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City staff report spike in evictions; building permits remain below 2022 levels
Summary
City housing staff presented early‑year permit data and eviction trends showing a February 2025 spike in eviction filings, and commissioners asked staff to investigate causes.
Housing staff presented year‑to‑date permit counts and eviction tracking to the Housing Opportunities Commission on March 12, 2025, and highlighted a concerning spike in eviction filings in February 2025.
Project management intern Bridal Stout (staff) compared 2025 data with previous years and said single‑family and two‑family permit counts are broadly in line with 2023 and 2024 but remain lower than 2022. Stout said multifamily permit issuance was zero in January and two permits in February 2025 totaling 12 housing units — putting the city four units ahead of the same point in the prior year.
On evictions, Stout reported: "February 2025 was the highest amount of eviction cases since we started counting in January of 2023. So we had 24, which is 1 higher than the peak of '23." She added that 87% of county evictions originate in the city of Eau Claire while the city accounts for roughly 63% of the county population. Stout said many cases remain open; among resolved cases the most common outcomes have been judgments for eviction.
Commissioner follow‑up and context
Commissioner Kim asked whether staff had insight into causes for the February spike; Stout said she had no definitive cause and offered to follow up with supervisor Billy Hofford. Commissioners noted a possible seasonal pattern (landlords delaying filings during winter months) and suggested staff examine whether seasonal filing patterns, policy changes or other factors contributed to the February rise.
Ending: Staff said they will follow up with additional analysis and provide more context on eviction drivers and permitting trends in a future meeting.
