Your neighbor's guide to what's happening at City Hall — September 12, 2026

The Big Takeaway

Money Watch

• Here's the honest caveat up front: every money item below appears on an agenda with no dollar figure attached. The agendas name the item and nothing more, so we can't tell you what any of it costs until the meetings happen or the packets are posted.

• Two construction pay requests are up for review at Public Works — pay request #10 for the Center Avenue project and pay request #11 for the Hanson Farm project. ^[4] These are the periodic invoices contractors submit as work gets completed. That both projects are into double-digit payment rounds tells you they're well along. - A contract with Vierbicher (an engineering and planning firm the city has used before) for the Hanson Farm street extension project is up for approval. ^[4] No amount listed. - A revision to the state/municipal financial agreement for the Highway 14 and Main Street HSIP project. ^[4] HSIP stands for Highway Safety Improvement Program — federal safety dollars administered through the state. These agreements spell out who pays which share, so a revision is worth watching. - Public Safety will consider a generator contract with Total Energy Systems for the fire department — backup power so the station stays operational when the grid doesn't. ^[3] - Also on the Public Safety agenda: a non-lapsing fund request for EMS funds (asking that unspent ambulance money carry over to next year rather than disappear at year's end) and equipment replacement plans. ^[3] - At the Joint Review Board on Wednesday, September 23, members will consider a resolution approving the TID #7 project plan and boundary amendment. ^[1] A TID, or tax incremental district, is an area where the new property tax revenue generated by development gets funneled back into improvements in that district for a set number of years instead of going to the general pot. Amending the boundary changes which properties are in it. The board includes Krista Browne (chair), Chet Melcher, Chris Rozeske, Wade Hackbarth, and Charles Jacobson. ^[1]

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

• Three land divisions come before the Plan Commission on Wednesday, September 16. Certified survey maps — the official documents that split one parcel into more than one — are up for review for Ben Hansen, Shawn and Phoebe Engh, and Vikemyr/Wangen Properties LLC. ^[2] The Vikemyr/Wangen maps are "extraterritorial," meaning the land sits outside city limits but close enough that Viroqua still gets a say. ^[2] - Comprehensive planning next steps are also on the Plan Commission agenda, with possible action. ^[2] The comprehensive plan is the long-range document that guides where housing, business, and open space go over the next decade or two — the kind of thing that seems abstract until it's your street. - Mutual aid ambulance discussion, with possible action, at Public Safety. ^[3] Mutual aid is the arrangement where neighboring departments cover each other's calls. Any change there affects response times. - Public safety ordinances are up for discussion and possible action, though the agenda doesn't say which ones. ^[3] - Operator license approvals — the routine sign-offs for people serving alcohol at local establishments — are on the Public Safety list. ^[3] - The Plan Commission still has one vacancy, and the Historic Preservation Commission has recruiting new members on its agenda for Monday. ^[2][5] If you've been looking for a way in, two doors are open.

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.