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Record of Proceedings

Board of Public Works Meeting - March 23, 2026

Common Council & Committees — Monday, March 23, 2026
BodyLa Crosse, Wisconsin
SessionCommon Council & Committees
DateMonday, March 23, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 38:51

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0:01

All right, good morning, everyone.

0:02

Happy Monday.

0:03

We're gonna get this meeting started on Monday, March 23rd, 2026 at 10 a.m.

0:09

Let the record reflect that all board of public work members are present with the exception of Director Train, who has been excused and may join us later.

0:18

I will start with the approval of the minutes from March 9th, 2026.

0:24

Is there a motion?

0:25

Motion to approve by council president Dickinson.

0:28

Is there a second?

0:29

Second by Director Gallagher.

0:31

Uh any discussion.

0:33

See and none, please vote.

0:43

All right, that motion passes unanimously.

0:45

Moving on to agenda item 260134, approval of the 2027-2031 capital equipment budget.

0:58

Oh my bad, I skipped bidder's proof.

1:01

Let me back up.

1:02

I put a check like I already did it.

1:04

251171 bidder's proof of responsibility.

1:09

Director Gallagher.

1:10

Thanks, Mayor.

1:11

We have four for today.

1:13

Um Hallberg Tennis Court Services LLC out of West Bend, Wisconsin for $1,077,570.

1:20

Pember Companies Inc.

1:21

out of Menominee, Wisconsin for 81,952,485.

1:28

Steiger Construction Inc.

1:30

out of LaCrosse, Wisconsin for $26,713.

1:35

Sorry, that was $813.

1:38

And Patriot Fence and Construction LLC out of Sussex, Wisconsin, for $4,943,488.

1:48

Thank you.

1:50

Motion to approve by Director Gallagher, second by Council President Dickinson.

1:54

Any discussion?

1:56

See and none, please vote.

2:03

That motion passes unanimously.

2:05

All right, now moving to 260134 approval of 2027 2031 capital equipment budget.

2:15

First, I would like to um make an amendment to item E26105 and change from 2027 borrowing to 380,000 and reduce the 2028 borrowing to 6 uh 60,000.

2:37

That's a great question because I don't know.

2:42

It's an IT request if that matters uh E26105.

3:07

Yeah, so I would like to change the 2027 borrowing to 380,000 and reduce the 2028 borrowing to 660,000.

3:22

Did you find the page number?

3:23

Which one is it?

3:26

All right, page 27 in your books.

3:30

Thank you.

3:38

I can have IT explaining that.

3:40

Uh Jackie, uh Director, can you come explain this amendment for me?

3:53

So one of the questions is why are we making this change?

3:57

So I just figured you could speak to that way better than I could.

4:01

Sure.

4:01

So the the reason we're gonna make this swap is that uh when I talked to you last time, we have two big units coming, or two big items coming up for uh replacement cycle.

4:09

It's our storage units and our backup units.

4:11

Just because of the hardware landscape, we want to swap those two.

4:14

So we're gonna replace our storage units next year, and then the backup units we're gonna push out to 2028.

4:21

Okay, thank you.

4:27

Any other questions about the amendment?

4:30

All right, seeing none, thank you very much.

4:32

All right, uh motion to approve by Director Gallagher, second by council president Dickinson.

4:37

Any other discussion?

4:39

Seeing none, please vote.

4:52

And that motion passes unanimously.

5:02

To their budget request for capital equipment.

5:06

And so I believe there was three departments.

5:10

You all gotta forgive me.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Water And Wastewater Management██████████████████████████████30%
Engineering And Infrastructure█████████████████████████25%
Procedural██████████████████18%
Technology and Innovation███████████11%
Public Safety██████6%
Waste Management██████6%
Budget Equity Analysis████4%
Summary of Proceedings

Board of Public Works Meeting - March 23, 2026

The La Crosse Board of Public Works met on March 23, 2026 at 10:00 AM in City Hall. All members were present (Erin Goggin, Matt Gallager, Mayor Shaundel Washington-Spivey, Tamra Dickinson) except Andrea Trane (excused). The meeting covered approval of the 2027-2031 capital equipment budget, a bidder's proof of responsibility, and several other administrative items.

Consent Calendar

  • Minutes of March 9, 2026: Approved unanimously.
  • Bidder's Proof of Responsibility: Approved four contractors: Hallberg Tennis Court Services LLC ($1,077,570), Pember Companies Inc. ($81,952,485), Steiger Construction Inc. ($26,713), and Patriot Fence and Construction LLC ($4,943,488). Motion carried unanimously.
  • Construction Contract Change Orders: Approved, including Fire Station 3 change orders with contingency available ($107,903.85).
  • Gerke Excavating Temporary Wastewater Discharge Permit: Approved, no fiscal impact to the city.
  • Sale of WWU 2018 Sewer Flushing/Vacuum Truck: Approved for sale at $115,000, proceeds to utility cash.
  • Construction Contract Final Payments: Approved for water utility side tap replacement, funded from water utility cash.

