Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutScheuermann Meredith - Supplemental Questionnaire Thank you for your interest in the open Common Council seat. Below is a list of questions the Common Council would like you to answer and send back to KZuercher@oshkoshwi.gov by 4:30pm Thursday, November 20th, 2025. Council Candidate Name: Meredith Scheuermann 1. How do you view the role of a City Council Member– what is your job as a council member? I view the role of the City Council to be multi-faceted. First and foremost, we have to be open, honest, and transparent in all our work that is allowable by law. I view the role as a privilege and honor and one that I take serious. The role of a City Council member cannot be singular focused and rather it is important to have agility and flexibility to think different and pivot when necessary. Specifically, the role/job consists of the following: a. The role of a City Council member is to be part of a 7-person council that makes policy for the City of Oshkosh through the adoption of resolutions and ordinances within our authority. b. The job of a City Council member is to be an advocate for the residents of the City of Oshkosh c. The job of a City Council member is to be prudent in our decision making with the operational budget and the capital improvement budget d. The job also entails making good decisions when issues licenses or permits, renewals or revocations e. The job of the City Council also has many other duties as assigned, additional meetings, I like the idea of “office hours” etc., 2. Will you be running for a seat on the Oshkosh Common Council in the next election – whether you are selected for this appointment or not? Absolutely. I am not interested in being a fill-in for 5 months. My intention is to fulfill the interim role replacing Kris Larson and then run for a permanent council seat in Feb/April 2026 3. Do you understand the time commitment required for a Council Member (meetings, constituent interactions, general community involvement, etc.) and do you have the time and flexibility to accommodate this schedule? I absolutely understand the time commitment required given when I was on City Council 20 years ago. Further, I have been consistently involved in various groups organizations including PTO, a founding member of Propel, a Leadership Oshkosh recipient, a board member of the YMCA, a Rotarian, a board member of Oshkosh Community Media, a board member on the Board of Zoning Appeals, I am a current board member on the Plan Commission and a board member of the RDA. Further, I have the time flexibility because all of my kids are out of the house so having additional time to serve the community is no problem at all. 4. Where do you see this community in five years? In five years, I see Oshkosh continuing its trajectory as a vibrant and thriving community, building on the great work already underway. The city’s riverfront will be a focal point of activity and growth, with ongoing improvements to infrastructure, public spaces, and cultural assets. I envision a government that remains responsive and transparent, fostering strong relationships with residents through open communication and regular outreach. (Kris Larson was the epitome of a strong communicator via social media) In addition, I expect the same form of government will persist, but with an even greater emphasis on collaboration and adaptability, ensuring that Oshkosh remains agile in addressing new challenges and opportunities. Looking ahead, I anticipate Oshkosh will further enhance its quality of life by investing in sustainable development and strategic partnerships. There are so many partnerships we work with that continuing to come together to continue to make Oshkosh great, is important. Think Winnebago County, think State of Wisconsin, think BID, Chamber, Oshkosh Area Community Foundation and so many more. The city will balance current needs—such as housing projects, road improvements, and public safety—with future initiatives like revitalizing downtown, supporting economic growth, and expanding opportunities for all residents. By maintaining a focus on sustainability and inclusivity, Oshkosh will offer abundant opportunities for work and life, making it a destination for families, professionals, and businesses alike. It should be very clear that I am running for the City Council seat not because everything is broken, but rather, we are a great place to live, work and do business and I am excited to see what the next 5 years will bring us. 5. A group of residents demands action on something we legally cannot do or have no control over. How do you respond, publicly and privately? What is most important to me is that we DO communicate. I think the City Council should 100% of the time acknowledge/respond to each inquiry. This does not happen today. This communication is especially important when we have a legal requirement to do/not do something. Residents often just do not have a thorough understanding and simply need a quick response or conversation. I believe having honest, transparent communication is essential for a strong resident/council relationship. One example to share is when the hospital came before the Plan Commission, (I am a current board member) as many residents said to me “we don’t need another hospital” so as a commission, we explained, and re-explained why the hospital was a good decision. I also have had to explain to many friends (who are residents) why building the hospital on the river made sense. My guess is there will be significant resident conversation around the City Center, and the key is to be as vocal as possible with what you can. Finally, I believe that explaining why we cannot do something at a single council meeting is not enough. I am committed to having regular speaking opportunities at different groups, Rotary, Senior Center, etc. will help residents understand our position. I am even open to optional Office Hours held by City Council members. 