Committee backs budget resolution to cover shortfall for 2025 aerial photography

The Marshfield Finance Budget and Personnel Committee on April 15 recommended that the Common Council approve budget resolution 13-20-25 to cover a shortfall for the city's 2025 aerial photography and planimetric mapping project.

Acting Public Works Director Josh Moritz told the committee the city participates in the Wisconsin Regional Ortho Photography Consortium with Wood County and Wisconsin Rapids to reduce the per-jurisdiction cost of aerial imagery and planimetric data that support engineering, the city's GIS, and the public website. Moritz said the program operates on roughly a five-year flight cycle and that the consortium approach's biggest savings come from sharing aircraft flight costs.

Moritz said the 2025 imagery will be captured at a roughly 3-inch ground-pixel resolution and that, while the county flight covers a broad area, the contractor tightens flight lines over Marshfield to improve local accuracy. The board of public works previously approved an agreement with Ayers Associates to provide the work; Moritz said the proposal came in over the city's current budget and he asked the committee to recommend the council approve the supplemental budget resolution. He said the additional cost will be split among the wastewater utility, Marshfield Utilities and the engineering department and that the other parties have agreed to keep the existing cost-share ratio.

Committee members moved and seconded the recommendation; the committee approved the motion by voice vote.

The resolution will go to the Common Council for final action. The city's GIS and engineering staff will coordinate with Ayers Associates and the consortium on flight scheduling and data delivery.