Laura L. Endres

This document outlines the strategic direction for the Little La Crosse Watershed Initiative, focusing on reducing flood damages to roads, bridges, and culverts through a comprehensive watershed approach. Supported by a USDOT PROTECT grant, the initiative incorporates stakeholder engagement, flood damage assessment, hydrologic modeling, and analysis of climate and land use trends. It evaluates various Best Management Practices for runoff reduction and flood storage, with the ultimate goal of developing a Resilience Improvement Plan that includes prioritized solutions, conceptual designs, and implementation recommendations for enhanced natural hazard resilience.

The meeting agenda focused on future budget priorities. The structure included a call to order, roll call, and the Pledge of Allegiance. A key action item was a motion to move into a Quasi Committee of the Whole to review and deliberate on budget and county priorities. Specific agenda items included the presentation and review of Supervisor Priority Exercise Results, followed by discussion on future priority meeting topics and suggestions, concluding with adjournment.

The meeting agenda for the Monroe County Board of Supervisors included several key items. Discussions and potential actions covered appointments to the Local History Room, re-purposing of Sheriff's funds, budget adjustments across multiple departments including Health Department, Land Conservation, and Highway, and a Consolidated Facilities Presentation by Wold Architects & Engineers regarding potential new facility designs and funding. Financial reports from the Treasurer and Finance Director were scheduled. The board also planned to address Resolutions 01-26-01 and 01-26-02 regarding well drilling payment authorization and updates to the Recycling Ordinance, respectively. A closed session was planned to confer with legal counsel regarding the disallowance of a claim.

The meeting included the appointment of Brittany Herricks as the new County Treasurer, effective December 7, 2025, following the resignation of Mindy Hemmersbach. The Board conducted a public hearing for the proposed 2026 budget, which included approvals for an Information Technology budget adjustment of $100,000.00 for a main server replacement. Addendums and amendments to the 2026 budget were approved, including adjustments to Dog License fees and a transfer of $11,000.00 to the Monroe County Fair. Additionally, resolutions were adopted granting county aid for bridge or culvert construction/repair projects in various towns and villages and approving special assessments for improvements on the county trunk highway system. Finally, Resolution 11a-25-04 adopted the overall 2026 budget of $94,179,498 and authorized corresponding property tax levies.

The La Crosse County Climate Action Plan is a two-part, data-driven initiative spanning 2023-2050, with the overarching goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. The plan focuses on environmental stewardship and carbon reduction, addressing both internal government operations and external community sustainability. Key pillars for government operations include administration, natural resources, commuting, buildings, energy, waste reduction, and pollution mitigation. For community sustainability, the plan prioritizes environmental conservation, agriculture, local food systems, waste reduction, energy efficiency, renewable energy, land use, transportation, health, safety, environmental justice, and fostering a green economy. The intended outcomes include significant reductions in carbon emissions, increased energy efficiency, improved water quality, expanded green spaces, and enhanced climate preparedness and resilience across the county.