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HomeMy WebLinkAbout02.23.24 Newsletter TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the Common Council FROM: Mark Rohloff, City Manager DATE: February 23, 2024 RE: Weekly Newsletter 1. PUBLIC ACCESS TV HAS LONGSTANDING PRESENCE IN OSHKOSH: Since 1987, the City of Oshkosh has provided public access and government access channels, programming, and facilities for Oshkosh residents. Public, Education, and Government (PEG) channels were established in the United States as a result of the Cable Communications Policy Act of 1984 and over the last 37 years the City of Oshkosh has provided these channels under various names including “Oshkosh Community Access Television” (OCAT), and now “Oshkosh Media.” Oshkosh Media’s policies for both Life TV and Gov TV have long been established and were developed in consultation with attorneys specializing in Federal Communications Commission law and in consultation with the National Alliance for Community Media, and Wisconsin Community Media. Oshkosh Media is recognized as a state and regional leader in public and government operations, receiving numerous programming awards and recognition over the last four decades. Recently there has been some confusion as to how these channels differ and, more specifically, what are the responsibilities of local residents when they use Oshkosh Media’s public access channel (Life TV) to produce their own program involving political candidates. Life TV has a distinctly different mission from government access television (Gov TV). While both are operated under the umbrella of Oshkosh Media, Life TV offers Oshkosh residents free usage of equipment and facilities, as referenced in Life TV’s Mission Statement, as an “electronic free speech forum that promotes, encourages, and reflects the cultural diversity of the Oshkosh community.” Using Life TV, local resident producers provide a wide scope of award-winning programming including church services, sports and local events, exercise classes, as well as a variety of talk shows featuring Oshkosh non-profit organizations, current events, and discussions. With Life TV, a resident’s opportunity to express their First Amendment rights takes priority. Life TV’s programming rules are not intended to exercise editorial control, but to keep the channel a fair and open forum for all local residents. For example, if a public access/Life TV producer chooses to have political candidates on their program, unlike broadcast television, the producer is not required to provide “equal time” to all candidates. By contrast, Gov TV is produced by Oshkosh Media staff and seeks, as referenced in Gov TV’s Mission Statement, “to create an informed electorate through the coverage of local government meetings, issues, and events; to provide greater accessibility and understanding of city government through municipal programs and other video communication; to foster and promote citizen involvement and participation in the democratic process.” As many residents may be aware, Gov TV works toward this mission through live government meetings including the Oshkosh Common Council, Oshkosh School Board, Winnebago County Board, various city boards & commissions, in addition to candidate forums, Oshkosh documentaries, and city news programs such as the “City Manager’s Report,” the Fire Department’s “On Fire,” and the Police Department’s “Beyond the Badge.” Public access television has its home in Oshkosh on Life TV, found on channel 2 on the Spectrum TV lineup. Government access television is found on Gov TV, channel 10 on Spectrum cable. Both channels are live streamed on OshkoshMedia.org, and on TV streaming devices using the Oshkosh Media app. For more information about Oshkosh Media programming, to get involved as a volunteer, or to explore producing your own program on Life TV, please call (920) 236-5261. 2. SAWDUST DISTRICT REDEVELOPMENT PLAN & SOUTH SHORE REDEVELOPMENT PLAN MODIFICATION #3: The Redevelopment Authority (RDA) of the City of Oshkosh, in a continuing effort to revitalize the Sawdust District, is considering Modification #3 to the existing South Shore Redevelopment Area and creation of the Sawdust District Redevelopment Area. With the success of the Marion Road Redevelopment Area, the City has identified the Sawdust District as the next redevelopment area in which the City will focus our efforts to redevelop along the waterfront and surrounding areas. The redevelopment of the entire Sawdust District Redevelopment Area will take years to complete due to the complexity of the area. For reference, the RDA began acquiring properties in the Marion Road Redevelopment Area in the early 2000s; 25 years later, the area is almost fully redeveloped. The Redevelopment Plans will be considered by the RDA on March 20, 2024 at 4:00 p.m. in Room 404/406 of City Hall, located at 215 Church Avenue. Prior to RDA’s consideration, the City of Oshkosh will be holding an Open House on March 6, 2024 at 6:00 p.m. in Room 404/406 of City Hall. With the timeline outline above, it is anticipated that