City council member Goggin on La Crosse’s 2024 budget

La Crosse’s city council is heading toward budget approval time, which usually happens in November.

At least one new member of the council is looking for guidance from the voters about how City Hall should spend tax money.

Erin Goggin represents District 2, on La Crosse’s north side. Tuesday, she joined Mike Hayes on La Crosse Talk.

“And I want to be that voice that says, ‘Let’s think about it. Let’s figure out why and what you want.’ Don’t let the city council or the mayor tell you what we’re doing,” Goggin said. “You tell us what you want and we’ll see what we can do.”

The city will hold a public hearing on the budget at 6 p.m. Nov. 13. If it’s necessary, another hearing will be held the next day, though that’s not typical.

Goggin says the top issues she’s hearing about lately deal with where to shelter the homeless, and how to fix bad roads around La Crosse.

District 8 city council member Mackenzie Mindel will join La Crosse Talk PM at 5:06 p.m. Wednesday to talk about the budget process, as well.

Goggin is concerned that people will oppose ideas such as closing libraries — the library already announced it will close the south branch Dec. 1 — or swimming pools, but they won’t pass those opinions on to the elected council.

“Wait to see what’s going to happen there,” Goggin said. “Again, you hear pools being shut down and people immediately react to that and think ‘Oh my, I can’t have that happen.’ Well, you need to contact your city council person and you need to say what you think.”

La Crosse Mayor Mitch Reynolds said last week on La Crosse Talk PM that two of the city’s pools need repairs, which would be done over the next two years. But, when that second pool — the North Side Community Pool — is on the budget for repairs, it’s possible that the city closes it instead.

Goggin doesn’t want taxpayers with budget ideas to wait until after spending decisions are made, and then comment on how the council voted.