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Chippewa Falls council approves TIF funding for Riverfront overrun and a package of operational measures
Summary
The Chippewa Falls Common Council approved funding the Riverfront restoration overrun from TIF funds and passed a series of operational motions including an equipment purchase, safety consulting contract, wage increases, an urban forestry RFP, personnel pay-grid actions, and a schedule change.
The Chippewa Falls Common Council on Jan. 6 approved funding the Riverfront restoration project overrun from tax-increment financing (TIF) funds and cleared a set of operational items ranging from equipment purchases to personnel pay-grid actions.
A motion by Councilor John Monarski, seconded by Councilor Rob Kiefer, authorized the use of TIF funds to cover the Riverfront restoration overrun. The motion carried on a roll-call vote: Aye — Monarski, Kiefer, Marr, Hull, Dixon, Normand; No — Paul Nadreau. Councilor Nadreau expressed concern that the overrun had not been presented to committee as a change order.
Other operational approvals included:
- Purchase of a grapple bucket for the Street Department loader at $26,022.73, funded from the scrap account (motion Monarski/Kiefer; unanimous). Public Works Director Brandon Cesafsky told the council the replacement was not anticipated during 2026 budget preparation.
- Authorization to enter a safety consulting contract with Keeping Safety Simple, LLC, with costs split among Water, Wastewater and Streets from the 2026 budget and subject to City Attorney review (motion Kiefer/Nadreau; passed 5–2). Councilor Tim Normand stated he supported the safety training but objected to using the HVAC Maintenance Account as the funding source.
- Increase of Parks Recreation leaders' hourly wage from $13.00 to $15.00 using 2026 budget funds (motion Kiefer/Dixon; unanimous).
- Approval of an RFP for Urban Forestry Services with an emphasis on prioritizing stump removal (motion Kiefer/Nadreau; carried 6–1 with Councilor Jody Marr dissenting).
- Placement of the Fire Chief candidate at Step 18F on the Administrative Pay Grid as recommended by the Police and Fire Commission (motion Kiefer/Hull; unanimous), and approval to move eligible employees to the next step on the Administrative Pay Grid effective Jan. 1 (motion Monarski/Normand; unanimous).
- Change to the Street Department's summer schedule to 6:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. with a paid 10-minute morning break and paid 20-minute lunch, pending HR review of federal regulations related to under-18 temporary employees; the motion carried 5–2 (Monarski/Marr). Discussion noted supervisors would manage break times for temporary summer staff.
- Approval of claims totaling $1,320,691.24, comprised of City General Claims $111,847.23; Authorized/Handwritten Claims $408,352.29; and Department of Public Utilities $800,491.72 (motion Kiefer/Hull; unanimous).
A separate personnel-related item placed the Fire Chief candidate on the Administrative Pay Grid consistent with the conditional offer from the Police and Fire Commission.
The council recorded motions, roll-call votes and brief statements of concern in the minutes. The minutes do not include verbatim quotes from speakers.
