RIVER FALLS — The River Falls City Council met to discuss topics the city will urge the state government to focus on during a legislative priorities meeting prior to a regular council meeting.

City Administrator Scot Simpson said establishment of the future priorities does not yet mean direct lobbying, but it starts the conversations with legislators. The 2023-24 priorities included increased shared revenues, modernization of state-local funding, Mann Valley development, fire station improvements, Kinni Corridor plan projects and transportation projects.

These priorities saw desired legislative changes as well as additional funding for some projects.

“Some of these projects either wouldn’t be able to be done or we would have to put off for quite a bit longer if we were solely relying on what we could generate locally,” Simpson said.

The 2025-26 priorities presented by Simpson are pursuit of federal funding, inflation mitigation, improvements to infrastructure and improvements to mental health resources.

“It looks to be Kinni Corridor as the primary thing we want to go after for federal earmarks and things,” Simpson said. “If we get along the process and we hear from the legislative aides that they’d like us to just leave that in the 206 program and kind of leave enough alone, then we likely would focus on public safety, probably in the radio area, radio communications.”

Simpson heavily discussed inflation mitigation strategies. He said the city is not at risk of violation of the rule of tax increment districts being allowed up to 12% of the total municipal assessed value as they are currently at 8%.

“But we know if we are successful in doing economic development, it isn’t going to be that long before you run into that limit,” Simpson said. “And then you’re faced with the idea that you just stop doing it for a while or you try to grab everything at once at some point right before you hit the 12%. We don’t think either one of those are good policy.”

Simpson said they hope to work with legislation to create a different path.

The 2018 Kinni Corridor Plan, which included provisions for dam removal, river restoration design, public natural and picnic areas, more fishing and kayaking/canoeing access and much more, has an estimated $20 million price tag for the restoration of the river. The city has a partnership with the US Army Corp of Engineers and has worked to alter verbiage to allow for additional federal funding help.

“If we can find a way for the federal government to kind of push that forward, enhance, accelerate or give us the money, we understand that the council is prepared to go forward with the project that the community has developed,” Simpson said.

Infrastructure priorities include continuing Highway 35 as four lanes south of Cemetery Road, the BUILD Grant program focused on Main Street redevelopment and water utility infrastructure projects.

River Falls also has a priority of mental health access. Simpson said they have been successful in getting the state to include it in the budget since it was established as a city priority in 2021, but the state has not implemented the budget.

“Our law enforcement, and the chief can speak differently, they’re witnessing the cruelty of our current system on a weekly basis,” Simpson said. “It doesn’t work, it’s not very humane and the state is the most likely person to put the resources and help us out.”

Simpson said Police Chief Gordon Young is already in discussions to help improve the system.

Future legislative priorities Simpson listed are electric utility, a downtown plan, state block granting and shared revenue.

Alderperson Sean Downing added a priority for TID financing law to allow flexibility to increase housing availability and affordability and the council approved the priorities as the legislative priorities.

Water Tower

Council approved a pair of items awarding Clearcreek Coatings the reconditioning, construction and project management services for the Golf View Water Tower for $484,250. The project was in the Capital Improvement Plan with a budgeted $715,000, with the total project costs amounting to $578,450.

Alderperson Jeff Bjork pulled the items to ask if the city had considered using the water tower for advertising as an alternative financial source.

Simpson said there was a business that wanted to put their logo exclusively on a water tower, but it was not the understanding of city staff that the council had a consensus to advertise on the tower.

One water tower in the city has UWRF branding, which Mayor Dan Toland felt was a different situation.

“In my opinion, I had no problem with the university seeing as they’re such a huge employer, they give so much to the city and they are our biggest utility water customer,” Toland said. “I just worry that you start putting this out there, they’re just going to look junky.”

Toland also said businesses may feel slighted by others having their logo on the towers.

Bjork moved to approve the motions as is, asking staff and council to potentially revisit advertising on the towers down the road.

Public comment

Resident William Hansen asked the city not to destroy the Junction Falls dam to save federal, state and local tax dollars.

Town of Clifton resident Dana Linscott said a lack of transparency in the city has furthered in the last year, especially within the police department.

Other business

• Approved the first right of refusal amendment with Sterling Ponds. The approval adds a 4.85-acre lot to the Sterling Ponds Corporate Park at $1, with the guarantee from Sterling Ponds of a “minimum taxable value.”
• Approved the purchase of a 2025 Ford Super Duty F-350 from the State of Wisconsin for $53,689. The Capital Improvement Plan budgeted $80,000 for the purchase of the truck, and the city will auction a 2005 Chevy 3500 with proceeds going to the general fund.