Menomonie City Council discusses budget, possible rental ordinances, and lighting requirements

CITY OF MENOMONIE COUNCIL MEETING AGENDA
Menomonie City Hall 800 Wilson Avenue
1st Floor, City Council Chambers 7:00pm
Monday – November 3, 2025
 

1. Roll Call

Crowe, Sutherland, Yonko, Pickard, Schwebs, Gentz, Solberg, Brennan, Erdman, Luther and Mayor Knaack were present.

2. Approval of Minutes

A motion was made by Ryland Erdman and seconded by Randy Sommerfeld to approve the minutes from the October 20, 2025, City Council Meeting. All voted Aye.

3. Public Comments (other agenda items only).

I love Shield signs were present throughout the audience.

Rebecca Schoenborn said she was at the meeting to answer questions regarding the Winter Parade. The festival is on December 11th and begins at 4 pm. The parade will begin at 6:30 pm. The parade route will be the same as in other years.

Molly Mooridian from Bridge to Hope stated she was available to speak on Item 5b. Bridge to Hope is requesting that the property be rezoned to accommodate a solar project.

Tina Lee, a member of Groww and Stout instructor spoke next. She spoke about the need to vote on the Shield ordinance and that this was part of the mayor’s report agenda item. The mayor said this is not on the agenda. Ms. Lee said this item also relates to the budget, item 4a and was allowed to continue.

Next, Nichole Manson spoke. She is an Organizer at Groww and was also speaking on item 4a, the budget. She acknowledged that the Shield Ordinance will require a budget increase, but it needs to be added to the budget presented at the next meeting.

Harvey Weidman from the Humane Society spoke next and stated that she was at the meeting to provide any assistance with the contract (Agenda Item 5a).

4. Old Business:
   1. Review of 2026 Draft General Fund Budget – discussion and possible action.

The Mayor kicked off the discussion by stating there is a lot of information in the packet and a lot of changes such as the addition of the three fire fighters. The City Administration mentioned three chart of account changes. One for the Humane Society, a state required service. Second was the Information technology needed to add multifactor identification. The last item was to increase the elections expenses for payroll as there are four elections in 2026.

The budget is also updated to include cost of living increases for police, fire and all other employees. The increase is 3%. The budget can be increased based on a 2.1% new construction rate and an assessed value increase. The assessed value increase was $15 million which provides $100,000 in revenues. The levy increase provides $120,000, bringing the total to $ 220,000. Need to raise taxes to cover the $600,000 shortfall and provide $250,000 in contingency funding.

The City has been doing remarkably well this year in keeping costs in check due to the new accounting software. Department heads can easily track their progress.

Taking on debt means the city can spend more without having to include it in the levy. The City has $26 million in debt. The interest rate on the debt is between 1.6% and 2.1%. The city is allowed to issue debt up to $98 million.

Ryland Erdman asked if a savings account would help. The Mayor said Durand does this, but it would require a tax increase to build up the savings and would increase the costs of the projects. David Schofield noted inflation has been higher than what we pay on debt, so it would cost more to save up money to pay for future expenses.

The city is still waiting for the revenue-sharing amount from the state. The $600,000 budget shortfall is based on what the revenue-sharing amount is expected to be. If the revenue sharing is higher, then the shortfall will be less. The city may have to increase taxes to make up the budget shortfall. The City can do a 0.6 mill increase.

Erdman asked what happens if departments don’t spend their entire budgeted amount; do they lose it? Are we buying new police cars to use up the budget?

The Mayor stated that the city doesn’t live by the rule that if you don’t spend it, you lose it. The new accounting software is really helping with expenses. We need to be careful with how old the City allows vehicles to get. Can’t have them break down in the middle of a call. Get good deals on new vehicles. Want to trade vehicles in while they are still worth something. The Administrator said that spending is frozen in the middle of November to ensure that departments can close their books by the end of the year. So, departments can’t use the "use it or lose it" method.

The Mayor said that all the departments have done a great job of putting their budgets together and no departments have done anything outlandish but despite this, the City will need a tax increase of 0.6 mills. It may not be feasible to implement certain things within this year’s budget cycle.

Sydney Brennan asked what could be cut so the City wouldn’t have to increase taxes. The Administrator said the city would have to lay people off. The City has been trying not to raise taxes.

The Mayor mentioned that while the University is great, the students add to the City’s poverty level which is based on income levels. The City does get some additional shared revenues because of students, but they do affect the income levels. Councilwoman Yonko reminded the Council that students do not make up the entire poverty rate, and waiting a year before implementing the Shield ordinance is not going to work.

