WAUPUN — The Waupun City Council discussed a variety of topics, including downtown parking and the garage sale ordinance, at the meeting held Thursday, April 16, 2026.
The meeting was postponed from Tuesday due to the severe weather projected that evening, with some municipalities reporting baseball-sized hail in other parts of the storm cell.
Mayor Rohn Bishop, Alderman Pete Kaczmarski, Alderman Ryan Mielke, Alderman Dan Siebers, and Alderwoman Kunz were present, while Alderman Mike Matoushek and Alderman Jason Westphal were absent.
The first item on the agenda was the elimination of three handicap parking stalls behind the former Senior Center building at 301 E Main St. These stalls were intended for people regularly visiting the Senior Center, but as their activities have moved to the new Community Center at 520 McKinley St, it is no longer needed.
These changes were unanimously approved by the Board of Public Works at their Tuesday meeting, pertaining to Ordinance to amend Ch.6.05(C)3.
While three stalls will be eliminated, one stall will remain for downtown handicap access. This will create a total of four extra free parking stalls behind the 300 south block of E Main St, once the extra space between the stalls is reincorporated.
The motion to waive the first reading passed unanimously.
Also noted were the removal of reserved parking spaces previously reserved for the use of the Waupun Food Pantry, which also moved to the new Waupun Community Center, and so were no longer needed downtown. This was not part of the motion, as the reservations were removed from the stalls at the time of the move.
The former Senior Center building was sold to Chic Tique last year, who are fixing it up to move their business into once renovations are complete.
The second item on the agenda was Ordinance to amend Ch.8 entitled Orderly Conduct to create Ch. 8.15 Rummage Sales.
The Council debated whether to waive the first reading as the citywide garage sale will be held the weekend of May 15 through 17, which would be after the next Common Council meeting.
Alderman Kaczmarski asked if the ordinance covers signs of any kind being placed in the road right of way, such as selling trees or puppies, as opposed to just garage sales.
City Attorney Dan Vande Zande said that they can’t impign on first amendment rights such as political signs, but this might not apply in those cases as it covers only rummage sales (as in, sales for common household goods). They would need to add a separate provision to include those.
The motion passed unanimously, with a second hearing scheduled for the May Common Council meeting on May 12. Residents who have questions, concerns, or requests about the ordinance can bring them to the next meeting for the second reading.
Next on the agenda was Resolution 04-14-26-01, “Authorizing to Commit Matching Funds & Certification of Match Funds Secured.” This is related to the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program, which the City will use to complete reconstruction projects on N. Grove and Park Street. Motion Kunz, second Siebers, passed unanimously, no discussion.
Bids were then reviewed for the Downtown Back Alley Project, which would see reconstruction between N. Mill St. to N. Madison St. and N. Madison St. to Fond Du Lac St. (north of the 300 and 400 E Main St. blocks of Downtown Waupun).
The agenda packet notes that the bids received were higher than anticipated, and that “staff have been working to identify cost savings and are recommending that public works and utility crews assist with the project to achieve cost savings.”
Alderman Kaczmarski asked if there were any substantive changes. City Administrator Kathy Schlieve said that the largest change is a temporary water service extension, which would be $70,000, but said that Waupun Utilities elected to do that work in-house instead of through a contractor, saving that money.
Alderman Siebers said he spoke with Utilities Director Steve Brooks before the meeting, and said that they’re invested in the project and want to make it happen, because if they don’t go now they might never be able to change it after the papers are signed. Siebers noted there was a lot of dialogue about this.
The bid was awarded to the lowest bidder Kopplin & Kinas Co. Inc. Company for $1,741,299.60. The motion passed unanimously.
The last few items included the approval of a rifle purchase for the Waupun Police Department. They received an estimate from Sentinel Supply for the Rifle Replacement Program. This would be for (2) Sig Sauer M400 Rifles, (2) Sig Sauer SLXC Suppressors, and (2) Romeo 4XT Red Dot Sights. The item passed unanimously.
Mayor Bishop asked Police Chief Jeremy Rasch if they liked this model of rifle; Rasch said they were moving to this model as they are lower weight with a shorter barrel and are easier to handle.
The Waupun Library Board submitted a job description for the vacant Library Director position. Assistant Library Director Pam Garcia is currently serving the duties as they go through the hiring process. A copy was included in the agenda packet. Approved unanimously.
Finally, in closed session, the City Council discussed negotiations on two downtown properties to purchase for municipal purposes. These included 16 N Drummond St—an industrial building next to Safety Building, behind 24 E Main St—and the house at 26 N Mill St, just north of National Bank of Waupun. Both properties are in TID 3. No action was taken from closed session.
