An order prohibiting outdoor burning inside the incorporated limits of the City of Onalaska was approved by the Onalaska City Council during its regular meeting March 10.
There seemed to be some confusion in the days leading up to the meeting, with some people misinformed and thinking that the city was seeking a permanent burn ban.
That was never the case. The item was on the agenda simply to discuss the option of a temporary burn ban that could be implemented if conditions warrant it such as extremely dry weather or increased fire risk.
Council approved several ordinances – one adopting and enacting the recodification of the code of ordinances, one amending the fiscal year 2024-2025 budget and the other amending the ordinance regarding manufactured homes.
Council discussed and approved two sign variance requests – one at 13683 US 190 and one at 150 FM 3459.
Three resolutions authorizing Mayor James W. Arnett to sign agreements were approved.
One was the AdComp Systems Payment & Technology Services agreement for the municipal court. One was the New in Blue Services authorization agreement for the police department. One was the Innovative Systems copier agreement for a period of 63 months which includes the buyout and transition from the previous lease with Document Solutions.
During the month of February, the police department drove 5,791 miles, conducted 347 building checks, made seven arrests, provided 598 extra patrols, served six warrants, issued 340 traffic warnings and 167 traffic citations, responded to six traffic accidents, investigated five property crimes, 15 disorderly incidents, three city ordinance violations and seven juvenile incidents.
The fire department responded to 24 calls in the city and 21 calls in the county during the month of February. These included two incidents of mutual aid, 23 medical calls, 10 grass fires, one motor vehicle accident, one hazardous materials incident, one lake rescue, five calls for assistance and three landing zones.
The fire marshal conducted three fire inspections and three fire investigations during the month of February, reviewed four site plans for fire department access and responded to 48 calls that were fire-related or code enforcement-related.
Other items on the agenda included approval of the minutes, vouchers and financial reports.
