City Hall  
City of La Crosse, Wisconsin  
400 La Crosse Street  
La Crosse, WI 54601  
Meeting Minutes  
Climate Action Plan Steering Committee  
Thursday, March 17, 2022  
4:30 PM  
LifeSize Virtual Meeting Room  
In efforts to reduce the spread of COVID-19, this meeting will be conducted through video conferencing.  
The meeting can be viewed by clicking this link (or typing the URL in your web browser address bar):  
https://stream.lifesizecloud.com/extension/4857797/a8c61270-e220-4ad3-a234-c76d9d7dde51  
If you wish to speak on an agenda item, you can do so as part of the virtual meeting. Contact the Planning  
& Development Department at the email or phone number below so we can provide you with the  
necessary information to join in.  
Members of the public who would like to provide written comments on any agenda may do so by emailing  
kuhlmanl@cityoflacrosse.org, using a drop box outside of City Hall or mailing the Planning & Development  
Department, 400 La Crosse Street, La Crosse WI 54601. Questions, call 608-789-7361.  
Call to Order / Roll Call  
Mindel called the meeting to order at 4:31 pm.  
Approval of Minutes  
Lenard motioned to approve the minutes, Meehan seconded. The motion  
carried by a voice vote.  
Notices & Discussion  
Staff provided an update on the banner art project. Artists submitted the final design  
and paleBLUEdot will print 4. The call to artists included a unveiling scheduled for  
3/16, but that will be pushed back, likely within two weeks.  
Mindel notified committee of 3/25 What's In Our Drinking Water? Symposium at  
Viterbo (virtual and in-person), with special guest speaker Erin Brockovich.  
Agenda Items:  
CAP Team Workshop A Review  
22-0419  
1
Lenard noted only about half the team attend the workshop, and some left early from  
the 4-hour-long workshop; she suggested polling why people are not able to attend and  
ensuring that there are breaks. Van Maren suggested we look into in-person meetings  
to get more engagement. She also expressed an interest in discussing other sub-team  
topics. The committee could review the full list of feedback and suggest some  
synthesis. Staff shared that the Meeting-in-a-box is now ready; Van Maren  
recommended fixing some of the community references to make sure they say La  
Crosse.  
PiE outreach and engagement updates  
22-0216  
2
Staff provided update that business postcards had been sent out and encouraged  
committee to reach out to business owners they know. Meehan suggested asking the  
CAP Team to reach out as well. Van Maren suggested sharing PiE resources with  
developers who are working on new projects. The Word documents in FileCloud  
should be editable like a Google Doc. Mindel suggested a joint press release with Xcel  
about the program.  
Discussion on possible resolution to reduce future fossil fuel infrastructure.  
22-0427  
3
Attachments:  
20220317 Draft Resolution  
SAFE Cities Webpage  
Staff shared that a council member's constituents had urged them to join SAFE Cities.  
Resolution is based on template at attached website. Staff asked for feedback on  
resolution by next meeting. Mindel suggested including inclusion of La Crosse's  
science-based targets. Meehan suggested using up-to-date, and precise data. Van  
Maren suggested reference to Ready for 100 resolution.  
Discussion on possible resolution to divest from publicly traded fossil fuel  
companies.  
22-0422  
4
Attachments:  
20220317 Draft Resolution  
Staff requested feedback by next meeting. Lenard suggested making resolution more  
succinct (under a page). Mindel suggested finding cities of similar size that have  
adopted divestment resolutions. Van Maren suggested avoiding politically  
controversial language; Lenard agreed because it may shut down conversation.  
Meehan suggested using updating some statistics, and talking about job growth and  
energy freedom. Mindel suggested looking at language from Transit Equity Day  
proclamation.  
Next Meeting / Agenda Items  
The next meeting will be April 21st. Agenda items may include workshop recap, PiE  
implementation, fossil fuel resolutions, and Earth Fair preparation. Van Maren also  
suggested revisiting what building projects receiving City funds are in development and  
how the CAPSC can influence their climate impact.  
Adjournment  
Meehan motioned to adjourn at 5:34 pm, Lenard seconded. The motion carried  
by a voice vote.  
Notice is further given that members of other governmental bodies may be present at the  
above scheduled meeting to gather information about a subject over which they have  
decision-making responsibility.  
NOTICE TO PERSONS WITH A DISABILITY  
Requests from persons with a disability who need assistance to participate in this meeting  
should call the City Clerk's office at (608) 789-7510 or send an email to  
ADAcityclerk@cityoflacrosse.org, with as much advance notice as possible.