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HomeMy WebLinkAbout12.13.24 Newsletter TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the Common Council FROM: Mark Rohloff, City Manager DATE: December 13, 2024 RE: Weekly Newsletter 1. TAX BILLS MAILED TODAY: Real estate tax bills are being mailed out today, December 13, 2024. The City encourages residents to mail in their tax payments or use the drop box outside the main doors of City Hall. Residents are also encouraged to use the online payment option. Payments can be made in person with cash or check at City Hall if necessary. City Hall’s business hours are 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. City Hall is closed on December 24th, 25th, and January 1st. In addition, the City is designating Community First Credit Union (1492 South Park Ave., 2424 Westowne Ave., and 2772 Oregon St.) and Associated Bank (10 W. Murdock Avenue and 1765 W 20th Ave) as authorized payment locations for in person payments through January 31st. Tax payments must be made during regular business hours in the credit union and bank lobbies only. Individuals are asked to help avoid congestion in City Hall by considering other payment methods before deciding to pay taxes in person this year. Please help us to maintain a safe environment for everyone’s good health. In order to be credited with a 2024 tax payment, the payment must be received, paid in person at any location, or placed in the drop box located by the main entrance to City Hall by December 31, 2024. For tax payment information, please visit the self-service real estate page on our website. 2. STATE & LOCAL OFFICIALS URGE CONGRESS TO FUND LEAD PIPE REMOVAL: An article in Stateline recently reported that state and local officials are urging Congress to fund lead water service lateral (LSL) replacement. A new rule, issued by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in October, requires cities and water utilities to replace all LSLs by 2037. States, cities, and water utilities agree that the LSLs need to be replaced to ensure safe water to residents. It will be a struggle to complete the replacement in the 10- year window required, and they fear some ratepayers will be hit with massive cost increases to pay for the work. The City of Oshkosh Water Utility has been working with residents to replace the private- side LSLs with funding from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) since 2017. This funding from the WDNR is used to financially assist property owners with their replacement costs. All public-side LSLs are replaced with the City construction projects, whether that be a street reconstruction or water main only replacement projects. If you have any questions, please contact Director of Public Works James Rabe, or Assistant Director of Public Works / Utilities General Manager Steve Gohde. 3. SANTA AND ELVES HELPING SANITATION DIVISION: Santa and his helpers, Twinkle Toes, and Tinsel Tim, will be helping the City of Oshkosh Sanitation Division pick up the downtown garbage and recycling containers on North Main Street between the Convention Center and Parkway Avenue. Santa and his elves will be making an appearance at The Elsewhere Market and Coffee House and Oshkosh City Hall on Friday, December 20th between 7:30 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. If you have any questions, please contact Public Works Field Operations Manager Ryan Lemke or Public Works Sanitation Manager Eric Moran. 4. GARBAGE AND RECYCLING COLLECTION FOR CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR’S HOLIDAYS: Due to the City’s observance of the Christmas and New Year’s Day holidays, there will be no garbage or recycling collection on Wednesday, December 25, 2024 and on Wednesday, January 1, 2025. Collections for the remainder of the week will be one day later. Garbage and recycling collection scheduled for Friday, December 27, 2024 will move to Saturday, December 28, 2024. Garbage and recycling scheduled for Friday, January 3, 2025 will move to Saturday, January 4, 2025. Regular services will resume on Monday, January 6, 2025. Additionally, the City’s yard waste drop-off center located on West 3rd Avenue (between Idaho Street and Ohio Street) will be closed for the holidays on Tuesday, December 24, 2024; Wednesday, December 25, 2024; and Wednesday, January 1, 2025. The drop-off center will re-open on Thursday, December 26, 2024, and Thursday, January 2, 2025. The winter hours are 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. The drop-off center is closed on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays during the winter schedule. Residential curbside Christmas tree collection will take place on the regularly-scheduled garbage collection day the weeks of January 6th through January 10th and January 20th through January 24th. If you have any questions, please contact Public Works Field Operations Manager Ryan Lemke or Public Works Sanitation Manager Eric Moran. 5. 2024 LIGHTS OF CHRISTMAS CAMPAIGN: The Oshkosh Police Department will once again be participating in the Lights of Christmas NE Wisconsin 2024 campaign. This year's Hand Off Event was sponsored by Vandervest Harley-Davidson of Green Bay on December 3 and included officers from over 80 departments who assembled Blessing Bags and received over $200,000.00 in gift cards! The Oshkosh Police Department received $5,575 in gift cards and 30 Blessing Bags that will be given out throughout the holiday season to those in need in our community. Thank you to Q90 FM Radio, Lights of Christmas NE Wisconsin, and all of the sponsors that make this outreach possible. We are honored to be a part of this amazing program and to be able to bring some extra holiday cheer to those less fortunate in our community! 