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River Falls council approves bills, festival support and appointments; chamber outlines 2025 events
Summary
The City Council approved $2,338,370.92 in bills, several festival‑related exemptions and appointive actions, and heard a Chamber of Commerce presentation on Bluegrass, River Falls Days and other 2025 events. Comptroller reported March revenue and expenditure totals; campground and Arbor Day dates were announced.
The River Falls City Council on April 8 approved routine business including payment of $2,338,370.92 in city bills, multiple resolutions granting event support and exemptions for the Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Bureau, and several appointments and consent items.
The council approved the minutes of the March 25 meeting and voted to pay the bills in the amount of $2,338,370.92. The comptroller reported general fund revenues through March of $3,722,263 (27.8% of the annual budget) and expenditures of $2,859,251 (21% of budget), leaving net revenues over expenditures of $863,012 as of March 31.
Megan Hausch, event and program manager for the Chamber of Commerce, gave the chamber presentation and said the organization continues to rely on close coordination with city public works for festivals. She previewed the 2025 schedule: Bluegrass, Bourbon and Brews in April (moving headquarters this year to River Falls Golf Club and featuring more than 50 bands across roughly a dozen venues); River Falls Days in July (festival grounds hours remain similar, with a half‑hour extension Friday for a returning laser light show); Bacon Bash in September (shorter evening hours and a renewed focus on music); and River Dazzle/Chili Crawl in late November, including a planned Santa Run on Main Street.
City staff estimated public works labor for River Falls Days at nearly $12,000; staff and several council members noted the city offsets some event costs with tourism funds (the city retains a portion of room tax receipts) and that a future council workshop will review festival costs and fee waivers.
Other routine actions on the consent agenda approved by the council included the 2025–2027 agricultural leases and the appointment of Brooks Ostendorf as conservation, conservation and parks manager and city forester. The council also confirmed mayoral appointments of Laurie Larson and Holly Jones to the River Falls Housing Authority through December 2029.
The council approved resolutions granting the Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Bureau city assistance for special events, a noise control exemption, an open container exemption, and street closures for events. All of those resolutions were approved by voice vote.
Additional city announcements included the Laughlin Park Campground opening Tuesday, April 15 (15 RV sites and five to ten tent sites available), a proclamation naming April 25, 2025, Arbor Day in River Falls read by Brooks Ostendorf, and sports highlights from the University of Wisconsin–River Falls (women's hockey Division III championship March 30 and the reinstated baseball program's first home game on March 28).
Votes at a glance - Approval of March 25 minutes — approved (voice vote). - Approval of bills totaling $2,338,370.92 — approved (voice vote). - Resolution approving 2025–2027 agricultural leases (consent agenda item 3) — approved (voice vote). - Resolution appointing Brooks Ostendorf as conservation and parks manager/city forester (consent agenda item 5) — approved (voice vote). - Mayoral appointments Laurie Larson and Holly Jones to River Falls Housing Authority — approved (voice vote). - Resolutions approving Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Bureau requests for city assistance for special events; noise control exemption; open container exemption; and street closures — all approved (voice votes). - Motion to adjourn — approved.
What happens next: Staff will continue festival coordination with the Chamber; the council signaled a forthcoming workshop to review festival costs and fee waiver policy.