The Mayor responded that both Shield and Groww have good ideas, but the City may not be able to implement all of them. It may take a while. The Administrator said he has seen adjustments made. If the City achieves its goal by 2026, some funds may become available.

Councilwoman Brennan asked what pieces of the proposal can be implemented? The mayor stated that the City is already conducting more inspections with its current staffing, and the fire department may be able to provide additional assistance in the future. The city can also look to other avenues to add things like fire alarms, mold mitigation, and smoke detectors. Can accomplish many things without additional funding.

The Administration said that updated information for tenants was released last week and it resulted in 4 requests for inspections. But if the City adds a position and doesn’t get enough demand for inspections, that doesn’t work. Councilman Crowe stated the draft ordinance should be ready to vote on at the next housing meeting on November 11. Councilman Erdman asked what an inspector would cost. The administrator said $95,000 if untrained. Councilwoman Yonko asked what the 0.6 mills meant. The Mayor said it would be $60 in additional taxes on a $100,000 house.

5. New Business:
   1. Consider proposed contract with the Dunn County Humane Society to provide animal shelter-related services from January 1, 2026, through December 31, 2026 – discussion and possible action.

Administrator Atkinson stated this is a contract that needs to be renewed every year, as the City is required to provide animal control, and it is a good value contract. The contract rate is $2.15 per capita for the City of Menomonie in 2026. The City of Menomonie’s population was estimated at 16,971. Thus, the City could reasonably expect the cost of services would be $36,487.65.

A motion was made by Pickard and seconded by Schwebs to approve the Animal Shelter-Related Agreement with the Dunn County Humane Society for the Period of January 1, 2026, through December 31, 2026, for $36,487.65. It was a roll call vote with all voting yes.

2. Proposed Ordinance 2025-10, an Ordinance rezoning certain lands along 4th Avenue NE from Limited Multiple Residential District (R-2) to Multiple Residential District (R-3) – discussion, possible introduction, and possible referral to Plan Commission.

Bridge to Hope, Inc. plans to construct a new ground-mounted solar panel system, but needs the entire campus in the same zoning district to do so. To address this, Bridge to Hope submitted a Request for Rezone.

Councilwoman Brennan introduced Proposed Ordinance 2025-10, an Ordinance Rezoning Certain Lands along 4th Avenue NE from Limited Multiple Family Residential District (R-2) to Multiple Family Residential District (R-3). This did not require a vote.

A motion to refer Proposed Ordinance 2025-10, an Ordinance Rezoning Certain Lands along 4th Avenue NE from Limited Multiple Family Residential District (R-2) to Multiple Family Residential District (R-3) to the Plan Commission for Review and Recommendation was introduced by Brennan and seconded by Gentz. All members voted aye.

3. Proposed Ordinance 2025-11, an Ordinance amending portions of Section 14-5-2 relating to Subdivision Improvements – discussion, possible introduction, and possible referral to Plan Commission.

Public Works Director Schofield stated that City Code 14-5-2-C-5 contains antiquated requirements for street improvements in new subdivisions, which conflict with other portions of City Code.

Councilman Crowe introduced Proposed Ordinance 2025-11, an Ordinance amending portions of Title 14, Chapter 5, Section 2 Subdivision Regulations Streets and Utilities. This did not require a vote.

Councilman Crowe made a motion to refer Proposed Ordinance 2025-11, an Ordinance amending portions of Title 14, Chapter 5, Section 2 Subdivision Regulations Streets and Utilities, to the Plan Commission for Review and Recommendation. Councilman Luther seconded it. All voted aye.

4. Proposed Ordinance 2025-12, an Ordinance amending portions of Section 10-4-7 Off Street Parking – discussion, possible introduction, and possible referral to Plan Commission.

Public Works Director Schofield stated that the City Code 10-4-7-C contains antiquated requirements for off-street parking. For example, the code refers to “dust-free surfacing”, a term that is never defined. The proposal is that the parking areas need to be asphalt or concrete with curbs to ensure the parking area is defined.

Questions came up as to when the change would be required. Schofield said that if no changes were made to the property, the parking could remain as is, but if the property changed, then the parking area would need to meet the new requirements. As an example, if a property currently had two units but changed to 4 units, the upgrade would be required. The mayor asked what would happen if a business changed to a different business (Hairdresser to insurance agent). Schofield said that most of the code is based on square feet of the building so the number of parking stalls wouldn’t change so no modifications to parking would be required.

Councilwoman Brennan introduced Proposed Ordinance 2025-12, an Ordinance amending portions of Title 10, Chapter 4, Section 7 Off-Street Parking

Councilwoman Brennan motioned to refer Proposed Ordinance 2025-12, an Ordinance amending portions of Title 10, Chapter 4, Section 7 Off Street Parking, to the Plan Commission for Review and Recommendation. Crowe seconded it. All responded with an aye vote.

