Author: Brittney

Notice of the City of Oconto Open Book & Board of Review

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Board of Review for the City of Oconto of Oconto County shall hold the following meetings:

Open Book: Pursuant to Sec. 70.45 of Wis. Statutes, the assessment roll for the Year 2024 assessment will be open for examination on Monday, the 14^th day of October 2024 from 10:00 AM until 6:00 PM. and Tuesday, the 15^th day of October 2024 from 9:00 AM until 4:00 PM. in the Council Chambers at the City Municipal Building, 1210 Main Street.

THIS IS BY APPOINTMENT. Please contact R & R Assessing, 307 N Chestnut Avenue, Oconto Falls, Wisconsin (920-846-4250) to schedule your appointment.

Property owners are encouraged to contact R & R Assessing, 307 N Chestnut Avenue, Oconto Falls, Wisconsin (920-846-4250) before October 14, 2024, if they have questions about the valuation of their real estate or personal property. 

Notice of Board of Review Two-Hour Meeting to convene on Thursday, the 14^th day of November 2024 starting at 9:00 AM until 11:00 AM in the Council Chambers at the City Municipal Building, 1210 Main Street to hear objections from property owners who follow the below listed requirements.

Please be advised of the following requirements to appear before the Board of Review and procedural requirements if appearing before the Board:

1. After the first meeting of the Board of Review and before the Board of Review’s final adjournment, no person who is scheduled to appear before the Board of Review may contact or provide information to a member of the Board of Review about the person’s objection, except at a session of the Board of Review. Open book shall occur no less than 7 days prior to the Board of Review.
   1. The Board of Review may not hear an objection to the amount or valuation of property unless, at least 48 hours before the Board of Review’s first scheduled meeting, the objector provides to the Board of Review Clerk written or oral notice of an intent to file an objection, except that upon a showing of good cause and the submission of a written objection, the Board of Review shall waive that requirement during the first 2 hours of the Board of Review’s first scheduled meeting, and the Board of Review may waive that requirement up to the end of the 5th day of the session, or up to the end of the final day of the session if the session is less than 5 days, with proof of extraordinary circumstances for failure to meet the 48-hour notice requirement and failure to appear before the Board of Review during the first 2 hours of the first scheduled meeting.
   1. Objections to the amount or valuation of property shall first be made in writing and filed with the Board of Review Clerk within the first 2 hours of the Board of Review’s first scheduled meeting, except that, upon evidence of extraordinary circumstances, the Board of Review may waive that requirement up to the end of the 5th day of the session, or up to the end of the final day of the session if the session is less than 5 days. The Board of Review may require objections to the amount or valuation of property to be submitted on forms approved by the Wisconsin Department of Revenue, and the Board of Review shall require that any forms include stated valuations of the property in question. Persons who own land and improvements to that land may object to the aggregate valuation of that land and improvements to that land, but no person who owns land and improvements to that land may object only to the valuation of that land or only to the valuation of improvements to that land. No person may be allowed in any action or proceedings to question the amount or valuation of property unless the written objection has been filed and that person in good faith presented evidence to the Board of Review in support of the objections and made full disclosure before the Board of Review, under oath, of all of that person’s property liable to assessment in the district and the value of that property. The requirement that objections be in writing may be waived by express action of the Board.
   1. When appearing before the Board of Review, the objecting person shall specify in writing the person’s estimate of the value of the land and of the improvements that are the subject of the person’s objection and specify the information used to arrive at that estimate.
   1. No person may appear before the Board of Review, testify to the Board of Review by telephone, or object to a valuation if that valuation was made by the assessor or the objector using the income method of valuation, unless no later than 7 days before the first meeting of the Board of Review, the person supplies the assessor with all the information about income and expenses that the assessor requests, as specified in Assessor’s  Manual  Under  Wis.  Stat.  § 73.03(2a). The City of Oconto has an ordinance for the confidentiality of information about income and expenses that is provided to the assessor under this paragraph that provides exceptions for persons using information in the discharge of duties imposed by law or the duties of their officer or by order of a court. The information that is provided in this paragraph, unless a court determines that it is inaccurate, is not subject to the right of inspection and copying under Wis. Stat. § 19.35(1).
   1. The Board of Review shall hear upon oath, by telephone, all ill or disabled persons who present to the board a letter from a physician, physician assistant, or advanced practice nurse prescriber certified under Wis. Stat. § 441.16(2) that confirms their illness or disability. No other persons may testify by telephone unless the Board of Review, in its discretion, has determined to grant a property owner’s or their representative’s request to testify under oath by telephone or written statement.
   1. No person may appear before the Board of Review, testify to the Board of Review by telephone, or contest the amount of any assessment unless, at least 48 hours before the first meeting of the Board of Review , or at least 48 hours before the objection is heard if the objection is allowed under Wis. Stat. § 70.47(3)(a), that person provides notice to the Board of Review Clerk as to whether the person will ask for the removal of a member of the Board of Review and, if so, which member, and provides a reasonable estimate of the length of time the hearing will take.
   1. No person shall be allowed to appear before the board of review, to testify to the board by telephone or to contest the amount of any assessment of real or personal property if the person has refused a reasonable written request by certified mail of the assessor to enter onto property to conduct an exterior view of the real or personal property being assessed.

