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HomeMy WebLinkAbout09.01.23 Newsletter TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the Common Council FROM: Mark Rohloff, City Manager DATE: September 1, 2023 RE: Weekly Newsletter 1. CLERK’S OFFICE PREPARING AND CONFIRMING 2024 VOTER INFORMATION: Municipalities are required to conduct a Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) check that compares the name, date of birth, and driver’s license or social security number of voter records to the information in the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (DOT) and Social Security Administration (SSA) databases. These requirements are part of the Help America Vote Act. This week, the City of Oshkosh Clerk’s Office began mailing DMV check letters to voters who were identified as a non-match in our voter system when compared to what the Wisconsin DOT and SSA have in their databases. This is a routine letter that is mailed to voters with discrepancies. If a voter receives a letter from the Clerk’s Office concerning a non- match, they simply need to contact one of our Elections Specialists indicated at the top of the letter by phone or email to verify their information. Non-matches on a voter’s record do not impact the voter’s right to vote and do not affect or invalidate past elections in which they have voted. The information being verified is not used for any purpose other than to update a voter’s record with correct information, nor is the information distributed to other parties. The Clerk’s Office is here to serve the voters of Oshkosh and to ensure that we have accurate and up-to-date poll books. 2. OPD CELEBRATES RETIREMENTS: The Oshkosh Police Department celebrated the retirements of two long-serving employees: Susan Miller and Nancy Otradovec. We sincerely thank them for their exceptional service and dedication to the Oshkosh Police Department and to the City of Oshkosh.  Susan Miller has been with the Oshkosh Police Department for nearly 15 years, beginning on October 8, 2008. Susan began her career as a Telecommunications Clerk, transitioned to a Records Clerk, and most recently served for the past two years as the Administrative Secretary to the Captains. During her tenure with the Department, Sue earned the Civilian of the Year Award in 2016, a Noteworthy Performance of Duty Award in 2018, as well as Supervisor’s Logs and citizen commendations for her positive attitude and work performance.  Nancy Otradovec has been with the Oshkosh Police Department for over 18 years, beginning on May 2, 2005. Nancy performed the duty of Report Processor exceptionally well throughout her career with the Department, providing coverage when needed and maintaining a “can do” spirit through many system transitions. Congratulations, Susan and Nancy! We wish you the very best for a happy and healthy retirement – you will be missed! 3. OPD MEETS WITH ESTHER: On Monday, August 28, 2023, Police Chief Dean Smith and the Command Staff met with members from ESTHER Fox Valley to discuss homelessness in the community. ESTHER, which stands for Empowerment Solidarity Truth Hope Equity Reform, is a social-justice organization that focuses their work in the Fox Valley region of Wisconsin. 4. INSPECTIONS DIVISION AMONG THE TOP IN THE STATE: The City of Oshkosh Inspections Division, in coordination with E-Plan Exam, is now among only 2% of municipalities in the State of Wisconsin that are authorized to complete unlimited-size plan reviews across all project entities (Building, HVAC, Plumbing). The City is now authorized to offer expanded review services for Fire Alarm & Fire Suppression review as well. Safe building construction and expediting plans for developers and builders continue to be the City’s priorities and we are pleased to offer these services to our private development community. If you have any questions, please contact Kay Qualley, Assistant Director of Community Development and Interim Inspections Division Manager. 5. PUBLIC WORKS CONSTRUCTION PROJECT UPDATES RECEIVE OVERHAUL: The Department of Public Works has been utilizing weekly emails to provide construction project updates to subscribers for the past seven construction seasons. In conjunction with our communications consultant, Kane Communications Group, the Department is excited to announce a new communication tool, the Construction Project Brief. An example of a recent Construction Brief for Contract 23-08 is attached. The Construction Project Brief condenses the project information into a single page announcement that is distributed as a PDF. These PDF’s are also linked on the Construction Project Updates Dashboard. The project briefs are distributed via the e-mail distribution list. This communication update is part of the implementation of the Department’s Strategic Communications Plan as we continue to improve the distribution of information and the quality of that information to residents and property owners within the City of Oshkosh. If you have any questions regarding the Department’s Strategic Communications Plan, or the implementation of these Construction Project Briefs, please contact Director of Public Works, James Rabe. 6. GET INVOLVED IN A BOARD OR COMMISSION: If you are interested in serving your community, please consider becoming a member of a Board, Commission or Committee. Follow the link below to apply: https://www.ci.oshkosh.wi.us/boardsandcommissions/ 7. 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/ 8. LOOKING AHEAD: As a reminder, City Hall will be closed Monday, September 4th for the Labor Day holiday. Among the meetings I have scheduled for the week include the following: on Tuesday at 2:00 PM, I will meet with James Rabe, Director of Public Works, and Russ Van Gompel, Director of Finance, to follow up on special assessment questions and direction that came out of the recent budget workshop. Wednesday, I will begin the operating budget review process, during which I will meet with department heads, staff and the finance department over the upcoming weeks. On Thursday afternoon, I will attend the InDevelopment Conference in Oshkosh. If you have any questions about my upcoming schedule, please do not hesitate to contact me.