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Record of Proceedings

Altoona City Council Meeting – November 6, 2025

Meeting Portal — Thursday, November 6, 2025
BodyAltoona, Wisconsin
SessionMeeting Portal
DateThursday, November 6, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 23:09

Original source
Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

Speaker numbers apply only to this recording. Names come from transcript evidence. “Possibly” marks uncertain attribution.

Speaker 1

0:13

I'm sitting in the doctors or in the emergency room in the bed and waiting and waiting for all these tests.

0:20

And the clock was up on the site.

0:23

It was like 5.15 when I finally got out of there.

0:26

It's like when I got here, it's like,

Speaker 2

0:29

hey, this is not

Speaker 1

0:30

that clock all along.

0:31

I was watching.

0:32

It was they never changed.

0:33

Changed

Speaker 2

0:33

it back.

0:34

Oh no, went back an hour.

Speaker 1

0:35

Yeah.

Unassigned speaker

0:37

I was

Speaker 1

0:37

like, I'll get there at least for the council meeting.

Speaker 2

0:39

Oh, so you went there today?

0:41

Yeah.

Unassigned speaker

0:41

Okay.

Unassigned speaker

0:42

I

Speaker 1

0:42

spent most of the afternoon there.

0:43

Because Golot wanted me to go.

0:46

Anybody wouldn't take

Speaker 2

0:47

you?

Speaker 1

0:48

I just walked in.

Speaker 2

0:50

Yes.

0:51

Perfect.

0:52

Good friend.

0:52

Yeah.

Speaker 1

0:54

Not even listening.

0:55

No.

0:56

About 1 30 to 1 30 to 4.

1:02

Everything was good.

1:06

Time.

Speaker 2

1:07

Ready?

Unassigned speaker

1:08

Yep.

Speaker 1

1:08

All right.

1:09

Let's go ahead and call the regular council meeting of Thursday, November 6, 2025 to order.

1:14

We have the Pledge of Allegiance.

Unassigned speaker

1:18

Yeah.

Speaker 2

1:19

I pledge legitimate.

Speaker 3

1:23

And to the Republic for Richard Stands.

1:26

One nation.

1:27

Under God.

1:28

Indivisible.

Speaker 1

1:34

Roll call for councilpersons, roll call for department heads.

Speaker 3

1:37

Mayor Brendan Pratt.

Speaker 1

1:39

Here.

Speaker 3

1:39

Councilperson Dale Stuber.

1:41

Councilperson Timothy Lima.

1:43

Councilperson Matthew Beeran.

1:45

Councilperson Susie Zilmer.

1:48

We have absent councilpersons Bruce Thielen and Councilperson Susan Roll.

1:53

We also have present Sambach, Attorney Sam Bach Hansen, City Administrator Michael Golot, Police Chief Kelly Bachin, Fire Chief Mark Renderman, and Cindy Bauer, City Clerk.

2:04

We have a quorum.

Speaker 1

2:06

All right.

2:06

Citizen participation period, no more than 20 minutes unless extended by two-thirds vote.

2:11

So if anybody out there would like to speak on something that's not on the agenda, this is your

Unassigned speaker

2:15

time.

Speaker 2

2:17

Seeing there are none, Lemma moves to close citizens' participation period.

Speaker 1

2:23

Okay, we have a motion and a second.

2:25

All in favor say aye.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Historic Preservation█████████████████████████25%
Public Safety████████████████████20%
Procedural███████████████15%
Fire Services█████████████13%
Real Estate Development█████████████13%
Legal Affairs█████████9%
Technology and Innovation█████5%
Summary of Proceedings

Altoona City Council Meeting – November 6, 2025

The Altoona City Council met on Thursday, November 6, 2025, at 5:00 PM in Council Chambers. The meeting included the swearing-in of a new police officer and assistant fire chief, unanimous approval of a lease renewal with the Altoona Historical Society, and a closed session to discuss an ongoing sewer billing dispute with the City of Eau Claire and negotiations with Habitat for Humanity for property development.

