Before Council

This Meeting Companion contains the September 1, 2026 Judiciary & Administration Committee meeting from the City of La Crosse.

To make the meeting easier to listen to, periods of silence, delays, recesses, and other dead air have been removed. The discussion itself has not been edited, shortened, rearranged, or summarized.

Meeting Companions are intended to make local government more accessible for residents who prefer listening while driving, walking, working, exercising, or going about their day.

This meeting is part of the September Common Council cycle, leading up to the Common Council meeting on Thursday, September 10, 2026.

Coming later this week:

• Meeting Companion: Finance & Personnel Committee
• Before Council with Mac Kiel and Tony Ayala, breaking down what happened in committee and what residents should know before the September Common Council meeting.

Know Before the Vote.

Additional civic resources:
www.justgoodfight.com/city-resources

Before Council:
www.justgoodfight.com/before-council

For official agendas, minutes, meeting recordings, and other City of La Crosse information:
www.cityoflacrosse.org

The Before Council Meeting Companion makes it easier to follow La Crosse city government on your own time.

This episode features the La Crosse Common Council meeting held Thursday, August 13, 2026, at La Crosse City Hall.

The original City recording runs approximately 3 hours and 23 minutes. This Meeting Companion has been condensed to approximately 3 hours and 8 minutes by removing extended silence, recesses, delays, and other dead air to make the meeting easier to consume on streaming platforms.

No substantive discussion has been removed, rearranged, or editorially altered. The meeting remains in its original order.

The Common Council is where legislation that has moved through the City’s committee process comes before the full Council for consideration and action. This meeting includes discussion and votes on a number of issues facing the City of La Crosse.

For agendas, minutes, meeting videos, legislation, voting records, and supporting documents, visit the City of La Crosse’s official website www.cityoflacrosse.org

City resources:
justgoodfight.com/city-resources

Before Council is hosted by Tony Ayala and former La Crosse Common Council member Mac Kiel and produced by Just Good Fight Media in collaboration with Open Session.

Know Before the Vote.

In Episode 3 of Before Council, Tony Ayala and former Common Council member Mac Kiel discuss the August Judiciary & Administration and Finance & Personnel Committee meetings, walking through the agenda items, questions, and committee discussions expected to come before the August Common Council meeting.

Before Council is designed to help residents understand what’s happening at City Hall before votes are cast, giving you time to learn more, ask questions, and connect with your Common Council representative before decisions are made.

This episode follows the August Meeting Companions for both J&A and F&P and provides additional context on what happened in committee, why it matters, and what residents should know heading into Common Council.

Additional civic resources, including meeting agendas, livestreams, minutes, Common Council contact information, and more:
www.justgoodfight.com/city-resources

Learn more about Before Council:
www.justgoodfight.com/before-council

For official City of La Crosse meeting information, agendas, minutes, and livestreams:
www.cityoflacrosse.org

Know Before the Vote.

This Meeting Companion contains the August 6, 2026 Finance & Personnel Committee meeting from the City of La Crosse.

To make the meeting easier to listen to, periods of silence, delays, recesses, and other dead air have been removed. The discussion itself has not been edited, shortened, or summarized, and no commentary has been added.

Listener note: Early in the meeting, an individual entered the meeting’s video stream and used profanity and engaged in lewd behavior. The committee continued its business and completed the meeting. Because this occurred as part of the original public meeting recording, listeners should be aware that this episode may contain explicit material.

Meeting Companions are intended to make local government more accessible for residents who prefer listening while driving, walking, working, exercising, or going about their day.

Also available: the Judiciary & Administration Committee Meeting Companion from the August Common Council cycle.

Coming next: the August edition of Before Council, where former Common Council Member Mac Kiel and Tony Ayala walk through the J&A and F&P agenda items, discuss what happened in committee, and highlight what residents should know ahead of the August Common Council meeting.

Know Before the Vote.

Civic resources:
www.justgoodfight.com/city-resources

Before Council:
www.justgoodfight.com/before-council

For official City of La Crosse agendas, minutes, livestreams, and meeting information:
www.cityoflacrosse.org

La Crosse Common Council Member Erin Goggin joins Tony Ayala for a one-on-one conversation about the proposed city administrator charter ordinance.

Rather than focusing only on how she may ultimately vote, the conversation explores how she approaches a significant decision facing the city, including the information she considers, the questions she asks, and the responsibilities she weighs as a council member.

This interview is part of Before Council Presents: One Question, a series created to give La Crosse residents more time to hear directly from the people elected to represent them.

Each participating council member was invited separately, given the same conversation framework, and asked the same central question:

How is my Common Council member approaching this decision?

This conversation was recorded before the August 5 Judiciary and Administration Committee meeting and reflects Erin Goggin’s perspective at the time of the interview.