Discussion Items

  • 2027-2031 Capital Equipment Budget: The board discussed and amended the IT borrowing schedule: $380,000 in 2027 (reduced from original) and $660,000 in 2028 (reduced from original), per IT Director's explanation of storage and backup unit replacement timing. The amendment passed unanimously. Departments then presented their requests. Airport Director Klaus requested $300,000 for IT equipment, $85,000 for a utility mower (landside), $60,000 for security access control system upgrade (phase 2), $50,000 for airfield line striping equipment, $20,000 for a scissor lift, and $85,000 for a maintenance pickup. Councilmember Goggin questioned the need for the striping equipment (two pieces) and the security system upgrade, given the equipment was noted as fair condition. Director Klaus explained that the security system is at the end of its 10-year support life and that TSA requirements demand upgrades. The mower, though fair, is hard to find parts for. IT Director Hawkins presented radio system upgrades ($978,000) and a five-year Motorola agreement. Fire Department requested $40,000 for specialty team equipment replacement (water, USAR, hazmat). The capital equipment budget was approved as amended by a vote of 3-1 (Goggin opposed).
  • Request for iPad Airs for Yard Waste Site: Nick from Refuse & Recycling explained the need for two Apple iPad Air 11" to scan barcodes on new stickers, saving on sticker purchases and postage. The request was approved unanimously.
  • Special Report: Sanitary Sewer Laterals on 33rd Street South: A pilot program to assess four properties for non-compliant laterals discovered during property sales. The city will pay for street work and traffic control; the assessed cost covers lateral installation. Property owners may pay up-front or over 10-15 years on property taxes. Approved unanimously.
  • Donohue Services WWTP Loading Rerate: Referred to the next Board of Public Works meeting (one week) due to lack of staff to answer questions. Motion by Goggin, second by Dickinson, carried unanimously.

Key Outcomes

  • 2027-2031 Capital Equipment Budget approved as amended (3-1, Goggin opposed).
  • Donohue Services WWTP Loading Rerate referred to next meeting.
  • All other items approved unanimously.

Meeting Transcript

All right, good morning, everyone. Happy Monday. We're gonna get this meeting started on Monday, March 23rd, 2026 at 10 a.m. Let the record reflect that all board of public work members are present with the exception of Director Train, who has been excused and may join us later. I will start with the approval of the minutes from March 9th, 2026. Is there a motion? Motion to approve by council president Dickinson. Is there a second? Second by Director Gallagher. Uh any discussion. See and none, please vote. All right, that motion passes unanimously. Moving on to agenda item 260134, approval of the 2027-2031 capital equipment budget. Oh my bad, I skipped bidder's proof. Let me back up. I put a check like I already did it. 251171 bidder's proof of responsibility. Director Gallagher. Thanks, Mayor. We have four for today. Um Hallberg Tennis Court Services LLC out of West Bend, Wisconsin for $1,077,570. Pember Companies Inc. out of Menominee, Wisconsin for 81,952,485. Steiger Construction Inc. out of LaCrosse, Wisconsin for $26,713. Sorry, that was $813. And Patriot Fence and Construction LLC out of Sussex, Wisconsin, for $4,943,488. Thank you. Motion to approve by Director Gallagher, second by Council President Dickinson. Any discussion? See and none, please vote. That motion passes unanimously. All right, now moving to 260134 approval of 2027 2031 capital equipment budget. First, I would like to um make an amendment to item E26105 and change from 2027 borrowing to 380,000 and reduce the 2028 borrowing to 6 uh 60,000. That's a great question because I don't know. It's an IT request if that matters uh E26105. Yeah, so I would like to change the 2027 borrowing to 380,000 and reduce the 2028 borrowing to 660,000. Did you find the page number? Which one is it? All right, page 27 in your books. Thank you. I can have IT explaining that. Uh Jackie, uh Director, can you come explain this amendment for me? So one of the questions is why are we making this change? So I just figured you could speak to that way better than I could. Sure. So the the reason we're gonna make this swap is that uh when I talked to you last time, we have two big units coming, or two big items coming up for uh replacement cycle. It's our storage units and our backup units. Just because of the hardware landscape, we want to swap those two. So we're gonna replace our storage units next year, and then the backup units we're gonna push out to 2028.

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