We’ll Save a Seat for You!

Weekly Meeting Schedule

This week, the following City boards and commissions will meet. The public is invited to attend. Agendas, meeting minutes and City Council packets are available in the Agenda Center on the City’s website: https://owatonna.gov/agendacenter.

August 5: The Park Board will meet at 4 p.m. in the Meeting Room at the Charles S. Crandall Center, 540 West Hills Circle. The Owatonna Firefighter’s Relief Association will meet from 6 until 8 pm in the Training Room at the Fire Hall, 107 East Main Street.

August 6: Night to Unite - City Council, Mayor and staff will attend numerous neighborhood gatherings.

City staff at Central Park booth for Downtown Thursday

Andrea Oyloe and Ashley Zidon greet visitors at the City booth during the June 6 Downtown Thursdays.

Win a Prize through City Trivia!

Chat with City Staff at Downtown Thursdays

Owatonna’s Downtown Thursdays feature local food, music, shopping and art on the first Thursday of each month during summer. City staff will have a booth at Downtown Thursdays to share information about City projects and employment opportunities, answer questions, listen to concerns and interact with the community. Plus, win a prize by providing the correct answer to a City of Owatonna trivia question! Look for the City’s booth in Central Park. For other Downtown Thursdays dates and additional information, visit Owatonna.org.

Photo of Mayor Kuntz receiving CGMC award

Mayor Thomas Kuntz (on the right) receives the Jack Murray Award for Distinguished Rural Leadership from the Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities.

Mayor Kuntz Honored for Rural Leadership

Owatonna’s Mayor Thomas A. Kuntz was recognized July 25 with the Jack Murray Award for Distinguished Rural Leadership. Kuntz received the award at the annual Legislative Awards Dinner hosted by the Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities (CGMC).

“I’m very honored to receive this award,” said Kuntz. “The Coalition is an excellent organization to work with and does a fantastic job for our community.”

The award recognizes retiring CGMC elected officials who have made special contributions to the CGMC over a multi-year period. Kuntz has served as Owatonna’s mayor since 2004 and has been involved with the CGMC throughout his terms served.

Several Owatonna city officials and family members of Kuntz attended the event where he received this recognition. This event, part of the CGMC’s annual 2024 Summer Conference for outstate Minnesota city officials, was held in Waite Park.

For additional information about the CGMC, visit greatermncities.org.

QR code for website redesign feedback form

Provide Feedback on Redesigned Website

The City of Owatonna’s website at owatonna.gov was recently redesigned to upgrade its appearance and functionality. The improved navigation offers more convenient options for frequently visited pages from the homepage and the fresh design aligns with the community-wide brand adopted last year.

This website provides convenient, online access to a variety of services including online permitting, reporting concerns, registering for recreational programs, interactive financial documents and more. City staff would like to know how effective the redesigned site serves the needs of the community. To suggest future improvements or provide feedback on the site, please complete this feedback form. The input gathered will guide future website improvements.

Engage Online on City Topics

The City of Owatonna, in a community partnership, utilizes Engage Owatonna, a digital, moderated platform, to enhance its two-way communications. Get registered on the Engage Owatonna platform to provide input on projects and topics at engageowatonna/register. Registering only takes a few minutes and will ensure you receive future messages when new topics are published for community engagement.

The Engage Owatonna online community engagement platform was launched by a grassroots group in 2021. Engage Owatonna’s mission is “To engage the community to share all voices and listen to shape Owatonna’s evolving future - together.” The group contracts with Bang the Table Engagement HQ which is a platform commonly used by municipalities across the country for community engagement. City staff began utilizing this online platform last year. This consultative process generates qualitative and quantitative data for City leaders to consider as decisions are made based on what is determined to be feasible and best for the community.

Check out the recent updates on the following City projects on Engage Owatonna.

Business Development Survey

Help identify what types of businesses are missing in Owatonna! Your survey response will help economic development officials strategize for future planning and identify community needs and goals. To provide input, visit Business Development Survey | EngageOwatonna.

