Janesville City Council Regular Meeting - February 23, 2026
Janesville City Council Regular Meeting - February 23, 2026
The Janesville City Council met on Monday, February 23, 2026, at 6:00 PM in Council Chambers. The meeting included consent agenda approvals, public comments largely focused on the proposed Viridian data center and the Beloit Avenue housing development, discussion and action on street contracts, a supplemental budget appropriation, annexation and zoning items, a labor agreement, and a housing concept review. The council also voted to enter closed session regarding the GM/JATCO site sale.
Consent Calendar
- Approved minutes of the January 26, 2026 and February 9, 2026 regular council meetings.
- Approved preliminary financial statements for December 2025.
- Adopted resolutions commending Michael C. Rebman (32+ years of service) and Carri E. Salus (17+ years of service).
- Adopted a resolution revising a Relocation Order for the East Memorial Drive STP-Urban Reconstruction Project.
- Approved CSM 26001-C for Rock Energy Cooperative along Performance Place.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Tyballer (address given) spoke about railroad bridge footings and deed issues related to 840 South Washington Street, suggesting a partnership opportunity. He also mentioned concrete deterioration on a bridge.
- Cassandra Pope questioned council members about the due diligence performed since the data center LOI approval, citing lack of public input sessions and transparency. She argued that data centers raise utility bills, using an NDA to withhold details, and that ratepayers will subsidize infrastructure. She requested the council stop misleading the public about rate increases.
- Kathy Erdman (1516 South Ridge Drive) expressed concerns about the tax and revenue projections for the data center, questioning the sustainability of adding $1 billion to valuation, the risk of a single taxpayer industry, and the lack of downside modeling. She noted a recent open meetings lawsuit against Port Washington regarding a similar project.
- Bill Mears supported the Bloyd Avenue residential development and urged inclusion of retail nodes for daily goods, drawing parallels to the success of the Highway 11 bypass area. He noted about 7–10 developable acres on frontage.
- Austin Deal (lifelong resident) expressed pause on the Viridian data center proposal, stating it yields only about 2–3 long-term jobs per acre and a 91% loss of payroll potential compared to other uses. He advocated for production industries (solar assembly, grid storage) that could use skilled trades, and urged maximizing the GM site's long-term value.
- A speaker (name not given) raised concerns about closed session timing, the NDA, the data center's size (5th largest in US), noise (60–90 decibels), diesel toxins from backup generators, and impact on Rotary Gardens. He urged the council to respect calls for a referendum and not rush decisions.
- Deborah Rodell (southside resident) cited a Rolling Stone article about a data center in Oregon, linking it to well contamination, nitrate poisoning, noise, energy prices, and electrical fires. She warned that small towns are easy targets, that the local grid and water table are inadequate, and that data centers are capital-intensive, not labor-intensive. She noted Bill Gates has pulled out of centers in multiple states.
- Oakley Ryan (1000 East Milwaukee Street) spoke about the Beloit Avenue project, applauding the city's community engagement process. He encouraged the council to think big, include commercial/retail, and use an open RFP process, drawing on the Woodman Center example.
Discussion Items
- City Manager Report: Kevin Lehner provided an update on the purchase and sale agreement (PSA) for the GM/JATCO site with Viridian. He clarified that the PSA is a legally binding contract detailing property transfer terms; a development agreement (covering noise, cooling systems, buffers, community investment, hiring, cleanup) would be negotiated later and would require council approval. He estimated the entitlement process could take up to two years. In response to Councilmember Nino's question about environmental cleanup, Lehner explained the site is currently closed with continuing obligations under DNR oversight; a materials management plan would be filed with the DNR when redevelopment occurs, and presentations on cleanup could happen during the development agreement phase.
- Award of Contracts (Item 8a): City Engineer Brad Rentz presented three annual street rehabilitation contracts: curb/gutter ($2,195,239.30 to Yes Construction), water/sewer improvements ($2,675,121.50 to Madrell Excavating), and Mt. Zion Reconstruction ($4,488,293.38 to Rock Road, with a $2 million state grant). All bids were under estimate. Council approved unanimously.
- Preliminary Resolution for Anthony Avenue (Item 8b): Rentz proposed a preliminary resolution to urbanize a gravel through-street (Anthony Avenue) with curb, gutter, storm sewer, and lighting, using special assessments on six adjacent parcels. The total cost was estimated at a couple hundred thousand dollars. Councilmember Miller questioned the burden on existing properties and suggested deferring assessments or having the city pay. He moved to refer the item back to staff for alternative options. The motion passed unanimously.
- Supplemental Budget Appropriation (Item 8c): Finance Director Dave Godek presented a budget amendment for FY2025: reappropriating $575,000 underspent from DPW to general government and public safety, a supplemental $1.5 million for public safety overtime (primarily fire department), and using $870,024 in fund balance to bring reserves into policy compliance and fund capital items (fire equipment, security cameras, JATV media server, etc.). Council approved unanimously.
