Wausau City Council Infrastructure and Facilities Meeting - 11/12/26

The City of Wausau Infrastructure and Facilities Committee meeting on November 12, 2026, approved several items related to street reconstruction and property access. The committee approved additional accessible parking stalls near Church of the Resurrection, driveway approvals and concrete-approach relief for properties associated with the KBY/Kobe & Kobe Millwork campus, and support for adding sidewalk along the west side of South 11th Avenue. New sidewalk costs are shared 50/50 with adjacent property owners and would be handled within the existing approved budget; the sidewalk item was to proceed to the Board of Public Works for authorization. Members also discussed holding special-assessment public hearings, typically in December, to allow projects to move toward bidding.

The committee discussed upcoming yard-waste contract decisions: the tractor-and-baler arrangement, bale hauling, and bale purchasing contracts are ending or up for renewal. Public Works estimated annual leaf collection costs at about $400,000–$500,000, and reported that the current tractor-and-baler arrangement will not continue. Staff will research equipment and vendor options, including approaches used by nearby municipalities, and report back in January; members also requested consideration of service levels and improved public communication. No new leaf-collection contract or equipment purchase was approved. The committee also requested a future review of vacant city-owned parcels and discussed adding building and transit-facility topics to a later agenda.