Burke talks Lot C, county office move

Moves cost millions of dollars

Beginning in its new term next month, about 20 percent of the La Crosse County board members will be new

Two incumbent supervisors lost races in the Tuesday election, while four other new members were chosen to fill seats that were being vacated.  

The multi-million dollar conversion of the Associated Bank to a county building was used as an election issue against incumbents who approved the project but board member Vicki Burke defends the county’s decision to leave the 1965 courthouse.

“It is going to cost money, but this facility was not a facility that was going to meet the needs,” Burke said. “And I think that it’s important for a county to look into what is going to meet the needs of that county. And not for the next year or two, but for the future.”

Burke argues that new development on Lot C, which was part of a package deal involving county office space, will help build up La Crosse’s tax base.

The former courthouse wasn’t going to meet La Crosse County’s space needs much longer.  

Burke made that argument to support the massive construction package which will move county offices into an even older bank building at year’s end.

“It was beneficial, especially with Lot C being part of that, to increase the tax ase for the City of La Crosse,” Burke said, “which I think was an important contribution that the county is making in their planning to strengthen the City of La Crosse and through that strengthening La Crosse County.”

The county Republican party called the building projects a money-wasting boondoggle prior to the county board election this week. In those races, 23 of the 29 board members won new terms.