Going into the regular council meeting Tuesday November 10, the River Falls Common Council had a sparse agenda but a thick packet to wade through nonetheless for the night’s business. Prominently displayed on the agenda after the usual preliminaries including the Pledge, roll call, approval of minutes and city bill pay, were the following six items to cover on Tuesday, prior to adjournment.

Starting out the night’s agenda for Tuesday November 10 was Public Comment, followed with an update on the EMS transition from the City providing services to Allina Health providing them.

Following upon the first two items are three public hearings, related to the periodic update of a floodplain ordinance, another to repeal two city ordinances touching on the City’s provision of EMS services, with these to be provided by Allina Health and the ordinance of repeal for past city ordinances related as such set to take effect January 1, 2021.

Last but not least, there is an ordinance to fund the government and administration of the City of River Falls for next year. All three ordinances were scheduled for their “second reading and disposition,” after which City Administrator Scot Simpson was set to give his report, followed by adjournment. What might the 110-page city packet tell us?

In the first place, it’s viewable online via PDF at the City website, being reached by clicking on the “Agendas and Minutes” tab under “Government” at rfcity.org and then choosing the November 10, 2020 council packet.

In the second place, the floodplain ordinance states in its “Discussion” entry that, “the model ordinance features few changes from the City’s existing Floodplain Zoning Ordinance found in Chapter 17.120 of the City’s municipal code.” A notable addition listed is Section 17.120.080.C, which deals with the authority of the City of River Falls Plan Commission “to review and recommendations for the adoption of and amendments to this ordinance.” First the addition. What can and can’t the Plan Commission do should the ordinance pass: “The Plan Commission shall: a. Oversee the functions of the office of the zoning administrator; and b. Review and advise the governing body on all proposed amendments to this ordinance, maps and text,” the floodplain ordinance section begins, then going on. “The Plan Commission shall not: a. Grant variances to the terms of the ordinance in place of action by the Board of Appeals; or b. Amend the text or zoning maps in place of official action by the governing body.”

In other words, the Plan Commission shall not exceed its review and advisory power to enact laws or zoning changes on its own—all helpful to stipulate in writing, for a model.

As it so happens, River Falls is making the changes to its floodplain ordinance as part of a routine legal procedure due to changes in Spring Valley due east, while the Kinnickinnic River is more locally prominent. Speaking of which, the FEMA flood map service center at msc.fema.gov, the Kinnickinnic drops 92 feet within the City, measuring from where it enters in the north at 898 feet above base elevation, all the way to where it exits the city boundary in the south at 806 feet above base elevation (two natural falls interposing between this). Assuming there isn’t an unexpected flash flood, it should be a brief meeting.