Frank Tower

Welcome to the City of Oshkosh's official website! Oshkosh is a progressive and thriving community with a reputation of being "warm and friendly" and is a great place to live, work and play. I invite you to visit and experience Oshkosh on the Water.

Oshkosh has a Council-Manager form of government. This form of government was enacted by a charter change adopted by the citizens of Oshkosh in November, 1956. An important feature of this form of government is its separation of powers. The City Council is a policy-making body, while the City Manager performs the administrative duties required for the successful operation of the city.

The Common Council is the local legislative body elected to represent the citizens of the City of Oshkosh. It consists of seven Council members, six elected to two-year terms on alternating years, and a Mayor, also directly elected by the citizens. All council members serve two-year terms and are elected at large.

As Mayor, I am the presiding officer at Council meetings. I also make appointments, present proclamations and represent the city at meetings and the many special events in and around Oshkosh throughout the year. It's an honor to serve such a great community!

The City Council is comparable to the Board of Directors of a private corporation. The Council establishes policy, enacts ordinances, adopts the annual budget and confirms appointments made by the Mayor to various advisory and administrative boards, commissions, committees and authorities. The Council's policies are based upon its own study, as well as the advice of various special advisory boards appointed by the City Council and citizens.

The City Council also appoints the City Manager, the chief administrator for the city. Please visit the City Manager's message on this website for additional information.

The Council holds hearings on matters of public interest and conducts investigations into matters in which the city has an interest. Council Meetings are held on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month at 6:00 p.m. in Room 406 of the Oshkosh City Hall, 215 Church Avenue, Oshkosh. These meetings are open to the public, are televised live on Channel 10, the City's Public Access Channel, and can be heard locally at 101.9FM on WOCT, our public access radio station. The council also has numerous "Council Workshops" that are held to study city business or other city matters.

Thank you for taking the time to visit our website and experience Oshkosh. If you have any questions, please contact me or one of the council members. I look forward to seeing you in our wonderful community!

Your Mayor,
Frank Tower
ftower @ ci.oshkosh.wi.us