Altoona City Council Meeting – August 14, 2025

Mayor Brendan Pratt presided over the Altoona City Council meeting at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, August 14, 2025, in Council Chambers at Altoona City Hall, 1303 Lynn Avenue. Council members present were Dale Stuber, Timothy Lima, Bruce Thielen, Matthew Beeran, Susie Zilmer, and Susan Rowe. Staff present included City Attorney Sambach Hansen, City Administrator Michael Golott, City Engineer/Assistant Director of Public Works Christian Hubert, Planning Director Taylor Greenwell, and City Clerk Cindy Bauer. The council confirmed a quorum, approved minutes and routine appointments, approved two ordinances, awarded a safe room bid, approved a conduit lease amendment, heard a solar investment presentation without taking action, and held a closed session on the future fire station site. No members of the public spoke during the citizens participation period.

Consent Agenda

• Approved the July 24, 2025 regular council meeting minutes by voice vote.
• Approved the consent agenda appointing Ryan Ludy to the Plan Commission and Susan Zillmer to the Finance Committee and Parks & Recreation Committee.

Department Head Reports

• City Administrator reported that the container park opening was very successful; staff are working with vendors on programming and addressing construction issues, including leaks. The site was busy and vendors were happy.
• Affordable housing programs are being developed with Habitat for Humanity, starting with a yard cleanup program and an essential repair program focused on energy efficiency and handyman tasks; council will be asked to consider the first programs within about a month.
• Planning continues for the approximately 80-acre east neighborhood; a new design iteration was received and a meeting with a prospective developer was held.
• Public Works update: the binder course on 7th Street West was installed; boulevard finishing and final surface are expected in about a week and a half. Pleasant and Otter reconstruction work is being done in sections, with Pleasant utilities wrapping up before grading and graveling.
• White Tail Woods infrastructure is moving forward after permits were obtained.
• Fire/EMS update: the city is at 950 calls year-to-date, approximately 165 fire-related and 787 EMS; EMS volume is down about 80 from this time last year, though August has been busier. An inspector/assistant chief resigned and the position has been posted. About nine part-time volunteer staff are expected to leave by early February; seven candidates have been interviewed and tested, with onboarding expected in September and training by the end of the year.

Public Comments & Testimony

• No public comments were made during the citizens participation period.

Solar Infrastructure Presentation

• Representatives Jason and Phil from Verage presented a proposal for solar arrays on the Public Works and Public Safety buildings.
• The proposal is a total array size of 143 kilowatts with no on-site storage, sized to about a 50% offset to avoid overproduction. Xcel Energy would buy excess power up to 80% of production at a retail off-peak rate.
• Verage estimated about $15,000 in first-year utility savings and just under $1 million in energy savings over 25 years. The total project cost is $616,000; after about $192,000 in federal tax credits and incentives, the net cost is about $424,000. The guaranteed-payback model reaches full payback in about year 19. A 25-year maintenance/service contract is about $52,000, and company fees are about 13% of the project cost.
• Presenters said federal 30% direct-pay solar credits are being curtailed; reductions begin July 1, 2026, and June 30, 2026 is likely the installation deadline to preserve current credits. They described a safe-harbor option in which buying materials would lock in the credits.
• Mayor Pratt noted the city’s prior Solar Circle project was about $135,000 for 40 kW, with roughly $10,000–$20,000 of city cash after incentives. He and staff had heard conventional flat-roof solar would cost about $2.50 per watt, versus $4.50 per watt in Verage’s proposal, and asked Verage to justify the premium.
• Verage cited commercial-grade panels, 25-year warranties, real-time monitoring, rapid shutdown equipment, third-party structural review, no change orders, and a production guarantee. They said they are the 10th largest commercial solar installer in the U.S., have more than 600 employees, and have never missed a production guarantee.
• Council members raised concerns about the 19-year payback, whether the savings justify the upfront cost, the need for references from similar Wisconsin cities, and the company’s long-term viability. Some council members viewed it as infrastructure investment rather than a profit center.
• No action was taken. Verage agreed to return in about two weeks with references and more information. Council also noted that if the city instead issued an RFP/RFQ, it would need to move quickly; one local solar contractor said its schedule would fill within two to three weeks.

New Business – Ordinances, Bid, and Lease Agreement

• Approved Ordinance 8A-25, amending Chapter 15 of the Altoona Municipal Code (Building and Mechanical Code). The changes make explicit that a permit may only be granted when all local submission requirements are met, including resolving outstanding unpermitted work anywhere in the city; remove the requirement that every violation be brought to the City Council and City Attorney; and replace listed fee penalties with a reference to the Bond and Fee Schedule. Staff said the changes respond to unpermitted roofing and siding work; a summer enforcement intern is catching about 20 cases per week, with first-offense fines around $100 per offense.
• Approved Ordinance 8B-25, amending Chapter 9.23 of the Municipal Code to change the Downtown Outdoor Refreshment Area hours of operation. The police department recommended moving the closing time from 10:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. to align with city park hours.
• Approved awarding Procurement No. 2025-06, Hillcrest Estates Safe Room, to Dell Construction Co. as the low bid among five bids at $815,000, which was within budget.
• Approved the amended Reciprocal Conduit Lease Agreement between TDS Metrocom, LLC, the City of Altoona, and the City of Eau Claire. Staff explained the amendment is needed because TDS did conduit work across the River Prairie Bridge and additional work for Altoona must be added to the agreement.

Closed Session – Future Fire Station Site

• The council unanimously voted to convene in closed session at about 7:30 p.m. under Wis. Stat. 19.85(1)(e) to deliberate or negotiate the purchasing of public properties and investing of public funds regarding a future fire station site.
• After reconvening to open session by unanimous roll-call vote, the City Administrator reported that no action was necessary from the closed-session discussion and that staff would continue working on the property acquisition and report back if action is needed.

Key Outcomes

• Approved the July 24, 2025 meeting minutes and the mayoral appointments to the Plan Commission, Finance Committee, and Parks & Recreation Committee.
• Approved Ordinance 8A-25 and Ordinance 8B-25.
• Awarded the Hillcrest Estates Safe Room bid to Dell Construction Co. for $815,000.
• Approved the TDS Metrocom conduit lease amendment.
• Took no action on the solar proposal; Verage will return in about two weeks with references and additional information.
• Held a closed session on the future fire station site and took no action; staff will continue working on it.
• The meeting was adjourned after open session reconvened.