Marshfield Common Council Hears Weinbrenner Update, Discusses Possible Vehicle Registration Fee, and More

Wednesday, August 26th, 2026 -- 11:00 AM

The Marshfield Common Council heard a presentation on the Weinbrenner Development at their meeting on Tuesday.

It was presented by Joe Dunne, Vice President of Development and Asset Management for Serenova Development. Their proposal includes 83 residential apartments including 1, 2, and 3 bedrooms with rent prices of $925, $1,107, $1,271 respectively.

They anticipate the cost will be $31 million to renovate and they’ll apply to WEDA for grant money to start. Awards will be announced by April 2027, but the project concept must be submitted by November.

The company needs a $100,000 commitment for the city for Commencement A/E Design to get the application completed, must sell the building for $1, and offer a pay go TIF-Funding of $1 million so the WEDA application can be completed. The Council also approved a budget resolution for the Braem Park Capital Project, specifically the restroom replacement project.

This would reallocate $32,000 to the park restroom project from park amenity account to help cover the cost of any architectural/engineering services, contingency, and any additional project related costs.

The low bid of $185,071 from Marawood Construction, plus the approved purchase of a prefab restroom building at $129,550 left only $379 remaining for any additional cost, so the transfer was needed.

The Council also had the first reading of Ordinance No. 1547, creating Section 4-40 of Marshfield Municipal Code relating to vehicle registration fees in accordance with Wisconsin Statutes Chapter 341.35.

This would see the City of Marshfield create a $25 vehicle registration fee for any applicable vehicle (some exceptions), which would be paid when you register your vehicle with the state Department of Transportation.

The DOT would collect the fee and the city would start receiving that money from the DOT in 2027. It could only be used for transportation needs and this would help the City fund road construction/services as stagnant state aid, levy limits, and inflation has made road construction/maintenance more difficult for the City

The City would need to let the DOT know by October if they want to start by January 1st of 2027. This would allow them to see the first receipt by February of 2027. Marshfield has an estimate of 16,469 qualifying vehicles in the City, which would bring in just over $2 million to help reduce and eliminate debt/borrowing for road construction.

As it was a first reading, no action was taken and it will be brought back before the Council for the second reading and possible approval. No discussion or action, due to a lack of a motion, was taken on a request for detachment of land from the City of Marshfield near the northwest corner of West McMillan Street/St. Joseph’s Avenue.

This request came about because of a proposal for a project regarding a residential development and their lack of access to the streets. The Council also approved a resolution approving a Certified Survey Map to allow construction of Panda Express across land located northwest of North Central Avenue and southeast of Peach Avenue.

The Council also heard three options for funding the City’s Communication Department for 2027. The options included full funding at $87,603 to keep all services, partial funding at $69,800, losing service provided by the Department, or no further funding, which would have seen the Department lose almost all the services they provide.

The Council approved full funding, but agreed that a closer look will need to be taken to secure more stable funding in the future. Finally, the Council discussed a budget resolution from their August 11th meeting regarding refunding parkland dedication fees, but no action was taken. They approved Alderperson White, Jr. to the Marshfield Utilities Commission to fill unexpired term ending in 2029.

They also approved Alderperson Varsho to Judiciary and License Committee, replacing former Alderperson Tompkins and appoint Alderperson White as the alternate member of Judiciary and License Committee, replacing Alderperson Varsho.

In approving the consent agenda, they approved, from the Airport Committee Meeting:

• The Airport Manager’s Agreement,
• Fixed Base Operator’s Agreement,
• General Aviation Terminal,
• Storage Hangar,
• Maintenance Hanger,
• And Fuel Facility.

From the Mill Creek Business Park Covenant Committee, they approved:

• An exception for Prevention Genetics/Exact Sciences antenna.

From the Finance, Budget & Personnel Committee:

• They authorized the Non-State Grant Agreement and Land Use Restriction Agreement (related to the Police Department relocation project).

For the Board of Public Works:

• They accepted a low bid for utility, foundation, and demolition for Braem Park restroom project,
• Awarded a bid for the Fire Station Fire Alarm System Replacement project,
• And awarded bids for the Police Department Relocation project.

For the Plan Commission:

• They approved an exception for Prevention Genetics/Exact Sciences antenna.

And for the Business Improvement District Board:

• They approved Resolution No. 2026-22, 2027 Operating Plan and BID tax.

During the Mayor’s Comments, he mentioned the Central Wisconsin State Fair and the start of school. During the City Administrator’s Comments, he discussed the City receiving a rate of 3.9% for their bond issuance, which will help them save a quarter of a million dollars over the time of the bond.

Finally, during public comments, three individuals spoke in favor of fully funding the Communications Department, another mentioned data centers and discussed the vehicle fee item on the agenda, another spoke on the land detachment item on the agenda, and one person spoke positively about the Marshfield Pride event recently held.

Feel free to contact us with questions and/or comments.