Reports & Swearing-In

  • City Administrator Mike Golot reported difficulties with railroad approval for a utility extension to Whitale Woods, but approval was obtained; work is expected to be completed by year's end. He also mentioned exploring partnerships regarding an innovation fund.
  • Police Chief Kelly Bachin reported that calls for service are down slightly but traffic enforcement is up. Community service officers handled 27 cases in September and 35 in October, mostly junk-related. The Fall Frenzy event on October 26 drew about 500 children. The department is undergoing its annual CALEA review (60 of 270 standards will be reviewed).
  • Fire Chief Mark Renderman reported 1,347 calls for the year, consistent with the prior year. Seven new recruit staff (part-timers and volunteers) are completing the academy. The department responded to two structure fires, including one at Kirk Manufacturing on Chief Renderman's first day with Assistant Chief Kayhart.
  • The council recognized Lieutenant Kelly for his 22 years of service and wished him a happy birthday.
  • Officer Jacob Seykora was sworn in. He was hired as a CSO in November 2023, was sponsored through the law enforcement academy, and recently graduated; he fills a vacant full-time patrol position.
  • Assistant Fire Chief Corey Kayhart was sworn in. He has several years of fire service experience, including in Altoona and the Abbotsford/Dorchester area, and is skilled in repairs.

New Business: Lease Renewal with Altoona Historical Society

  • Don Winrich, representing the Altoona Historical Society, presented a request to renew the rental agreement for the old 10th Street Recreation Center (506 9th Street West). The terms are unchanged from the current five-year lease. Winrich noted the society spent nearly $3,000 on painting and scraping and is actively cataloging artifacts using a program called CatalogIt, accessible via a QR code. He stated he will step down as president in January but remain an active member.
  • Councilmember Lima moved to approve the renewal; Councilmember Beeran seconded. The motion passed unanimously.
  • Winrich also updated the council on a railroad speeder (maintenance car) donated to the society. It is currently stored at a recycling facility in the Town of Washington and will be moved to Falkirk for display and parade use once funding is raised.

Closed Session

  • The council voted unanimously (4-0, with two absent) to enter closed session at 6:20 PM under Wis. Stat. §19.85(1)(g) to confer with legal counsel regarding litigation strategy for the City of Eau Claire sewer contract, and under §19.85(1)(e) to discuss negotiations with Habitat for Humanity for property development (added via addendum on November 5).
  • The council reconvened in open session at 6:56 PM. City Attorney Sam Bach Hansen reported that no actions were taken; the attorney is drafting a response to a letter from Eau Claire regarding the billing dispute. No other details were disclosed.

Miscellaneous Business

  • In response to a councilmember's question, Administrator Golot confirmed that a fence along the railroad near public works had been completed, with the railroad paying 50% of the cost.

Key Outcomes

  • Approved the minutes of the October 23, 2025 regular council meeting (unanimous).
  • Sworn in Officer Jacob Seykora and Assistant Fire Chief Corey Kayhart.
  • Approved a five-year lease renewal with the Altoona Historical Society for the 10th Street Recreation Center (unanimous).
  • Entered and concluded closed session on the sewer contract dispute and Habitat for Humanity negotiations; no public action resulted.
  • Adjourned at 6:59 PM.

Meeting Transcript

I'm sitting in the doctors or in the emergency room in the bed and waiting and waiting for all these tests. And the clock was up on the site. It was like 5.15 when I finally got out of there. It's like when I got here, it's like, hey, this is not that clock all along. I was watching. It was they never changed. Changed it back. Oh no, went back an hour. Yeah. I was like, I'll get there at least for the council meeting. Oh, so you went there today? Yeah. Okay. I spent most of the afternoon there. Because Golot wanted me to go. Anybody wouldn't take you? I just walked in. Yes. Perfect. Good friend. Yeah. Not even listening. No. About 1 30 to 1 30 to 4. Everything was good. Time. Ready? Yep. All right. Let's go ahead and call the regular council meeting of Thursday, November 6, 2025 to order. We have the Pledge of Allegiance. Yeah. I pledge legitimate. And to the Republic for Richard Stands. One nation. Under God. Indivisible. Roll call for councilpersons, roll call for department heads. Mayor Brendan Pratt. Here. Councilperson Dale Stuber. Councilperson Timothy Lima. Councilperson Matthew Beeran. Councilperson Susie Zilmer.

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