Joint School Board & River Falls Common Council November 2nd, 2026

The joint School Board–River Falls Common Council meeting (meeting title dated November 2, 2026; metadata lists November 3) covered school-district performance and enrollment, community needs, and city–school collaboration. The district reported four consecutive years of declining enrollment and said it is in the final year of its voter-approved operating levy override; it does not view another referendum as currently feasible. The groups discussed student and family needs, including affordability, housing, food insecurity, childcare, and access to services, as well as coordination on long-range facilities and land-use planning. No school-district contract award or vendor selection was identified.

The city reported several capital and funding initiatives: a stream-restoration project estimated at $20–24 million, with $15 million committed through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and $2 million secured from Wisconsin, expected to increase to $4 million; a $2.2 million federal grant for a 15,000-square-foot expansion of the St. Croix Valley Business Innovation Center, expected to begin in 2027; and a fire-station remodel and expansion approved by the Council in September, with the cost not clear in the transcript. The city also described library renovations supported by a state facilities grant and community fundraising, and planned park and public-space improvements for which funding was included as soon as 2027. The city is considering exercising an option to purchase its natural-gas franchise; an extension requires a community referendum, and the school district was noted as a major gas customer. No specific procurement motion or vote was reported during this meeting itself.