Civic Issues
Topics getting the most attention in La Crosse public meetings, ranked by how frequently they are discussed.
50 issues with medium priority
Driftless Apartments development agreement compliance
The first completed project at River Point District passed its annual compliance review, with an amended agreement setting a $9.6 million tax base guarantee by tax year 2027 and clarifying how payments in lieu of taxes count toward the developer's obligations.
2025 federal grant performance (CAPER) and public service subrecipients
Karuna Inc. dissolved and can't use its share of the HOME-ARP supportive services award, leaving the city to figure out how to redirect funds that serve the chronically homeless. Staff will bring options back next month.
Redevelopment of former community policing center at 713 St. James St.
The city is preparing to seek redevelopment proposals for its vacant former community policing center, modeled on the recent library RFP. Commissioners flagged that the site could be rezoned for housing, and the mayor emphasized the city shouldn't let owned buildings sit vacant.
Fire Station #1 window replacement
Fire Station #3 is in the middle of a remodel, and its four garage doors are being replaced with heavier-duty versions. The new springs are rated for 50,000 uses versus the 10,000-cycle springs currently at their max — important since fire rigs go in and out constantly. The doors will be red to match Stations #2 and #4.
Bike parking design standards
A proposal to ban worst-offender bike racks (schoolyard-style, wheelbenders) and require secure, usable short-term parking, plus indoor long-term bike storage in larger multifamily buildings. It would ride along with the city's zoning code update, though members want more evidence from cities La Crosse's size before committing.
Week Without Driving participation
La Crosse will join the national Week Without Driving October 1-8, asking elected officials to experience getting around without a car. WisDOT estimates 40% or more of city residents are non-drivers.
Green steel trial at the wastewater plant
The plant is only the second city in the country trialing 'green steel' — steel mill slag — to replace ferric chloride for phosphorus removal. Sixty days in, the plant is running better than ever with a third less chemical, and staff built the feeder in-house for $2,150 instead of a $100,000 system.
Main Street closure for US Bank crane work
A large crane operation will close Main Street between 2nd and 3rd Streets for roughly one day next week to remove cell equipment from the US Bank Building. The contractor handles traffic control, business notifications, and 24-hour no-parking signage.
Illicit railroad storm sewer connection closed
The railroad piped an unpermitted connection into the city storm sewer at Charles and St. James Streets using substandard materials. Staff closed it off; the railroad must go through the engineering department if it wants to reconnect.
Council Expense Accounts and Reimbursement Policy
A proposal to convert the $300 monthly council expense stipend into receipt-based reimbursement failed 9-3-1. Supporters of the stipend argued it keeps council service possible for working parents and people without flexible jobs; others said council should model employee policies and find budget cuts.
Water Utility Fleet and Equipment Needs
The water utility kept three trucks it was going to sell because flushing and valve-turning work left crews short on vehicles — cheaper than renting at $2,000 per truck for six months.
Copeland Park shelter and bathroom project progress
Good news at Copeland Park: the downsized open-air shelter is finished and the old bathroom building is demolished. Crews are waiting on Bright Speed to relocate a fiber line before digging the new bathroom foundations.
16th & State raised intersections
An extra $30,000 (total $90,000) funds raised intersections at 16th & State and 15th & State this year — traffic calming and safer crossings on a narrow, heavily used street residents say is hard to cross.
Alcohol and tobacco license compliance
The police department's quarterly review showed several bars sold alcohol to underage buyers in compliance checks, and Rolling Trees was arrested in an investigation over illegal tobacco sales. The fake ID fine was raised to $575 for a first offense.
Charter ordinance on department-head appointments
A charter ordinance updating how department heads are appointed — separating finance and HR roles, adding probationary periods, and making the transit director a for-cause position — was sent back 30 days so council can first debate broader city government structure options.
1552 Kane Street community center
A single-family-zoned property would become Public and Semi-Public so it can host a community center. The public hearing drew supporters and no opposition, and it passed the City Plan Commission unanimously the day before.
Sunset Lane sanitary sewer extensions
The city will extend sewer service to three west-side Sunset Lane properties that can't legally connect to existing sewer lines, funded as a new capital project, plus a $101,995 construction contract.
TID 11 funds for Water and Street departments
Tax increment district money was approved for Water and Street department use, directing development-district funds toward infrastructure work.
Featherstone Rise subdivision
A new 36-lot residential subdivision with a park outlot in the Town of Shelby moved forward with unanimous approval, adding future housing on the city's edge.
65 Kraft Street commercial lease
A prospective tenant, Damian Meza of Socramda, is leasing 65 and 67 Kraft Street and planning ADA-accessible remodels. The board approved the lease after hearing from him and reviewing terms in closed session.
Childcare access funding shift
The Parenting Place will redirect $99,650 toward grants that help start and expand childcare programs, since businesses showed little interest in the original funding. This should help more childcare providers open or stay open in La Crosse.
Affordable homeownership flexibility
The commission let a first-time affordable-home buyer rent her city-assisted house while she's away at school, with HUD protections. It sets a precedent the commission acknowledged could make future requests trickier.
Sidewalk Policy for Downtown Tree Cells
The new policy lets engineers narrow sidewalks from six feet to four feet right around a tree cell opening, so trees planted in downtown pavement have a better shot at surviving. It doesn't decide where trees go — that's a separate conversation — but the mayor questioned whether pricey downtown trees in restrictive cells are worth replacing at all.
No Parking Zone on 400 Block of 12th Street North
A partially vacated and reconstructed street is too narrow for parking, so the city is formally banning it on both sides. Neighbors worried about parking when the vacation came through, and removing these spaces may push more cars into nearby residential streets.
