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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

CETA Committee Meeting - September 24, 2026

Common Council & City Boards — Thursday, September 24, 2026
BodyFitchburg, Wisconsin
SessionCommon Council & City Boards
DateThursday, September 24, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:08:17

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

Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.

Speaker 1

0:00

Hi, I'm Jeremy Crosby.

0:01

And I'm Nick Boucher.

0:02

We're your hosts for the program that's all about your city.

0:05

Talking Pittsburgh.

Speaker 2

0:06

Every weekday, we pull together the news, events, and information you need to stay on top of what's happening in the city of Pittsburgh.

Speaker 1

0:12

Find Talking Fitzburg on Cable TV, Roku, Amazon Fire, Apple TV, and our live stream on the web.

0:18

Plus, you can find all our headlines and stories on Facebook, YouTube, and our video on demand service.

Speaker 2

0:23

This is your city.

0:24

Keep up with Talking Fitzburg and the issues affecting you and your neighbors.

Unassigned speaker

0:29

Get

Speaker 3

0:30

connected, Fitchburg.

0:31

Sign up for Fitchburg Connect, the city's monthly e-newsletter that keeps you informed about all the events, services, and updates that matter to you.

0:39

Get it in your inbox once a month.

0:42

Sign up today to get Fitchburg Connect.

Speaker 4

0:45

Stay connected everywhere you go.

0:48

Fitchburg is on your phone and your tablet and your laptop and TV.

0:53

Download the app.

0:54

It's free.

0:56

Access Pitchburg.

0:58

This is your city at your finger.

Speaker 5

1:12

Yep.

1:13

Oh, okay.

1:14

I'm not I'm looking back here.

1:15

Okay.

1:16

Good morning.

1:17

I'm Mark Hamilton.

1:19

Um, Chair of CETA, and I'm going to call the meeting to order at 704 on September 24th, 2026.

1:28

Um Joyce, would you be

Unassigned speaker

1:30

uh calling all the order for us?

Unassigned speaker

1:32

Please call the meeting to order.

Speaker 6

1:35

Sure, and I'm just gonna change the time to 705 since that's our official clock there.

1:41

Okay, just for the record.

1:44

Um Garcia Sierra Hamilton here, Lepper Sanders.

1:58

Here, we have a quorum.

Speaker 5

2:00

Thank you.

2:01

Thank you very much.

2:02

Our next order of business is going to be approval of the minutes from the last meeting

Speaker 7

2:06

August 27th.

Speaker 5

2:07

Um has everybody had a chance to look at the minutes?

2:10

And are there any comments or a motion for approval?

Unassigned speaker

2:17

I'll

Speaker 7

2:18

make a motion to

Speaker 5

2:18

approve.

2:20

Is there a second?

2:21

Second.

2:22

We have a motion and a second.

2:24

Is there further discussion?

2:25

Yes.

Speaker 8

2:29

One, two, three, four, fifth line down.

2:33

We talk about we were first talking about the restaurant business, and then we're talking about the property ownership.

2:42

Is that the ownership of the shopping center?

2:46

The strip mall, did that change?

Speaker 6

2:48

Yes.

Unassigned speaker

2:50

So

Speaker 8

2:50

they're both in uh state of flux or change.

2:54

Yes.

2:55

Okay, thank

Unassigned speaker

2:56

you.

Speaker 6

2:57

And I just want to note that Andy Potts is here.

3:00

I missed him.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Economic Development████████████████████████████████████████████44%
Public Engagement██████████████████████████████30%
Community Engagement████████8%
Procedural█████5%
Arts And Culture████4%
Public Transportation████4%
Affordable Housing███3%
Public Infrastructure██2%
Summary of Proceedings

CETA Committee Meeting

The Community and Economic Development Authority (CETA) met on September 24, 2026, at 7:05 AM. Chair Mark Hamilton called the meeting to order with a quorum present. The meeting covered updates on the Revolving Loan Fund, a presentation from the Fitchburg Chamber and Business Bureau, and various housing and economic development reports.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of Minutes: The minutes from the August 27, 2026 meeting were approved with a minor amendment regarding wording on restaurant business and property ownership. Motion carried unanimously.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No public comments were made for non-agenda items.

