Oshkosh council approves ordinance to eliminate required second readings and adopts 2026 meeting calendar

The Oshkosh City Council voted Sept. 23 to amend municipal procedure by eliminating the requirement for two readings of ordinances and approved the 2026 council meeting calendar.

Councilmembers and city staff said the change is intended to shorten processing times for development approvals and reduce burdens on staff. The city manager told the council that moving to a one-reading process, combined with a reduced meeting cadence, would generally reduce the average approval timeframe by about 10 to 11 days for items coming through the plan commission. The manager also cited clerk workload during election periods as a reason for changing the calendar.

Councilmember Nichols and others said the council will retain its discretion to lay over items for additional public input when necessary. “There's nothing that says just because it's on there and this rule goes away that it has to be passed,” the city manager said. Deputy Mayor and other members said most municipalities do not require two readings and that committees and referral practices already provide public input opportunities.

The ordinance eliminating the second-reading requirement (ordinance 25-508) was placed on the floor after the council voted to waive rules to consider it and was then adopted. The council also adopted Resolution 25-511, which establishes the 2026 calendar of council meetings.

Ending: Council members said staff will continue to use committee referrals and public engagement where warranted; the change is procedural rather than substantive and can be reversed or modified by future councils.