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HomeMy WebLinkAboutweekly newsletter Date: August 10, 2012 To: Mayor & City Council From: Mark A. Rohloff, City Manager WEEKLY NEWSLETTER Subject: 1.UTILITY TREE TRIMMING : Parks Director Ray Maurer, City Forester Bill Sturm, and I met with representatives of Wisconsin Public Service and Asplundh Tree Service to discuss concerns from Council Members and citizens regarding the work done by Asplundh to trim trees in public right-of-way. WPS gave us a brief presentation that shed light on their responsibilities for public safety and reliability of utility service, and how they balance those mandates with the health of the trees in their easements. After our discussion, we all agreed that additional public education is necessary so that the public is aware of the reasons for the tree trimming that is being done, as well as alternatives to the tree trimming. It was suggested that we hold a brief Workshop with the Council so that you can get an understanding of the issues related to utility line clearance. We also discussed ways in which we can further educate the public and perhaps incorporate programs for utility line clearance into our Taking Root and neighborhood improvement programs. I will ask Council to consider a Workshop during discussion at Tuesday’s Council Meeting. If you have any questions regarding staff’s meeting with WPS and Asplundh, please contact me. 2.OUT-OF-STATE PERSPECTIVE ON SPECIAL ASSESSMENTS : I know that in the past couple of months, Public Works staff has provided Council with various policies from other cities regarding special assessments. At the same time, staff has also provided the Council with copies of policies from other communities as they relate to sanitary sewer lateral special assessments as part of our discussion on eliminating our I & I problem. As a follow-up to this, I have enclosed an article from the Minneapolis Star Tribune regarding a suburb of Minneapolis and the struggle that they are having with special assessments. The City of Edina has a special assessment policy more strict than other communities, as shown in the article. At the same time, the article also acknowledges that other Minnesota communities have alterations on their special assessment policy, some of which mirror our current policy. In the case of Edina, their restrictive special assessment policy has been used in part to keep a cap on property taxes. This restrictive policy has contributed to them having an enviable AAA credit rating. In other words, costs that are passed onto property owners through methods other than property taxes generally favor the city’s credit rating. This demonstrates that there are various trade-offs to different policies, but I wanted Council to be aware that, as stated during our budget work sessions, no “one size fits all”. The article also discusses what is being done regarding the replacement of sanitary sewer laterals. In Edina’s case, they chose not to carry the burden of lateral replacement because of a projected 50% increase that it would have meant to their utility rates. These are all issues that we will have to address as we look to solve our own I & I issues. I wanted to provide this additional information to Council as food for thought as you consider various changes to our special assessment and/or I & I policies. Weekly Newsletter August 10, 2012 Page 2 3.2011 RECAP/2013 BUDGET KICK-OFF : As you know, staff was planning to present these th items to Council at the meeting on August 15. However, due to the delayed finalization and printing of the 2011 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, these items will be presented at the th August 28 Council meeting. Even though the presentations have been delayed, staff has finalized all 2011 accounting and reporting, and is working diligently on the 2013 city budget. th We will do everything possible to deliver the draft budget to Council on October 9 so that the Council has ample opportunity to review it in advance of the Workshops that will be held toward th the end of October. If possible, please check your calendars in advance of the August 28 Council Meeting as we would like to get the October/November Workshops on the calendar sooner rather than later. Please contact Finance Director Peggy Steeno or me if you have any questions or would like additional information on these items. 4.CITY RECEIVES BLIGHT ELIMINATION GRANT : Please find enclosed a press release from the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority regarding the awarding of $1,000,000 in grants throughout the state to municipalities to eliminate blight in targeted areas. Oshkosh is one of ten cities receiving a portion of these funds. These funds were made available from proceeds of a settlement reached earlier this year between the state and the National Mortgage Settlement Program. The city will be receiving approximately $60,000 to acquire and eliminate the blight from four properties in the north central area of the city. All of these properties are over 100 years old and have been identified by staff as needing blight elimination. Congratulations to the Planning and Community Development staff for their efforts in securing these grant funds. If you have any questions regarding this program, please contact Community Development Director Allen Davis. 5.DEPARTMENTAL REPORTS & UPDATE : Other items I’m enclosing with today’s Newsletter include the latest report on the 2012 hotel/motel room tax. Insofar as minutes are th concerned, I’m enclosing the following: The minutes of the July 17 Plan Commission meeting; thth the minutes of the June 4 Sustainability Advisory Board meeting; the minutes of the July 11 th Board of Appeals meeting; the minutes of the July 11 Long Range Finance Committee meeting; th the meeting notice, agenda and background material for the August 16 Bicycle and Pedestrian th Advisory Committee; the meeting notice, agenda and background material for the August 15 th Transit Advisory Board meeting; and the minutes of the July 18 Landmarks Commission meeting. I am also enclosing the Oshkosh Public Library’s highlights for the month of July. The FOCUS newsletter is also enclosed, which features an article on states and school spending in a recession. The last item I’m enclosing, in case you missed it, is the June edition of the Scene Magazine. In it, our own James Rabe and Steve Brand are featured in a series on water quality. th 6.UPCOMING MEETINGS : Meetings I have scheduled for the week of August 13 include the following: On Tuesday, at 7:00 a.m., I will be meeting with Russ Potratz, of Strata Communications, to discuss the Oshkosh area marketing campaign that is underway. On Tuesday, at 7:30 a.m., I will be attending the Leadership Oshkosh Steering Committee meeting. At 7;30 a.m. on Wednesday, I will be meeting with Mayor Tower to go over Wednesday’s Council Agenda. If you have any questions regarding my attendance at any of these meetings, please do not hesitate to contact me. MAR/jdc Enclosures