Discussion Items

  1. Fitchburg Revolving Loan Fund: The committee discussed potential updates to the loan fund guidelines, which had not been revised since the early 2000s. Members noted that the fund has been rarely used, with only a few past loans (e.g., to Pinnacle). Discussion centered on removing the explicit prohibition on restaurants and alcohol-licensed businesses, given changed market conditions and comparative failure rates. Some members suggested excluding vape shops and gas stations. The committee agreed to form a workgroup (members Jake and Mario volunteered) and requested all members submit comments to staff within two weeks for review before the next meeting.
  2. Fitchburg Chamber and Visitor Bureau Update: Angela Kinderman and Brandon Rounds presented data on tourism impact (2024 Dane County economic impact data), social media growth (Facebook followers up over 100%, Instagram up 4,000%), and events such as the Brewery Ride (100 riders, plus additional capacity this year, attracting visitors from Chicago and other states), Concerts at McKee (thousands per concert), and the Holiday Lights Tour (over 30,000 social media views and 200,000 map views). They requested a $5,000 sponsorship from CETA for the Holiday Lights Tour and Get Festive at Agora event. After discussion, the committee voted to approve the sponsorship.

Key Outcomes

  • Revolving Loan Fund Workgroup: A workgroup was formed (Jake and Mario, plus staff and possibly the city attorney) to review the loan fund guidelines. All committee members should send their comments to Joyce within two weeks.
  • Chamber Sponsorship Approved: The motion to provide $5,000 in hotel room tax funds to the Fitchburg Chamber for the Holiday Lights Tour and Get Festive at Agora passed by voice vote with no opposition.
  • Housing and Development Updates Noted: The committee received reports on the Housing Stability Program (launching mid-November), Down Payment Assistance (early 2025), CDBG Pro Housing RFP (within two months), Efficiency Navigator (10 buildings, $311K under budget), and a new housing concept from Mahogany Realty Group (senior/missing middle ownership). Other updates included demolition of Bowman Plaza, upcoming openings for Chick-fil-A and Chase Bank, and progress on various construction projects.
  • Next Meeting: Scheduled for October 22, 2026.

Meeting Transcript

Hi, I'm Jeremy Crosby. And I'm Nick Boucher. We're your hosts for the program that's all about your city. Talking Pittsburgh. Every weekday, we pull together the news, events, and information you need to stay on top of what's happening in the city of Pittsburgh. Find Talking Fitzburg on Cable TV, Roku, Amazon Fire, Apple TV, and our live stream on the web. Plus, you can find all our headlines and stories on Facebook, YouTube, and our video on demand service. This is your city. Keep up with Talking Fitzburg and the issues affecting you and your neighbors. Get connected, Fitchburg. Sign up for Fitchburg Connect, the city's monthly e-newsletter that keeps you informed about all the events, services, and updates that matter to you. Get it in your inbox once a month. Sign up today to get Fitchburg Connect. Stay connected everywhere you go. Fitchburg is on your phone and your tablet and your laptop and TV. Download the app. It's free. Access Pitchburg. This is your city at your finger. Yep. Oh, okay. I'm not I'm looking back here. Okay. Good morning. I'm Mark Hamilton. Um, Chair of CETA, and I'm going to call the meeting to order at 704 on September 24th, 2026. Um Joyce, would you be uh calling all the order for us? Please call the meeting to order. Sure, and I'm just gonna change the time to 705 since that's our official clock there. Okay, just for the record. Um Garcia Sierra Hamilton here, Lepper Sanders. Here, we have a quorum. Thank you. Thank you very much. Our next order of business is going to be approval of the minutes from the last meeting August 27th. Um has everybody had a chance to look at the minutes? And are there any comments or a motion for approval? I'll make a motion to approve. Is there a second? Second. We have a motion and a second. Is there further discussion? Yes. One, two, three, four, fifth line down. We talk about we were first talking about the restaurant business, and then we're talking about the property ownership.

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