City of Mequon Weekly Bulletin - December 7, 2018

Upcoming Meetings

Architectural Review Board: December 10 – 6:30 P.M. (Agenda)
Public Safety Committee: December 11 – 5:00 P.M. (Agenda)
Public Welfare Committee: December 11 – 6:15 P.M. (Agenda)
Finance-Personnel Committee: December 11 – 6:30 P.M. (Agenda)
Public Works Committee: December 11 – 7:15 P.M. (Agenda)
Sewer Utility District Commission: December 11 – 7:30 P.M. (Agenda)
Common Council: December 11 – 7:30 P.M. (Agenda)
Frank L. Weyenberg Library Board of Trustees: December 12 – 6:00 P.M. (Agenda)
Park & Open Space Board: December 12 – 6:30 P.M. (Agenda)

2018 Tax Bills Now Available
2018 Tax Bills were posted online on November 30. Ozaukee County’s mailing service is handling the printing and mailing of the physical bills. The City expects physical bills will be landing in mailboxes sometime this week. Due to increases in the Lottery credit as well as some levy reductions in some jurisdictions, the City expects many property owners will see a slight reduction from last year in their total tax bill. For information on City Hall collection hours, Partner Bank hours, dog licenses and more, please see the enclosed copy of the insert that is being mailed with the bills.

Fire Department on Track to Complete Fire Inspections
In October, the Common Council approved a temporary pay incentive for Fire Department personnel to perform fire inspections. The incentive has proven successful, and the Fire Department is on course to complete all required fire inspections before the end of the year.

Crews Remove Vegetation at City Hall
On Thursday and Friday of this week crews from the Public Works Department (DPW) removed the vegetation at City Hall in preparation for the parking lot reconstruction in 2019. Going forward, stumps will be ground over the winter when there are fewer cars in the parking lot. Removal of the vegetation by DPW should reduce the cost of the parking lot reconstruction project.

City Installs New HVAC Units at City Hall
On Tuesday, November 20, the four rooftop heating, ventilation, and air conditioning units at City Hall were replaced. The work started at approximately 7:00 A.M. and the new units were in service by 2:00 P.M.  J&H Heating completed the work on behalf of the City just in time for the cold weather to set in. The contract was approved by the Common Council in October.

Police Department Extends Special Assignments for Officers
This month, the Police Department extended the special assignments of two police officers into 2020. Police Officer Tarie Umhoefer started her assignment as a School Resource Officer in November of 2016. Officer Umhoefer has done an exceptional job, and her assignment will be extended one year to complete a full high school graduation cycle. Officer Umhoefer’s special assignment is extended to June of 2020. Additionally, Police Officer Lance Wegner started as an Acting Detective in April of 2017. Detective Wegner is doing an excellent job in his position as an investigator. Detective Wegner’s special assignment is extended to April of 2020. 

Public Works Department Takes On Trees Infected by Emerald Ash Borer (EAB)
The City Public Works crews are out identifying trees for the winter removal efforts. You may have noticed pink or green paint dots on trees in your neighborhood; the pink dots signify a tree marked for removal by the city staff, and the green dots signify a removal to be done by a City subcontractor. The dots indicate the City’s intent to remove the tree/s and also indicate that the tree falls within the City right-of-way. The typical removal timeframe for the city is in the winter months between December and April.

In particular, over the past year, the City has seen a dramatic escalation in the number of Ash trees that are showing signs of the EAB disease. Some of the primary signs that are most apparent are:  an overall dwarfing of the leaves accompanied by a thinning canopy, woodpecker damage to the bark layer throughout the tree, or suckering along the trunk.   Crews have been hard at work in the last year removing approximately 3,000 public Ash trees from around the City, with an equal effort of removal anticipated for 2019. Over the last three years, the city crews alone have removed an estimated 6,300 Ash trees within the public right-of-way, along with approximately 700 removed through a contracted service. With an estimated 27,000 Ash trees located on public property throughout the city, there is still much work to be done. Staff intends to provide a full review of ash tree removal efforts and recommend strategies for addressing ash tree removal moving forward. That discussion will take place at a Common Council meeting in the spring. If you would like more information on EAB, please click here to view the Forestry Division’s section of the City’s website.