Business

Mayor Reynolds vetoes Pump House request for extra construction funds

Published

2 days ago

September 16, 2024

FILE - Photo credit: Pump House Facebook Page

The Mayor of La Crosse issued a veto Monday on added construction funding from the Pump House Regional Arts Center that was approved last week by the city council.

The Pump House, which rents the building from the city, was asking for an additional $13,290.03 on top of a $303,000 bathroom renovation.

The mayor’s office issued the veto for additional federal ARPA funding for the project.

The center already received $263,623 in federal grants, along with another $69,377 from a Pump House line of credit.

Mayor Mitch Reynolds vetoed the extra funding, saying it would set a bad example to ask for more money when this project already came in under budget. The project was not to exceed $333,000.

The mayor is asking the city council to sustain the veto at its next meeting.

Voting in favor of the funding included city council president Chris Kahlow, Erin Goggin, Larry Sleznikow, Mackenzie Mindel, Chris Woodard, Doug Happel and Mark Neumann.

Voting against were Tamara Dickinson, Barb Janssen, Mac Kiel, Rebecca Schwarz and Jennifer Trost.

The request passed committee two weeks ago with a 5-1 vote.

Brad Williams

A native of Prairie du Chien, Brad graduated from UW - La Crosse and has worked in radio news for more than 30 years, mostly in the La Crosse area. He regularly covers local courts and city and county government. Brad produces the features "Yesterday in La Crosse" and "What's Buried on Brad's Desk." He also writes the website "Triviazoids," which finds odd connections between events that happen on a certain date, and he writes and performs with the local comedy group Heart of La Crosse. Brad been featured on several national TV programs because of his memory skills.