Kwik Trip Way/Oak Street intersection improvements
Kwik Trip will rework its Oak Street intersection with a pedestrian refuge island and a redesigned right-turn lane so semi trucks stop swinging so far into traffic. The company pays for the work and deeds land to the city.
Xcel Energy gas main replacement in Hintgen Neighborhood
Xcel will dig up streets in the Hintgen Neighborhood for six to eight weeks to relocate and replace its gas main as part of the Losey Boulevard project.
La Crosse Center concession operations transition
The city is setting up a new concessionaire arrangement for the La Crosse Center as the current operator winds down, and officials emphasized speed to avoid any interruption in service. The twist: the new concessionaire corporation is made up of three city officers themselves — parks director, city clerk, and mayor — which the committee chose not to weigh in on either way.
Civic Center Park construction and funding
The park's renovation bid came in over the original $450,000 TID #11 budget, so the council added TID #17 money and awarded Fowler & Hammer a $766,662 contract to keep the project on track for a 2027 build.
Out-of-community inflow question
Council member Lisa Weston raised concerns about unsheltered people being transported into La Crosse, as Eau Claire recently did. Data shows 83% of people on the housing list last had housing in La Crosse, and more people have left the regional coalition than arrived over four years.
Oktoberfest parade right-of-way policy and public awareness
The board approved the annual parade right-of-way policy and added a push to actually tell people about it — city website, Police and Parks Facebook pages, and neighborhood associations — hoping better information means fewer problems for police.
Bicycle and pedestrian counting program
La Crosse, Onalaska, and La Crosse County all won competitive Transportation Alternatives Program grants. New automated counters will track bike and pedestrian use on trails, giving the city data to justify future infrastructure investments.
TIF development agreement compliance — Gundersen, Kwik Trip, Riverside Center
The city's annual check-in on three big development deals found Kwik Trip far exceeding its promises, Gundersen paying a $208,945 parking-ramp charge, and Riverside Center five jobs short — costing it $17,500 on top of a net $330,906 city payment.
Development Project
La Crosse’s Copper Rocks development is moving forward, and a groundbreaking could happen as soon as October. That means new construction and possible changes in the surrounding area, though the update doesn’t say what will be built or how big it will be.
Main Street brick sidewalk replacement
Failing brick in the 500 block of Main Street will be replaced, and the committee doubled the budget to $40,000 so the boulevard keeps its historic brick look instead of going all-concrete.
Fire prevention code modernization
Two fee bumps are headed to Council: fire prevention fees in the Appendix C fee schedule and higher court costs on municipal citations — both of which show up in what violators and permit holders pay.
Transition to VoteCast Web voting system
The city is switching from its old VoteCast hardware to a new cloud-based voting platform. Staff are learning how votes will be recorded, displayed to the public in chambers, and archived back into the Legistar minutes system.
Declining TID equalized values
Equalized TID values dropped $97.6 million, cutting the TID levy by about $1.1 million. That actually lowers the overall mill rate impact, but shrinking TID value means less money for TID projects — and officials aren't sure why it happened.
Disposition of 2710 Quarry Road building
The city is taking back the former Girl Scout building for $1 and plans to declare it surplus and sell it, returning the property to the tax roll. Holding costs until sale are minimal.
Trane plant site phase two development
The certified survey map clears the way for phase two of the former Trane plant redevelopment, including a new construction company office and shop and new street extensions. It speeds up a project already in design review.
Mid-block crossing on St. Andrew Street
A new mid-block crossing will make it safer and easier for veterans with mobility issues to reach a business at 1407 St. Andrew Street. The business may pay up front with possible partial city reimbursement in 2027.
Update of City Architectural and Intensive Survey
The city will seek state grant money to update its survey of historic properties — a record that protects buildings from being dismissed as 'arbitrary' designations and can save owners money on National Register listings. A prior $35,000 application was rejected for trying to cover the whole city at once.
Salvation Army 2026 Public Service Grant amendment
The Salvation Army sought to amend its 2026 Public Service Grant, which supports community services funded through the city's grant programs. The change could affect how those service dollars are used this year.
Minimum lot size requirement appeal at 2652 George Street
An appeal was scheduled for hearing concerning the city's requirement that lots be at least 7,200 square feet, as applied to a property at 2652 George Street. The outcome could determine whether the property owner is relieved of that zoning standard.
16th Street South rezonings and duplex conversions
Three separate rezoning ordinances along 16th Street South were scheduled for public hearing: two duplex conversions and one mixed residential-commercial conversion of a light industrial building. They would add housing options in an established neighborhood corridor.
Washburn Lighting North and RRFB street projects
Two contracts with Fowler & Hammer, Inc. — $286,422.64 for Washburn Lighting North and $38,194.51 for a Highway 14/61 rapid-flashing beacon project — were up for award.
Downtown parking system operating costs
The board approved the annual report on what it costs to run downtown parking. That report feeds into decisions about parking rates and operations downtown.
Municipal Services Center study and design funding
The committee is being asked for $600,000 across two years to study, design, and permit a new public works facility on a former dump site — before any council decision to actually build it. Janssen called the amount outrageous; the construction money was already moved out of the five-year plan.
Safe Cam 2 security camera expansion
Donated foundation money will add cameras along south Riverside Park and eventually River Point North — a low-cost public safety boost tracing back to the 2013 downtown double homicide.
Shared sewer lateral assessments
The city is considering a public improvement for sanitary sewer laterals on the 900 block of East Avenue S, with costs assessed to the benefited properties. Property owners on that block could face a special assessment bill.
Sanitary Sewer and Stormwater Utility Quarterly Update
The Water Utility gave its regular quarterly report to the board — a chance to check in on water system operations and finances.