La Crosse may use some ARPA funds for flood relief purposes

This year’s high water helps call attention to the risk many local families face by living in areas that are prone to flooding.

La Crosse city leaders want to use a portion of the $22 million in American Rescue Plan Act relief funding to offer help to those families.

According to La Crosse director of planning, development and assessment, Andrea Trane, that could mean moving some families away from the houses that flood.

“There is a block of homes on the north side, that we own about half of the homes already,” Trane told the city’s Finance and Personnel Committee at Thursday night’s monthly meeting. “The city did acquire those when we were working with the Garden Terrace project.

“So, possibly working with the remaining property owners on that block to do some land assembly, to be able to create more opportunities for land assembly and larger scale developments on the north side.”

At other houses, ARPA money might be used to fill basements that flood when the groundwater gets too high.

The committee passed a resolution to spend $1.1 million in federal relief money left over from the pandemic on homes in flood-prone areas. The plan calls for spending $250,000 for additional funding for flood plain relief, and $850,000 for property acquisition and demolition, leading to new residential development.

The full city council reviews the plan on May 11, at it’s monthly meeting.