the Redevelopment Plans would be before Common Council on March 26, 2024. If you have further questions, please contact Planning Services Manager Mark Lyons at mlyons@oshkoshwi.gov. 3. ELECTION DAY IN OSHKOSH: The recent spring primary recorded 4,159 ballots cast in the City of Oshkosh, with 2,167 participants voting at the polls and 1,997 participating via the absentee voting process. Voter turnout was as expected for this county-wide primary, with the expectation that voter attendance will increase throughout the remainder of 2024’s election season. The spring primary in Oshkosh also saw the implementation of the new Badger Books system at each polling location. Citizens were able to check in swiftly and efficiently using the electronic poll book, reducing waiting times and enhancing voter turnout. The success of the Badger Books system marked a significant improvement in streamlining the electoral process, ensuring a smooth and accessible voting experience for all residents of Oshkosh. If you have any questions about the spring primary or any of our elections, please contact City Clerk Diane Bartlett at (920) 236-5011. 4. 2023 FOOD AND TOY DRIVE HAD ANOTHER GREAT YEAR! The 25th Annual Oshkosh Fire Department Local 316 Food and Toy Drive has officially wrapped up and it was another successful year! It is always so enjoyable to be out in the community and interacting with YOU, the citizens of Oshkosh, as you are the ones who make this drive so impactful year after year. The weather cooperated quite well, and all of our volunteers made this year go smoothly. Thank you, volunteers! All of the donations have been counted and, although our donation totals were down this year, we still made an amazing impact on the Oshkosh community. The Salvation Army served just over 700 families through their distribution program this year, and our donations were one of the biggest supports to stocking the shelves for those families. We collected over 5,100 pounds of food, 2,100 toys, and $3,600 in cash donations. The monetary value of our toy donations was over $42,000! Those donations all directly impacted those families and over 2,000 children in the Oshkosh area. We are pleased to continue to offer our annual scholarship. Due to the continued extremely generous monetary donations from community members, last year we decided to permanently increase the amount of the Gary Kassube Scholarship. One graduating senior from Oshkosh North and one from Oshkosh West who is enrolled in a police or fire science program will now be awarded $1,000 through the Gary Kassube Scholarship! For more information on the scholarship and how to apply, please visit www.foxriverscholarshipcenter.org and search for “Gary Kassube Scholarship.” In the days following the drive, all of the donations were distributed to families in the Oshkosh area through the Salvation Army’s distribution program. Some of our L316 members were even able to volunteer for the distribution process and help families find the food and gifts they needed to make their holidays special. We’d like to thank all of our partners who made this drive possible, most notably: • Major James and Major Penny Mungai and Patty Zastrow from the Oshkosh Area Salvation Army • Darren Moxon from Oshkosh Fire and Police Equipment • Rick Leib, the students, and staff from the Oshkosh North Communities Program • All of the members, families, and friends of Local 316 and the Oshkosh Fire Department for volunteering their time to go door to door to collect the donations Last, but not least, our biggest thank you goes out to YOU, the Oshkosh community, for helping this drive impact hundreds of families right here in the Oshkosh area. Your donations and support show the true generosity of the city of Oshkosh! Thank you for all you do to help this community. Our biggest joy is interacting with the community we serve. We are very excited for another great year in 2024, as it will be our 26th annual drive! Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @OshkoshFoodToy for more updates. 5. 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.oshkoshwi.gov/BoardsAndCommissions/ 6. 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.oshkoshwi.gov/ 7. LOOKING AHEAD: The meetings I have scheduled for the week of February 26th include the following: on Monday at 9:30 a.m., I will meet with staff to continue planning for the State of the City video presentation and related events. On Tuesday at 9:00 a.m., I will meet with Fire Chief Mike Stanley regarding the Fire Department’s Community Risk Assessment (CRA); at 10:00 a.m., I will meet with staff to discuss the fire station improvement projects included in the 2024 Capital Improvement Plan (CIP). At 11:30 a.m., I will attend the Oshkosh Area School District’s Superintendent Advisory Council meeting. On Wednesday afternoon, I will travel to attend the Wisconsin City/County Management Association (WCMA) Winter Conference in Elkhart Lake, where I will be for the remainder of the week. If you have any questions about my upcoming schedule, please do not hesitate to contact me.