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Rothschild board authorizes administrator to file congressional spending application for Domtar paper mill
Summary
The Village of Rothschild voted unanimously April 3 to let the village administrator submit a Congressionally Directed Spending application on behalf of the Domtar papermill seeking up to $7 million; final acceptance of any award requires later board approval.
The Village of Rothschild Village Board voted unanimously on April 3 to allow Village Administrator Ryan VanDeWalle to submit a Congressionally Directed Spending application on behalf of the Domtar paper mill seeking federal funds for fiscal year 2026. Village President Dan Helgeson called the special meeting to order at 4:30 p.m.; Trustee Rex Zemke was excused.
VanDeWalle told the board he has been coordinating with Domtar’s leadership and that the request is being routed through Senator Baldwin’s Congressionally Directed Spending process. He said Domtar completed the application and provided a letter of support but, under program rules, a public entity must submit the request. The application seeks $7,000,000, with a stated minimum request of $5,000,000.
According to VanDeWalle, any awarded funds would be distributed on a receipts basis: Domtar would submit receipts to the Village of Rothschild, and the village would submit reimbursement requests. He said the village would track staff time and resources spent on the project, require a separate audit related to the award, and be reimbursed by Domtar for those expenses.
Trustee Bill Schremp moved the measure and Trustee Dan Mortensen seconded. The motion, as recorded in the meeting minutes, authorizes only the submission of the application and explicitly does not bind the village to accept any award; the Village Board must later approve any allocation and agree to program terms and conditions. Clerk Elizabeth Felkner recorded a roll call vote of six ayes (Deb Ehster, Sam Stroik, Paul Kennedy, Bill Schremp, Dan Mortensen, and Village President Dan Helgeson); the motion carried 6–0.
The minutes note that the village is prepared to work with Domtar to recoup village expenses incurred while pursuing the application. The board made a separate, unanimous motion to adjourn at 4:40 p.m.
Next steps identified in the meeting record: if the application is awarded, the Village of Rothschild would review the award terms at a later board meeting and would seek reimbursement from Domtar for village expenditures tied to the project. The meeting minutes were accepted on April 14, 2025.
