Mayor’s Column November 15, 2025
Rohn Bishop, Mayor of Waupun
Hello Waupun!
I’m proud to share our 2026 City Budget—a plan focused on protecting what matters, stewarding our resources with purpose, and meeting today’s needs while preparing for the future.
Public Safety: Protecting What Matters
Building on strong investments in 2025, this budget strengthens our commitment to the police department by fully supporting a detective position partially funded in 2025 and increasing investment in technology and new training resources, ensuring a strong foundation of public safety.
New for 2026, we elevate our commitment to sustainable fire and emergency response services. By working hand-in-hand with our neighboring townships, we are creating a unified, regional approach that ensures high-quality, responsive fire protection—while keeping costs manageable for our taxpayers and ensuring that those costs are fairly distributed to each participating municipality. This partnership is a testament to what we can achieve when we break down old walls and focus on shared goals.
Thanks to successful grant writing efforts over the last several years, we have been able to uniquely position the city with a fully equipped EMR program. With increasing ambulance call volume, our 2026 work plan examines ways to leverage that investment to advance the capabilities of our service with the goal of improving response times for residents in need.
We’re also modernizing our compensation plan to more fairly compensate our volunteer firefighters and emergency medical responders, who give so much of themselves to serve this community. I can’t thank them enough!
Finally, one of the most significant investments this year is the purchase of a new aerial ladder truck for our fire department. This is a major piece of equipment—essential for protecting both lives and property, especially as our community grows and our buildings evolve. We recognize that this purchase has an impact on our levy, and we’ve been very deliberate in planning for it. It’s a big commitment, but it’s a necessary one. This truck isn’t just about today—it’s about ensuring our city remains safe and well-prepared for decades to come.
Strategic Investment: Stewardship with Purpose
Quality of place matters to residents, to employers seeking to fill open jobs, and to a community’s ability to attract visitors. The 2026 budget supports strategic placemaking investments, including reconstruction of the back alleyways along the north side of the 300 and 400 blocks of East Main St to replace failing infrastructure, increase parking and improve pedestrian safety, all benefits to our flourishing downtown. The project will be funded by the success of a Tax Increment District and will have NO impact on our tax levy. Additionally, we will extend Shaler Drive from the Heritage Ridge Travel Plaza north to Mayfair Drive near the High School to open additional commercial and residential development opportunity. This project will be funded with the support of a Community Development Grant and Tax Increment Financing. Other projects on our radar require planning, including housing development, flood mitigation, and industrial park growth.
Any built environment must be maintained, and as you know, in some cases that can pose challenges. For 2026, we will invest in additional resources in code enforcement activity to address blight and strengthen property values in key areas of the city.
Additional areas of focus include an increase in hours and programming at the Waupun Community Center to enhance recreation opportunities for people of all ages. And work with nonprofits to better coordinate volunteers to support key priority areas that include the economic vitality of Main Street, entrepreneurship and an increased focus on art and cultural assets that support our City of Sculpture brand. By making strategic, quality of place investments, we are focused on reducing barriers, encouraging entrepreneurship, and making our city a place where residents and businesses can grow and thrive.
Future-Readiness: Building for Tomorrow, Today
Being future-ready means thinking long-term and making smart, responsible choices today that lay a foundation for what we’ll need tomorrow. This budget supports succession planning for key department leadership roles, ensures we have the right people and systems in place, and continues to modernize how we operate—using technology and collaboration to be more efficient and effective.
The plan also supports formation of public-private partnerships that align resources to support economic development goals, ensuring that from Main St to our industrial park, we leverage available resources for the betterment of our community.
Finally, this budget prioritizes transparency and accessibility. We are launching a new, user-friendly city website and investing in digital tools that improve how we share information and engage with residents. These upgrades are not just about technology—they are about trust and accountability.
United: Moving Forward Together
Waupun might be a small city, but we’re a great city, too. Our strength as a community comes from working together—neighbors helping neighbors, people volunteering their time, and all of us doing our part to keep this City safe, strong, and welcoming. Through common sense, collaboration, and careful planning, we’re building a Waupun that honors our history while being ready for what’s next. Thank you to our staff, volunteers, and board members for their hard work and dedication, and to all of you for your continued trust and support. Together, we’re proving that small cities with big hearts and steady hands can do great things. Safe. Strong. Future Ready. That’s our promise for 2026 and beyond.
Thank you and God Bless,
Mayor Rohn
