La Crosse preliminary 2026 operating budget advanced for publication after vote to split $2.1M shortfall between levy and reserves

Mayor Shondell opened the Oct. 9 Board of Estimates meeting to consider the preliminary 2026 operating budget and asked Director Hawkins to review finance's packet, which the director said was placed on Legistar for review. Director Hawkins told the board that department heads had worked to reduce expenses and that those cuts totaled about $2,800,000, allowing the city to "meet that not by a lot but we did meet it by 26000 dollars." The materials, Hawkins said, are being provided for publication and public hearing in November, not as final adoption.

The meeting focused on how to cover a remaining shortfall of roughly $2,100,000. Mayor Shondell proposed options that included using the fund balance, adding the full amount to the tax levy or a split (he initially suggested 60% fund balance / 40% levy). Finance staff offered preliminary per-$100,000 estimates: if the gap were covered entirely from fund balance, the per-$100,000 impact would be roughly $30–$35; if entirely on the levy, about $90 per…