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HomeMy WebLinkAbout07.18.2022 MinutesCITY OF OSHKOSH SUSTAINABILITY ADVISORY BOARD Minutes July 18th, 2022 PRESENT: Pat Dwyer Hallquist, Vic Oliver, Ken Osmond, Bradley Spanbauer, Aaron Wojciechowski, Margy Davey EXCUSED: Eric Degroot, Bob Poeschl, Lisa Marone ABSENT: STAFF AND OTHERS: Brandon Nielsen (Staff Liaison), Staff (Oshkosh Media), I. Call to Order Chair Margy Davey called the meeting to order at 6:00pm and a quorum was declared present. II. Public Comment Steve Barney of 1335 Summit Ave asked the board to consider his request, which is to promote the planting of more trees, with the focus on shade trees. Ms. Davey stated that Oshkosh is designated as a tree city and also has a terrace tree planting program in place that allows for new trees to be planted in the terrace. Mr. Osmond asked if there was a program in place to offset the loss of trees when road construction occurs and the right of way is increased or the possibility of underground wiring. Mr. Nielsen said that it takes a significant chunk of a budget to bury power lines when they are already existing. For new power lines, it would take some coordination with the power company to make sure they are on board. Mr. Nielsen said he wasn’t sure of any programs that exist to offset loss of trees besides the terrace tree program. In 2017 the zoning code was updated to include landscaping points for new developments to be required to have a certain amount of landscaping per development. Ms. Davey said there was some additional recommendation in the zoning code for the type of tree and the diversity of trees. Mr. Osmond said when New York Avenue was done, his property lost anywhere between 35- 40% of their front yard shade to allow distance from the power line. He stated it seems peculiar that there isn’t an offset regulation in the city. Ms. Davey said that they could schedule Public Works or Forestry to come in and talk to the board. Ms. Dwyer Hallquist said that it was her understanding that residents can get a tree planted at no cost to the property owner and they could notice it. III. Approval of Minutes, June 6th, 2022 Ms. Dwyer Hallquist motioned to approve the minutes. Mr. Osmond seconded the motion. The board approved the June 6th minutes 6-0 (Hallquist / Osmond). Motion by Ms. Dwyer Hallquist to accept the minutes as written Seconded by Mr. Osmond. Motion carried 6-0 IV. Amend Snow and Ice Removal Ordinance – Discussion / Action Mr. Nielsen said that Mr. Spanbauer had submitted a final version of the proposed ordinance and shared it with the board and asked if there was any discussion before sending a recommendation to council. Mr. Osmond motioned to accept the proposed ordinance as altered. Mr. Spanbauer seconded the motion. The board approved the proposed ordinance as altered 6-0 (Osmond / Spanbauer). Motion by Mr. Osmond to accept the proposed ordinance as altered. Seconded by Mr. Spanbauer. Motion carried 6-0 V. Create back page for Snow and Ice Removal mailer – Discussion / Action Mr. Spanbauer said that he took all the comments from city staff to update the mailer. It would go on the back of the snow shoveling ordinance informational mailer that gets sent out before winter. He stated a lot of the information is from the Wisconsin Salt Wise website. Ms. Davey said that it looks great and points out that once the salt hits the sidewalk, it eventually enters the water. Mr. Nielsen said he gave it to the head of Public Works and he was okay with it. Mr. Osmond motioned to accept the informational mailer as written and to pass it on. Ms. Oliver seconded the motion. The board approved the informational mailer as written and to pass it on 6-0 (Osmond / Oliver). Motion by Mr. Osmond to approve the mailer as written and to pass it on. Seconded by Mr. Spanbauer. Motion carried 6-0 VI. Weed Cutting and Lawn Care Ordinance (Native Plants) – Staff Update Mr. Nielsen said that he met with the department heads of Parks, Inspections and one of the City Attorneys to review the code amendments. They are still in the process of finishing their proposal to SAB and it will be on the August 1st meeting. Mr. Spanbauer asked for a refresher on what the proposal is for. Mr. Nielsen said that the attorneys had some concerns about the language that SAB proposed. The new language had removed the ability of staff to enforce anything except for noxious weeds. There are a lot of things that are not listed as noxious that are also nuisances. He explained that because the proposed amendments removed staff’s ability to enforce anything besides noxious weeds there was no need for an exceptions part of that code, therefore the whole section needed to be looked at again so it actually accomplishes what SAB is wanting while still giving staff the ability to enforce vegetation that is a nuisance and not listed as noxious. He stated that the amendments from staff will also have a weed commissioner, which is something new in the code and the city is supposed to be doing by state regulation anyways, so cleaning up a couple of items while the opportunity is present. VII. Sustainability Manager Position – Discussion Mr. Nielsen said that in prior discussions they had talked about using CIP funding to fund an SAB budget. In order to use CIP funding, it has to be specific to something like a potential project. Funding a specific role like the Sustainability Manager might be more feasible when it comes to CIP funding. A Sustainability Manager could then initiate a budget request. Ms. Davey said that if council approved this position this staff member could apply for grants since it is hard to work as a volunteer board with no budget. It might not be a priority in the city due to lack of understanding of the importance of sustainability. Mr. Wojciechowski said the city council met with department heads through a strategic planning session and one of the requests he had was that they include sustainability in the overall plan which will help in adding a Sustainability Manager. Mr. Nielsen asked Mr. Wojciechowski if the position was denied through CIP funding if ARPA funding would be an option to fund a position such as this until grants can be used or it be worked into the CIP budget. Mr. Wojciechowski said that $5 million out of the $20 million can be budgeted for non- infrastructure items. They haven’t approved much for the $20 million, so it is possible to become an ARPA request. Mr. Nielsen said SAB should review the student report to see if anything needs to be added or narrowed down and use that as their starting point. Mr. Osmond recommends they should work on the funding standards for the position as well as the position description and requirements. Mr. Wojciechowski recommended adding a sustainability metrics. Mr. Nielsen said they are required to fill out a form for Green Tier Legacy which is a metric that can be used. VIII. Agenda Items for Future Meeting i. Marketing flyer for energy saving home improvements ii. Review Spring 2022 student reports iii. Weed Cutting and Lawn Care Ordinance (Native Plants) iv. Sustainability Budget Request v. Proposal for Sustainability Manager Position IX. Next Meeting, Monday, August 1st, 2022 X. Adjournment The board voted 6-0 to adjourn (Spanbauer / Osmond) Motion by Mr. Spanbauer to adjourn Seconded by Mr. Osmond. Motion carried 6-0 Recorded by: Brandon Nielsen, Assistant Planner