Oshkosh Sustainability Advisory Board 10/5/26

The City of Oshkosh Sustainability Advisory Board met on October 5, 2026, and heard a presentation from Ted of Pale Blue Dot on the draft sustainability action plan. The plan covers transportation, buildings, community resilience, healthy lives, ecosystems, and the sustainable economy, with proposed targets including an overall 38.8% greenhouse-gas emissions reduction by 2036 and a 15% increase in tree canopy cover. The presenter estimated cumulative citywide cost savings of $298 million if the proposed measures are implemented; this is a projected benefit, not an approved budget or allocation. The plan’s forthcoming implementation matrix is expected to identify potential city department leads and order-of-magnitude costs for actions. No contract award, purchase, bid approval, or spending vote was identified.

Board members discussed adding language on historic preservation and adaptive reuse, the limits of available data for including aviation emissions, and how sustainability goals might inform the city’s zoning-code overhaul, which staff said is expected to take 12–18 months. Next steps include collecting feedback on the draft online and at a tentatively scheduled November 4 public review session. Separately, a member reported receiving a 35% stormwater utility fee credit after installing rain barrels and a rain garden. The board also discussed upcoming events, student projects, and its next meeting date.