A Warning About Burning from RCFD Chief

Please do not burn without first checking the DNR website was the word last night (Tuesday) from Fire Chief Scott Gald at the Richland Center City Council meeting. He reported that a land owner did receive a citation from the DNR on Monday following a fire call the department responded to. The citation was for burning outside of posted hours. It was also mentioned that until our latest rain, everything was very dry. However, even with the rain be sure to check the DNR website for burning conditions and remember to call 608-647-2106 to report that you will be burning. Gald reported that the DNR has already had more fire responses in 2025 than in all of 2024.

It was also reported that a seize and desist order was given to workers installing the fiber optics in the city following some major accidents and outages. The problem has since been dealt with and the work continues.

The City of Richland Center previously received a community development block grant (“CBDG”) which included funds loaned to Southwestern Wisconsin Community Action Program (“SWCAP”) in exchange for a mortgage against certain real estate. The City and SWCAP entered into a Grant Agreement which governed the terms of the loan which included a provision mandating that the mortgaged property would be used as transitional housing. SWCAP has expressed a desire to transfer the Agreement, the property, and the loan to Lydia’s House Ministries under the same terms agreed to by SWCAP, including the use of the property for transitional housing. The Richland Center City Council approved the request.

Richland Center has previously benefited from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) Community Development Investment (CDI) grant program, employing a “first-come, first-served” strategy that resulted in successful funding for Los Amigos and Wild Honey Collective. However, a recent policy shift by WEDC has altered the landscape, limiting the city to a single remaining CDI grant opportunity before a three to five year period of ineligibility. This necessitates a strategic reevaluation of the city’s approach. Currently, there are two projects of active interest: the AD German Warehouse Conservancy’s ongoing building renovation, and the city’s strategic goal of attracting a downtown hotel developer, both of which are potential candidates for this final grant. The Common Council voted to impose a moratorium on CDI grant application processing until a firm commitment is secured from a hotel developer or until July 1, 2025, whichever occurs first.

The Richland Center City Council approved to annex the Starlight 14 Drive-In into the city. As a result, the City agrees to pay annually to the Town, for five years, an amount equal to the amount of property taxes that the Town of Richland levied on the annexed property, as shown by the tax roll for the year 2024. The 2024 Property taxes payable in 2025 is $337 equaling a five-year total of $1,685.

Due to the Richland County Radio Project, the Richland Center Police Department will need to switch over to a radio that is P25 digital capable. The current radios the department has will only support VHF frequencies and will not work on the new Richland County radio channel. The council approved the purchase of three Kenwood NX-5000 radios from GenCom in the amount of $4,600.

The Police Department is also looking to replace its Records Management Systems (FoRs). The current system has been in use since 1999 and has limitations, which requires extra steps by Administration Staff that slow the data entry process along with not conforming with state reporting guidelines. The current system is not web based therefore cannot be accessed from outside the network. A True North RMS and CAD system is cloud based so officers would have access remotely from the squads. Reports, addresses, phone numbers and even pictures will be accessible from Squad MDC. True North is an all-in-one system that is more user friendly and more complete to fit the needs of the department. All features and future features are included in the initial cost along with any custom features that the department may need or require. The total cost of implementation is $27,500. There will be an annual fee of $5,000 per year and is included in the total cost for the first year and then will be covered in year two and subsequent years by the annual cost already in the budget for the current RMS and Tracker Evidence System once cancelled. The council unanimously approved the request.

In other action the Richland Center City Council approved:

A Class B Retailer License for the Richland County Performing Arts Council for the Thief of Bagdad Silent Movie with music on April 4.

A conditional use permit for R&K Tire & Auto Services.

And a conditional use permit to SW Rainbow Properties LLC to allow a self storage warehouse on Bohmann Drive.