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Neenah council restores four crossing guards and adopts 2026 budget unanimously
Summary
After public testimony and debate, the Neenah Common Council amended the mayor—s proposed 2026 budget to restore four crossing guard positions ($19,000) funded from undesignated general fund balance, then adopted the operating and capital budgets as amended in a 9-0 vote.
Neenah—s Common Council adopted its 2026 operating and capital improvement budgets on Nov. 18, 2025, voting 9-0 after a series of amendments that included restoring four school crossing guard positions.
Mayor Lang proposed and then amended her own budget during the meeting to keep 14 crossing guards in place rather than reducing coverage to 10. The mayor said the cost of adding four guards is $19,000 and that the expense would be funded from the undesignated general fund balance with no impact on the tax rate. "I'll be amending the current budget to include the 4 crossing guards back into the budget," she said during the public hearing opening.
Police Chief Aaron Olson outlined the rationale behind the initial proposal to reduce crossing guard locations, citing staffing limits and operational strain. Olson said the department has 42 sworn officers today but handles over 25,000 calls per year, and described the practical difficulty of covering 95 crossing-guard shifts in 52 school days when officers also fill other duties. He emphasized that the recommendation was data-driven and that Safer Routes to School had reviewed guard locations and supported reducing some locations while increasing education and outreach.
Residents urged the council to maintain guard coverage. Katie McKeown of Cedar Street said crossing guards are a "frontline safety measure" for children and asked aldermen to view the issue "from a child's perspective." Vicky Hansen, a crossing guard of 10 years, recounted multiple near-misses and two pedestrian–vehicle crashes last year and urged the council not to cut coverage.
Council debate balanced safety concerns with fiscal and process questions. Several aldermen voiced support for the mayor—s amendment and for pursuing a joint meeting with the Neenah Joint School District to coordinate any future changes. After discussion, the amendment to add the four crossing guards passed by voice vote 8-1.
With the amendment incorporated, the council approved resolution 2025-18, adopting the amended 2026 operating and CIP budgets, by a unanimous roll-call vote of 9-0.
Next steps: the budget, as adopted, will guide city operations in 2026 and council members said they plan to meet with school-district leadership to coordinate safe-route strategies and implementation details.
