Your neighbor's guide to what's happening at City Hall — August 25, 2026

The Big Takeaway

Money Watch

• A caution up front: this issue is built entirely from agendas — meetings that haven't happened yet — so several money items are named without dollar figures attached. Here's what's on the table.

• The Council is scheduled to consider pay request #10 for the Hanson Farm project and pay request #9 for the Center Avenue project, both routine progress payments to contractors as work gets completed. It will also weigh change order #9 for the Viroqua Welcome Center — a change order is an adjustment to the original construction contract, which can add or subtract cost. The agenda lists no amounts for any of these three items, so anyone wanting the numbers will need the meeting packet or the meeting itself. ^[1]

• Also up: a revised agreement with Town & Country for survey work, again with no figure published on the agenda. ^[1] The Finance/Personnel Committee meets just ahead of the Council to review and approve the city's bill payments for the period. ^[3]

• Over at McIntosh Memorial Library, the Board takes up its 2027 draft budget on Thursday, August 27 — early enough in the cycle that public input still matters. The Board will also consider a quote from AMS for The Hub, the library's ongoing project space, and discuss creating an endowment through the Community Foundation of Southern Wisconsin, which would let the library accept long-term gifts that generate income rather than being spent all at once. A Finance Committee meeting is being scheduled for September 1. ^[4]

Coming Up

Meetings are open to the public — most have a public comment period near the top of the agenda. See the city's full meeting calendar for dates beyond the next two weeks.

The Quick Rundown

• The old city hall site. The Public Safety Committee will hear a presentation on a site plan for the old city hall property from Parkitecture and the Historic Preservation Commission, then may act on it — and the item is also on the Council's agenda the same evening. If you've wondered what happens to that building and its lot, this is the meeting to watch. ^[1][2]

• Fire ordinance changes. Both the Public Safety Committee and the full Council are set to review and approve changes to the Fire Ordinance. The committee will separately review updates to the fire department's standard operating guidelines (the internal rules crews follow on calls). ^[1][2]

• Ambulance mutual aid. Public Safety has a mutual aid ambulance discussion on its list — that's the arrangement under which neighboring departments cover for each other when local crews are already out on a call. No action item is listed, but it's a topic worth following. ^[2]

• Liquor licenses. The committee and Council will both take up an alcohol agent change for Aldi, a Class "A" beer license for Kickapoo Hospitality LLC, doing business as AmericInn (Class "A" means beer sold in sealed containers to take home, not consumed on site), and a batch of operator license approvals for people who serve alcohol. ^[1][2]

• Housing: rentals, backyard units, and tiny homes. The Housing Advisory Board meets Thursday, August 27, chaired by Sonya Newenhouse, with a full slate that touches anyone thinking about property in town: an update on the Comprehensive Plan draft, next steps on a short-term rental ordinance (think Airbnb-style rentals), next steps on accessory dwelling units (a second small home or apartment on a single-family lot — a mother-in-law suite, in plain terms), and a discussion of tiny homes. Nothing is listed as a final vote, but this is where those rules get shaped. The Board is also setting fall meeting dates and reviewing the status of its own membership. ^[5]

One More Thing

Sources

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The Viroqua Public Record is an independent community summary of public meetings. It is not affiliated with the City of Viroqua.