The Viroqua Public Record: September 19, 2026
City hall updates: Potential Emplify Health deal, no change in tax, key meetings ahead!
Your neighbor's guide to what's happening at City Hall — September 19, 2026
The Big Takeaway
The most consequential item on the city's calendar right now sits behind a closed door. The Viroqua Business Park Commission meets Wednesday, September 23, and its agenda includes going into closed session to discuss a memorandum of understanding (a written statement of intent that comes before any binding contract) with Emplify Health and related properties inside the Business Park. [2] State law lets governments close a meeting when they're negotiating over public property or public money and bargaining would be hurt by doing it in the open. The commission has said it will come back into open session afterward with possible action, so any actual decision has to happen where the public can see it. For residents, this is the early stage of something that could shape who occupies the Business Park and what gets built there — worth watching, but nothing has been decided. [2]
Money Watch
• Here's the honest answer: there are no dollar figures in any of this week's documents.
• The Veterans Memorial Commission's agenda lists a "budget update and discussion on long term strategic planning with possible action," but it names no amounts, no projects, and no funding source. [1] Likewise, the Business Park closed session is described in the language of the state's open meetings law — "purchasing of public properties, the investing of public funds" — which is boilerplate, not a price tag. [2] Whatever numbers exist haven't been published yet.
• So nothing here changes your tax bill this week. If the Emplify Health discussion moves toward a real agreement, that's when figures should surface, and it's the meeting to circle.
Coming Up
📍 CITY HALL LOWER-LEVEL COMMUNITY ROOM
💻 In person only — no online option listed
📄 Full agenda
📍 CITY HALL LOWER-LEVEL COMMUNITY ROOM
💻 In person only — no online option listed
📄 Full agenda
📍 Viroqua City Hall – Lower-Level Community Room
💻 Join by Zoom (Meeting ID: 875 7282 8307)
📄 Full agenda
📍 McIntosh Memorial Library
💻 In person only — no online option listed
📄 Full agenda
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
• Four property maps came before the Plan Commission on September 16. [3] The agenda — amended shortly before the meeting — listed certified survey maps (the official documents that split or redraw property lines) for Ben Hansen, Shawn and Phoebe Engh, and Popp Funeral and Cremation Service LLC, plus extraterritorial maps for Vikemyr/Wangen Properties LLC. "Extraterritorial" means the land sits outside city limits but close enough that Viroqua gets a say in how it's divided. Because only the agenda has been posted, we don't yet know how the commission voted on any of them. [3]
• The comprehensive plan is moving to next steps. The same Plan Commission agenda included an update on comprehensive planning goals with possible action. [3] The comprehensive plan is the long-range document that guides where housing, business, and green space go over the next decade or two — the quiet paperwork that determines what can be built near you.
• Veterans Memorial engraving requests are up for a decision. The commission — chaired by Dan Stalsberg, with Steve Thompson as vice-chair, joined by Todd Spaeth, Todd Kirking, and Carson LaBelle — will take up engraving requests and an update on site progress and maintenance. [1] If you've submitted a name for the memorial, this is the meeting where it gets addressed.
• The rules governing the memorial may change. Also on that agenda: possible updates to city ordinance chapter 2.44, the section that establishes the Veterans Memorial Commission itself and spells out what it's allowed to do. [1]
• The Business Park Commission is also rethinking its own job description. Separate from the closed session, members plan to discuss the commission's structure and goals "in relation to VDA responsibilities." [2] The agenda doesn't spell out what VDA stands for or which duties are in question, so this one is worth a listen if you want to know who actually drives development decisions in Viroqua. Commission members are Krista Browne, Lorn Goede, Randy Skinner, Michael Corr, Alycann Taylor, Scott Champion, and Paul Larsen, with one seat vacant. [2]
• Two open seats. The Plan Commission also carries a vacancy alongside members Krista Browne, Jan Rasikas, Richard Running, AJ Bergum, Sonya Newenhouse, and Chuck Driscoll. [3] Two city bodies, two empty chairs — if you've ever thought about serving, the openings are real.
One More Thing
Check the third line of the Business Park Commission's agenda: the members will be reviewing and approving minutes from their September 15, 2025 meeting. [2] That's a full year and a week between gatherings. Whatever's in the Emplify Health folder, it was apparently enough to get the group back around the table.
There's a footnote worth noting, too. The agenda warns that enough City Council members and VDA members may show up that it technically counts as a quorum — so the notice specifies that no other council or VDA business will be discussed and no action taken. [2] Translation: a lot of Viroqua's decision-makers plan to be in one room.
Sources
[1] Veterans Memorial Commission Agenda, September 23, 2026 — View Document
[2] Business Park Commission Agenda, September 23, 2026 — View Document
[3] Plan Commission Amended Agenda, September 16, 2026 — View Document
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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.