6. SHOP WITH A COP: The Oshkosh Police Department participated in this year’s Shop With A Cop event at Walmart on Wednesday, December 4, 2024. Generous donations from local organizations such as Oshkosh Walmart, TelecomPioneers Wisconsin Chapter #4, South Side Ice Yacht Club, Pepsi Beverages, Nolte’s 24-Hour Towing, and individual citizens made this year’s Shop With A Cop possible! Lieutenants Matt Ziegler and Andy Lecker, Detectives Jeremy Krueger and Heather Brickham, School Resource Officers Deana Brandl, Dellas Vandenberg, Jacob Rennie, and Matthew Steinert, Officers Kate Mann, Joey Rebedew, Scott Sopata, Cody Rukamp, Evan Atkinson, and Andy Baltadano, Crime Analyst Melody Bragdon, and Oshkosh Auxiliary Police members Ron O’Bright, Kevin Schouten and Gerald Kargus shopped with children who bought gifts for their family members and themselves. This year, 17 children, ranging from elementary to high school, were chosen to receive $200 in gifts per family! Walmart staff and Bobbi Grant assisted with wrapping all the gifts for the families. We want to sincerely thank the generosity of the donors and volunteers who not only make this program such a success, but also provide an opportunity for the police department and the community to come together to provide a heartwarming holiday season for Oshkosh families. Many families have shared how meaningful this is, not just as a holiday outing, but as a moment of joy, connection, and hope. Children look at the officers as role models, friends, and a source of light during a difficult time. They shared that this event gives them hope that their community truly cares for them! 7. OPD HAPPENINGS: On Monday, December 9, Austin Toole joined the Oshkosh Police Department as a new Community Service Officer. Congratulations and welcome to the OPD Team, Austin! Austin Toole is originally from Waukesha, Wisconsin. He is a 2024 graduate of Waukesha High School. Austin currently resides in Oshkosh and is enrolled at Fox Valley Technical College in the Criminal Justice Program. Prior to becoming a community service officer, he was employed by the Pewaukee Police Department as an auxiliary/reserve officer. 8. COFFEE WITH A COP: On Friday, December 6, 2024, the Oshkosh Police Department held their “Coffee & Cookies with a Cop” event hosted by the Oshkosh Public Library from 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. Warm drinks, cookies, and conversation was a great way to start the day, but the sweetest treat of all was getting to meet our new K9, Gema! Participating in the event were members of the Command Staff, Patrol Division, Special Operations, Criminal Investigation Division, civilian staff, and Behavioral Health Officer Scott Sopata. K9 Gemma enjoyed making friends with the citizens who stopped by to have coffee and chat with officers. The Oshkosh Police Department extends our sincere appreciation to the Oshkosh Public Library and staff for hosting our event. “Coffee with a Cop” gives us a chance to build better relationships with our community, “One Cup at a Time!” 9. LIBRARY SEEKS DONATIONS FOR MITTEN TREE PROGRAM: Oshkosh Public Library is bringing holiday cheer and warmth to the community through its Mitten Tree program. Patrons can help share the spirit of giving by donating new or handmade winter wear to one of the library’s three Mitten Trees, located inside the building at 106 Washington Ave. Inspired by the beloved children's book The Mitten Tree by Candace Christiansen, the library’s Mitten Trees will be decorated not with lights or ornaments, but with much-needed hats, scarves, gloves and mittens. This initiative aims to provide kindness and comfort to individuals and families in the Oshkosh area during the colder months. Those able to give can place their donations on the tree; those in need can take what they need while they’re there. Thank you to the community for generously supporting this effort. For more information, call 920-236-5203. 10. NEW ADDITIONS TO THE FIRE DEPARTMENT: On November 26th, Oshkosh Fire Department received their new aerial platform truck. It’s their first aerial platform truck and will be in service once training has been completed. On Friday, December 6th, Firefighter/Paramedics Jeremy Pethke and Sawyer Shikoski graduated from our Recruit Academy, becoming the newest members of our OFD family. Congratulations and welcome, gentlemen. 11. 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. There are current openings on the following boards and commissions: BID Board Board of Review Board of Zoning Appeals Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee Landmarks Commission Long Range Finance Committee Plan Commission Sustainability Advisory Board To learn more about the boards and commissions, or to complete an application to serve, visit our boards and commissions webpage. If you have questions about current openings, please contact the City Manager’s Executive Assistant, Kami Zuercher, at 920-236-5002 or kzuercher@oshkoshwi.gov. 12. AGENDAS AND MINUTES FOR BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS: Upcoming board and commission meeting agendas can be found on our Meeting Notices web page. All meeting minutes are uploaded to the City’s page for boards and commissions upon approval. 13. LOOKING AHEAD: The meetings I have scheduled for the week of December 15th include: on Sunday at 12:30 p.m., I will attend the ribbon cutting ceremony for the Menominee Park Zoo’s new Bear and Fox Exhibit, part of their “Bear-y Foxy” Festive Holiday Event. On Monday at 7:30 a.m., I will participate in the Chamber of Commerce’s Government Relations Meeting. On Wednesday at 2:00 p.m., I will be at my retirement reception being held in Council Chambers. I will be out of the office beginning at noon on Friday. If you have any questions about my upcoming schedule, please do not hesitate to contact me.