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Council directs staff to develop policies on undergrounding utilities and special-assessment deferrals
Summary
The Oshkosh council gave staff guidance to draft a utility-undergrounding policy (prioritizing gateways and wide boulevards) and to prepare a residential special-assessment deferral policy with multiple payment-plan options; staff will return with drafts.
The Oshkosh City Common Council on July 8 instructed staff to draft policy language on two infrastructure topics: (1) a policy to evaluate undergrounding utilities during street reconstructions and (2) a policy providing for interest-free deferrals and multi-year payment plans for certain special assessments tied to utility connections.
On undergrounding, engineering staff presented a draft framework proposing that arterial and gateway corridors be prioritized for additional study and potential undergrounding given their visibility and resiliency benefits. Council members asked that the policy explicitly include wider boulevards or streets with larger setbacks where undergrounding is more feasible; members also raised cost considerations and recommended pursuing grant opportunities to offset initial construction expense. Staff representative “Robbie” said the guidance and next steps were clear and that staff would proceed.
On special-assessment deferrals, staff proposed deferral options to reduce the immediate cost burden for residential property owners required to connect to newly extended utilities. Council asked that the draft provide interest-free deferral periods (staff proposed interest-free deferral up to 10 years), and that property owners be allowed to make interest-free payments during the deferral period. Councilmembers asked for payment-plan options (five, 10, 15 and 20 years) and for safeguards to ensure deferred charges are tracked and collected (title checks, liens or ERP tracking). Staff noted the deferral policy was intended primarily for owner-occupied residential properties and for newly developing areas where mains are extended; several council members suggested exploring whether the policy could be extended to other residential or development contexts in a future discussion.
Council also asked staff to involve the long-range finance committee and to research whether portions of the program can be outsourced for administration. The council gave staff direction to prepare draft policy documents and return with more detailed analyses, including legal review and budget impact assessments.
Ending: Staff will prepare draft policies and return to council with legal analysis, recommended administrative procedures for tracking deferrals (including lien or ERP entries), and a fiscal evaluation for the proposed payment-plan options.