- Annexation and Zoning (Items 8d and 8e): First reading of an ordinance to annex property at northerly extension of Hemmingway Drive, and a companion ordinance to zone the property to R1 (single/two-family) and B3 (general commercial). Both were referred to Plan Commission with a public hearing scheduled for April 13, 2026.
- Labor Agreement with Teamsters Local 120 (Item 8f): Human Resources Director Tara Sevenchuck presented a three-year contract (2026-2028) with wage increases of 3% each year, health insurance contributions consistent with other groups, and adjustments for mechanics’ wages, vacation, holiday (MLK Day), and other benefits. Total cost estimated at $581,500 (9% increase). The union ratified on January 11, 2026. Council approved unanimously.
- Mixed Residential Housing Development at 2400 Beloit Avenue (Item 8g): Senior Planner Carolyn Eswine presented the public engagement process and two concept plans (Option A: 283 units; Option B: 237 units) for a 55-acre city-owned site. After multiple public input sessions, the concepts include a mix of single-family, townhomes, cottages, and multi-family, with bioswales, trails, and connectivity. Councilmember Miller asked about including retail; City Manager Lehner said it could be considered in the RFQ. Council approved a motion to proceed and authorized staff to develop a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for developers.
Key Outcomes
- Awarded three street improvement contracts to lowest bidders (all unanimously approved).
- Referred the Anthony Avenue street improvement back to staff to explore alternative funding options (unanimous).
- Adopted supplemental budget appropriation for FY2025 (unanimous).
- Approved first readings and scheduled public hearings for annexation and zoning of Hemmingway Drive properties (April 13, 2026).
- Approved labor agreement with Teamsters Local 120 (unanimous).
- Approved moving forward with the Beloit Avenue housing development concept plans and authorized an RFQ process (unanimous).
- Voted to convene into closed session to discuss the GM/JATCO site sale (no vote taken in open session).
Meeting Transcript
All right, I'm gonna call the session uh city council meeting for Monday at Janesville City Council meeting for Monday, February 23rd, 2026. Um you could stand with me for the Pledge of Allegiance, and to the Republic for which it stands one nation with everyone all right, thank you. In case of an emergency, use the stairs and not the elevator exit. Walk to the north side of the police department and wait for further instructions. Clerk, you do roll call, please. President Verdict here, Vice President Squire, here council member Cass Councilmember Erdman, Councilmember Miller, here council member Nino. Here council member Williams here, all are present. We do have a quorum. All right, thank you. Item three recognition, there are none. Item four, public comments on items on the agenda, not requiring a public hearing, and on matters which can be affected by council action. Tonight we don't have any public hearings. So clerk. I do have a handful. Uh first up is Tyballer. All right, Ty. Just so you remember, uh stick your name and address for the record, and you got four minutes. Uh Type Wall Road 216 PO box, Jamesville, Wisconsin. Here's it's a funny thing. There's a tale of two stories. There's two bridges. Well, two two sets of bridges. And you know what's so funny? In the how they how they actually set up the footings, they built bridges to put the actual foot. All our railroad bridges, who knew? Uh basically, and Mike Payne's got a copy. 840 South Washington Street in Jamesville, Wisconsin. It's deeded to Union Pacific. Guess what? There's there's no acreage that goes with the deed. The deed goes to 1022 Grant Street, which is on the other side of the river. Now, if you go back to lot 31 and lot 32, that's pretty big deal because that is the anchor point. And then there's another one just downstream, which Wisconsin Southern laid that down. And I can't, if you look at the original plat map, it says 227, whatever that means, maybe Wisconsin State Statute 227. There's all sorts of indications that to the state statute that these bridges had major impact. In fact, Janesville workers work with Northwestern, not the state of Wisconsin directly on settling them bridges. So they knew whatever they did. That was Northwestern their deal, and they handled it exactly that way. Um 1990, I'm sure if you ask Mike Payne if 1990 was more than 20 years ago, he could agree. And so 840 South Washington is your horse. That is your horse to bring in that 30 million dollars. Now, if you want a partnership, 5050 is a partnership. That's how you make a partner out of them owners on the other side of the river. And 840 South Washington is your horse. Right here, it was drawn up, and the Department of Transportation signed it, not you guys. And if you go ask Mike Payne, hey, if you count two lots, but we don't have any land on the taxes, it's zero acres, and then there's what 12 or 14 or 16 or 18 or 20 more lots. What's that equal? So that's one point. I want to hand you two sets of photos. I like this sets of photos because if you turn a photo and you look at railroad, it looks very nice when you turn it upside down.
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