These conversations are not debates, endorsements, or campaign events. They are an opportunity to better understand the people behind the decisions before votes are cast.

Know Before the Vote.

Additional civic resources:
www.justgoodfight.com/city-resources

Before Council:
www.justgoodfight.com/before-council

For official City of La Crosse information:
www.cityoflacrosse.org

La Crosse Common Council Member Gary Padesky joins Tony Ayala for a one-on-one conversation about the proposed city administrator charter ordinance.

Rather than focusing only on how he may ultimately vote, the conversation explores how he approaches a significant decision facing the city, including the information he considers, the questions he asks, and the responsibilities he weighs as a council member.

This interview is part of Before Council Presents: One Question, a series created to give La Crosse residents more time to hear directly from the people elected to represent them.

Each participating council member was invited separately, given the same conversation framework, and asked the same central question:

How is my Common Council member approaching this decision?

This conversation was recorded before the August 5 Judiciary and Administration Committee meeting and reflects Gary Padesky’s perspective at the time of the interview.

These conversations are not debates, endorsements, or campaign events. They are an opportunity to better understand the people behind the decisions before votes are cast.

Know Before the Vote.

Additional civic resources:
www.justgoodfight.com/city-resources

Before Council:
www.justgoodfight.com/before-council

For official City of La Crosse information:
www.cityoflacrosse.org

La Crosse Common Council Member Lisa Weston joins Tony Ayala for a one-on-one conversation about the proposed city administrator charter ordinance.

Rather than focusing only on how she may ultimately vote, the conversation explores how she approaches a significant decision facing the city, including the information she considers, the questions she asks, and the responsibilities she weighs as a council member.

This interview is part of Before Council Presents: One Question, a series created to give La Crosse residents more time to hear directly from the people elected to represent them.

Each participating council member was invited separately, given the same conversation framework, and asked the same central question:

How is my Common Council member approaching this decision?

This conversation was recorded before the August 5 Judiciary and Administration Committee meeting and reflects Lisa Weston’s perspective at the time of the interview.

These conversations are not debates, endorsements, or campaign events. They are an opportunity to better understand the people behind the decisions before votes are cast.

Know Before the Vote.

Additional civic resources:
www.justgoodfight.com/city-resources

Before Council:
www.justgoodfight.com/before-council

For official City of La Crosse information:
www.cityoflacrosse.org

This Meeting Companion contains the August 5, 2026 Judiciary & Administration Committee meeting from the City of La Crosse.

To make the meeting easier to listen to, periods of silence, delays, recesses, and other dead air have been removed. The discussion itself has not been edited, shortened, or summarized.

Please note that the original City recording contained several audio dropouts, including approximately one minute of missing audio during Mayor Shaundel Washington-Spivey’s public comment. Any abrupt transitions reflect audio that was already missing from the official source.

Meeting Companions are intended to make local government more accessible for residents who prefer listening while driving, walking, working, exercising, or going about their day.

Later this week:

• Meeting Companion: Finance & Personnel Committee

• Before Council with Mac Kiel and Tony Ayala, discussing what happened in committee and what residents should know before the August Common Council meeting.

Know Before the Vote.

Additional civic resources:
www.justgoodfight.com/city-resources

Before Council:
www.justgoodfight.com/before-council

For official agendas, minutes, livestreams, and other City of La Crosse information:
www.cityoflacrosse.org

In Episode 2 of Before Council, Tony Ayala and former Common Council member Mac Kiel discuss the July Judiciary & Administration and Finance & Personnel Committee meetings, highlighting the agenda items, questions, and discussions that will come before the July 9, 2026 Common Council meeting.

Before Council is designed to help residents understand what’s happening at City Hall before votes are cast, giving you time to learn more, ask questions, and connect with your Common Council representative before decisions are made.

Additional civic resources, including meeting agendas, livestreams, minutes, Common Council contact information, and more:

www.justgoodfight.com/city-resources

Learn more about Before Council:

www.justgoodfight.com/before-council

For official City of La Crosse meeting information, agendas, minutes, and livestreams:

www.cityoflacrosse.org

Know Before the Vote.

This Meeting Companion contains the July 2, 2026 Finance & Personnel Committee meeting from the City of La Crosse.

To make this meeting easier to listen to, periods of silence, delays, recesses, and dead air have been removed. The discussion itself has not been edited.

Meeting Companions are intended to make local government more accessible for residents who prefer listening while driving, walking, working, or exercising.

Later today:

• Before Council with Mac Kiel and Tony Ayala, a discussion of what happened in this week’s committee meetings and what residents should know before the July 9 Common Council meeting.

Know Before the Vote.

Additional civic resources:
www.justgoodfight.com/city-resources

Before Council:
www.justgoodfight.com/before-council

For official agendas, minutes, livestreams, and other City of La Crosse information:
www.cityoflacrosse.org