Public hearing on La Crosse budget

City has to whittle down tens of millions in requests

Gregg Cleveland would really like a new truck. Kind of a bigger truck. A red one.

The La Crosse fire chief has his eye on a heavy rescue truck to replace the department’s workhorse that gets a large dose of action on a daily basis.

That, however, is just a part of capital improvement budget discussions going on in city hall, while the city figures how to whittle down tens of millions of dollars in budget requests.

The heavy rescue truck is just one of the many wants and needs for the department, says Cleveland, who also has a placeholder in the budget for a new $5 million station for some time in the future.

He wants to conduct a building needs assessment to determine just how and where to spend that money. Meanwhile, the heavy rescue truck is the most pressing need and will cost $500,000.

At 4:15 p.m. today, the City Plan Commission will hold a public hearing on the capital improvements budget on the third floor of city hall.