Police raises, COVID, Kwik Trip approved by La Crosse city council

Police and transit workers in La Crosse will be getting raises, following a vote Thursday night by the city council. 

Without debate, council members approved a 3% raise each of the next three years for police employees, and a raise of 2.5% for transit employees this year and next. 

The council also accepted $137,071 in federal funding for new police body cameras, which the department will have to match. Police have teamed up with six other departments for the funding. 

The council may have a special meeting next week to allow for the quick demolition of buildings on Ward Avenue, to make way for a new Kwik Trip store — the largest ever. 

Some disputes with the contract between the project builder and the city have delayed demolition of an old motel and other buildings where the new convenience store will be built, probably in 2022. 

The council session was the final regular meeting for city clerk Teri Lehrke, who’s retiring this month after 27 years in that job, and for alderman Paul Medinger, who’s leaving the council before the spring election.

Lastly, La Crosse’s COVID emergency will be extended for another three months. 

Council members voted to continue an emergency declaration to deal with the pandemic through early March. 

The most recent declaration was scheduled to expire Thursday night.  The new extension mistakenly was set to run 180 days, but it has been shortened to the intended 90 days. 

Mayor Tim Kabat thinks the city may still be dealing with COVID into next summer.