6. What is your definition of sustainability and how do you relate it to city operations? Simply stated, sustainability means meeting present needs without compromising the ability to serve further generations. Having a $326M operating budget requires careful planning. You must have a balance between taking care of current needs, i.e. support of housing projects, improving roads, replacing city vehicles, funding the police department greater due to the growing homeless population (adding a social worker) , etc. and identifying future needs like, the renovation of Opera Square for a vibrant downtown, or funds towards the City Center project, perhaps support of the overpass for bikes or future support of housing initiatives. It is the Council that has the responsibility to guide the sustainability of our city operations. 7. What is your opinion of the City budget and taxes; do you have any ideas to share? I was pleased to see that the tax rate for 2026 decreased from $8.14 to $7.77 per $1000 of assessed value. The key to this is fueling the tax base through growth and smart strategic investments. Approving a budget of >$240M is no easy feat. The City Manager comes before the council after working with city departments and provides a plan. With work from City Council, the budget is negotiated and finalized. Budgets ebb and flow. It is very important not to just approve what comes before us. We must be diligent in our questioning, while remaining steadfast on sustainability. It takes great effort to collaborate and be forward-thinking to approve a budget of this size. At this point, I do not have any ideas to share. While I followed the budget conversations, (the Humane Society caused a lot of noise), also pushing back on replacing vehicles with “high” mileage, it takes stamina and empathy and consensus to pass the final budget. I look forward to being part of the conversations should I be appointed as annual budget planning for my business line is part of my responsibility at my employer. 8. As a Common Council Member how would you support the Strategic Plan Goals, Mission and Vision of the community? As a Common Council Member, the Strategic Goals, Mission and Vision should always be our guide when making decisions. I appreciate the outreach that has been done to solicit feedback from residents to ensure what city government believes is important matches what our residents want. This outreach will bode us well for years to come. My comments on each component are below in purple. The Strategic Plan consists of 6 goals: 1. Enhancing quality of life services and assets a. Supporting services like the Public Museum, Public Library, The Grand, and other city-owned assets. Each of these assets have different focuses by year and it is important that the City Council never loses its sustainability focus on doing it now vs. doing it next time. 2. Improve and maintain our infrastructure a. An upcoming important decision for City Council is the decision on the City Center. b. Additional focus must include continuously improving our transit plans for cars, bikes and pedestrians. c. A continued and long-term focus will be improving City Facilities which includes safety, ADA, Wi-Fi and more. d. A focus on Public Works and Utilities are critical to keep our city running efficiently 3. Support economic development a. Strong collaboration with developers, residents and city staff b. Continuous exploration of business and city partnerships to encourage growth c. Consistent review of codes to ensure we are business-friendly d. Yearly review and scorecard update on CIP, Imagine Oshkosh Plan, Redevelopment Plans, etc. 4. Strengthen our neighborhoods a. Collaboration with resident-led neighborhood associations b. Specific attention towards underserved or workforce housing to work towards additional housing opportunities 5. Provide a safe, secure and healthy community a. Ensure sufficient resources to strengthen relationships with diverse community needs (police/fire, etc.) b. Work with state and federal programs to capitalize on programs to make our neighborhoods safer c. Ensure city staff is prepared for all types of emergencies 6. Enhance the effectiveness of our city government a. Public awareness is key and the City Manager has improved communication through the Friday email b. What about hosting dedicated office hours for each City Council member? c. Improve board membership through outreach. Why do we always have vacancies? d. Department scorecards-how often are they updated? e. Thorough re-education of city employees and their role in upholding the strategic plan The Mission is: The City of Oshkosh provides goods and services in pursuit of a safe and vibrant community. It is the role of the City Council to support the Mission by ensuring our budget provides things like: robust police/fire protection, ongoing infrastructure improvements, and upholding high standards of other services vital to a strong and vibrant community. The Vision is: A thriving and sustainable community offering abundant opportunities for work and life. I believe that Oshkosh does have a thriving community, and the City Council can support this further through partnerships with Discover Oshkosh, BID, Chamber of Commerce and other partners. This vision includes having abundant opportunities for residents, including safe places to live, jobs you move to Oshkosh for and cultural and social opportunities that rival other large towns.