Mayor’s Column August 29, 2026
Rohn Bishop, Mayor of Waupun
Hello Waupun,
You may have seen in the news that the Waupun Community Fund would like to donate a splash pad to the City of Waupun to be placed at McCune Park. A splash pad has been something that people have been asking for since I first became mayor, but it’s always been cost prohibitive. Thanks to the efforts of the Waupun Community Fund, the cost of installing a splash pad is covered. However, before we can accept this gift, we have to make sure the city can afford to accept it, because once the splash pad is turned over to the city, the city pays for maintenance, operations, and insurance.
During our meeting Tuesday night, we learned that the city can operate the splash pad at roughly just under $4,000 per year. That’s not a lot of money, however it’s also a very tight budget year.
Why? Good question.
First, the aquatic center pool sprung a leak, and was leaking about 50,000 gallons of water a day, resulting in a water bill that was $6,000 higher than last year. Neumann pools has been tracking down the location of the leak and they think they’ve isolated an area. Next, they’ll find the exact location of the leak and we’ll repair it. As of this writing, I have no idea how much this repair is going to cost, and because of that; the Capital Improvements portion of the 2027 city budget is on hold. Because we can’t commit to anything until we know what this will cost.
Another upcoming expense is that of the Forest Mound Cemetery Association. The Forest Mound Cemetery is not a public park; it’s a cemetery owned and operated by a non-profit, The Forest Mound Cemetery Association. They make money selling grave plots, investments, and donations. For 150 years, that has worked fine; however, we’re now to the point where income can’t keep up with expenses, and the Forest Mound Cemetery Association has asked for the city’s help to keep afloat. The request is $19,000 per year. Under state law, if a cemetery goes under, it automatically becomes the responsibility of the city to maintain, operate, maintain records, and own. Something we can definitely NOT afford, so it’s in our best interest to subsidize the cemetery and keep it a non-profit for as long as we can.
These expenses are on top of our efforts to retrofit the 98-year-old city hall and air condition the upstairs, operate the new community center, have police union negotiations, and all the expenses of a city.
Finally, every spring I’m asked why we don’t have free days at the aquatic center, and the answer is the cost to operate it per day is too great. However, the splash pad is your chance to give the kids a fun free water experience. For less than $4,000 a year, you or your business can sponsor the splash pad. I’ll make sure we post a sign, and I’ll promote it. If we have a guaranteed sponsor before our September 8 council meeting, we can accept the donation and have it installed next year.
PS. You may always make donations to the Forest Mound Cemetery Association. (That’s how Mike Werner Way got done) And if you’d be interested in buying the naming rights to the city hall auditorium, let me know. (It would be very similar to the Werner-Harmsen room at the community center) It could also be named in memory of someone. I could use the help!
Thank you,
Mayor Rohn
