City staff to pursue Wisconsin Historical Society CLG grant for citywide historic-resources survey

City staff reported that Monroe plans to pursue a Certified Local Government (CLG) grant from the Wisconsin Historical Society to fund an intensive, citywide survey of historic resources.

Staff member (S6) told the commission the grant is a no-match award that could fund an initial intensive survey of community historic resources, with the letter of intent due in September and a full application expected in November (timeline as stated by staff). If successful, the grant would support a 2027 project that includes hiring a contractor to survey properties across the city, identify historic properties (the program generally applies to properties older than 50 years), and provide opportunities for public input, including kickoff public events and reports to the state historical commission where appropriate.

"This grant is just to obtain the survey to like identify and then we would have to take other measures beyond," Staff member (S6) said, explaining that an initial survey would document properties and help determine eligibility for historic-district overlays or historic-tax-credit programs. Staff emphasized that the survey would cover the entire city rather than focusing only on the current historic-district overlay.

Commissioners asked clarifying questions about scope and participation and were told the survey would likely include public meetings and a report-out; identified properties would still need to be submitted to state review for formal designation. Staff estimated the CLG award could be up to $50,000 and cited Mount Horeb's recently awarded project as a local example of the program in practice.

If the commission or community wants to pursue subsequent grant opportunities (for rehabilitation or other preservation projects), having the citywide survey completed would create an inventory of eligible properties and streamline future applications.