Altoona City Council Meeting – April 10, 2025

The Common Council of Altoona, Wisconsin, met at 5:00 PM on April 10, 2025, in Council Chambers at Altoona City Hall, 1303 Lynn Avenue. Mayor Brendan Pratt presided; a quorum was present. No public comments were made during the Citizens Participation Period. The meeting adjourned at 7:06 PM. Two agenda items—the Fire Study Presentation and the Otter/Vernon/Pleasant Reconstruction bid award—had been removed from the agenda.

Consent Calendar

• The council took up the consent agenda containing two proclamations. The Earth Day proclamation recognized April 22, 2025; City Clerk Cindy Bauer noted the agenda’s earlier listing of Earth Day as Monday, April 21, 2025, was a scrivener’s error. The Arbor Day proclamation recognized April 25, 2025.
• Mayor Pratt read the proclamations and added remarks. He cited an estimate that about 42% of energy is renewable, expressed support for renewables while cautioning about the need for firm carbon-free power, and said the city’s revised tree ordinance should increase planting requirements. No separate vote on the consent agenda is reflected in the transcript.

Reports

• Mayor Pratt reported on the recent passing of former Mayor Delvin Everline, who served from 1982 to 1984 and died March 25, 2025, and offered the city’s condolences. He also recognized UW-Eau Claire Chancellor Jim Schmidt’s upcoming move and Catherine Schaff’s ten years with Eau Claire County. He welcomed newly elected Councilmember Bruce Thielen, who won a write-in race 21-17 and would be seated the following Tuesday.
• Fire Chief Mark Renderman said the new fire tender had arrived, was in training use, and would go into service this month. Eight new staff completed the recruit academy; half were cleared for EMS and fire response. The department has had about 425–426 calls this year, about 65 fire-related; about 230 fire inspections are done with about 1,270 remaining. The city also held a regional emergency operations center exercise under a dam-failure scenario, involving about 18–20 staff.
• Public Works Director Scott Quick said the city was sending about 1,400 letters about unknown or galvanized water service lines. There are roughly 3,000 water services, 52 known galvanized services, and no confirmed lead service lines. The city plans to enter about 300 homes to verify pipe material, change meters, and conduct cross-connection surveys; testing at the 40 most at-risk homes has been below the lead limit. He also said Altoona does not fluoridate its water and that the brush site opens the following Wednesday with a new scrap-metal dumpster.

New Business

• Visit Eau Claire Executive Director Kenzie Havichek gave the quarterly tourism report. Altoona finished 2024 with a 9% room tax increase, after a 16% increase the prior year. Q1 data showed more than 7,000 active users on Altoona/River Prairie pages, an 88% year-over-year increase for VisitOClaire.com, over 1,600 partner referrals up 4%, and paid March ads generating roughly 2,100 clicks and 75,000 impressions. The Ginormous Pumpkin Festival page was up 93% year over year. She also highlighted the regional outdoor recreation plan, about 150 outdoor writers coming September 22–26, and the 2026 Midwest Travel Journalists Association conference.
• Resolution 4A-25: The council approved the final resolution for the 2025 7th Street West Reconstruction Project, authorizing street and utility improvements and levying special assessments under Wis. Stat. § 66.0703. Staff described it as procedural with final bid numbers and assessment costs calculated; construction is expected to take less than three months.
• Annual Pavement Replacement Program: The council awarded the contract to Monarch for $144,895.17. It was the only bid and came in below the estimate. Work includes the rest of the city hall/library parking lot and Hamilton Avenue from Fairfax to All States.
• Annual Water Service & Curb Repair contract: The council awarded the annual contract to the sole bidder for approximately $97,045.02, under the $100,000 budget. The contract covers curb and gutter repair, water service improvements, fire hydrants, and curb boxes.
• Otter Road, Vernon Street, and Pleasant Street: The council approved the intergovernmental cooperative agreement with the City of Eau Claire. Eau Claire owns the water and sewer utilities and will prepare the plans; Altoona will pay for pavement, selected curb, and storm portions and levy no assessments. Staff noted the road is badly deteriorated and is in front of the fire station.

Miscellaneous Business & Communications

• Newly elected Councilmember Bruce Thielen introduced himself, outlined his government background in parks and public works, and asked the council to examine ways to hold landlords more accountable for rental property conditions. Mayor Pratt said he would talk to staff about a more systematic, neighborhood-by-neighborhood enforcement approach.
• Mayor Pratt also mentioned that boulevard tree work had occurred near a school during morning drop-off; Public Works Director Quick reported that new neighborhood traffic signs had been installed with positive feedback.

Key Outcomes

• Approved the March 27, 2025 regular council meeting minutes.
• Approved Resolution 4A-25 for the 2025 7th Street West Reconstruction Project.
• Awarded the Annual Pavement Replacement Program contract to Monarch for $144,895.17.
• Awarded the Annual Water Service & Curb Repair contract for approximately $97,045.02.
• Approved the intergovernmental cooperative agreement with the City of Eau Claire for Otter Road, Vernon Street, and Pleasant Street reconstruction.
• Agreed to follow up on landlord-accountability enforcement options and the water service inventory outreach.