Feedback on the City’s Redesigned Website

Thanks to the Engage Owatonna registrants who completed this survey, City staff have valuable user input that will guide ongoing improvements for owatonna.gov to ensure it serves effectively as the City of Owatonna’s online ‘front door’. Visit engageowatonna.com to see the highlights of these survey responses.

Community-wide Branding Initiative

Owatonna’s community-wide brand was recognized July 17 by the Minnesota Association of Government Communicators with its 2024 Northern Lights Award in the Creative Achievement Category for Logo, Illustration or Graphic. This is the top honor in this category for small entities which also awarded Goodhue County with a Silver Award and the City of Farmington with a Bronze Award. View the categories and winners at Galleries | Northern Lights Contest (magcawards.org).

Help Shape Owatonna's 2050 Comprehensive Plan

Responses from Engage Owatonna registrants and other community members provided input for the development of the City of Owatonna’s first Comprehensive Plan. For additional information about this project and a summary of the community engagement that was done to gather input, visit Imagine Owatonna: 2050 Comprehensive Plan | Owatonna, MN.

Imagine Owatonna: 2050 Comprehensive Plan

Community members, partners and champions have shared their feedback on how they would like to see the future of Owatonna in the next 20 to 30 years. A community survey provided another opportunity for input during the months of May and June. Participants voiced their support for the park and trail system, more affordable housing options, additional transportation choices, protecting the city’s natural resources, attracting a range of businesses, and ongoing downtown revitalization efforts.

An important framework has emerged that focuses on the connection between downtown, housing, parks and trails, transportation, and economic development; each topic depending on one another for success. The plan offers a range of chapters. However, these five focus areas will have a prominent role in achieving the vision for the future.

Both the Owatonna Planning Commission and City Council were given a presentation on the draft plan at their July meetings. Recent presentations can be viewed at Imagine Owatonna: 2050 Comprehensive Plan | Owatonna, MN.

Next steps for community engagement include a public comment period on the draft plan and an open house later this summer. Watch for opportunities to engage!

Rec On The Go

Rec On The Go offers FREE, accessible activities in City parks! The program is designed to make recreation inclusive and convenient for everyone. Watch for details about upcoming dates, locations and exciting activities on the Owatonna Parks, Recreation & Facilities Facebook page. View a short video all about the Rec on the Go program at CivicMedia™ • Owatonna, MN • CivicEngage.

Extra Eyes in Parks

The City of Owatonna devotes extensive resources to provide parks and trails for all community members to enjoy. Recently, these amenities have been experiencing routine vandalism. Please contact the Owatonna Police Department’s non-emergency number at 507.451.8232 to report any suspicious behavior including vandalism. Such reports allow officers to hold those individuals accountable who are responsible for these damages.

Cedar Avenue North Mill & Overlay

Work will begin this week on the Cedar Avenue North Mill and Overlay Project. Cedar Avenue North from North Street to 26th Street will be closed beginning Wednesday, July 31. A detour will be re-directing traffic to use 26th Street NW, State Avenue NW, Hoffman Drive NW & North Street SW as the City’s contractor repairs and replaces structures. Street milling will begin the following week followed by paving. Please follow the detour when signage is in place. View a map of the detour here.

Dates are subject to change due to weather or other factors. Please slow down and remain attentive when approaching all work zones. Drivers’ patience is appreciated while this project is underway.

Alley Tree Trimming

Trees located along alleys are not right-of-way (boulevard) trees and are the responsibility of the property owner to maintain. This includes all trimming and removal. It is important to maintain these trees because, when they are overgrown, they cause interference with large vehicle traffic such as garbage trucks. Trees not maintained are subject to inspection and, if necessary, will be addressed by the City’s contractor. All costs for labor and materials will be billed to the property owner. Inspections will only take place on a complaint-received basis.

Helpful Links

Licenses & Permits

Registration

Employment

Stay Informed

Events: Access calendars to view upcoming events.
City News Releases: View news releases published by the City of Owatonna.
Newsletters: The City of Owatonna publishes a weekly newsletter called Owatonna Update. Current and past newsletters are available here.
Social Media: Stay connected with the City of Owatonna by following these social media sites.
Spotlight Videos: Videos produced by the City of Owatonna.

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July 31, 2024