Notice is hereby given published as a Class 1 Notice this 9^th day of October, 2024 by: Brittney M. Burruel, City Clerk

October 15, 2024

Notice of Public Hearing on Zoning Ordinance Text Revisions in the City of Oconto, Oconto, Wisconsin

October 15, 2024

6:00 P.M. PUBLIC NOTICE is hereby given to all persons in the City of Oconto that there will be a PUBLIC HEARING before the Oconto City Council in the Council Chambers, at City Hall, 1210 Main Street, Oconto, WI  54153, to solicit comments on proposed multiple zoning ordinances text revisions. A copy of the proposed ordinance text revisions is available at Oconto City Hall, Monday through Friday between the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. or at www.cityofoconto.com.

– Prohibiting Shipping Container Accessory Buildings in R1 Residential, R2 Residential, R3 Multifamily Residential, RMH Mobile Home Park District, and REC Recreational District (An Ordinance (An Ordinance Regarding Prohibited Uses – Shipping Container Accessory Buildings)

– Allowing one (1) Accessory Building on a Vacant Property (An Ordinance Regarding Allowing One Accessory Building on Vacant Property)

– Increasing Accessory Buildings Allowed (An Ordinance Regarding Allowing Two Accessory Buildings Excluding One Detached Garage)

– Temporary Tents (An Ordinance Regarding Temporary Tents & Storage Tents)

– Adding the Definition of Banner in the Sign Ordinance (An Ordinance Regarding Addition of Banner Definition)

All persons interested are invited to attend this hearing and be heard. Written comments may be submitted to: City of Oconto, Attn: Brittney Burruel, 1210 Main St, Oconto, WI 54153

Every town, village, city, and county has ordinances. An ordinance is a written law adopted by a municipal governing authority, i.e., a town board, a village board, a city council, or a county board. Ordinances address things like public health and safety, land use and zoning, and government administration.

A municipal code of ordinances provides an organized location for all current rules and regulations affecting the municipality. It provides citizens, municipal staff, and third parties with one basic source for knowing the current rules and regulations of the municipality. 

Ordinances are put into place to protect the safety and well-being of their municipality as a whole. They ensure the municipality will be fair and consistent with all businesses, property owners, and residents within the municipality.

Ordinance on Spotlight is designed to bring awareness to current City Ordinances. Knowledge and transparency are keys to happiness and success!

TITLE 13. – ZONING

CHAPTER 1. – ZONING CODE

ARTICLE H. – SIGNS

Sec. 13-1-148. Signs Not Requiring a Permit.

Signs not requiring a permit are as follows:

(11)   Political and Campaign Signs. Political and campaign signs on behalf of candidates for public office or measures on election ballots, provided that such signs are subject to the following regulations:

a.   Such signs may be erected only upon private property.

b.  The person or organization responsible for the erection or distribution of any such sign, or the owner, or his agent, of the property upon which the signs may be located, shall be responsible for removal and disposal of such signs pursuant to the provisions of this Section.

c.   Such signs may not be erected more than ninety (90) days prior to the primary, special, or general election to which they are pertinent.

d.  Such signs shall be removed within thirty (30) days after the primary, special or general election to which they are pertinent.

e.  Each sign, except billboards, shall not exceed thirty-two (32) square feet in nonresidential zoning districts and sixteen (16) square feet in residential zoning districts.

f.   No sign shall be placed upon a building or a zoning lot that will create a traffic or safety hazard. The City Police Department shall be primarily responsible for determining safety and traffic factors of such sign. If determined that any signage is a traffic and/or safety factor, the City Police Department shall have the authority to remove such signage.

Note:

• Link to the full “ARTICLE H. – SIGNS” ordinance: https://library.municode.com/wi/oconto/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=TIT13ZO_CH1ZOCO_ARTHSI