain suspended at this time due to social distancing requirements. Oshkosh Media staff will continue to monitor the situation in the community regarding COVID-19 and will take additional reopening steps as circumstances allow. Anyone interested in scheduling an appointment should contact Media Services at 236-5260. 5. FIND SASSY THE SHAMROCK: Throughout the month of March, the Oshkosh Parks Department will continue the fun with our scavenger hunts throughout our Oshkosh Parks! Sassy the Shamrock will be hidden in one of our parks and clues will be posted to our Facebook page on Tuesdays and Fridays. Once you find her, take a picture in the park you found her in, post it to our Facebook page and tag #FindSassytheShamrock! Turn her in for prizes to the Oshkosh Parks Department building at 805 Witzel Ave. We wish you luck finding Sassy the Shamrock in March! If you have questions about the scavenger hunt or future Parks events, please contact Jenny McCollian, Revenue Facilities Manager, at (920) 232-5319. 6. EMERALD ASH BORER TREATMENT CONTINUES: The Landscape Operations Division has been working in South Park during the last two weeks on the removal of Emerald Ash Borer affected trees to improve safety for our visitors. Ash trees with EAB become extremely brittle once infested with the borer. Replacement of these trees with alternative species will occur following stump removal and restoration work. If you have questions regarding Emerald Ash Borer and its treatment here in the City of Oshkosh please contact Bill Sturm, Landscape Operations Manager, at (920) 236-5080. 7. OSHKOSH IS AN AGE-FRIENDLY COMMUNITY: AARP Wisconsin plans to announce that the City of Oshkosh & Surrounding Areas have been officially accepted as the seventh Wisconsin member of the AARP Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities. The Age Friendly Network is an affiliate of the World Health Organization’s Age-Friendly Cities and Communities Program, an international effort launched in 2006 to help cities prepare for rapid population aging and the parallel trend of urbanization. The program has participating communities in more than 20 nations. An age-friendly community is livable for people of all ages. To have your voices heard, please look for the AARP survey set to launch in March of 2021. If you questions regarding this designation or would like more information regarding the Oshkosh Seniors Center, please contact Jean Wollerman, Senior Services Manager at (920) 232-5300. 8. SENIORS CENTER ASSISTS WITH VACCINATION EFFORTS: The Oshkosh Seniors Center jumped in to assist getting older adults vaccinated against COVID -19. In cooperation with the Winnebago County Health Department, the Center called our most vulnerable participants to help them get signed up for their first vaccination. We started calling people aged 85 to 100, yes, 100 is correct. Imagine their challenges without access to technology in trying to get signed up. We called individuals and their caregivers and put them on the “short list” for call backs from the county. The gratitude was overwhelming and we helped over 50 people cut through the red tape to sign up. As of today, 40% of persons aged 65 or older from Wisconsin have been vaccinated! The Center encourages you to reach with assistance to neighbors, friends, and family that may have challenges navigating how to sign up. If you have any questions regarding vaccination opportunities, please contact Jean Wollerman, Senior Services Manager at (920) 232-5300. 9. REPORTS UPDATES AND LINKS: Attached is the weekly Museum Board memo and Oshkosh Public Library February Highlights. 10. 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/. 11. COVID-19 RESOURCE LINKS AND INFORMATION: Citizen Covid-19 Information Site: https://www.ci.oshkosh.wi.us/covid19.aspx Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: https://www.cdc.gov/ Wisconsin Department of Health Services: https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/ Winnebago County Public Health Department: https://www.co.winnebago.wi.us/health/divisions-program-areas/communicable- disease/covid-19-coronavirus/wchd-covid-19-situation 12. UPCOMING MEETINGS: The Alliance for Innovation City Management Conference (Govapalooza) is scheduled for March 1 through March 5. This is a virtual event and I will be participating as a panelist in two sessions, as well as participating in multiple other sessions throughout the week. I will be in the office during the sessions and will remain available via cell phone and email. If you have any questions regarding my schedule, please contact me.