Before Council

Jim Drees and Brian Sampson join Tony Ayala for a conversation about  Pathways Home , the coordinated City of La Crosse and La Crosse County plan for addressing homelessness in the community. Drees serves as La Crosse County’s Homelessness Response System Manager, leading implementation of Pathways Home. Sampson serves as the City of La Crosse’s Homeless Services Coordinator. This interview is par...

This Meeting Companion contains the  October 12, 2026 Board of Estimates meeting  from the City of La Crosse and an important step in developing the City’s  2027 Operating Budget . The Board continued its review of the proposed operating budget, considered alternative approaches to balancing City finances, and discussed whether to request a budget scenario in which the City would opt out of the Ex...

The Before Council Meeting Companion makes it easier to follow La Crosse city government on your own time. This episode features the La Crosse Common Council meeting held Tuesday, October 6, 2026, at La Crosse City Hall. The Council met from 6:00 p.m. until 7:17 p.m. This Meeting Companion has been condensed by removing extended silence, recesses, delays, and other dead air to make the meeting eas...

This Meeting Companion contains the October 1, 2026 Finance & Personnel Committee meeting from the City of La Crosse. The committee met at City Hall beginning at 6:01 p.m. To make the meeting easier to listen to, periods of silence, delays, recesses, and other dead air have been removed. The discussion itself has not been edited, shortened, rearranged, or summarized. Meeting Companions are int...

In Episode 5 of Before Council , Tony Ayala and former La Crosse Common Council member Mac Kiel work through the October cycle of Judiciary & Administration and Finance & Personnel Committee meetings, going agenda item by agenda item to provide additional context on what is heading to the full Council. Before Council is designed to help residents better understand what’s happening at City Hall bef...

This Meeting Companion contains the September 29, 2026 Judiciary & Administration Committee meeting from the City of La Crosse. The committee met at City Hall beginning at 6:01 p.m. and adjourned at 6:34 p.m.   To make the meeting easier to listen to, periods of silence, delays, recesses, and other dead air have been removed. The discussion itself has not been edited, shortened, rearranged, or...

The Before Council Meeting Companion makes it easier to follow La Crosse city government on your own time. This episode features the  La Crosse Common Council meeting held Thursday, September 10, 2026, at La Crosse City Hall.  The Council met from 6:00 p.m. until approximately 7:35 p.m.  This Meeting Companion has been condensed by removing extended silence, recesses, delays, and other dead air to...

In Episode 4 of  Before Council ,  Tony Ayala  and former Common Council member  Mac Kiel  discuss the September Judiciary & Administration and Finance & Personnel Committee meetings, walking through the agenda items, questions, and committee discussions expected to come before the September Common Council meeting. Before Council  is designed to help residents understand what’s happening a...

This Meeting Companion contains the  September 3, 2026 Finance & Personnel Committee meeting  from the City of La Crosse. To make the meeting easier to listen to, periods of silence, delays, recesses, and other dead air have been removed.  The discussion itself has not been edited, shortened, rearranged, or summarized. Meeting Companions are intended to make local government more accessible fo...

This Meeting Companion contains the  September 1, 2026 Board of Estimates meeting  from the City of La Crosse and an important early step in developing the City's  2027 Operating Budget . The meeting begins with an overview of the financial constraints facing the City and three preliminary approaches to balancing the 2027 budget, including different levels of property tax levy and use of the City'...

This Meeting Companion contains the  September 1, 2026 Judiciary & Administration Committee meeting  from the City of La Crosse. To make the meeting easier to listen to, periods of silence, delays, recesses, and other dead air have been removed.  The discussion itself has not been edited, shortened, rearranged, or summarized. Meeting Companions are intended to make local government more access...

The Before Council Meeting Companion makes it easier to follow La Crosse city government on your own time. This episode features the La Crosse Common Council meeting held Thursday, August 13, 2026, at La Crosse City Hall. The original City recording runs approximately 3 hours and 23 minutes . This Meeting Companion has been condensed to approximately 3 hours and 8 minutes by removing extended sile...

In Episode 3 of Before Council , Tony Ayala and former Common Council member Mac Kiel discuss the August Judiciary & Administration and Finance & Personnel Committee meetings, walking through the agenda items, questions, and committee discussions expected to come before the August Common Council meeting. Before Council is designed to help residents understand what’s happening at City Hall before v...

This Meeting Companion contains the August 6, 2026 Finance & Personnel Committee meeting from the City of La Crosse. To make the meeting easier to listen to, periods of silence, delays, recesses, and other dead air have been removed. The discussion itself has not been edited, shortened, or summarized, and no commentary has been added. Listener note: Early in the meeting, an individual entered the...

La Crosse Common Council Member Erin Goggin joins Tony Ayala for a one-on-one conversation about the proposed city administrator charter ordinance. Rather than focusing only on how she may ultimately vote, the conversation explores how she approaches a significant decision facing the city, including the information she considers, the questions she asks, and the responsibilities she weighs as a cou...

La Crosse Common Council Member Gary Padesky joins Tony Ayala for a one-on-one conversation about the proposed city administrator charter ordinance. Rather than focusing only on how he may ultimately vote, the conversation explores how he approaches a significant decision facing the city, including the information he considers, the questions he asks, and the responsibilities he weighs as a council...

La Crosse Common Council Member Lisa Weston joins Tony Ayala for a one-on-one conversation about the proposed city administrator charter ordinance. Rather than focusing only on how she may ultimately vote, the conversation explores how she approaches a significant decision facing the city, including the information she considers, the questions she asks, and the responsibilities she weighs as a cou...

This Meeting Companion contains the August 5, 2026 Judiciary & Administration Committee meeting from the City of La Crosse. To make the meeting easier to listen to, periods of silence, delays, recesses, and other dead air have been removed. The discussion itself has not been edited, shortened, or summarized. Please note that the original City recording contained several audio dropouts, includi...

In Episode 2 of Before Council , Tony Ayala and former Common Council member Mac Kiel discuss the July Judiciary & Administration and Finance & Personnel Committee meetings, highlighting the agenda items, questions, and discussions that will come before the July 9, 2026 Common Council meeting. Before Council is designed to help residents understand what’s happening at City Hall before vote...

This Meeting Companion contains the  July 2, 2026 Finance & Personnel Committee  meeting from the City of La Crosse. To make this meeting easier to listen to, periods of silence, delays, recesses, and dead air have been removed. The discussion itself has not been edited. Meeting Companions are intended to make local government more accessible for residents who prefer listening while driving, w...

This Meeting Companion contains the June 30, 2026 Judiciary & Administration Committee meeting and the Budget Parameter Committee meeting from the City of La Crosse. To make these meetings easier to listen to, periods of silence, delays, and dead air have been removed. The discussion itself has not been edited. Meeting Companions are intended to make local government more accessible for reside...

In the inaugural episode of Before Council , Tony Ayala and former Common Council member Mac Kiel discuss the June Judiciary & Administration and Finance & Personnel Committee meetings, highlighting development proposals, infrastructure projects, neighborhood investments, and other items likely to reach the Common Council. Learn more and access official meeting materials at: justgoodfight....