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HomeMy WebLinkAbout11.17.23 Newsletter TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the Common Council FROM: Mark Rohloff, City Manager DATE: November 17, 2023 RE: Weekly Newsletter 1. UPCOMING LAKE BUTTE DES MORTS MULTIFAMILY DEVELOPMENT MEETINGS: In response to the Common Council’s direction to consider amending the existing Specific Implementation Plan (SIP) for the proposed multifamily development on Lake Butte des Morts Drive, the Plan Commission will be reviewing the SIP Amendment at their upcoming meeting on Tuesday, November 21st at 4:00 PM in Room 406 of City Hall. Although not relevant to the upcoming Plan Commission meeting, in anticipation of the December 12th Council meeting when the SIP Amendment will be discussed, staff would like to share that the developers analyzed the financial impact of decreasing the number of building stories from their proposed four to three based on Council’s action on April 11th, 2023. It was determined that there would be a significant loss of revenue over a fifteen-year time period due to 102 fewer units and a substantial increase in per-unit cost due to the distribution of fixed costs over fewer units. In response to the anticipated lost revenue, the developer requested $9,750,000 of tax increment financing (TIF) assistance for the project to make it financially feasible. If the development is only allowed three stories and does not receive TIF assistance, the developers would lose over $5.6 million over a period of 15 years. Council members will be provided information related to the TIF assistance request in the December 12th Council packet. If you have any questions, please contact Community Development Director Kelly Nieforth. 2. GARBAGE AND RECYCLING COLLECTION FOR THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY: Due to the City’s observance of the Thanksgiving holiday, there will be no garbage or recycling collection on Thursday, November 23, 2023. Collections for the remainder of the week will be one day later: garbage and recycling collection scheduled for Thursday, November 23rd moves to Friday, November 24th; and garbage and recycling scheduled for Friday, November 24th moves to Saturday, November 25th. Regular services will resume on Monday, November 27th. The City’s yard waste drop-off center located on West 3rd Avenue (between Idaho Street and Ohio Street) will also be closed for the holiday on Thursday, November 23rd. The drop-off center will re-open on Friday, November 24th. The yard waste drop-off center will be open on Saturday, November 25th. If you have any questions, please contact Public Works Field Operations Manager Justin Groeschel or Public Works Sanitation Manager Eric Moran. 3. LEGISLATION PROPOSED TO REGULATE STORM WATER FEES AT STATE LEVEL: I previously reported to Council that Senator Dan Feyen and Representative Mike Schraa were cosponsors of SB 455/AB 457, which would subject local storm water utilities to the full authority of the Public Service Commission (PSC) to regulate rates and services. At first, I thought that the Chamber may have been advocating for this legislation, but in my discussions with Chamber President Rob Kleman, he assured me that this was not the case. The Chamber certainly has concerns about our rates, but Mr. Kleman would prefer to address those concerns directly with the city. The city is currently regulated by the PSC for its water utilities. While the city completes an analysis and submits it to the PSC, the PSC solely determines the rates. More often than not, the PSC will actually recommend rates higher than what our own analysis may indicate. While there are certainly legitimate concerns about our storm water rates, I fear that our rates would rise even higher if the methodology used to calculate rates was done by the PSC. The League of Wisconsin Municipalities has encouraged cities and villages throughout the state to oppose SB 455 and AB 457. We have spoken with other municipalities throughout the state, and they are adopting resolutions in opposition to this legislation. I will be submitting a resolution for Council‘s consideration at the November 28th meeting. Meanwhile, if you have any questions regarding this legislation, and its negative impact on our stormwater utility and our rates, please do not hesitate to contact Finance Director Van Gompel, Public Works Director Rabe, or me. 4. CITY ATTORNEY FEATURED: City Attorney Lynn Lorenson was recently featured in the State Bar article, “Hot Topics in Municipal Law: Short-term Rentals, Sign Regulations.” In the article, Atty. Lorenson discusses recent trends in contract drafting, election law, and sign regulation. A link to the article can be found here: Inside Track: Hot Topics in Municipal Law: Short-term Rentals, Sign Regulations: (wisbar.org). 5. OSHKOSH MEDIA COVERS SALUTES TO VETERANS: This Veterans Day season the staff and volunteers of Oshkosh Media captured two programs honoring veterans in the city. Staff and students at Oshkosh North High School held their annual program saluting veterans, including performances by the high school orchestra and choir. Click here to see the program at Oshkosh North. Oshkosh American Legion Post 70 also held a ceremony to honor veterans, with past National Commander of the American Legion Denise Rohan featured as the guest speaker. Click here to watch the ceremony at American Legion Post 70. For more information, contact Media Services Coordinator Jake Timm at (920) 236-5261. 