Mayor’s Column February 8, 2025
Rohn Bishop, Mayor of Waupun
Hello Waupun!
We made it through January and it’s almost Ice Fest weekend! I feel like time flies by living here. I’m always busy because Waupun always has it going on!
On Wednesday I joined Steve Brooks and Jen Benson from Waupun Utilities for MEUW day at the State Capitol in Madison. MEUW is the Municipal Electrical Utilities of Wisconsin, of which Waupun is a member. We had the opportunity to meet one on one with our representatives, including Senator Jagler, Senator Feyen, Representative Dallman and Representative Born. We even caught up with my guy, Senator Bradley, who chairs the Senate Utilities Committee. We discussed the benefits of being a public power community, that include lower electricity rates, extremely high dependability, and customer service, because we, the community, own our own utility. Because our utility employees all live in or near Waupun, we have a very quick response rate for things like severe storms or unexpected outages. Being a municipal utility also means they are governed by a Utility Commission that is appointed by the Mayor, meaning they’re held accountable by you, the voters. When something isn’t working right with utilities, I often get a phone call or email.
While in the Capitol, we also explained that the Department of Corrections is our largest sewer utility customer, and one of our bigger electric customers. The good news is that all the representatives understand both the economic impact of the prisons, and the historical impact to “Wisconsin’s Prison City.” Representative Born even rightly pointed out that, “Waupun is an anomaly, you guys actually like having prisons there!” He’s right, and when the governor introduces his budget, I might need you all to call and remind them!
In other news, I did a radio interview Monday, where I got into detail and gave an update on the Waste Water Treatment Project, to listen click here. https://soundcloud.com/radioplusaudio/waupun-sewer-rate-increase
And this week’s Other Bar meet raffle is pretty cool. This Sunday they’re raising money for Selfless Service Outdoors. SSO provides outdoor hunting and fishing trips to combat veterans and first responders. So go have a beverage, support a great cause, and watch for Taylor Swift and Donald Trump at the Super Bowl!
Thank you!
Keep calm and Waup On!
Mayor Rohn
