Altoona City Council Meeting - May 22, 2025

The Altoona Common Council met on May 22, 2025, at 5:00 p.m. in Council Chambers at Altoona City Hall. Mayor Brendan Pratt presided. Present were Councilmembers Dale Steuber, Timothy Lima, Bruce Thielen, and Matthew Beeran; Councilmembers Caitlin Leopold and Susan Row were absent. The council approved the May 8, 2025 minutes, heard a fire/EMS study, approved zoning, parking, police union, and fitness center items, discussed affordable housing, and unanimously entered closed session on the City of Eau Claire sewer contract.

Public Comments & Testimony

• No members of the public spoke during the citizens participation period.
• No public comment was offered during the public hearing on the proposed Title 19 zoning/fence amendment.

Department Head Report

• Public Works Director Scott Quick reported that the city was removing illegally placed contractor signs, especially in rights-of-way. Staff had picked up an estimated 75-80 signs with one crew plus additional crews, contacted contractors, and issued a press release. Signs are allowed only while work is actively being done on the property.
• Councilmember Dale Steuber questioned why staff were not also knocking on doors or leaving notices at properties with signs in yards, and he expressed concern that selective enforcement could undermine the ordinance. Quick said the city was using an education-first approach and would continue enforcement.

Discussion Items

River Prairie Townhome Phase 2 Amendment

• Tom Toy and Mark Erickson requested an amendment to the Phase 2 agreement for the River Prairie Townhome Project. The current contract requires the project to be built as originally permitted. The proposal would replace the eastern half's planned 12 units with 10 single-level, zero-entry units, with slightly larger lot sizes and a modified driveway/easement layout.
• Toy said the new design is more marketable to seniors and snowbirds, has more natural light, and can be priced at about $300,000 or below, compared with previous units he said were too expensive to build. The project would need to go through replatting and a revised specific implementation plan before the Plan Commission and council.
• Council directed staff to prepare an amendment to the agreement; the motion carried unanimously.

Water/Sewer Connection Deferment - 503 Bartlett Avenue

• Don and Kim Bauer requested a five-year deferment from the requirement to connect to city water and sewer. Staff said the city failed to notify them in 2019 when services were extended; the Bauers had since invested in their well and septic system.
• The Bauers said the average hookup estimate was about $16,000, that they had refinanced their home to cover a $27,500 special assessment, and that they had no intention to sell. Council approved the five-year deferral.

Fire and EMS Study Presentation

• The Center for Public Safety Management presented its fire/EMS assessment. It found a professional, dedicated mostly paid-on-call/volunteer department supported by career command staff. City Administrator Michael Golott said call volume had grown from about 400 per year to about 1,400 during his tenure; Chief Mark Renderman said the department ended last year just under 1,600 calls, with the bulk EMS and roughly 260 fire-related calls.
• CPSM reported 1,292 EMS calls in the one-year study period, first-arriving fire unit travel time of 4.5 minutes at both the 80th and 90th percentiles, and EMS travel time of 4.5 minutes at the 90th percentile, with Eau Claire providing transport in a tiered response system. It noted an ISO rating of 4, a 911 center score of about 9.6 out of 10, and nationwide volunteer firefighter numbers falling from about 350,000 to fewer than 42,000.
• The study's main concern was retention, not recruitment: the department lost more than 30 members between January 2023 and October 2024. CPSM recommended raising the $1.50-per-hour standby rate and $15-per-hour call pay, creating part-time positions, exploring a live-in program, renovating and consolidating at the Bower Street station, planning a future centralized fire facility, adopting an updated fire code and NFPA 1730 inspection scheduling, developing a fleet replacement plan, and considering rescue engines or a quint over the longer term.
• Council took no formal action. Chief Renderman said he is costing out pay changes, and Mayor Pratt said staff would work on a plan and likely bring options to a future workshop before budget discussions. Councilmember Steuber said he had not known the standby rate was $1.50 and expressed support for paying members more; Chief Renderman said retaining trained members was urgent.

Zoning and Parking Ordinances

• A public hearing was held on a Title 19 zoning amendment discussed by the Plan Commission on May 13, 2025. Planning Director Taylor Greenwell explained the change would allow fencing around undeveloped properties, allow chain-link fencing in front yards in commercial districts, and allow security fencing in industrial districts with Plan Commission approval. Council then approved Ordinance 5C-25 amending Section 19.56.070, Fences and Walls.
• Council approved Ordinance 5D-25, adding Section 10.20.010 AA to prohibit parking on Division Street on the east side from Lynn Avenue to a point 70 feet north, after the roadway was reconstructed two feet narrower.

Police Department Items

• Council approved a side letter agreement with the WPPA union to convert the remaining 10-hour police shifts to 12-hour shifts, standardizing the 80-hour pay period. Police management said there would be no financial impact and coverage would remain the same.
• Council approved allowing family members of full-time city employees to use the fitness center at the Altoona Police Department. The request is limited to full-time employees; users must sign a revised liability waiver, and the city's insurance carrier reviewed the proposal.

Affordable Housing Fund Development

• Grant and Housing Program Manager Julian Emerson presented a strategic framework for the $6.27 million attainable housing fund created through the River Prairie TID. He explained Wisconsin law allows using one year of TID increment, with at least 75% required to benefit attainable housing and up to 25% available for general housing. He cited Eau Claire County's median household income of about $71,000-$72,000 and the 30%-of-income affordability threshold.
• Emerson outlined 12 proposed guiding principles: prioritizing Altoona residents, leveraging external funding, recirculating the fund, strategic partnerships, clear and accessible processes, preserving existing attainable housing, gap financing, performance tracking, nimbleness, equitable access, sustainable and resilient development, and mixed-income diverse housing options.
• Council discussed holding joint workshops, possibly an hour before regular council meetings, rather than creating a separate community committee. Staff and council agreed to develop a schedule for continued discussion and community input.

Key Outcomes

• Approved the May 8, 2025 regular council meeting minutes.
• Directed staff to prepare an amendment to the River Prairie Townhome Phase 2 agreement.
• Approved a five-year deferment of city water/sewer connection for 503 Bartlett Avenue.
• Received the fire/EMS study with no formal action; staff to develop cost options and a workshop plan.
• Approved Ordinance 5C-25 amending fence regulations.
• Approved Ordinance 5D-25 prohibiting parking on Division Street near Lynn Avenue.
• Approved the WPPA side letter on 12-hour shift adjustments.
• Approved fitness center access for family members of full-time employees.
• Agreed to schedule affordable housing fund workshops.
• Unanimously voted to convene in closed session under Wis. Stat. 19.85(1)(g) for legal advice on the City of Eau Claire sewer contract. The transcript ends without showing a reconvened open session.