6. OPD SQUADS GET A NEW LOOK: After 18 years with the current design of our police vehicles, we are excited to announce that a new look has arrived! The new graphics boast a sleek gradient, which modernizes the look of the squad cars. You will also notice that “City of Oshkosh” has been added, something we have never done in the department’s history. This new design will apply to all new squad cars coming into the fleet. 7. 2023 CITIZEN’S ACADEMY: Tuesday, September 19, 2023, was the official kickoff to the 2023 Citizen’s Police Academy that ran from September 19th – November 7th. Sixteen members of the community participated in the academy this year, where they learned about the policies, procedures, and personnel of the Oshkosh Police Department. They gained hands-on experience in topics such as: K9 Unit; Investigations; Drug Information and Human Trafficking; Drone; Behavioral Health Officer and K9 Magic; Project Lifesaver; Apex Officer Virtual Reality Simulator; SWAT; DAAT; Personal Safety; Crisis Negotiations; and the Oshkosh Auxiliary. A highlight of the academy is the ride-along with an officer, which gives them an up close and personal look at the life of an officer on the job. The Citizen’s Police Academy helps build a stronger relationship between the Oshkosh Police Department and the citizens we serve! 8. OPD HAPPENINGS: The Oshkosh Police Department welcomed Josephine Izzo and Alyssa Stephany to the positions of part-time Telecommunications Clerk on Monday, November 13, 2023. Congratulations and welcome to the OPD Team! • Josephine Izzo is originally from Oshkosh, WI, where she graduated from Oshkosh North High School. After high school, she enlisted in the United States Air Force where she served for 4 years and is currently in reserve status. While enlisted, she earned an associate degree in Emergency Management from the University of Maryland Global Campus. She is currently enrolled at Southern New Hampshire University obtaining her bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science. Prior to her employment with the Oshkosh Police Department, Josephine worked in Emergency Management while she served in the U.S. Air Force. • Alyssa Stephany currently resides in Fond du Lac, WI. She earned her associate degree in Business Management and Administration from Moraine Park Technical College and is enrolled at the University of Wisconsin – Oshkosh working toward a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Government. Prior to her employment with the Oshkosh Police Department, Alyssa was employed with Envision Greater Fond du Lac, Inc. as an administrative assistant. 9. CITY ATTORNEY’S OFFICE CLOSED FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 24TH: The City Attorney’s office will be closed on Friday, November 24th. The office will reopen on Monday, November 27th at 8:00 a.m. Persons may leave a voicemail or email during this period and staff will respond when the office reopens. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation during this brief closure. 10. MUSEUM HOLIDAY PROGRAMMING: The Oshkosh Public Museum is hosting several holiday-themed events in December: • Family Discovery Days: Gnome for Your Home, Saturday, December 9th at 11 AM Family Discovery Days at your Oshkosh Public Museum welcome families to learn, make, and laugh together every month. Drop in at the Museum for a fun craft led by Museum staff. Discovery Days are for young learners ages 5-10, but all ages are welcome to participate. You never know what you might discover! • Annual Holiday Elf Quest, beginning December 1st Elves have a habit of hiding around the Museum every holiday season! This beloved family tradition is back this year, with a twist. • Cocoa with a Curator: Anna Cannizzo, Sunday, December 3rd from 1:30 – 3:30 Join us for sugar cookies and hot cocoa, plus, chat with Assistant Director | Chief Curator Anna Cannizzo. Drop in anytime between 1:30 and 3:30. 11. MUSEUM’S DIA DE LOS MUERTOS EVENT UPDATE: The Oshkosh Public Museum hosted its second-annual Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) Celebration on Saturday, October 28th. Attendance onsite grew by over 100% from the event’s first year in 2022! Approximately 650 visitors participated in the event’s celebrations and activities at the Museum, plus another approximately 100 at the Museum-sponsored free showings of Disney/Pixar’s Coco at the Time Theater downtown. Thank you to all who attended and supported the event! Special thanks to The Taqueria for sponsoring free admission to OPM all day on October 28th. 12. GET INVOLVED IN A BOARD OR COMMISSION: If you are interested in serving your community, please consider becoming a member of one of the City’s citizen advisory boards, commissions, or committees. To learn more about the boards and commissions, or to complete an application to serve, follow the link below: https://www.ci.oshkosh.wi.us/boardsandcommissions/ 13. 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/ 14. LOOKING AHEAD: Among the meetings I have scheduled for the week of November 20th include the following: on Monday at 10:30 AM, I will meet with staff to begin planning for the City Manager’s Report Top 10 of 2023 program, which will be available in mid- to late- December. On Tuesday at 9:00 AM, I will meet with staff and our strategic planning consultant to begin planning for our 2025-2026 strategic plan. City Hall will be closed on Thursday, November 23rd for the Thanksgiving holiday, and I will be out of the office on Friday, November 24th. If you have any questions about my upcoming schedule, please do not hesitate to contact me.