5. Proposed Ordinance 2025-13, An ordinance creating Section 10-4-11 Site Lighting – discussion, possible introduction, and possible referral to Plan Commission.

Public Works Director Schofield stated that the City Code does not address site lighting, except in the Neighborhood Office (B-4) District. City Staff recommends creating City Code 10-4-11 Site Lighting to require all site lighting to shine down and it must be modeled to make sure it doesn’t shine on other property. Exceptions to the requirement would be for flagpole, landscape, streetlighting, and sports fields. Pickard met with a resident recently who had concerns about lighting. A resident also emailed their concerns about light pollution issues. The ordinance will prevent a neighbor from putting in a spotlight that shines onto someone else’s property. Again, this will only apply to changes of properties.

Councilman Gentz introduced Proposed Ordinance 2025-13, an Ordinance creating Title 10, Chapter 4, Section 11 Site Lighting. 

Councilman Gentz motioned to refer Proposed Ordinance 2025-13, an Ordinance creating Title 10, Chapter 4, Section 11 Site Lighting, to the Plan Commission for Review and Recommendation. Councilwoman Brennan seconded it. All voted aye.

6. Consider Statement of Qualification for Affordable Housing Development – discussion and possible action.

The City only received one Statement of Qualification. Due to the limited response, City Staff spoke with two of the non-responding developers to see what changes would entice them to respond. They both indicated that they would prefer to develop multiple-family rental units rather than single-family homes for sale. Crowe said that single-family housing, not just rentals, is needed. Councilwoman Yonko asked if the City could look further afield for developers. Councilwoman Brennan echoed the concern that affordable single-family housing is needed.

A motion was made by Luther and seconded Erdman by to Reject the Affordable Housing Development Statement of Qualification. The majority voted aye. Brennan and Crowe opposed the motion.

7. Consider Special Event Request Winter Daze Parade, on 10th Avenue East, South Broadway Street, Main Street East, and 4th Street East on December 11, 2025 – discussion and possible action

A motion was made by Crowe and seconded by Pickard to Approve the Special Event Permit for the Winter Daze Parade on 10th Avenue East, South Broadway Street, Main Street East and 4th Avenue East on December 11, 2025, as presented. All voted aye.

6. Budget Transfers

No budget transfers were presented.

7. Mayor’s Report

The mayor made a proclamation that December 8th starting this year and continuing annually moving forward will be James Huff Stout Remembrance Day. He was a man who transformed city of Menomonie.

The mayor also stated that a volunteer group has been busy setting up Wolske Bay Christmas lights if anyone wants to help finish the project. They are also looking to open the area to businesses that also want to put up lights. Interested businesses should get ahold of Dave, the Mayor or Administrator.

8. Communications and Miscellaneous Business

The City Clerk is gearing up for next year’s elections and looking for election workers.

Yonko is concerned about the area around the Senior Center and how dark it is, and how many near misses there are with potential traffic mishaps. She is requesting a two-way stop at 7th & 14th Avenue.

Erdman wants to see the Shield Ordinance on the agenda soon. He has talked to renters who say the owner said If you call the inspector, we will evict you. The Ordinance offers protection for tenants. He has been in unsafe rentals. Really want this on the agenda.

Councilwoman Brennan believes the council is failing our residents. The Data Center has been paused, but what does this mean? The Mayor was the sole decision-maker. The public wants information. They need more than one FAQ. The City needs to provide updates and say what the pause means. A moratorium should be placed on data centers until more information is available. This should be on the 1st of December meeting agenda.

Councilwoman Solberg is disappointed by the viciousness and condescension on Facebook regarding the city government.

Councilman Gentz said it is worth our time to look at a moratorium.

The Mayor stated that the data center isn’t the only issue he gets calls about. Solberg hit the nail on the head. We are dealing with a lot of upset people. We need to deal with it the best we can. Anyone can come in and see council member,s the mayor, or the city administrator. We are a cohesive bunch. We can disagree respectively. "We all want to make Menomonie better."

9. Claims

Brennan commented on the cost of the claims going to lawyers and previously was told it had to do with freedom of information requests. She made a motion to approve the revised claims list. Erdman seconded it. All responded aye in a roll call vote.

10. Licenses
    1. Normal license list – discussion and possible action

A temporary license was requested by the Menomonie Public Library Foundation for their Annual Donor Appreciation Event on 11/08/2025.

A motion was made by Erdman and seconded by Solberg to approve this request. The majority responded aye.

11. Adjourn - Gentz motioned to adjourn, and it was seconded by Pickard.