Meeting

The next Community Conversations is scheduled for Saturday, September 20th, from 12:30 to 2:30 pm at the Menomonie Public Library.

The book “No More Tears - the Dark Secrets of Johnson & Johnson” by Gardiner Harris will be discussed.  

The mission of Johnson & Johnson is to "Never put profits before people. The Company’s first responsibility is to patients, doctors, nurses, & parents.” We will look at their products - Johnson’s Baby Powder, Tylenol, and a number of other drugs. We will also discuss their medical devices and the COVID-19 vaccine granted emergency use authorization in February 2021.

Then we will examine the role of the FDA, which is tasked with the responsibility to protect the public.  How can we as a country improve our pharmaceutical industry?  Gardiner Harris analyzes potential solutions to overcome corporate corruption and to solve our federal government’s insufficient oversight.  

Join us at the Menomonie Public Library to discuss the findings in this newly released book by a journalist who served as the public health and pharmaceutical reporter for The New York Times.

All are welcome to attend this conversation.

Community Conversations is a local nonpartisan group started in 2015 to discuss topics that affect our community. Presentations include speakers and videos with conversations afterward about issues that affect the local community and Western Wisconsin.

Are you looking for another option for school for your child?

Come learn more about what makes Summit Academy unique. 
Hear from the head of school and testimonials from current families. 
Enrollment questions will be answered.

In-room activities will be provided and supervised by current Summit families.

Info sessions will be held at Menomonie Public Library on 
2/25 at 4:30pm and 
2/26 at 11am
Can't make it to one of the sessions? Contact Summit Academy at [email protected]

Please join us for the Community Conversations presentation by Georgina Tegart about our Dunn County Community Foundation on February 22.  The presentation will be from 12:30 to 2:30 PM at the Menomonie Public Library.

Philanthropy That Stays Home: How Community Foundations Strengthen Rural Communities

Presented by: Georgina Tegart, Executive Director, The Community Foundation of Dunn County

What if every charitable dollar stayed right here in our community—supporting local schools, nonprofits, and families? That’s exactly what a Community Foundation makes possible.

In this engaging session, we’ll explore:

• What a Community Foundation is and how it works
• Why rural communities need local philanthropy
• How the Community Foundation of Dunn County strengthens nonprofits, donors, and local causes
• Ways individuals can ensure their charitable giving makes a lasting local impact

Through real stories, practical examples, and an open discussion, attendees will gain a new perspective on the power of local giving and how it builds a stronger, more resilient Dunn County—not just for today, but for generations to come.

Issues of Local Control - Review of Act 12, June 20, 2023 - Community Conversations

Happy New Year! Our first Community Conversations of 2025 will address two issues we are grappling with here in Wisconsin, local control and Act 12, a law the Legislature adopted in 2023. We will meet from 12:30 to 2:30 pm on Saturday, Jan. 18 at Menomonie Public Library. 

In our last Community Conversations in Nov. 2024, our participants were interested in discussing the issue of “Local Control.”  Our local governments, cities, villages, townships, and counties, are where the citizens of our country have a voice in government.  We interface daily with local government related to the services that bring us water, sewage & garbage disposal, street maintenance, police & fire protection, and emergency medical assistance.  Other services that are important to us are our library services, the leisure center, community celebrations, parks and recreation.

Our state legislature often controls what ordinances can be passed by our local governments.  State government also affects funding.  It affects local budgets through levy limits and progressively decreasing “shared revenues” from our state income and sales taxes.

Act 12 of 2023, the new “shared revenue” bill, required a compromise between the Wisconsin legislature and the governor.  As this law was not part of the state budget, there was no line item veto for the governor.  Items in the legislation would have been vetoed by him if the items had been “stand alone” rather than packed into the shared revenue bill.  The governor wanted to give local governments funds from the 7 billion dollar budget surplus as municipalities have had to deal with severe restrictions of funding along with the effects of recent inflation.  

Join us, at our next Community Conversations at the Library, as we discuss Act 12, item by item.  I will be using the Act Memo from the Wisconsin Legislative Council:  https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2023/related/lcactmemo/act012.pdf  (Paste this address into the address bar of your web browser to view the act memo.)  We will discuss the loss of advisory referendums, new restrictions on local health departments, and the specific prohibition of both discrimination or preferential treatment for persons in protected classes.  We will discuss tax incentive districts (TIDs) that have been used to help increase the tax levies by new construction and how these TIDs have been effected by Act 12. 

Our local state senator and assemblyman have been invited to this presentation.  As we will discuss the impact of shared revenue and the regulation of TIDs on Menomonie, the mayor of Menomonie has also been invited. 

Regular Menomonie CIty Council Meeting

Regular city council meeting.