La Crosse Council approves 2025 budget, without restoring past funding for large-item garbage pickup

A last-minute proposal to add more money for disposal of furniture and other large items in La Crosse was voted Monday down by the city council at its yearly budget hearing.

The council voted 8-4 against adding $105,000 to the budget, which would have paid for hauling large items, especially at college move-out time.

That funding was removed from the budget last year to save money. Council member Erin Goggin wanted to see the large-item pickup funding brought back, saying couches, mattresses, washing machines and freezers are often left at the curb in her neighborhood

Councilman Doug Happel said he’s heard from people who would like the pickup to resume.

“I’ve not had a single person say to me, ‘Oh, I just love it that we don’t have large-item pickup,'” Happel told the council. “I have had people say, ‘Nobody’s picking up my large items, I don’t care for that.'”

Barb Janssen of the council said she thinks students left fewer big items behind when moving out this year, because they knew the city wasn’t going to haul them away.

City finance director Chad Hawkins spoke against returning that item to the budget.

“These are some of those hard choices that I keep mentioning,” Hawkins said, “that we need to make those decisions and to help keep our budget healthy moving forward.”

The pickup spending was the only major change suggested to the budget before it was approved unanimously.

The council approved operating expenses of $63.5 million for 2025 — down $212,000 from last year.